Sainte Genevieve, MO: Wineries, History & Scenic Views

Chaumette Vineyards and Winery is the major Midwest award-winning winery located near Sainte Genevieve, Missouri. The winery was established in 1990 by Hank and Jackie Johnson on 310 acres of land. Grapevines grow on 30 acres. The region, with rolling hills and the Saline Creek River Valley, is on average five degrees warmer than Missouri wine regions, which is considered excellent for growing grapes. Today, Chaumette Vineyards & Winery is a premier wine resort, offering private villas for overnight stays, a pool, lounge spa, and a gourmet restaurant. Their Tasting Room offers outdoor live entertainment when weather permits. The property includes several historic buildings that are opened for tours.

24345 State Rte WW, Ste. Genevieve, MO 63670, Phone: 573-747-1000

Pickle Springs Natural Area is a 256-acre Designated Natural Area near Sainte Genevieve, Missouri, known for a two-mile Trail Through Time, with picturesque views, sandstone cliffs, deep canyons, natural arches and waterfalls. The area is popular destination for outdoor activities such as bird watching and hiking. One of the most interesting geologic features is a double arch that holds up a sandstone shelf. There are also narrow deep canyons, pillar-like sandstone blocks called hoodoos, a spring flowing from sandstone and more. Over 20 species of fish swim in the cool waters of the Pickle Creek. Fishing for rainbow darter, striped shiner and silverjaw minnow is allowed but hunting is not.

Dorlac Rd, Ste. Genevieve, MO 63670

Attractions for Couples

Hawn State Park is a 5,000-acre public recreation area about 14 miles from Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. The park includes three state-designated natural areas: LaMotte Sandstone Barrens, Pickle Creek and Botkins Pine Woods. Orchid Valley is considered part of Hawn State Park as well, but is not adjacent to the park and is not open to the public The park offers camping, fishing, hiking and picnicking. The three main trails in the park are Whispering Pines, White Oak, and Pickle Creek. The trails cross the River aux Vases and Pickle Creek at various points. Local teacher Helen Coffer Hawn purchased the land in 1932 in order to create the park. In 1952 she donated the land to the state.

12096 Park Dr #8121, Ste. Genevieve, MO 63670, Phone: 573-883-3603

The Cave Vineyard is a family owned and operated vineyard and winery near Sainte Genevieve, Missouri. The business also includes a micro-brewery and distillery. The first seven acres of grapevines were planted in 2000. The Strussione family’s focus is on growing four distinct varieties of grape: Traminette, Chambourcin, Vignoles, and Norton. Their first harvest was in August 2003. The grapevines are planted on tops of hills, at the elevation is 650 feet, allowing for cold air circulation and drainage, improving the chances that the vines would survive possible late spring or early fall frost. Natural Saltpeter Cave is part of the property and is located directly underneath the winery and tasting room, allowing guess to have picnics in the cave after they visited the winery and purchased some of their award winning wines.

21124 Cave Rd, Ste. Genevieve, MO 63670, Phone: 573-543-5284

The Louis Bolduc House or Maison Bolduc, is a historic house museum in Ste. Geneviève, Missouri built in 1792 The house is an example of poteaux sur solle or "posts-on-sill" style of construction. It was part of the first European settlement in the today’s state of Missouri. It was also the first authentically restored historic structure in Ste. Genevieve. The house is a perfect example of the French Colonial architecture in North America of the early 18th century. The vertical log house and surrounding gardens paint a vivid picture of the life in 18th Ste. Genevieve. The museum has an extensive collection of 18th century French colonial furnishings and artifacts. The museum includes a number of other structures with exhibits from different historic periods.

Louis Bolduc Museum, 198 Market St, Ste. Genevieve, MO 63670, Phone: 573-883-3105

Recommended Activities for Families

The 280-acre Hickory Canyons Natural Area in Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri, is owned by the L-A-D Foundation and managed by the Missouri Department of Conservation. It features a number of box canyons and sandstone cliffs. Hickory Canyons, especially their cool, moist cliff faces, provide home to a number of unique plant communities including partridge berry, various fern species and club mosses. In the canyon bottoms grow pawpaw, spicebush, deciduous holly and sedges as well as mesic sandstone forest, rare in Missouri. Mesic forest is dominated by white oak, northern red oak and sugar maple. There are two short hiking trails that cross the area and offer perfect views of the area's distinctive bluffs and canyons.

Ste. Genevieve, MO 63670, Phone: 573-290-5730

The Felix Valle House State Historic Site is a historic preserve in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri that consists of the Felix Vallé House and several other early 19th-century buildings. The site, which is managed by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, offers regular tours of the Felix Vallé House. The house is a Federal-style limestone structure built in 1818 for Jewish merchant from Philadelphia Jacob Phillipson. The house at one time the commercial outlet and later, in 1824, home of Felix Vallé and Odile Pratte-Vallé. Today, there is a display of an authentic mercantile store representing the firm of Menard & Vallé. Other interesting features of the house are original mantels, early Empire furnishings, an exterior staircase leading to the second-floor and a garden with original outbuildings. The historic site also includes the Bauvais-Amoureux House built in 1792 and the Dr. Benjamin Shaw House built in 1819.

198 Merchant St, Ste. Genevieve, MO 63670, Phone: 573-883-7102

The Guibourd House or La Maison de Guibourd in Sainte Genevieve, Missouri, is an example of poteaux-sur-solle or vertical post on sill or foundation type of construction, usually sealed with bouzillage, a mixture of clay and grass. The house was built around 1806 for Jacques Jean Rene Guibourd and his family. The architecture of the Guibourd House is similar to other Creole-French structures in Sainte Genevieve and throughout the French regions of the Illinois Country/territory, the Louisiana territory and eastern Canada. Over the years the design has been slightly changed to adapt to the various residents, but mostly kept much of the original character and style of the French Creole architecture of the early 19th century. The slave quarters or kitchen were added later. The Guibourd House has one of the few original kitchens and slave quarters of this time period left in Ste. Genevieve.

Jacques Guibourd Historic House, 1 N 4th St, Ste. Genevieve, MO 63670, Phone: 573-883-7544