St. Louis!

Mama and I had a very nice time visiting my cousin and her family in St. Louis.  Melinda kept us on the go and we were able to do quite a few fun things.

The first day we went to a St. Charles, a cute town on the Mississippi.  It was raining that afternoon, but it didn’t stop us from shopping.  It cleared off later on and we ate dinner at a restaurant overlooking the Mississippi. 

The next day we spent the morning at a gorgeous botanical garden.  If you ever get the chance to travel to St. Louis, put the botanical garden on your “must see” list.  I could have spent an entire day or more here.

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There were quite a few glass sculptures around the gardens.

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The Lilies were just starting to bloom. 

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We visited Grant’s Farm, home of the Busch family, in the afternoon.  Ulysses S. Grant once farmed this land.  The park is now operated by Anheuser-Busch.

We rode a tram around the park to see Grant’s farmhouse and various animals.  This had to have been a large farmhouse in the 1850’s.

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Next it was on to feed the baby goats and then watch an animal show. 

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The boys enjoyed a pretzel while the adults enjoyed a free beer.  Each adult could have two free samples.  The cups that you see here are the sample size.  Too bad I don’t like beer!

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Our last stop at Grant’s Farm was to visit the Clydesdales.  I loved seeing these big boys!

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Thursday morning we went to a butterfly house.  I’ve always wanted to do this and really enjoyed it.  The variety in the butterfly species was incredible to see.  They aren’t easy to photograph!

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I couldn’t go to St. Louis and not see the arch, so see it we did on Thursday afternoon. 

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The cars that take you to the top of the arch are tiny!

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The view was great!

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The Mississippi was really high during our visit.  There’s a parking area and steps that are underwater behind Mama, Melinda, and the boys!

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This poor guy’s horse (Lewis?/Clark?) was underwater.

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That night we went to a play about Huck Finn.  It was a very good play, but I must admit that I dozed through a good bit of it!!

We had an easy flight home on Friday.  Mama went home and Mr. SP and I headed to our club to watch tennis.  There’s a big tournament going on all weekend making it a night to watch tennis and socialize.

Our friend, John, played singles.  He’s a great player but he didn’t win.

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Traveling wore me out!  It’s fun to go somewhere, but it’s always good to get back home again. 

9 Comments

  1. St. Louis is a cool city–we used to stop there every year on the way to Nebraska when our kids were little. DOTR had an old roommate who lived there, so it was perfect. I haven’t been to the top of the arch since I was in high school and I remember it so clearly because when I got into that tiny little elevator I bonked my head so hard that I saw stars and felt nauseous. Also not so fond of heights so I can still feel the tingling in the back of my legs when I looked out the windows! I think that was probably the first time I was up so high!

    Glad you had a good time…and wow, that river is high. Bad floods there not so many years ago.

  2. A friend of mine just got married last Sunday under the Arch- her pictures are gorgeous!! Glad you had fun
    xoxo Pattie

  3. You must of had a wonderful time. It looks like you saw a real variety of sites. I always enjoy trips twice-once when I go and once when I return home.

  4. You have some great photos, Paula! The ones you took of the arch are fabulous. 🙂 So glad you enjoyed the trip!!

  5. I love Botanical gardens and try to visit anytime I am in a new place!
    And, boy, I sure like the size of those samples!!!

  6. Looks like y’all had sooo much fun!! The botanical garden is like a family portrait about to happen. It’s gorgeous!!! And the free beer? YUM! The clydesdales (sp?) are so cool! I’ve seen them before. I was totally impressed with how HUGE they are! FUN! FUN!

    So glad y’all had a good time!

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