Get outside
Things to do
The villages the Saxon Lutherans built in 1839, a national Catholic shrine, the only full-size Vietnam Wall outside Washington, and a rock island in the Mississippi — all within the county, plus places to eat, shop, and stay.
Faith & Heritage
A national Catholic shrine in Perryville and the villages the Saxon Lutherans built in 1839.
National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal
The shrine church at St. Mary’s of the Barrens, the Vincentian seminary in Perryville whose roots go back to the first college west of the Mississippi. Free guided tours of the church run daily except holidays, and the mile-long Rosary Walk winds past bronze and marble statues from Italy, stone bridges, and a World War I grotto. On the grounds are the Rosati Log Cabin and two museums, the Countess Estelle Doheny Museum and the Bishop Edward Sheehan Memorial Museum, open for guided tours by request. The visitor center has a gift shop.
Saxon Lutheran Memorial
In 1838–39 more than 600 Saxon Lutherans followed Pastor Martin Stephan to America and settled in the southeast corner of Perry County, founding Altenburg, Wittenberg, Frohna, Dresden, and their neighbors. This open-air site keeps their story with two original log houses, a big log barn, antique farm machinery, and a visitor center.
Lutheran Heritage Center & Museum
The Perry County Lutheran Historical Society’s museum in Altenburg, the center of the 1839 Saxon settlement. In town are the Concordia Log Cabin College (1839), where the school that grew into Concordia Seminary began, the Loeber Log Cabin (1839), and Trinity Lutheran Church (1867). Guided tours of historic Altenburg are available by appointment; the museum is open weekdays.
Historic Sites & Museums
A 1904 courthouse square, a full-size Vietnam Wall, and a tractor museum.
Missouri’s National Veterans Memorial
Home of the only full-size, black granite replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall outside Washington, D.C., just north of Perryville. Admission is free; the visitor center keeps weekday hours.
Perryville Courthouse Square
Perryville’s square centers on the Perry County Courthouse, built in 1904, with a chiming clock tower; tours can be arranged ahead through the Perry County Welcome Center. Nearby are the Levi Block building (about 1829), thought to be the town’s oldest commercial building, and the Faherty House (1825), its oldest home.
American Tractor Museum
A museum of antique tractors in downtown Perryville, in the same building as the Perry County Heritage Tourism welcome center. Open weekdays.
Perry County Museum
The county historical museum in the Doerr House at Perryville City Park. Open Wednesdays and weekends, May through October.
Old Appleton Bridge
An 1897 iron truss bridge over Apple Creek, the county’s southern boundary, open to people on foot.
River & Caves
A rock island in the Mississippi, and more caves than any county in Missouri.
Food & Drink
Places to eat and drink
Shopping
Antiques, boutiques, and local shops
Camping & Lodging
Places to stay
Gas & Convenience
Gas and supplies
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Verify before relying on this. Compiled from Perry County Heritage Tourism, the Missouri Department of Conservation, Missouri Life, and each venue’s own site. Hours, fees, and regulations change — check directly before a trip, especially for hunting and fishing seasons and limits.
