New Madrid, MO

united states

New Madrid lies in Missouri's southeastern corner along the Mississippi River, accessible via Interstate 55 Exit 44. The small river town sits where the mighty river bends eastward through the fertile Missouri Bootheel. Highway 61 runs north-south through town, connecting to Cape Girardeau 50 miles northeast and continuing toward Tennessee. Most visitors arrive from St. Louis via I-55 south, a 150-mile drive through flat farmland. The town famously sits atop one of America's most active earthquake zones, where massive 1811-1812 quakes once reversed the Mississippi's flow.