All Places in Sainte Genevieve

American Custard Co. – Where Quality, Consistency, and Frozen Custard Excellence Define Sainte Geneviève’s Flagship American Fare In a town famous for French colonial history, you might not expect to find what many locals consider Sainte Geneviève’s best example of classic American food done right. But at American Custard Co., a family-owned establishment that’s become the community’s flagship for quality American fare, every detail receives attention that chain restaurants abandoned decades ago. The burgers—whether standard or featuring culinary twists—are cooked properly. The hot chicken sandwiches can be grilled for healthier options. The fries are fried in beef tallow like they’re supposed to be. The salads feature fresh lettuce and homemade vinaigrette. The coffee rivals city Starbucks. And the frozen custard that gives the establishment its name? It’s the concrete you wished you’d gotten at Ted Drewes in St. Louis but didn’t have time for. This is consistency and quality without shortcuts, corners cut, or compromises. This is a local family working their tails off to serve their community food that’s fresh-cooked, properly prepared, and worthy of loyal customers who return again and again because they know what they’re getting: excellence in American classics from breakfast through dinner, crowned by frozen Read more…

Angel’s Hideaway – Stay in a Different Kind of Historic Home in the Place Known for Historic Homes Angel’s Hideaway stands as the last original shotgun house in Ste. Genevieve—a rare 1924 architectural survivor now transformed into a modern boutique retreat. Wrapped in warm cedar with a sleek black exterior, this fully remodeled gem blends nearly a century of history with elevated contemporary comforts: electric fireplace, spa-like soaking tub, quartz kitchen countertops, stainless steel appliances, and complimentary Heavenly Hair products. Hosts Ashley and Jason have created what they call “effortlessly luxurious”—the kind of stay where premium essentials are already stocked because, as travelers themselves, they know what matters. One guest captured it: “This place feels like a Hallmark movie set, but better because you actually get to stay here and live it.” The Last Shotgun House Standing Built in 1924, Angel’s Hideaway represents Ste. Genevieve’s last surviving shotgun house—a distinctive architectural style characterized by rooms arranged one behind another in a single-file line, narrow width, and doors aligned front to back. The name comes from the idea that you could fire a shotgun through the front door and the shot would travel straight through every room and out the back Read more…

The Anvil Saloon & Restaurant – Where 170 Years of History, a Legendary 1850s Steamboat Bar, World-Famous Onion Rings, and Small-Town Hospitality Create Sainte Geneviève’s Most Beloved Dining Institution Some restaurants chase trends. Others chase Michelin stars. The Anvil Saloon & Restaurant, occupying the same downtown Sainte Geneviève building since 1855, chases neither. What The Anvil does—and what keeps locals returning weekly and tourists traveling from Europe, Asia, and across America specifically to experience—is deliver honest, home-cooked comfort food in atmosphere so authentically old-time that you half expect steamboat captains and frontier merchants to walk through the door. The centerpiece isn’t just the food (though those onion rings are genuinely world-famous). It’s the bar itself: a massive, ornate back bar that arrived via steamboat in the 1850s, reportedly salvaged from a vessel that sank or ran aground in the Mississippi River, then hauled by oxcart to this building where it’s anchored conversations, celebrations, and community gatherings for nearly 170 years. Located at 46 South Third Street on the historic downtown square, The Anvil occupies building that began as hardware store (1850-1855, hence “Anvil” name referencing blacksmith’s tool), transformed into gentlemen’s saloon (1855 when the Vaeth family purchased it and installed Read more…

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…