No Car Needed: Things to Do in Washington, MO by Train and River Bridge
Revised November 5, 2026
What are some fun things to do in Washington, Missouri?
Ride Amtrak’s Missouri River Runner in from Kirkwood, walk the Highway 47 bridge path over the Missouri, bank-fish the Washington Riverfront, hike Miller Post Nature Reserve, browse the free Washington Historical Society Museum, and finish with games at The Alley.
Keep reading ↓Halfway across the Missouri on the Highway 47 bridge, the wind finds you. It comes straight up the river, cold off the water even in summer, while trucks rumble past on the other side of the barrier. Below, the river is brown, wide and in a hurry. You walked here. Nobody had to find parking.
That walk is newer than you might think. The Missouri Department of Transportation replaced the old 1936 bridge with a new span that has a ten-foot protected bike and pedestrian path, and the new bridge opened in late 2018. The old bridge, MoDOT says, carried about 11,000 vehicles a day on narrow lanes with no shoulders. Crews then demolished it, and the view from the middle now belongs to walkers. And here is the part worth telling a friend: you can get to that bridge without a car. Amtrak’s Missouri River Runner runs daily between St. Louis and Kansas City, it stops in Kirkwood, and in Washington it pulls into a 1923 Missouri Pacific Railroad depot that also houses the town’s visitors center and the Mid-Missouri Fine Arts Gallery.
So the usual Washington plan, drive out, see the corncob pipe shop, drive home, misses the best version of the day. Of all the small towns outside St. Louis, this is one you can do properly with a train ticket and good shoes.
What are some fun things to do in Washington, Missouri?
Ride Amtrak’s Missouri River Runner in from Kirkwood, walk the Highway 47 bridge path over the Missouri, bank-fish the Washington Riverfront, hike Miller Post Nature Reserve, browse the free Washington Historical Society Museum, and finish with games at The Alley.
A car-free day, start to finish
The ride out is half the fun. The Missouri River Runner boards in Kirkwood, the same downtown we cover in our list of things to do in Kirkwood, and from the window you watch the city fall away into river bottoms and bluffs. Check Amtrak’s current schedule before you book, pick a morning train out and an evening train back, and you get a full day on the ground.
What to pack for a train day: comfortable shoes, a light jacket for the bridge, a refillable water bottle, a phone charger and a small bag you can carry all day. There is no car to toss things into, so pack light and plan your stops in a loop that ends back at the depot. If you bring kids, pack snacks for the ride and a deck of cards for the wait on the platform.
Step off at 301 West Front Street and you are already at the river. The depot is a working station, a visitors center and an art gallery at once, so ask for a map before you walk anywhere. Then head for the water and the bridge while the morning is cool.
Midday, walk up the hill into town. The Washington Historical Society Museum at 113 E. 4th Street is open to the public at no charge, Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. It closes December 23 through February 28 and on major holidays, so plan a winter trip around that. The museum covers about 6,000 square feet, a block from City Hall, and group and private tours are available. Inside, two floors hold corncob pipes, Schwarzer zithers, John B. Busch Brewery items, pottery, Missouri River history and more, and the Ralph Gregory Library sits on the lower level. Yes, that Busch name. Ask whoever is at the front desk to point you to the brewery items and tell you the story behind them.
Lunch is a few blocks in any direction; our guide to where to eat in Washington, MO sorts the options.
The corncob pipes, done right
Every list leads with them, and for once the list is right. Missouri Meerschaum, in Washington, calls itself the world’s oldest, largest and leading manufacturer of corn cob pipes, and it says six generations of craftsmen have made them there since 1869. Turn one over in your hand: the bowl is a real corn cob, ridged and rough under your thumb. Even if you never smoke, it’s the souvenir people ask about when they see it on a shelf.
Where can you go fishing in Washington, MO?
On the bank of the big river, and you don’t need a boat. The Missouri Department of Conservation’s fishing prospects for the lower Missouri say great bank fishing can be found along the river at spots including the Washington Riverfront.
The fish are not small. MDC says its sampling in recent years shows high numbers of 25- to 35-inch blue catfish, and anglers continue to report trophy fish in the 80- to 100-pound range. Feel the rod load up on one of those and your forearms will remember it the next morning. MDC says blue catfish hold along current breaks near dike tips and notches and on revetted shorelines with fairly swift current, that spring water around 60 to 65 degrees is optimum, and that good baits include cut Asian carp, shad, skipjack herring, goldeye and live sunfish or goldfish.
One rule matters more than the rest. Three species of sturgeon live in the lower Missouri, shovelnose, pallid and lake sturgeon, and MDC says the shovelnose is the only one of the three that is legal to harvest. If you’re not sure what you’ve hooked, let it go. Pallid and shovelnose are often confused, and MDC asks anglers to check any sturgeon for a tag.
Flatheads are the other prize. MDC says its flathead catfish surveys turned up plenty of 20- to 30-inch fish with a few up to 45 inches, and that flatheads hold in moderate current around dikes, along revetted shorelines and on cutbanks. If the blues aren’t biting, move to slower water and try again. Patience on a riverbank is half the sport and most of the pleasure: the slow drift of the line, a barge horn somewhere downstream, the light going orange on the water.
Bring a chair, a headlamp and a thermos. The riverbank goes from warm to chilly fast once the sun drops behind the bluffs. For more water closer to home, see our picks for the best fishing spots in St. Louis, or our list of things to do the next county over, where MDC flags another riverfront for bank fishing.
Walk the woods at Miller Post
When the river gets loud and bright, go find shade. Miller Post Nature Reserve covers 67 acres, with trails through wooded habitat that Visit Missouri says shelter many species of fish, birds, plants and wildlife. The entrance is on Post Drive off Grand Avenue, and admission and parking are free. It isn’t wheelchair accessible, so plan accordingly.
Go in quietly and the woods fill in around you: leaves underfoot, a woodpecker somewhere above, the town gone faint. Sit on a log for five minutes and let your breathing slow down before you head back. It’s the easy reset between the river and downtown.
Got a car after all? Things to do in Union, MO
The bridge, and the Katy Trail question
People ask how to reach the Katy Trail from Washington. Ask at the visitors center in the depot; the Highway 47 bridge, with its ten-foot protected bike and pedestrian path, is how you cross the river under your own power. Katy Trail State Park is 240 miles long, runs between Clinton and Machens on the old Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad corridor, and has 26 trailheads and four restored railroad depots along the way.
Walk to the middle of the bridge, stop and turn around. Upriver and down, the water just keeps going, and the town waits behind you like a postcard someone forgot to mail. It costs nothing but time. Wear decent shoes and bring a layer, because the wind on the span is real.
What is there to do in Washington, MO on a rainy night?
Head to The Alley. It describes itself as a family entertainment establishment that’s fun for all ages, with VR, an arcade, laser tag, a playscape, a bar and a food truck, plus events like music bingo, karaoke, craft sessions and movie nights on its calendar. The sound hits you at the door: game bells, laughter, somebody losing loudly at laser tag. Check the calendar before you go, because the events change month to month.
It’s the right call for a mixed group. Kids get the games and the laser tag, adults get a seat at the bar, and nobody has to agree on one thing for two hours. If the rain clears, step back outside and walk toward the river; wet brick and streetlights make the old downtown look its best.
If you came by train, the evening run home sets your clock. Leave yourself a cushion, and don’t be the person sprinting down Front Street with a prize-counter bag.
Nearby, on the same river and rails
If wineries are your reason to drive out, we gave them their own page: our St. Louis winery day trip guide covers that side of the river. If you do drive, take the scenic way home and stop to stretch your legs; here are good places to walk around Chesterfield. Upriver, our guide to things to do in New Haven, MO picks up where this one leaves off.
Between the bridge walk and the train home, you’ll get hungry. Our guide to where to eat in Washington, MO on St Louis Near Me Directory lists spots a few blocks from the depot.
If you run a bike shop, a bait counter or a Main Street storefront that train riders walk past, those riders have a few hours, an appetite and no car to drive somewhere else. Be the door they walk through and get more customers off every train: list your business with us.
Next time somebody tells you there’s nothing to do past the county line, you’ll be the one who knows the train stops at a 1923 depot, the bridge has a path and the riverbank holds catfish longer than your arm. Pick a day. Check the schedule. Go.
Frequently asked questions
Does Amtrak stop in Washington, Missouri?
Yes. Amtrak’s Missouri River Runner, which runs daily between St. Louis and Kansas City, stops at Washington’s depot at 301 West Front Street. The historic Missouri Pacific Railroad depot was built in 1923 and houses a passenger waiting room, the town’s visitors center and the Mid-Missouri Fine Arts Gallery. Check Amtrak’s current schedule before you book.
Is there a train in Washington, Missouri?
Yes, a passenger train. The Missouri River Runner stops in Washington, and it also stops in Kirkwood, which makes a car-free day trip from the St. Louis side easy to plan. Amtrak lists an enclosed waiting area, parking and an accessible platform at the Washington station.
What is The Alley in Washington, Mo?
It’s a family entertainment spot that calls itself fun for all ages. The Alley offers VR, an arcade, laser tag, a playscape, a bar and a food truck, and its calendar includes music bingo, karaoke, craft sessions and movie nights.
What is Washington, MO known for?
Corncob pipes, first. Missouri Meerschaum has made them in Washington since 1869 and calls itself the world’s oldest, largest and leading manufacturer of corn cob pipes. The free Washington Historical Society Museum shows corncob pipes, Schwarzer zithers and John B. Busch Brewery items, and the riverfront is one of MDC’s named bank-fishing spots on the lower Missouri.
What is Washington, Missouri famous for?
Beyond the pipes, it’s famous as a river town you can reach by train. Amtrak’s Missouri River Runner stops at its 1923 Missouri Pacific Railroad depot on West Front Street, a new bridge with a ten-foot protected bike and pedestrian path crosses the Missouri, and the local museum keeps a collection of John B. Busch Brewery items. Come for one of those and you’ll stay for the other two.
What to do around Washington, MO?
Stay on the river or follow the rails. Our guides to things to do in Union, MO and New Haven, MO cover the next towns over, and our winery day trip guide covers the vineyards. Across the river, Katy Trail State Park runs 240 miles with 26 trailheads.
Written by a dedicated team of St. Louis locals who live, work, and play right here in the St. Louis metro. Founder Lane Forman and team are committed to building the region’s most trusted directory by verifying listings and connecting local businesses with loyal customers across Missouri and Illinois.