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7 Great Day Trips from St. Louis
Spring break and summer vacation are right around the corner. If you are looking to stay closer to home this year, here is a roundup of several great destinations all less than two hours from St. Louis. Load up the kids, pack all the snacks, and head out to explore these great destinations. * Be sure to check the websites of attractions before visiting for up to date COVID restrictions or closures. Ste. Genevieve, Missouri Take a trip just one…
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View Missouri’s Best Swimming Spot from the Johnson’s Shut-Ins Trail
The scenic and popular Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park is well known as a great spot to cool off on sticky summer day. This park in southeast Missouri features a section of dramatic rock gorges and chutes carved out by the Black River. Visitors climb over and along the rocks looking for the perfect natural water slides and swimming holes. While the day use area of the shut-ins can be bustling with summer swimmers, few people take the time to explore…
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Don Robinson State Park LaBarque Hills Trail
Don Robinson State Park has quickly become a popular hiking destination due to its proximity to St. Louis. While most people tend to explore the Sandstone Canyon Trail, the LaBarque Hills Trail is also worth a hike. While the LarBarque Hills Trail does not have the dramatic canyons and waterfalls on the Sandstone Trail, it has it’s own sense of beauty as the trail passes up and down hills and around a scenic creek. If you visit at the right…
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Explore a Box Canyon Waterfall at Hickory Canyons Natural Area
Located near other spectacular hiking areas in Missouri such as Pickle Springs and Hawn State Park is a less well known hidden gem. Hickory Canyons Natural Area shares some of the the same scenery with dramatic box canyons, dripping waterfalls, and lush vegetation. This area is beautiful in all seasons. Spring and summer bring waterfalls and lots of green. A cold enough winter means dramatic ice formations are possible. A dusting of snow can turn the area in a winter…
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Explore an Ancient Civilization at Cahokia Mounds
Long before Europeans arrived to America, the area just east St. Louis was home to an ancient culture. Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site in southern Illinois preserves the central section of the largest prehistoric Native American city north of Mexico. The city grew to cover 4,000 acres with a population of between ten and twenty thousand at its peak around 1100. Today the site preserves 70 of the original 120 earthen mounds built by pre-historic Native Americans. Dominating the site is Monks…
