St. Charles County is full of fun things to see and do. Whether you're a history buff, an antique shopper or someone just looking for a fun day on the town, you're sure to find just what you're looking for. Try these for starters:
Landmarks and historic sites
Daniel Boone Home
The Daniel Boone Home & Boonesfield Village, 1868 Highway F near Defiance, is a site of historic structures and home to several re-enactment activities throughout the year.
Started in 1803 and completed in 1810, the house resembles Boone's birthplace in Pennsylvania and ancestral Boone residences in Devon, England. The house was home to Daniel Boone until his death in 1820. Also on the site is the "Judgment Tree" where, as syndic for the Spanish government, Boone conducted court to settle disputes between white men and Native Americans of the valley.
Visitors also may stroll through Boonesfield Village, a collection of historic structures, including an 1830 one-room schoolhouse, a cabinetmaker's shop and an 1830 chapel. Guides are available for tours at the village every day. During special events, volunteers re-enact 19th century crafts and chores.
636-798-2005; www.lindenwood.edu/boone
First State Capitol
Missouri's first legislators met in these buildings to reorganize Missouri's territorial government into a progressive system. On Nov. 25, 1820, Gov. Alexander McNair signed a bill designating St. Charles the first capitol of Missouri. The legislators met here from June 4, 1821, until Oct. 1, 1826, when the new Capitol was ready for use in Jefferson City.
Eleven rooms of the First State Capitol State Historic Site complex, 200-216 S. Main St., have been restored to their original state and nine rooms are complete with furnishings from the 1821-26 period. The adjacent Peck brothers' residence and general store have also been restored, as has the Shepard residence located below the governor's office.
Guided tours of the First State Capitol begin on the hour between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Sunday. A nominal entry fee is charged for guided tours. Admission is free to the site's interpretative center, which offers exhibits and a presentation.
636-940-3322; mostateparks.com
St. Charles tourism center
Operated by the Greater St. Charles Convention and Visitors Bureau, the center is at 230 S. Main St. It is open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday. The center is next to the Missouri First State Capitol State Historic Site.
Services include free maps and literature on St. Charles and the area, costumed guides for walking tours and rides aboard an old-fashioned trolley. The trolley makes trips between the South Main Historic District and the Frenchtown neighborhood.
800-366-2427; www.historicstcharles.com
Lewis and Clark
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark and their group of men left the banks of the Missouri River in St. Charles to explore the vast Louisiana Purchase. A large statue of the pair with their dog in Frontier Park in St. Charles commemorates the beginning of their journey.
The nearby Lewis and Clark Boat House and Nature Center, 701 Riverside Drive on the riverfront in St. Charles, features hands-on exhibits of the adventures and natural environment these two explorers encountered on their expedition.
636-947-3199; www.lewisandclark.net
South Main Historic District
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this 10-block section of South Main Street in St. Charles is Missouri's largest historic district and contains more than 100 specialty shops, artisan and craft merchants, restaurants and a winery. Historic buildings include the Newbill-McElhiney House, 625 S. Main St.; Stone Row, 318 S. Main St.; the Mother-in-Law House, 500 S. Main St., believed to be the first double house built in St. Charles; Farmer's Tavern, 700 S. Main St.; the Blanchette-Chouteau Mill (Trailhead Brewing Co.), 920 S.
Main St.; and the Carter-Rice building, 100 S. Main St., home of Boone's Lick Trail Inn, a bed and breakfast.
Downtown historic district
The 100-300 blocks of North Main Street in St. Charles feature a variety of stores, restaurants and nightclubs. This district, just north of the South Main Historic District, was the city's original business district.
Historic Frenchtown
The Historic Frenchtown neighborhood is comprised of North Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth streets between Clark and Tecumseh streets in St. Charles. Commercially developed Second Street has antique shops, restaurants, salons, furniture refinishers and a public boat launch as well as auto sales and other services. The residential area provides architectural variety that is one of the largest existing areas of original, conserved French Colonial style buildings and German-style houses in the country.
Frenchtown Heritage Museum
The Frenchtown Heritage Museum and Research Center, 1121 N. Second St. in St. Charles, exhibits displays of historical interest and the research facility is an archive of information about people, buildings and businesses in the Frenchtown Historic Preservation District. The museum is housed in a restored fire station. It is open noon-3 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and by appointment.
636-724-2106; frenchtownmuseum.net
Academy of the Sacred Heart
The shrine for St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, who founded the Order of the Sacred Heart in St. Charles in 1818, is located at Academy of the Sacred Heart, the first free school west of the Mississippi River. The address is 619 N. Second St. The shrine is open 9 a.m.-4 p.m. daily. Group tours available by appointment. 636-946-6127
Our Lady of the Rivers statue
On the Mississippi River at Portage des Sioux. Site of the annual Blessing of the Fleet, the shrine was built in the 1950s.
The arts
J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts
This complex at Lindenwood University in St. Charles includes a 1,200-seat, Broadway-style theater, a smaller "black box" theater and an art gallery. The center hosts national tours, concerts, dance, celebrity appearances and Lindenwood productions on the main campus at First Capitol Drive and West Clay Street.
636-949-4433; www.lindenwood.edu/center
Community theater
Act II Community Theater (www.act2theater.com) produces shows at the new 318-seat Performing Arts Theatre in the St. Peters Cultural Arts Centre within City Hall. Recent shows include "You Can't Take It With You" and "Dial M for Murder." "Southern Hospitality" is on tap for July-August and "Nunsense" in November.
The theater departments at Lindenwood University in St. Charles and St. Charles Community College in Cottleville also produce shows. St. Charles Community College is also home to the Young People's Theater (www.stchas.edu/ypt), a theater program performed by children ages 8 to 18.
Art exhibits
Art-lovers will find exhibits at the Foundry Art Centre, 520 N. Main Center in St. Charles; the St. Peters Cultural Arts Centre, 1 St. Peters Centre Blvd. in City Hall; and the O'Fallon Cultural Arts Center in the Renaud Spirit Center, 2650 Tri-Sports Circle.
Lindenwood University and St. Charles Community College also host exhibits from student and professional artists throughout the year.
Music
Music is everywhere in the county, especially in the summer when various municipalities offer free concert programs like O'Fallon Jammin', St. Peters' Concerts in the Park, Lake Saint Louis' Summer Concert Series and St. Charles' Music on Main. Among the county's musical groups are the O'Fallon Community Concert and Jazz bands, the St. Charles Municipal Band, the St. Peters Choral Society and the St. Charles County Symphony Orchestra. The Family Arena in St. Charles attracts national concert tours and other headliner entertainment acts.
Recreation and gaming
River City Rascals
For sports fans, the county is home to the 2010 Frontier League champions River City Rascals baseball team. The Rascals play at T.R. Hughes Ballpark in O'Fallon. The 2010 championship was the team's first in its 12-year history.
The season starts in mid-May and extends to September, with numerous ticket package offers, promotions and extra activities planned for each game. New this year is the Dog Pound Patio, and tickets there include a buffet.
T.R. Hughes Ballpark also will be home to the Missouri State High School Activities Association baseball championships for 2013-16 for all four classes. The move promises to benefit the O'Fallon economy and surrounding businesses and should be a big draw for an area that loves its baseball. The board had also weighed proposals from Springfield, Columbia and St. Joseph.
636-240-BATS; www.rivercityrascals.com
St. Peters Rec-Plex
The St. Peters Rec-Plex, 5200 Mexico Road next to City Hall, is home to family recreation and athletic events as well as fitness club-quality workout facilities. Daily admission and membership offers are available.
The Rec-Plex consists of the original Rec-Plex North facility and the newer Rec-Plex South building. Most activities for Rec-Plex daily users and pass-holders take place in Rec-Plex North, which includes expanded cardio and weight training fitness areas, an indoor track, indoor pools, an ice rink, a basketball/volleyball gym, and rooms for aerobics and other fitness classes. Rec-Plex South includes two more ice rinks, a gymnasium, a multipurpose gym and a meeting room. The Rec-Plex Natatorium is a world-class facility that has hosted the U.S. Olympic Diving Trials, U.S. Olympic Festival aquatic events, national and regional competitions, and many local competitions.
Locker rooms, baby-sitting services and a food court also are available.
636-939-2386; www.stpetersmo.net
Extension Center
The University of Missouri's St. Charles County Extension Center, 260 Brown Road in St. Peters, is "building a bridge to community learning." It is a coordination and meeting point for several agriculture, 4-H, youth, business development, continuing education, human environmental sciences and community development programs.
Some popular programs include the Master Gardeners, a Women's Financial Education Series, Basics of Writing a Business Plan and more. Classes and programs are scheduled year-round.
636-970-3000; extension.missouri.edu/stcharles
Ameristar
Ameristar Casino, Resort and Spa in downtown St. Charles offers a Las Vegas-like resort atmosphere without the plane fare. The property boasts seven restaurants, including a steakhouse, buffet, sports bar and oyster bar. Nightlife includes live entertainment at the Bottleneck Blues Bar, the stylish Lixx Bar on the casino floor, and Hi-Vi arcade. The casino offers slots, video poker, table games and live poker rooms. The adjoining all-suite hotel has 400 luxury suites. Ameristar is located north of the Interstate 70 bridge near historic Main Street. The address is 1 Ameristar Blvd.
636-949-7777; www.ameristar.com
Convention Center
The St. Charles Convention Center, 1 Convention Center Plaza, hosts a variety of trade shows, family and health expos, book fairs, occasional sporting events, wedding receptions and private meetings. The center has an adjoining hotel, and is near downtown St. Charles.
636-669-3000; www.stcharlesconventioncenter.com
Polar Plunge
Every year around early February hundreds of thrill-seeking fundraisers take an icy dip into Lake Sainte Louise, the smaller of the two lakes in Lake Saint Louis, to raise money for Special Olympics Missouri through the Polar Plunge. This year's event was the eighth annual plunge into Lake Sainte Louise, and had about 450 participants and raised about $90,000. Teams of plungers often don crazy costumes, and the event is quite the spectator spectacle, as well, all for a good cause.
Festivals
We love festivals in St. Charles County. Frontier Park and Main Street in St. Charles are festival central, home to events such as the Fete de Glace (Festival of Ice), Tartan Days, Lewis and Clark Heritage Days, Oktoberfest, Mosaics Fine Arts Festival, Quilts on Main and Riverfest (Fourth of July celebration).
The city's two largest festivals are the Festival of the Little Hills in August and Christmas Traditions, which runs through December.
St. Peters celebrates summer with an Olde Tyme Picnic. O'Fallon's festivals include the Heritage and Freedom Fest on Independence Day and the annual Fall Festival and Craft Bazaar. O'Fallon and Wentzville celebrate the Christmas holiday with large lights displays in their parks. Wentzville is also home to the St. Charles County Fair and the and the Greater St. Louis Renaissance Faire and Pirate Festival. Augusta offers a Plein Air event in the spring to showcase art and the town's vineyard setting.
Veterans memorials
St. Charles Veterans Memorial
Located at Bishops Landing near the Lewis and Clark Boathouse on the Missouri River. Features a monument with a water feature and reflecting pool.
O'Fallon Veterans Memorial Walk
Just south of Interstate 70 off the T.R. Hughes Boulevard/Belleau Creek Road exit. The memorial includes a platoon of cast bronze boots, positioned as though marching.
St. Peters City Centre Park
An expanded veterans memorial site with fountains and statues is at St. Peters City Centre next to City Hall at 1 St. Peters Centre Blvd.
St. Peters Veterans Memorial Park
Located on the northwest corner of Willott and Jungermann roads. The Korean War Memorial there and new memorial stones marking important battles in the Korean War recently were rededicated by the city. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was relocated there from a veteran resident's backyard. Included are more than 1,000 bricks listing Missouri residents who died in Vietnam.
Wentzville Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Off Interstate 70, the memorial is located on Pearce Boulevard, adjacent to the firehouse. It is one of the first Vietnam veterans memorial in the U.S.
Lake Saint Louis Veterans Memorial Park
Next to the Lake Saint Louis City Hall complex, 200 Civic Center Drive. The park was dedicated on Armed Forces Day, May 17, 2008, and has been host to observances and commemorative brick dedications each year since.
