All Things to Do in Sainte Genevieve

ART COLONY Post Marked! A wall in the local post office was the canvas for a special mural commissioned by the federal government. As post offices were being built around the country in the early 1900s, 10% of the budget was directed towards art. Around the same time, Ste. Geneviève established its own Art Colony similar to the one in Providence, Rhode Island. Members included: Jessie Beard Rickly, Thomas Hart Benton, Aimee Schweig, Miriam McKinnie, Martyl Schweig Langsdorf, Sister Cassiana Marie, Joseph Meert, Bernard E. Peters, E. Oscar Thalinger, and Matthew E. Ziegler Today, Ste. Geneviève has an Art Guild. There are also art galleries, art walks, opportunities to participate in Plein Air, “in the open air” painting, and a variety of art-related activities throughout the year. Read more…

ASL Pewter Foundry – A Working Pewter Studio Where Tom and Pat Hooper Keep Colonial Metalworking Alive A working pewter foundry in Missouri’s oldest town sounds improbable until you remember that Sainte Geneviève has always been a place where history isn’t just preserved but practiced. At 183 South 3rd Street, Tom and Patricia Hooper have spent nearly 40 years creating museum-quality pewter pieces using techniques that colonial craftspeople would recognize—casting molten tin alloy into antique molds, spinning flat pewter discs on an 1873 water-powered lathe (now electrified), and welding handles onto tankards with micro-torch precision. This isn’t a demonstration for tourists watching behind ropes. This is an active studio where you can commission custom pieces, watch the Hoopers work, learn the chemistry and history of the tin-based alloy that graced America’s founding families’ tables, and leave with functional heirlooms made by hands that understand centuries-old craft traditions. The work has earned White House recognition (Pat and Tom visited during George W. Bush’s administration, meeting First Lady Laura Bush), appeared in HBO’s John Adams miniseries starring Paul Giamatti, and attracted collectors who recognize that genuinely handcrafted American pewter—100% lead-free, made using antique tools and traditional methods—has become exceptionally rare in an Read more…

The Sunday After the French Heritage Festival Levee Wildlife Refuge Ste. Geneviève, MO 63670 Call us at 573-880- The famed ornithologist John James Audubon lived for a short time in Ste. Geneviève. Audubon’s Walk is a naturalist lead hike atop the Ste. Geneviève Urban Levee. Come see what shows up: cliff swallows, horned larks, red-winged blackbird, eastern bluebird, and more! Read more…

Beauvais-Amoureux House – Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park Standing as a remarkable testament to America’s French colonial heritage, the Beauvais-Amoureux House offers visitors a rare glimpse into the architectural ingenuity and daily life of 18th-century settlers along the Mississippi River. Now proudly preserved as part of the Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park, this exceptional structure invites you to step back in time and connect with the diverse roots of American culture. Built to Last: The Story of Poteaux-en-Terre Built around 1792 by Jean-Baptiste St. Gemme Beauvais, this historic home overlooks le Grand Champ—Ste. Geneviève’s communal agricultural fields that once sustained the entire village. The house itself is an architectural treasure, constructed using the exceedingly rare “poteaux-en-terre” or “posts-in-the-earth” method, in which upright cedar log walls are set directly into the ground. This ancient building technique, brought from French Canada and adapted to the Missouri frontier, represents one of the few surviving examples of this construction style in the United States. The home’s heavy, hand-hewn timbers form an impressive Norman truss system supporting a steeply-pitched roof—a distinctive feature that echoes the architectural traditions of early French Canada and speaks to the cultural memory settlers carried with them to the New World. Read more…

1 S Main Street Ste. Geneviève, MO 63670 Call us at 573-883-7100 Hours Monday thru Friday Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturday thru Sunday Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Wonder what you’re going to wear for that special occasion or just for a comfortable everyday look? Belle Ever After Boutique has clothing, jewelry, shoes, and more for women of all sizes and ages! Become a part of the Belle Family! We are about building a community of confident, loving individuals who feel good in their own skin! Shop our hand-selected clothing and accessories that will help you feel confident and beautiful! Read more…