Ste. Genevieve National Historic Park loosely reminds me of Harpers Ferry, in the sense that it's…read morenot just one spot - it's an entire town where you can completely surround yourself in the history of the era by strolling the streets and looking at the historic buildings. It is the oldest permanent settlement in Missouri, originally French-owned post-Colonial contact, and it became part of the US as a portion of the Louisiana Purchase. There is some unique architecture to be seen, via a mix of National Park Service, local services, and some privately held properties. The Welcome Center is a must stop when you get into town, as this is the combined location where both the representatives of the National Park Service and local tourism are situated. They can answer questions and get you situated. It's also where you can watch the park film, see some exhibits, including a large and impressive diorama of the town in 1832, and find the gift shop and clean restrooms. The rangers also pointed us towards the location of a fun hands-on boat building activity with a ranger on the porch of one of the historic buildings that the NPS administers. It also has a nice parking lot available.

Disclaimer: This is more of a review of the fantastic people who staff the NPS and represent Ste…read more Genevieve, but contains good info for any interested in visiting or watching the Parked at Home talks about this national park. I'm a Providence transplant but after 25 years living in RI, I figured I knew a decent amount of the history around town and neighboring cities. I did not expect to learn so much about our own little Ocean State when tuning in to listen to a chat about what we have in common with a national park all the way out in Missouri. Before we get into any details, the hosts deserve so much credit for doing this, and they do a fantastic job presenting material that might be an educational lesson but felt more laid back. Although I didn't actually hear "Hey! we think this is neat, you probably will too", that's the atmosphere I feel. When people are passionate about something, it shows through in the energy they use when they get to share the things they care about. Our first host, Andrew, sets up the Blackstone river / Slatersville / Woonsocket history of New England mill life and Claire from Ste. Genevieve slides in to share history, parallels, and modern perspectives from out in Missouri. Andrew then jumps back in to connect a few more of the similarities with Rhode Island's immigrant roots and how they shaped modern institutions and the people they influenced. For being 1000 miles apart, the farming and mining lives of these early Americans were remarkably similar. A warning about a tough topic for kids, slavery is touched upon in a couple of spots. As critical and important as it is for me to hear and discuss with my own kiddo, it may be best for other parents to be prepared if making this a family listening experience. One thing I don't think I ever really visualized was the shifting nature of territories during this history. Claire offers a couple of maps that really gives a sense of how different influences shaped these regions and how it carries over into modern settlements. One of the things that I thought could have made the presentation a little more rich would be more images. Both hosts do offer shots of people and historic buildings, but with little info identifying them or their significance, I had hoped to see more in detail. We live in an age where we can explore any place from our couch, so to be fair, I suppose this is why they want us to get off the couch and go visit! Sort of related, for any of you Rhode Islanders out there with French Canadian roots, I definitely recommend checking out the Woonsocket museum Andrew references. And an inside tip from a food guy: Head to Ye Old English for lunch after, fish and chips is what they do. All told, good listen and unexpectedly entertaining, worth checking out others in the series if you are a history buff or scouting the next place to take the family for summer vacation. Blackstone NPS has its own YouTube channel with past parked at home talks, all about the same hour in length, and you can find this one here. I'll be tuned in to hear next week's live one on Thursday, can't ask questions from a pre-recorded video! Get an easy link from their socials or head to https://www.nps.gov/nature/parkedathomeseries.htm to sign up and learn more.

This past weekend was the 45th annual Rendzevous at the Fort. This is a two day event at the fort…read more The hours are 10-5. They have gun demonstrations, flag raising and lowering ceremonies, people dress in period costumes. It costs $5 per car (what super cheap right) to park and you can walk back in time. We walk up to watch a juggling demonstration, they bring kids and adults from the crowd to get everyone excited. Yes, you get to see men waking around in buckskin and French and British soldiers. You can buy buttons made from bones, a fox hide or a buffalo burger. This is held every year on the first weekend in June. After a fun day at the fort Prairie du Rocher has food stands and you can stop and watch the parade at 6 o'clock. If you are wanting to get out of the city and see learn a little history, this is the place.

Great place to take kids. Fun to climb on and pretend they are defending the fort. The drive down…read moreis nice whether you take the river road or Kaskaskia. I would recommend hitting Gallaghers in Waterloo or J. Fires on the way back.

This was one of three trails our group hiked today. This place is such a good place to see all the…read morerock formations. The hiking trail here was about two miles that we hiked. The view of the leaves changing colors was so pretty and the phone camera does not capture the natural beauty of this place as it should. Seeing this place at this time is quite awesome. The double arch rock formations was a must to see for us today.

Great place for First Day Hike. Two mile loop. Great beginner family friendly trail. Breathtaking…read moreviews. Serene waterfall. Close to St Louis.

Quiet and remote Illinois State Park that is worthy of all the stars in the sky. 16.5 miles of…read moretrails for your feet and horse trails. Tent and trailer parking spots, no hook up. Lots of turtles live here and sure some other abundance of critters to find. Picnic areas, hunting and fishing on the vast water areas. great spots to kayak.

Great primitive park for hiking and picnicking. Keep in mind you can hunt here too so know your…read moreseason before venturing out. Primitive Camping is available.

It's a good deal for the price with lots of variety and seating. The lockers were also a good deal…read moreallowing multiple entries. Bathroom floor and nearby were dangerous slippery. A lady fell and left in an ambulance. Slide height requirement was 48". My youngest was given a bracelet to show he had been checked and passed, but he was checked 2 more times and sent back down the stairs once. I don't really believe it was a safety thing as much as the exit pool depth so that was frustrating. There was also a lack of good signage. Several kids were turned away from the top of the slides because they were wearing vests. Signs on the stairs explained 3 lines but there were 4 slides.

Decent community water park. Not too expensive ($11-$12, depending on age). Ok variety of…read moreattractions, including a kid area and lazy river. The height restrictions on slides are a bit much, though. I'd recommend Cape Splash over River Rapids.

Very nice library located inside the Ste. Genevieve Community Center. The community center has…read moreeverything from swimming to martial arts and tucked away in the corner of the main lobby is the Ste. Genevieve library. This is the only public library in the city of Ste. Genevieve, but has a decent book selection as well as a kids play area and computers with internet access. The library is free if you live within city limits, but there is a small charge if you live outside of town. You can pay a $10 fee which will allow you to check out materials without a card if necessary. They usually have books for sale at the main entrance that you can pick up for cents on the dollar. The community center is located just outside of town on highway 32. Swimming, basketball, weights and books. What else could you ask for? Four stars

Over 3 miles of trapshooting ranges. An insane amount of RV camping with full hook-ups. Shower…read morehouses. Restaurant on site. Lots of vendors. Hosts the Grand American world championship trapshoot. Awesome place.

This is a shooting complex first and foremost. Tons of campsites, and would be a great camp for…read morethis wanting to burn off a few rounds while they camp. We were there for the solar eclipse, and it was spectacular. Their WIFI is worthless though, we only actually managed to get connected a few times, and it will be much nicer when they have some bigger trees. Several lakes, and a beautiful area.