All Things to Do in Sainte Genevieve

Meg’s Soda Shoppe & General Store At 291 Merchant Street in downtown Ste. Genevieve, Meg’s Soda Shoppe & General Store brings hand-crafted soda culture and old-fashioned general store charm to Missouri’s oldest town. Owner Megan Gibson—who with husband Brock also operates Uncle Dannie’s Sports Tavern and Audubon’s Hotel—has lovingly restored this local landmark, creating what visitors describe as a space with “fabulous energy,” “small-town charm galore,” and a “very warm and welcoming place to cool off.” Open early (7 AM) through evening (9 PM Sunday-Thursday, 10 PM Friday-Saturday), Meg’s serves hand-crafted dirty sodas, Italian sodas, classic sodas, and ice cream floats alongside jolted colas—energy drinks made with all-natural, plant-based ingredients—plus a variety of candy and general store goods, all at price points around $5 that make treating yourself or the whole family genuinely affordable. With seating inside and out, Meg’s delivers nostalgic soda fountain experience updated for contemporary tastes. As one delighted customer raves: “Have tried and loved everything I have gotten there. Very warm and welcoming place to cool off. Seating inside and out.” Practical Information Location: 291 Merchant Street, downtown Ste. Genevieve, Missouri 63670 Owner: Megan Gibson (with husband Brock Gibson) Sister Businesses: Audubon’s Hotel (9 North Main Read more…

The Midnight Slip In the basement of Audubon’s Restaurant on North Main Street, The Midnight Slip listening room represents what live music venues could be if they prioritized listeners over bar revenue. With a 50-person maximum capacity, this intimate space is the antithesis of typical bar entertainment—no competing conversations drowning out performers, no distracted smartphone scrollers, no background music treatment. The Midnight Slip operates as membership venue ($60/month) supplemented by ticketed shows, ensuring audiences arrive specifically to listen rather than casually overhearing music while ordering drinks. Artists perform for crowds who came deliberately, silencing phones and focusing attention with the kind of respect professional musicians deserve. Whether you’re discovering local talent or catching traveling acts seeking genuine listening environments, The Midnight Slip delivers acoustic intimacy impossible in larger venues. Intimate Capacity: 50 People Who Came to Listen The 50-person limit distinguishes The Midnight Slip from everything else in Ste. Genevieve’s music scene. The Orris seats hundreds. Charleville Brewery and Winery operates as outdoor gathering place. The Ste. Genevieve Summer and Winter Music Series draws crowds across downtown. The Midnight Slip does the opposite—deliberately constrains audience to size where every person can see performers clearly, hear without amplification competing with conversation, Read more…

Moonlight Madness – Christmas in July Shopping Extravaganza Who says you have to wait until December to embrace the spirit of the holidays? On the second Wednesday in July, downtown Ste. Genevieve transforms into a midsummer Christmas celebration during Moonlight Madness—a delightful shopping event that combines holiday cheer with summer evening magic. Christmas in July: The Best of Both Seasons There’s something wonderfully whimsical about celebrating Christmas in the heart of summer. Picture this: warm July evening breezes, historic streets lit by shop windows, the relaxed pace of summer vacation—all infused with the festive spirit of the holiday season. It’s the perfect antidote to midsummer routine and a chance to get a head start on holiday shopping without the stress and crowds of December. Moonlight Madness captures the joy of Christmas shopping while leaving behind the cold, the pressure, and the last-minute panic. You can browse leisurely, chat with shop owners, enjoy the evening air, and make thoughtful purchasing decisions without fighting winter weather or holiday traffic. An Evening of Special Shopping From 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., participating shops throughout Ste. Genevieve’s Historic District extend their hours and roll out special discounts exclusively for Moonlight Madness shoppers. This isn’t Read more…

About the Museum Learning Center:  If you’re looking for something that will dazzle you to see in a small town, be sure to stop by the Museums Learning Center (otherwise known as the “Dinosaur Musuem.”  This place is one huge labor of love and a microcosm of what makes this community special.   Your adventure starts in the hall of giants, a room full of massive life-like dinosaur and other Cretaceous Period animal replicas.  Surrounding those are shadow boxes filled with actual fossils from different periods.  On the west end of the hall is a glassed-in room where live Archaeologists periodically work in front of visitors scrupulously chiseling away the clay around the bones of the Missouri dinosaur.  The next layer of exhibits centers around the fossils of that now-famed dinosaur and the current dig happening just south of Sainte Geneviève.  The entire upstairs moves more toward modern times and focuses on interesting collections from a variety of topics, from Civil War Battlefields, to the objects found buried in the outhouses that used to reside in the yards of early St. Louisans.  The story that you won’t get that makes this so impressive is the collections on display, and the dinosaur Read more…

Music Art Love – Where ChrisAlex Created a Gallery/Boutique/Venue/Living Room That Refuses to Fit Any Single Category At 137 North Main Street, ChrisAlex (Christine Alexander) has created something that defies conventional retail categorization—part art gallery featuring her signature GuitArt (mixed media collages on salvaged guitars), part boutique selling clothing and home décor, part music venue hosting open mics and concerts, part community living room where you can play house instruments, challenge someone to chess, bring in wine from neighboring establishments, read inspirational books, or just sit and absorb the eclectic creative energy. There’s a kids’ nook so families can browse while children stay entertained. Monthly events include open mic nights (welcoming musicians, poets, stand-up comedians, and all creative expression), music showcases, trivia nights, movie nights with personal introductions from ChrisAlex, art exhibits, presentations, and classes in art, acting, exercise, and improv. Founded in 2020, Music Art Love represents ChrisAlex’s vision of what a creative space can become when you reject the rigid boundaries between gallery, retail shop, performance venue, and community gathering place—creating instead a fluid, welcoming environment where visitors become participants, where browsing transforms into playing instruments or games, and where the line between performer and audience dissolves during Read more…