Wayne County

Named for the governor of Missouri (1924), this state park has stunning vistas, clear mountain streams, mountains, and so much more. Plan your trip for several days (you can stay in a rustic cabin or camp), so you can take in everything this park has to offer.

We searched every corner of Missouri for hidden gems—fascinating but sometimes overlooked places that are worth the drive. Where will this southeast Missouri hidden gems road trip, with places suggested by Missouri Life ambassadors, take you?

The Mountain Grove Journal reported on an old teacher, H. L. Mabrey of Wayne county, had the copy of a contract he made to teach in that county in 1848.