Capitols are Capital with a Capital C!

ByDeborah Raney
11 Comments

We’re in Kansas this week visiting family and friends. We came by way of Columbia, Missouri where we watched two of our grandsons place 13th and 14th in the State cross country meet. Their team, coached by their dad, Ryan, and mom (our daughter Tobi), took FIRST in State for the third year in a row! We are busting our buttons! It was fun to watch the awards ceremony with their big brother, Reed, who took first in State two years ago, and Ryan’s parents.

Since we camped nearby in Jefferson City and had a few hours to kill, we decided to visit the capitol of our adopted state of Missouri. Wow! We were blown away! I’ll share just a few of the many photos we took. (And fall was such a great time to be there. The trees were stunning!)

A friend recommended Central Dairy Ice Cream and Ken wasn’t about to skip that! We were amazed that two huge scoops each cost us exactly $7!! And it was yummy! And charming!

Another friend who saw my photos on Facebook messaged me to say: “I saw your post about visiting Missouri‘s State Capitol building… Recently my husband and I have been visiting state capitol buildings and they are all amazing. We have been to 8 so far, Nevada, New Mexico, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Maine and Georgia. All have been free (parking too) and we have taken the guided tour for most of them. They are all unique and my favorite part are the libraries! Our favorite so far is Iowa.”

I told her that Ken and I would be adding state capitols to our bucket list and seeking them out when we travel now! Especially that FREE part! For Missouri’s capitol, that included all the area inside and outside the buildings, the museum, and the parking! And we were able to park right in front too!

Now we know so much more about our adopted home state and oh, my, there were SO many ideas for books that came while we were walking through the museum. If you write historical novels, your State capitol is a treasure trove of ideas but even for this contemporary writer, I came away inspired!

Have you visited the capitol of your home state? What about other states’ capitol buildings? If you haven’t, we highly recommend it! If you have, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

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DEBORAH RANEY's first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title and launched Deb’s writing career. Forty books later, she's still creating stories that touch hearts and lives. Her novels have won RWA's RITA Award, the ACFW Carol Award, the National Readers Choice Award, and the HOLT Medallion. She is also a four-time Christy Award finalist. Deb is on faculty for several national writers’ conferences and served on the executive board of the 2,500-member American Christian Fiction Writers organization for 18 years before retiring in 2022. She is a recent transplant to Missouri, having moved with her husband, Ken Raney, from their native Kansas to be closer to kids and grandkids. They love road trips, e-biking, Friday garage sale dates, and breakfast on the screened porch overlooking their wooded backyard.

11 Comments

  1. Okay, Deb (and Ken). I am counting on you coming to Boise and I’ll go with you on that tour of the capitol building. First interesting fact: It is the only capitol building in the nation heated by geothermal water (pumped up from 3,000 feet below). Another, it has four different colors of marble brought in from three other states and Italy. Lots more to learn, and this way I can finally make you stop instead of just zipping through.

  2. First of all, congratulations to your grandsons! I can understand how wonderful it was for you and Ken to be there. Your pictures are beautiful.

    I was born and raised in the capital city of Richmond, VA. You can’t drive through downtown Richmond without seeing the capitol building, designed by Thomas Jefferson. While not visiting the capitol buildings, I looked back on our travels and found we had visited 11 capitals – in CA, CT, DE, GA, MA, NM, NC, SC, UT, VA, WV. I attribute that to the fact we drove across country twice. Traveling was one of our favorite things to do, and I’m so thankful we had that chance before I lost my husband in 2023.

    With our country’s 250th anniversary coming up, I would encourage people to visit Virginia, home of the first successful settlement, Jamestown in 1607. We also have Williamsburg and Yorktown (known as the historical triangle with Jamestown). Then there is Jefferson’s home, Monticello in Charlottesville and Washington’s home Mount Vernon. Surrender of Revolutionary War in Yorktown and Civil War in Appomattox. There are a number of battlefields and beautiful scenery from the mountains to the sea – Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah Valley, on to Virginia Beach, where I now live. So come one, come all.

    1. That is wonderful, Betty! We’re getting a later start than you did, but I hope we can still add some of the wonderful capitols and other places you mentioned!

  3. Tennessee’s capital in Nashville is majestic inside and out. It is set on a high hill with a magnificent view!

  4. So fun! Y’all definitely need to get to Austin to visit the Texas State Capitol. Like all things in Texas, it is BIG!

  5. Congrats to your grandsons, daughter, and son-in-law on such a fantastic outcome! And I LOVE the idea of touring state capitols while traveling. 🙂

  6. Congratulations to your grandsons and their parents on a tremendous season! Wow!

    I love this idea of checking out different state capitols. I have visited the KS state capitol and MI capitol. Both were beautiful and unique! I remember the MI capitol had neat black and white checkered floors that are filled with fossils! Hard to take everything in when you’re busy staring at the floor, too. 😁

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