The county seat of Adair County is a city rich with history known as Kirksville. Hotels in this area have affordable rates and a great location so you can save money and enjoy this college town with unique attractions by booking with Choice Hotels in Kirksville. Located 87 miles north of Columbia, Missouri and 130 miles northeast of Kansas City, Missouri, Kirksville was an area first settled by Europeans in the 1820s and named after its first postmaster, Jesse Kirk. In exchange for this honor, Kirk plied the surveyors with turkey and free whiskey! Not long after the city was incorporated in 1857, it was the site of the Battle of Kirksville, which was fought during the American Civil War in 1862. The mass grave of executed Confederate soldiers is marked in the Forest Llewellyn Cemetery; just a few blocks west of Kirksville’s Square. You can see the cannonball that struck the courthouse during that battle, as well as many other military objects, pioneer items and Native American relics and arrowheads at the Adair County Historical Society Museum.
A Civil War cannon is on display at The Veterans Memorial and Memorial Plaza, which commemorates the sacrifices of area men and women who have served in the military. The 3,000-plus acre Thousand Hills State Park offers multiple outdoor recreation opportunities with its 573-acre lake popular for non-motorized boating, fishing and swimming. Kirksville Aquatic Center provides families with plenty of fun-in-the-sun possibilities, from swim lessons to a frog water slide. Kirksville is home to two state universities, Truman State University and A.T. Still University. Other nearby colleges include Northeast Missouri Bible College and the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine. Whether you’re exploring this city’s a historic downtown square or enjoying the natural beauty of its state parks, you’ll have a convenient location to rest and recharge when you stay at one of our Choice Hotels in Kirksville, MO. Book a room online now!