So cool to have this amazing piece of history only an hour south of the St. Louis Metro area and…read moreit's free. It's located in the middle of farmland in its own private park. There is plenty of parking and a small picnic area and playground by the lot. Also near the parking lot are two primitive outhouses that are pitch black during the day so you would need to take a flashlight inside and watch out for spiders! It's a bit of a walk on some packed and loose gravel up to the fort. It's fun to explore inside and around the outside of the fort. In the back of the fort there is a contemporary climate-controlled bathroom with changing table and a small museum. Plan about 1 to 2 hours to explore. Please know that the immediate area has no restaurants/gas stations close by.

What a hidden gem! One of the oldest forts in the US, well maintained and free to explore. Great…read moreplace to enjoy the fall colors, bring a picnic or visit the informative museum that is also free on site.

What a great addition to Festus Main Street. Our street is coming alive with new shops and great…read morerestaurants. So proud to be part of the Historical Tanglefoot Association and a small business owner on Main Street. Father Time Clock Shop has been on Main for 33 years and seen a lot of changes. But the last 2 years of progress is incredible.

What a breath of fresh air for the Twin City area. First of many murals in the mix..so come hang…read moreout at the town and see what else you can find.

If you come to the assessor's office, you don't need to pay for parking. No parking meters. Come…read morehere to get a property tax receipt & pay about $1. Have it faxed to the closest DMV, & the cost is about $4 (if I can recall). Very helpful staff. No long lines.

Wonderful old house, with historic value…read more The kitchen was kept in a separate building at the back of the property. Not having fire departments back then, cooking was done away from the main house for safety reasons. This is a great house to visit with period furniture. Well worth a visit.

We visited this site on 10/13/23 after driving through the Kaskaskia park. It was the last weekend…read moreof the season for the home. It was a little difficult to figure out how to get in because the front steps were roped off and the door to the museum (under the steps) was locked. So we went around to the back where we found the caretaker in the summer kitchen. We were treated to a very informative tour of just about the entire house. Michelle Baker, the guide, has a great deal of affection for the property and knew a lot about the Menard family and the history of the house and property. So glad we got to see it before the season ended. Oh, btw, the spring house is very interesting but watch out for chipmunks hiding there. You might just frighten them as much as they did you.

Kinda blew right past the welcome center hosting this tribute due to lots of goings on going on…read morewhat with the bridge construction and reconfiguring the approaches and all that... Popeye is all bronzed up for the world to adore as he welcomes folks to Chester Illinois, hometown of EC Segar. plenty of parking but the lot will need some attention when the road is completed. the visitor's center was closed when I got here it's full up with sailor stuff so try to get here when you can step in and have a look around. there's maps available in the lobby that show the location of 18 other statues of characters from print and film if you want to spend a day doing nothing of merit but enjoyable regardless. this, the first statue, dates from 1977. after a twenty-nine year hiatus 18 additional marble statues were eventually installed around town - one per year - to enhance the visitor experience. yea Popeye!

Had to explain to some younger children about Popeye. A group of men apparently touring had a…read moreblast taking pictures with the statue. Fun to see! The deck attached to the building has an awesome view of the Mississippi River and the bridge going over it to the Missouri side. The Welcome Center has facts information about the history of the area. Don't forget to eat your spina

My husband I have started cycling in Kaskaskia, IL not long ago and we are definitely hooked! We…read morestart at the Kaskaskia Bell State Historic Site and do a big loop around the area - around 12 miles. It is so quiet here, very peaceful. The tiny town has a church that offers services each Saturday at 3:30. The Bell Historic Site gives a short presentation and a viewing of the bell (just press the button twice!). Great history here and we also found a few fun geocaches while here. This is true rural America - farmers in the fields harvesting corn and soybeans, folks gathering for church, waving as they go by. I know they hold an annual picnic in September, so be sure to check it out! I'm putting it on the calendar for 2012...

I'm not usually one for picturesque scenery but I stumbled across this piece of americana while out…read moresearching for the elusive 19th statue to complete the Popeye Collection. my guess is the bridge provided an improved crossing of the St Mary's river near abouts hereabouts. in service in 1854 to 1930 the structure is entirely original materials except for those that have been replaced (whixch is most of them.) fun facts and historical references are available on the signage and in history books so how about you do some of your own looking of things up :-)

in kind of an odd sort of homage to the purveyors of corn whiskey one state down and to the right a…read morequiet little river town brings us the Popeye Trail. situated in the park adjacent to the Popeye Museum and swag shop Wimpy was the first of many characters I encountered in and around Chester, Illinois. while milling about I was informed that the Popeye bronze was still standing at the welcome center and upon arriving there I learned the existence of 17 other pieces besides. Chester, being the home town of E C Segar, the creator of Popeye the Sailor Man and related amusements, celebrated Segar's work with a statue of the Sailor at the welcome center in 1977. some three decades later starting in 2006 statues of the supporting cast from J. Wellington Wimpy and Olive Oyl to Bluto and the Sea Hag were installed in successive years. to complete the experience each statue has a plaque with a QR code to access additional statutory informations. map in hand I spent a few hours wandering around town soaking it all in and am none the worse for it. yea Popeye!!