All Things to Do in United States

Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site Near Ellis Grove, Illinois, where the Kaskaskia River meets the Mississippi in a confluence of currents and history, a 200-acre bluff overlooks a landscape that tells a story of grandeur surrendered to nature’s patient theft. Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site preserves earthen remains—ramparts in rough square formation with bastions at corners—of a small French fort built around 1759 to defend a town that had become, by then, the principal commercial center of the Illinois Country. Yet the river that once made Kaskaskia valuable through commerce eventually made it expendable through erosion: the original town of Old Kaskaskia, thriving on river-rich bottomland, occupied an island that the Mississippi gradually claimed until, by the 1880s-1890s, it was gone—washed away, leaving only memory and earthen traces on a bluff overlooking what had been taken. The Town: From Jesuit Mission to Colonial Capital Kaskaskia begins not as fort but as faith. Jesuit missionaries established a mission at the mouth of the Kaskaskia River in 1703, choosing location for access to the Illinois Confederation peoples whose lands, hunted and farmed for generations, offered spiritual opportunity. Shortly after, French settlers from Quebec and Louisiana began trickling toward the rich, alluvial farmland Read more…

Around 4th of July Admission is FREE Celebrate Ste. Geneviève’s Independence Day public gathering with music, speeches, and fireworks! At noon there is a traditional celebration with a church bell ringing, Pledge of Allegiance, patriotic speeches, and music, as well as an honor salute by various local organizations. That evening the local Muny Band will perform patriotic music, and at dusk, Fireworks will explode in Ste. Geneviève’s Pere Marquette Park. Read more…

Centre for French Colonial Life Gift Shop – Where Every Purchase Supports Preservation of America’s French Colonial Heritage Inside the Centre for French Colonial Life at 198 Market Street—the modern, purpose-built headquarters for the French Colonial America museum campus—French Colonial America’s Gift Shop offers carefully selected items enhancing the educational experience of one of America’s most significant French colonial historic sites. Open daily (Monday-Saturday 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM, Sunday Noon – 4:00 PM), this well-stocked museum shop sells books deepening understanding of French colonial history, CDs featuring period music, children’s games making history interactive, and branded merchandise featuring FCA’s signature trademarked logo—shirts, sweatshirts, hats, ornaments, and postcards letting visitors take a piece of Ste. Genevieve’s 290-year French colonial legacy home. Every purchase directly supports the museum’s mission: funding preservation of National Historic Landmark buildings, educational programming reaching thousands annually, scholarly research advancing academic understanding, and professional maintenance protecting irreplaceable architectural and cultural heritage for future generations. The Centre for French Colonial Life: Your Gateway to French Colonial America Understanding the gift shop requires understanding the Centre itself—the sophisticated headquarters facility serving as interpretive foundation and administrative hub for the entire French Colonial America museum campus. The Campus: Since January 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…

244 St Marys Rd Ste. Geneviève, MO 63670 Call us at 573-880-7189 The Green Tree Tavern is the oldest verified vertical log building in Ste. Geneviève. Officially dated to 1790 by dendrochronology studies, this “poteau sur sole” (post on sill) vertical log construction was built by the French Canadian Nicolas Janis. This impressive structure has also been used as an inn, a tobacco store, and the first Masonic Lodge in Missouri. The Green Tree is transferring to the Ste. Geneviève National Historic Park. Open seasonally. Read more…