St. Louis Area Tourism

One of my on-line tweeps, @JPlovescotton posted a tweet and blog about her desire to get to know her new home area of St, Louis a little better.  I made a few suggestions and she asked if I could turn it into a blog.  Because I try to keep my blog related to agriculture, I will put an agricultural spin on my suggestions.

I first suggested a float trip on an Ozark stream.  Current River is my favorite.  In addition to enjoying the outdoor relaxation with a few friends, she will find she is in the heart of Missouri cattle country.  There is very little cropland, but some of the hills support grass instead of timber, in fact a flyover this summer showed more open land than I expected.

The Ozarks also support one of the ultimate locally grown products in Missouri.  There is a nice collection of wineries in the St. James area and some of the growers sell fresh grapes in season as well.  Ste. Genevieve is another area to enjoy winery visits, tours and French heritage.  In addition, in Ste Genevieve you can cross that great highway of agriculture products, the Mississippi River on a ferry.  It is a great experience seeing the river up close and personal.

One of the things she could explore at the Cahokia Mounds World Heritage site in the Collinsville, IL area is what foods were grown and eaten by these Native Americans.  The site was a great pre-Columbian center of agriculture in the Mississippi River Valley,  Yes the Indians transported their products by water as well.  If she takes a little sidetrip trip up Route 157 and goes left on 162 back toward Highway 255 she should be able to spot a horseradish field somewhere in the area.  In addition, there are a few remaining roadside vegetable stands.

I also suggested a day trip to downtown St. Charles, Missouri, the first state capitol of Missouri.  The quaint shops and restaurants are pleasant way to spend a warm spring day.  To put an agricultural spin on the trip, drive toward Alton on Highway 94 past corn and soybeans growing in the rich bottomlands of the combined Missouri and Mississippi Valley.

Another must see is the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield, IL.  We all understand Lincoln's place in history as a wartime president, but he also supported canals, railroads and river navigation to help farmers market their products.  In addition, Lincoln is considered the founder of the United States Department of Agriculture.  Other Lincoln Heritage sites to see are his home, his law office, his church, and his tomb.  New Salem State park is also worth a look.  Most of the trip from St. Louis to Springfield on I-55 will give you at least a flavor of Illinois corn country.  Take a long weekend or a short week for this one or divide it up doing the Presidential Museum one day, the other Lincoln sites one day, and New Salem one day.  Enjoy a Horseshoe or a Cozy Dog in Springfield.

I meant to write a separate blog on this subject.  Over Christmas we took my son and daughter-in-law to the Schlafly Bottle Works for a birthday dinner.  Their menu featured a number of local producers and processors from the St. Louis area in support of the locally grown foods movement.  It was cool to see a former customer of ours listed as a local supplier of pork.  All the food was delicious.  I recommend starting with a sampler of the beers.

State Fairs in Sedalia, MO  and Springfield, IL both feature their states agricultural products and are just good fun.

I hope this gets you a good start Janice.