Columbus-Belmont State Park interprets our region’s critical role in river transportation during the Civil War. The park has a museum, hiking trails, a casual snack bar, and campsites overlooking the parks’ towering bluffs along the Mississippi River.

The Annual Banana Festival in Fulton has been going on through six decades and often begs the question, “Why bananas?” We don’t grow them, but at one point, over 70% of bananas consumed in the U.S. stopped here on their way to market because we had the only ice house located along the rail route between New Orleans and Chicago. You can read the whole banana festival history here. The modern-day festival highlight? A 1-ton banana pudding travels the parade route before being distributed to festival attendees.

The Clinton-Hickman County Spring Chicken Festival, held in late April each year, harkens back to simpler times and promises attendees “A Feather Rufflin’ Good Time” with events such as 5K, 10K, and Kids Fun Run races, a cornhole tournament, a Wild Wing Cookoff, a petting zoo, carnival rides, food vendors, arts and crafts – and of course contests for chicken clucking and chicken dancing.