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Ste. Geneviève Welcome Center 66 South Main Street Ste. Geneviève, MO 63670 Call us at 573-883-7097 or 800-373-7007 For several summers in the 1930s, an Art Colony located in Ste. Geneviève conducted a Summer School of Art. Instead of painting rolling hills or flowers, the artists portrayed the human condition and Depression-era events. Information about the school and some of its creations are on display at the Ste. Geneviève Welcome Center. Gravediggers, portraits, and lime kiln workers are depicted. The Summer School instructors include Thomas Hart Benton, Fred E. Conway, Joseph James Jones, Miriam McKinnie, Joseph John Paul Meert, Jesse Beard Rickly, Aimee Goldstone Schweig, Martyl Schweig, E. Oscar Thalinger, Joseph Paul Vorst, and Matthew E. Ziegler. Another display of Art Colony works can be viewed in the stone building behind the Shaw house. Read more…

Ste. Genevieve Dog Park At 264 North 3rd Street in downtown Ste. Genevieve sits a half-acre oasis for canine recreation—the Ste. Genevieve Dog Park, a safely fenced community space where dogs of all sizes can run, play, socialize, and work off energy while owners relax and watch their pups enjoy freedom. The thoughtfully designed space features multiple fun areas encouraging different play styles: open running zones for full-speed gallops, play equipment for climbing and jumping, shaded areas for temperature relief, and water access during warm months. The park operates on a honor system of community care: provided waste bags and convenient trash cans eliminate excuses for leaving messes, while regular community maintenance keeps the space clean and welcoming. Whether you’re a Ste. Genevieve resident needing daily exercise outlet for your dog, a visitor traveling with a furry companion, or someone passing through wine country wanting to give your pooch a break from the car, the Dog Park delivers what dogs want and owners appreciate: safe, fenced space where pets can truly run free. As one regular testified: “Finally, a place where my dog can burn off energy safely while I don’t have to worry about traffic or lost dogs.” Safe, Read more…

Ste. Genevieve Levee Wildlife Refuge – Where Mississippi River Bottomlands Meet Audubon’s Legacy Between downtown Ste. Genevieve and the Mississippi River, the Ste. Genevieve Levee Wildlife Refuge transforms flood protection infrastructure into wildlife habitat—more than 200 acres of river bottomlands, floodplain forest, wetlands, and open fields where deer browse at dawn, great blue herons hunt the shallows, meadowlarks sing from fence posts, and bald eagles perch in towering cottonwoods overlooking the great river. Dedicated in 2021 after seven years of collaborative planning between the City of Ste. Genevieve, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, both Ste. Genevieve Levee Districts, Missouri Department of Conservation, and Army Corps of Engineers, this refuge honors the historical connection between America’s oldest town west of the Mississippi and the river that shaped its destiny—while offering modern visitors the chance to walk the levee-top pathway, hike primitive trails to the riverfront, birdwatch along the Mississippi Flyway, fish the river’s edge, and experience rare undisturbed stretches of Mississippi River ecosystem recently transferred to federal wildlife management. The Urban Design Levee: Born from Catastrophic Floods Understanding the refuge requires understanding the levee itself—massive earthen barrier completed in 2001 after the devastating 1993 and 1995 floods that inundated Ste. Genevieve Read more…

Sainte Genevieve Museum Learning Center – A Collection Born of Passion The Sainte Genevieve Museum Learning Center offers visitors an extraordinary journey through natural history, ancient cultures, and local heritage—but what makes this museum truly special is a story that often goes untold. Behind the impressive displays, detailed dioramas, and remarkable collections lies the lifetime dedication of individuals whose passion for discovery and craftsmanship created something far greater than any institutional budget could have purchased. One Man’s Lifelong Quest: The Guy Darrough Collection At the heart of this museum beats the collecting passion of Guy Darrough, whose journey began as a boy combing the banks of the Mississippi River for fossils, artifacts, and treasures. What he found along those muddy shores became the foundation for something remarkable—not just a collection, but a lifetime of learning, trading, and building relationships with collectors and institutions around the world. Guy didn’t just collect; he created. The impressive dinosaur models that dominate the museum’s Hall of Giants? Guy constructed those himself, bringing prehistoric creatures to life with his own hands and expertise. His brother Fred contributed his own craftsmanship, building the museum cases and display fixtures that house the collections—a true family endeavor where Read more…