Sent up the river

In My Humble Opinion
1

Actually, going voluntarily. We’re leaving next weekend for a few days vacation, and the plan is to drive to St. Louis, visit friends there, and then go north. I’m planning to look up some Great River Road information, to set an itinerary, sort of. At least a guideline. The schedule is basically up to me, I guess, since the last vacation we took was the planned kind my husband prefers. Disney World. I like the rambley, “oh, that looks like interesting” kind.

So I’m looking for suggestions from you people who know the area. I think we’re probably talking about St. Louis north into Wisconsin. Side trips of a reasonable distance are not to be ruled out, so if there’s something you like but it isn’t right close to the water, that’s okay, too. I like quirky, and Americana type things.

If there’s a restaurant or diner type place you like, I want to hear about it, please. I’m open to ideas.

Any help will be appreciated. Thanks.

I promise to report back with pictures.

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Are you coming from the south?

About two hours south of St. Louis, in Sikeston, MO, is Lambert’s Café", which, while kitschy in the extreme, is also a really cool experience.

St. Louis itself is quite a town. I recommend you check out City Museum. For authentic Italian dining, check out , a family restaurant in The Hill, an Italian neighborhood. And no visit to St. Louis is complete without a visit to [url=“http://www.teddrewes.com”]Ted Drewe’s Frozen Custard. And of course, there’s the Art Museum, the History Museum, the Zoo, and a host of other Forest Park attractions.

Ste. Genevieve, Missouri (about an hour south of St. Louis) has a lot of French Colonial history, plus caves, wineries, and similar things.

Alton, IL is worht a visit. Try to catch a ghost tour if it’s still warm-ish. I don’t have a cite for you, just google “Alton Ghost Tour.”

If you want to veer a hundred miles out of your way east, head to Springfield, IL and check out the Lincoln Presidential Museum and other Lincoln sites. E-mail me off-boards and I’ll help you plan an itenerary.

Further upriver are Quincy, IL and Hannibal, MO (check out the Mark Twain sights in Hannibal).

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Since you are planning on getting up to Wisconsin, you could stop off at the Effigy Mound NM. It is right on the river in Iowa, and has some nice hikes and other NP stuff.