Must Stop for Treats on I-44

My favorite part of Thanksgiving is rolls and pie. Everything else, I could skip! This year was no exception. There is something fun and delicious about pie. Have I ever mentioned I host a "Pie" event on "Pi" day, 3/14? Plus, one of my favorite pies is also one of Oprah's Favorite Things. Last spring, Casey and took a trip to Branson for our anniversary. One of the highlights of the trip for me was the food we discovered on the way down. So if you're ever headed South on Interstate 44, part of the old Route 66, make sure you stop by one of these gems...

We reached Rolla just in time for lunch. I wanted to try something new, so we stopped at the visitor centers to ask for suggestions. The host informed us of a few local lunch spots and then added, "But we're really known for "A Slice of Pie." She had my attention! We got some lunch, since pizza is the only kind of pie my husband eats, and then headed for this hidden gem. It's next to a laundry mat and looks like it hasn't been updated since in was opened, but it was divine.

My pictures, taken in the car, do not do these pies justice.

I had also texted a friend who traveled between Springfield and St. Louis frequently asking if she had any good suggestions on where to eat. She mentioned a Rocking Chair Restaurant in Conway, Mo with cinnamon rolls the size of your head. Casey thought she was joking...she wasn't.

We stopped here on the way home. It was packed for being in the middle of nowhere.

We ordered four cinnamon rolls. One ready to eat and three frozen for later. Yay for getting to enjoy the deliciousness for a couple days afterwards. So yummy!  

The section of I-44 south of St. Louis has lots of fun roadside attractions (a giant rocking chair, vacuum museum) and some great food!

Eagle Watching and Clarksville, MO

Last week Casey mentioned he wanted to go do something fun and different as a family over the weekend. His initial suggestions had me a little concerned (like searching for deer sheds), but luckily, when the weekend came around he suggested going to see the Eagles by the river. That I can do. There are several great spots along the Mississippi River to spot nesting Eagles during the winter months. A couple years ago we went to an event at Chain of Rocks Bridge. It's not being held this year, but this site has a list of all kinds of Eagle spotting events going on in the greater St. Louis area.

Saturday we headed to Clarksville, Missouri. It's a little bit of drive, but it's suppose to be one the best places  in Missouri to spot Eagles. It's located next to a lock and dam, which makes food easily accessible  in cold weather.

It's even set up to with spotting scopes.

Apparently, it was too warm of day to get a really good look at the Eagles, but we did see several. They were really far away though and really hard to catch on camera. There are two in the trees in the picture below.

The big bird in the sky is actually a seagull, but if you look closely you can see eagle flying in front of the trees.

They have a little park along the Mississippi. It's actually a really pretty part of the river.

Then we explored a little bit of the town of Clarksville. They have a couple of specialty shops and antique shops in charming historic buildings. I read this article before we went. It describes the town nicely.

We ate lunch at The Farm Cafe. It's owned by Overlook Farm which operates a couple of inns and another restaurant on it's beautiful, large operating farm.

They serve sandwiches, soups, and salads. Our sandwiches were yummy!

Eagle watching and Clarksville was a fun way to spend a few hours. If you're interested, Clarksville will host its annual Eagle Days this coming weekend.

Springfield, IL: Land of Lincoln

Summer is quickly coming to end, and Casey still has lots of vacation time left at work. I think he is secretly saving it all for hunting season, but just to make sure I don't catch on, he took a day off work for a day trip to Springfield, Illinois. Casey and I took a weekend anniversary trip there a few years ago and loved it! There's plenty to fill a weekend with, but since it's only a two hour drive or less from Saint Louis, it makes for a fun day trip as well.

I don't think you have to be a history buff to appreciate all the Abraham Lincoln sites Springfield has to offer. But if Lincoln doesn't excite you, Man Vs. Food has been there too, so you can enjoy some great food after you learn something.

We started at visit at the Lincoln Tomb in Oak Ridge Cemetery.  I am just in awe of this place, inside and out.

At the outside of the tomb is a sculpture of Lincoln's face. It was a tradition for soldiers going off to war to rub the nose of the original sculpture for good luck.

People still do it today.

After the tomb, we ate lunch at D'Arcy's Pint. Someone had recommended this place to Casey and I a couple years ago, but we skipped it after finding out there was a 2 1/2 hour wait. Adam from Man vs. Food had been there though, so it was on my list to try this trip. We didn't have to wait 2 1/2 hours this time, but I can see why people do wait that long. This place was fantastic! They are famous for their Horse Shoe, a Springfield tradition that resembles an open face sandwich topped with french fries and a white cheese sauce. We tried the deluxe (with hamburger, bacon and onions) and the buffalo chicken. They were both good, though it was easier to eat the ground hamburger than mess with a chicken patty.

After lunch we headed to the museum part of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. This place is awesome. They have a couple theatre productions with amazing effects, and then you journey through Lincoln's life and the Civil War with amazing effects and life-like wax sculptures.

The kids loved playing in Mary Lincoln's Attic, the kid's area of the museum.

We ended our Springfield trip with a visit to the historic Route 66 roadside attraction Cozy Dog Drive In. It's the home of the first cozy dog or the questionable home of the first corn dog, but either way Brenton says it's definitely the best corn dog he's ever had. It's a greasy spoon kind of place, but it's got great Route 66 memorabilia and the kids enjoyed it.

We had a great trip to Springfield! We had great food, great company and lots of great places to visit.

We didn't go this trip, but I can also recommend the Lincoln Home.

Meramec Caverns

Missouri is known as the Cave State, so it would be a shame to not explore a cave this summer. When we went to the Cardinals game, the kids received coupons for a free cave tour, boat ride and ice cream at Meramec Caverns. The kids and I had never been. Casey has, he hates it, so we went without him last Thursday.

Meramec Caverns is about an hour from downtown St. Louis. It has a cave, camping, food, zip line and more. It's very commercialized, which is why Casey hates it, but the kids loved it.
It rained the day we went and was a very humid, so a couple of my pictures are a little foggy.

They claim that Jesse and Frank James hid out in this cave after robbing a train. Some items taken in the robbery were found in the cave years later are on display. An episode of Lassie and a Tom Sawyer  (or was it Huckleberry Finn) movie with Jodi Foster were also filmed here.

The cave has some beautiful features.

The next picture is from the very end of the tour. This is the feature in it's more natural state (it's huge). They then play music, do a light show, and display a picture of a flag. Drives Casey crazy, but the kids loved it. It was Hailey's favorite part.

We also went on the boat ride. It only lasts about 20 minutes.

Then we ate ice cream. There was lots of flavors to choose from. Brenton chose Bubble Gum.

We finished up our trip with throwing rocks in the river. Always a popular activity with my kids.

The kids had a lot of fun. I did too, but I think the place is a little pricey. The kids were only disappointed they couldn't do the zip line. I promised we'd go back when they were older and could find other friends who wanted to do it to so we could get the group discount on the zip line.

If you're like Casey and prefer a more natural cave exploration, you can check out Fisher or Onondaga Cave.

Johnson Shut-Ins

Casey had last Friday off work. We woke that morning with no plans and left less than an hour later for Johnson Shut-Ins.

Johnson's Shut-Ins is part of the Black River shut in by volcanic rock (in very unscientific terms). The river and rocks have created falls and pools to form a natural water park. About 2 hours South of Downtown St. Louis it makes for a fun daytrip or camping trip. It's a daytrip we had never made (Casey went to the Shut-Ins as a kid), but now I'm sure we'll do it again.

Johnson Shut-Ins is set back from the road and the parking lot. I hardly noticed we'd crossed over the river and if it wasn't for the sign and a big building, I might have thought we were in the wrong place. After we parked it was short walk to the Shut-Ins.

Here's the view as we approached the Shut-Ins.

And this is why the Shut-ins are a big deal!

Hailey loved sliding down all the waterfalls. Ethan loved the water and climbing the rocks. Brenton was our rock climbing boy. He decided the water was too deep (the same water that Ethan was playing in). I had to bribe him to play in the waterfalls.

There are also a couple larger pools where you can play in the water as well.

After playing in the shut-ins for a couple hours we went back to the parking area for a picnic.

We headed home after playing in the Shut-Ins, but there are several other nearby state parks with things to do. We thought about heading to Elephant Rock State Park, but Ethan was asleep as soon as we got in the car.

This trip was a blast! It's free (except for you gas to get there)! I would definitely do it again and recommend it to other people. However, there are a few things you'll want to know. You need water socks or other shoes to wear in the water (Casey knew this and so did most of the other people there, but it hadn't ever crossed my mind). They limit the number of people (or cars) in the park. You'll want to get there early, and a week day is probably better than a weekend. If your kids are small they will require your full attention at all times, but you'll still all have a lot of fun!