All Things to Do in Ste. Genevieve County

Charleville Brewery & Winery  Uncork and Unplug at this Regional Tourism Icon Perched high above Saline Creek Valley in western Ste. Genevieve County, Charleville Brewery & Winery delivers what one guest called “one of the best views in all of Missouri” alongside distinctive handcrafted wines and beers. Since opening in June 2003 as a retirement project, then expanding with a $5 million renovation under new ownership in 2023, Charleville has evolved into a 10,000-square-foot destination featuring an innovative 24-tap iPourIt self-serve wall, elevated food menu, fire pit patios, and an 1860s log cabin lodge for overnight stays. The wristband-activated pour system lets you sample as much or as little as you want while the Saline Creek Valley panorama unfolds below. As one visitor raved: “Upon entering, you are given a magic bracelet that you can swipe on their ‘ipourit’ wall. You just swipe and drink. It bills you based upon how much you pour. Aaron walked us through the process perfectly. Absolutely amazing…This is probably the best food I’ve ever had at a winery. This is not a basic cheeseboard. This is coconut shrimp, fantastic pizza, & ahi tuna nachos.” iPourIt Wall: Beer, Wine, and Charle-Ritas on Tap The 24-tap Read more…

Chateau Sainte Genevieve – Grape-Growing Passion on the Missouri Terroir Just outside Ste. Genevieve, where rolling hills meet fertile valleys and the tradition of viticulture stretches back to the town’s French colonial roots, Chateau Sainte Genevieve stands as a testament to what happens when genuine passion for winemaking combines with relentless pursuit of quality. Here, every wine is crafted and bottled on-site, right alongside several acres of vineyards — a true winery where you can literally see the vines that produced the wine in your glass. Grape-Growers and Winemakers at Heart Walk into Chateau Sainte Genevieve and you’ll quickly understand what sets this winery apart: authenticity. The people making your wine aren’t following corporate formulas or chasing trends— they’re grape-growers and winemakers at heart, with mud on their boots and juice stains on their clothes. This isn’t marketing language; it’s reality. These are people who get their hands dirty in the vineyard, who monitor weather patterns and soil conditions, who make countless small decisions throughout the growing season that ultimately determine wine quality. This hands-on, from-the-ground-up approach to winemaking creates wines with genuine character and a sense of place. When you taste a wine at Chateau Sainte Genevieve, you’re tasting Read more…

Gegg’s Farm Market: An Artisan Experience in the Most Unlikely of Places Off State Route B in Ste. Genevieve County, on your way to Charleville Brewery and Winery, stands Gegg’s Farm Market—a far-flung mini Bucee’s celebrating local agriculture, artisan foods, and community sourcing in county setting where farm-to-table means walking distance to actual farms. Operated by Pat and Jessica Gegg (the same owners behind the acclaimed Silo Farm Haus), this unexpected retail treasure stocks locally grown and rendered pork rinds, cuts of meat from local farms, homemade sourdoughs, cookies, brownies, bulk jellybeans, and pickled everything—while anchoring the operation with full-service Blue Bell Ice Cream bar and made-to-order sandwich shop featuring homemade bread baked in-house. The signature Cajun Turkey sandwich (absolutely not to be missed) exemplifies the operation’s philosophy: take exceptional local ingredients, combine with quality execution, deliver experience that justifies the drive. Open Thursday-Sunday 9 AM-5 PM, Gegg’s Farm Market transforms rural location into destination—the kind of place wine country visitors stumble upon and immediately text friends about. From Silo Farm Haus to Farm Market: Pat and Jessica’s Expanding Vision Pat and Jessica Gegg operate within philosophy many entrepreneurs miss: build one excellent thing, then expand thoughtfully in directions that Read more…

Sassafras Creek Originals – Where Early American Life Directory Craftsmen Create Heirloom Quality in an 1850 General Store At 311 St. Marys Road in the heart of Sainte Geneviève’s historic district, Sassafras Creek Originals occupies the circa 1850 Brooks House—a two-story brick building transformed into colonial-era general store where owner Kandye Mahurin (selected for Early American Life Magazine’s Directory of Traditional American Craftsmen eight consecutive years) and fellow Directory-juried artisans showcase hand-crafted Colonial/Primitive Early American folk art that meets museum-curator standards for authenticity, scholarship, and period-appropriate materials and techniques. This isn’t a shop selling colonial-style imports from overseas factories—Sassafras Creek’s rigorous quality standard requires that at least 75% of merchandise is American-made, with vendors carefully selected from the prestigious Early American Life Directory, ensuring every game board, bandbox, redware plate, woven coverlet, piece of tinware, and folk art creation represents genuine traditional craftsmanship using period materials, tools, and techniques that curators at Colonial Williamsburg, living history museums, and motion picture producers rely on for authentic period pieces. Step inside rooms arranged like an old-time general store and discover heirloom-quality handcrafts preserving American artisan traditions rapidly disappearing in the digital age. The Early American Life Directory: Museum-Quality Standard Sassafras Creek Originals’ 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…