Why visit Warsaw
Townapedia lists 1 museum or landmark, 3 parks and trails, 5 places to eat, 3 places to stay and 2 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Upper Bridge.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 90°F; January lows average 22°F.
Weather in Warsaw
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Warsaw
Warsaw is a city in and the county seat of Benton County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,209 at the 2020 census.
From the Wikipedia article Warsaw, Missouri (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do2
Upper Bridge
Bridge · National Register of Historic Places · 1.2 mi
Building in Missouri, United States
Museums and landmarks1
Parks, trails and playgrounds3
Restaurants and cafes5
Dam Restaurant & Lounge
Diner · American · 1.1 mi
801 Kennedy Drive, Warsaw
We-Sa 07:00-21:00; Su 07:00-19:00
The Common Ground Café
Cafe · Sandwich, Coffee Shop · 0.9 mi
145 W Main Street, Warsaw
Mo-Fr 10:30+ "closing time unknown"
Subway
Fast food · Sandwich · 1.1 mi
1886 Commercial Street, Warsaw
Mo-Th 08:30-21:30; Fr-Sa 08:30-22:00; Su 08:30-20:30
History
The original inhabitants of the area were the Delaware, Shawnee, Sac, Kickapoo, and Osage tribes (namesake of the Osage River which passed by the city). French settlers visited the area as early as 1719.
Warsaw was platted in 1837. The city was incorporated in 1843 and designated as the county seat of Benton County. The city was named after Warsaw, the capital city of Poland, in honor of the Revolutionary War hero Tadeusz Kościuszko, who was Polish and had also fought for independence in his homeland. Warsaw was a steamboat port, the furthest point up the Osage River they could navigate.
Permanent immigrants to the area were Germans, Scotch-Irish, and English, as well as transplant farmers from Kentucky, Tennessee and the Carolinas, first arriving circa 1820.
In 1931 the upper reaches of Lake of the Ozarks reached the community on the Osage River. The dam for Truman Reservoir on the Osage River just northwest of the city limits officially opened 1979 after construction began in 1964. Place names for many lake related businesses including the Harry S. Truman Regional Visitor Center have the Warsaw mailing address even though they are outside the city limits. The Warsaw city limits do not include Truman Reservoir lakefront. City limits do include waterfront the upper reaches of the Osage Arm of the Lake of the Ozarks.
From the History section of Warsaw, Missouri on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay3
Churches and places of worship1
Shopping1
Schools, colleges and libraries4
Map of Warsaw
20 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42°F | 22°F | 1.8 in |
| Feb | 47°F | 25°F | 2.1 in |
| Mar | 57°F | 34°F | 3.0 in |
| Apr | 68°F | 44°F | 4.6 in |
| May | 76°F | 55°F | 5.5 in |
| Jun | 85°F | 65°F | 5.2 in |
| Jul | 90°F | 69°F | 4.7 in |
| Aug | 89°F | 67°F | 4.0 in |
| Sep | 82°F | 58°F | 4.1 in |
| Oct | 70°F | 46°F | 3.5 in |
| Nov | 57°F | 36°F | 3.1 in |
| Dec | 46°F | 27°F | 2.0 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Truman Dam & Rsvr Hcn (3 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Benton County has had 16 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for severe storms.
- 2023-09-21: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2020-03-26: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2019-07-09: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2015-08-07: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2011-03-23: Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm (Severe Storm)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Ray Otten Memorial Airfield (VRS) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 29 miles away.
- Cole Camp 17 mi northeast, about 27 min by car
- Versailles 31 mi northeast, about 50 min by car
- Sedalia 32 mi north, about 52 min by car
- Humansville 33 mi south, about 54 min by car
- Village of Four Seasons 36 mi east, about 57 min by car
- Appleton City 36 mi west, about 58 min by car
- Knob Noster 37 mi north, about 1 h by car
- Warrensburg 40 mi northwest, about 1 h by car
- Lake Ozark 40 mi east, about 1 h by car
- Bolivar 45 mi south, about 1 h 15 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Benton County Missouri Courthouse-20191026-6937, Kbh3rd, CC BY 4.0
- Upper Bridge1, Nja1985, CC BY-SA 4.0
Page built October 30, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.