All Our Seasons in United States

Pickle Springs Natural Area, Highway AA Ste. Geneviève, MO 63670 Call us at 573-883-3603 Pickle Springs has been designated a Natural Landmark by the National Park Service for its biological and geological values as an undisturbed site. A two-mile trail named the “Trail Through Time” winds through the park and guides the visitor through 500 million-year-old geologic wonders carved in sandstone. The trail features clear streams, cool canyons, spectacular bluff views, and “The Slot,” a crevice marked with holes, pockets, and ridges. Visitors must climb through the ”Keyhole” to descend to the creek below. Twin footbridges cross Bone Creek and pass Mossy Falls. The park is a primitive natural area and does not have services. Be sure to bring a camera and plenty of liquids before hiking the trail. Read more…

River Rapids Waterpark at the Y Located at 1301 Progress Parkway in Ste. Genevieve, River Rapids Waterpark delivers family-friendly summer fun in Missouri’s oldest town—a welcome escape from history tourism and a reminder that water play, laughter, and splashing are just as much part of a complete vacation as exploring colonial homes and French heritage sites. This amazing facility includes several tubular tall water slides delivering genuine adrenaline, a lazy river offering relaxing floats around the park, a 6-lane lap pool featuring a zip line, climbing ropes, and diving board, and an exciting kids’ play area with 30 different activities. Operating daily from 11 AM to 6 PM from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, River Rapids Waterpark transforms summer afternoons into wet, wild celebrations perfect for families, friends, or anyone needing cooling-off relief from Missouri heat. Multiple Ways to Play: Every Thrill Level River Rapids Waterpark understands that water fun means different things to different people. The tubular tall water slides deliver genuine speed and excitement for thrill-seekers—you climb the tower, feel the anticipation as you position yourself at the slide entrance, then plunge through enclosed tubes toward the splash pool below. That closed-tube design creates additional thrills Read more…

Rural Heritage Day, the fourth Saturday in October, is a celebration of history, reverie, and reminiscence dedicated to the hard-working founders of Ste. Geneviève. Come see how it used to be done: whether it’s farming, cooking, spinning, lace-making, leatherworking, soap-making, wood carving, gardening, apple pressing or good old-fashioned games. Read more…

Ste. Genevieve – Modoc Ferry For well over two centuries, a ferry crossing has connected the Missouri and Illinois shores of the Mississippi River near Ste. Genevieve, making it one of the oldest continuously operating transportation routes in the American Midwest. Today’s Ste. Genevieve – Modoc Ferry carries on a tradition stretching back to the very earliest days of European settlement in the region—a living link to the frontier era when the Mississippi was both highway and boundary. Now operating Wednesday through Sunday, the ferry provides reliable access to historic sites on both sides of the river, carrying vehicles and passengers across approximately 10-15 minutes of pure Mississippi River experience. The crossing represents more than transportation; it’s a step back in time and a connection to the river’s enduring power and presence that hasn’t fundamentally changed in over 200 years. A French-Language Petition: 1798 The story of this ferry crossing begins in 1798, when residents of Ste. Genevieve formally petitioned for ferry service across the Mississippi. The petition itself was written in French—the language of commerce, government, and daily life in this thriving French colonial river town. At that time, Ste. Genevieve was already a well-established community, one of the Read more…

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…