Ancient Native American petroglyphs, a cave, and historic stone overlooks along Big River can all be enjoyed at Washington State Park about an hour south of St. Louis. History of Washington State Park Native American The highlight of this park is the petroglyph area near the main entrance of the park. Thousands of years ago the Middle Mississippian culture found in Cahokia, Ill., built a…
Near St. Louis is Cliff Cave Park with panoramic Mississippi River views and a cave to check out along its trails. CLIFF CAVE HISTORY The cave was first recorded in 1749 by John Baptiste D’Gamache, one of the French founders of St. Louis, who received the cave and land in the Spanish Land Grant. Later, during the 18th century, French fur trappers operated a tavern…
Soar 300 feet above the Mississippi River on the Grafton SkyTour and then feel the rush down an alpine coaster, all part of the day at Aerie’s Resort. We headed out on a warm fall day along the Great River Road north of Alton, Ill., to have some fun in Grafton, Ill. Along with the amusement park-like attractions, we also checked out a few other…
Follow a paved trail through the woods to a former mine at Sodalis Nature Preserve in Hannibal, Mo., known as the hometown of Mark Twain. This hike leads to a mine filled with bats that can be seen in the evening. Our Time Here A large parking lot for the 200-acre preserve is located off Ely Street on the south side of Hannibal. At the…
Taum Sauk Mountain State Park is where you hike to the highest point in the state and highest wet weather waterfall and can continue down to the rock formation of Devil’s Tollgate. About Taum Sauk Mountain Taum Sauk Mountain is 1,772 feet above sea level and is the epicenter of the St. Francois Mountains in Missouri. Almost 1.5 billion years ago, volcanic eruptions of hot…
Hiking around the huge stones at the former Meramec Highland Quarry is the adventure at Dee Koestering Park in Kirkwood, Mo. My son Andrew enjoyed walking up and around the huge rock cuts and then exploring the brook that flowed through the area at this park. QUARRY ROCK Several hundred stones remain scattered about along with others that are stacked on top of each other…
Drive-by haunting church ruins, eating a German-style meal in Bavarian decor, and seeing a rainbow of autumn colors are highlights of our backwoods adventure along the Illinois Bluff Road. Each year we take a drive in the MetroEast going south on the Bluff Road towards Valmeyer, Illinois. Here you drive along the valley with the bluffs to your right with the golds, reds, and yellows of…
Enter the world of illusions and be amazed at the Museum of Illusions St. Louis, located at the City Foundry. The museum allows you to experience unique rooms where you are not always sure what you see or where you are. 3-D Fun We entered the museum and came to the area where my son could make a 3-D image of himself with a third…
Hike to Wisconsin’s highest point, Timm’s Hill, at 1,951 feet, and climb a 50-foot wooden tower for breathtaking panoramic views of the surrounding hills and valleys. The 0.4-mile hike is out-and-back on a natural surface with 98 feet of elevation gain on a natural surface. (We stopped here heading back from our trip to explore part of the North Shore in Minnesota and the Apostle…
Our one-day adventure to the Apostle Islands included finding a waterfall, relaxing on a beach, and seeing the sea caves. (This was our second day on our trip to explore part of the North Shore in Minnesota and the Apostle Islands.) We set out in the morning for our drive from Duluth, Minnesota, to Bayfield, Wisconsin, for our boat trip to see the Apostle Islands….
