| Salem Area / rural missouri | |||||
| Meramec Caverns |  Address: I-44, Exit 230 Stanton, MOhttp://www.americascave.com Located about 1 hour west of St. Louis, meramec caverns provides guided tours through the natural wonder of a large 26 mile long cave. It was used as a saltpeter plant in the Civil War era by the Union Army but later destroyed by Confederate soldiers. Also home to Jesse James as a hideout. Meramec caverns has a motel, campgrounds, gift shop, restaurant, boat rides, and canoe rentals. Open daily, and has extended hours in the summer. |
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| Wineries | Missouri wine is some of the best in the world. Immigrants in the early 1800s, Europeans but especially Germans, settled the area along what is now Highway 94 between Defiance and Marthasville. The area has so many wineries that it has been nicknamed the Missouri Weinstrasse (wine road). It has the highest concentration of wineries in the state and many sit high up on bluffs or hills.
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| Missouri State Parks mostateparks.com |
 Dillard Mill State Historic Sitemostateparks.com/park/dillard-mill-state-historic-site Dillard Mill State Historic Site interprets one of Missouri’s best-preserved, water-powered gristmills. Completed in 1908, Dillard Mill sits along Huzzah Creek and was the second mill built at that site. The first, Wisdom’s Mill, built in the 1850s, was destroyed by fire in 1895. Innovations in the new, modernized mill included steel roller mills for grinding the wheat and a turbine to power the mill. For years, farmers brought their grain to the mill to be ground into flour and eventually livestock feed. The mill ceased operation in 1956. |
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 Montauk State Parkmostateparks.com/park/montauk-state-park Offering some of the finest trout fishing in the Midwest, Montauk State Park is located at the headwaters of the famed Current River. The cool, clear stream is an ideal home for rainbow trout. Early settlers first established Montauk as a self-sufficient community in the early 1800s. A gristmill, built in 1896, is open seasonally for tours. |
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 Echo Bluff State Parkmostateparks.com/park/echo-bluff-state-park Missouri’s 88th state park is an outdoor destination to experience all the Ozarks have to offer. Whether you prefer a rustic campsite, one of 62 full-service camping sites or a night in the park’s iconic lodge, Echo Bluff State Park has something for everyone. Fill your days with floating, hiking, swimming, fishing or just relaxing in the shadow of the park’s namesake, Echo Bluff. |
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 Elephant Rocks State Parkmostateparks.com/park/elephant-rocks-state-park giant granite rocks standing end-to-end like a train of circus elephants. About 1.5 billion years ago, hot magma cooled forming coarsely crystalline red granite, which later weathered into huge, rounded boulders. This red granite, first commercially quarried in the late 1800s, has been used as building material and as paving blocks for the St. Louis levee and downtown streets. |
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| Ozark National Scenic Riverways |  Map: http://www.nps.gov/…/OZARmap.pdfWebsites: http://www.nps.gov/ozar/ & http://www.eminencemo.com/Two of America’s clearest and most beautiful spring-fed rivers make up the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, the first national park area to protect a wild river system. The Current and Jacks Fork Rivers wind through a landscape of rugged hills and towering bluffs. Enjoy caves, springs, & mills.Visit Devils Well, Round Spring, Alley Spring, Powder Mill, Rocky Falls  |
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| Travel Websites | |
| St. Louis | |
| Missouri | |
| Saint Louis & surrounding area | |
| Gateway Arch Jefferson National Expansion Memorial St. Louis Riverfront |  http://www.gatewayarch.comhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateway_ArchNation’s tallest manmade monument at 630′. Take a tram ride to the top, see a documentary film, visit the museum or go shopping along the river front. |
| City Museum |  Address: 701 North 15th Street, St. Louis, MOhttp://www.citymuseum.orgExplore the unexpected at this exciting museum for children and adults. Art, science, history and fun weave together in this one-of-a-kind downtown attraction. |
| Anheuser Busch Brewery Tours & Gift Shop |  Address: I-55 & Arsenal St., St. Louis, MOhttp://www.budweisertours.comCentury-old brewing tradition. Free Budweiser Brewery tour. Visit the historic Brew House, Budweiser Clydesdales and the gift shop. |
| St. Louis Union Station |  Address: Market St., St. Louis, MOhttp://www.stlouisunionstation.comAt one time it was the world’s largest train station. Built in 1894, it now houses over 80 shops and restaurants. |
| Forest Park |  Address: Forest Park Blvd & Kingshighway, St. Louis, MOhttp://www.slfp.com/ForestPark.html http://stlouis.missouri.org/citygov/parks/forestparkHome to the Art Museum, History Museum, Science Center, and Zoo!Forest Park is a large urban parks at over 1,200 acres It was home to the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition (aka “World’s Fair”) with more than 19 million visitors from around the world. In addition to the above attractions it has a 7.5-mile biking, jogging and skating path, ice skating rink and lakes. |
| Missouri Botanical Garden |  Address: 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MOhttp://www.mobot.orgThe Missouri Botanical Garden features many types of formal gardens including a Climatron conservatory tropical rain forest, authentic Japanese garden, and much more. Come for a narrated tram tour, the garden cafe, gate shop, and there is free parking. |
| Grant’s Farm |  Address: 10501 Gravois Road, St. Louis, MOhttp://www.grantsfarm.comA historic farm that was once owned by Ulysses S. Grant and now by the Busch family. The Farm is free and open to the general public and is a great tourist attraction. The farm is home to many animals including buffalo, elephants, camels, goats, peacocks, Clydesdales, and many more. Also on the farm is the original home of Ulysses S. Grant |
| Ted Drewes Frozen Custard |  Address: Old Route 66, 6726 Chippewa, St. Louis, MOhttp://www.teddrewes.comA visit to this frozen custard stand has been a local tradition since 1929. They are known for specialty “concrete” shakes, which are so thick you can turn them upside down. Open daily at 11:00 am (Feb-Dec). |
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| Historic St. Charles |  Downtown, Riverfront Dr, St. Charles, MOhttp://www.historicstcharles.com http://www.mainstreetstcharles.comFounded in 1769 on the banks of the Missouri River, Saint Charles is now a hub for historic shops, antiques, novelties, dining and history of the area. Many of the homes and shops are lovingly restored and a trip to St. Charles will transport you back to the days of riverboats, riflemen, and pioneers. |