Drive to Piasa Park in Alton to see the famous rock-wall painting of Alton’s unofficial mascot, the Piasa Bird, a fearsome monster from Native American lore. The creature has a man’s face, deer antlers, a scale covered body and giant red wings. (For non-natives, Piasa is pronounced Pie-a-saw.) Alton is about 50 minutes from south St. Louis County. The original painting was one of several petroglyphs in the area, which may have dated back to the ancient Mississippians who built the Cahokia Mounds. What we know today of the original art comes from Father Jacques Marquette who in 1673 wrote …

Modern treasure hunters armed with GPS units are combing the woods of Missouri right now. They hike the trails of state and local parks, often bushwhacking their way through the underbrush, looking for hidden boxes full of grungy plastic bobbles. Geocaching is a great way to mix technology with hiking and an excellent excuse to get people outside. You can plan a creative day trip by packing a picnic and seeking geocaches hidden in your favorite park or one you have not yet explored. Geocaching can be played by families, casual hikers or serious adventurers. If you’ve ever gone geocaching, you…

Ever want to get nose to beak with our national bird? Then head down to the World Bird Sanctuary in Valley Park to see Bald Eagles, hawks, vultures, owls and all sorts of other deadly feathered creatures. One of the sanctuary’s missions is to help injured birds of prey and return them back to the wild. Unfortunately, not all the birds that come through their doors are able to make full recoveries and become residents. These are the birds you’ll find on display or in educational programs the WBS staff puts on locally and around the country. For example, Liberty the Bald Eagle was hit by a car …

Mastodon State Park is a little gem tucked away in Jefferson County, just south of Arnold. This park is the site of the Kimmswick Bone Bed, a famous deposit of Pleistocene ice age fossils. Why so famous? Because in 1979 archeologists studying here were finally able to prove that humans once roamed alongside—and hunted—giant ice age beasts, like the mastodon. Mastodon State Park is an easy drive down Hwy 55, about 8 miles south of Arnold in Imperial. The park has a certain Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde quality to it. On the one hand, it’s an internationally famous archeological site, complete with a…

Kimmswick is a mere shadow of its former self, but what an interesting shadow. The town was founded 150 years ago and dozens of its oldest buildings have been restored into an eccentric shopping district. It’s also the home of the Blue Owl, a bakery and restaurant nationally famous for its towering pie. Kimmswick is about seven miles south of Arnold, off Hwy 61-67, in Jefferson County. It’s that same highway that almost killed this river town years ago. Kimmswick once thrived on traffic from steamboats that traveled up and down the Mississippi and from the Iron Mountain Railway, which both …

Meramec State Park in Sullivan, MO has everything you need for a day trip or weekend getaway in the woods: cheap camping rates, canoes to rent and miles of trails to explore. It also has something other parks don’t have: 49 caves. Meramec State Park is 58 miles from Kirkwood, a little over an hour drive down Interstate 44. The park has a day-use area with four pavilions that can be rented for special events or can be enjoyed on a first-come, first-served basis. The camping area, located far from the main entrance, has more than 200 camping sites for basic, electric and RV campers. The …