Fall 2019
Following a summer of floods and high water that rallied Missourians to help one another, fall brings a welcome change of pace. Fall is a great time to explore Missouri either on the highways or on the internet. As always, I have researched some web sites to help you travel through your computer or plan your road trip.
Here is a site that I bet very few of us have visited IRL: Atlasobscura.com/places/welch-spring-hospital-ruins. The Welch hospital ruins are located on the upper Current River between Cedargrove and Akers and are best reached by canoe. The spa was built in 1913 by a doctor who believed that the waters of the spring and the air from the nearby cave had healing qualities. Access at the time was only by two dirt roads, and the crowds he expected never came.
The Vacuum Cleaner Museum at St. James offers easier access. Found online at Atlasobscura.com/places/vacuum-cleaner-museum-and-factory-outlet, the museum boasts 600 vacuum cleaners on display. It is advertised as the cleanest museum in the United States.
Fall festivals and fairs can be found throughout the state. Hootin and Hollering (HootinAnHollarin.com) takes place in Gainesville. Folks, that is Missouri country at the finest. They promise crafts, food, entertainment and square dancing. It sounds like a good time to me.
If Ozark Country Music is not quite your style, you might prefer Blues music at the National Blues Museum (NationalBluesMuseum.org) in downtown St. Louis. Visiting the museum on Saturday or Sunday provides the opportunity to hear live Blues performances.
There might not be many things more calming than the sound of running water. and the sound and the sight of waterfalls can be very appealing. TheCrazyTourist.com/14-amazing-waterfalls-in-missouri/ showcases photos of 14 amazing Missouri waterfalls. Instructions are included on how to visit them IRL, but the photos prove that the “amazing” title is well deserved.
My home town of Glasgow joins with many other towns with Civil War battles to participate in the Civil War Passport Program. Our location is the Bushwhacker Bend Winery (BushwhackerBend.com). Visitors can have their “passport” stamped to mark their visit to Glasgow. We were the site of a significant Civil War battle in 1864. The passport program is described in detail at MO-passport.org/glasgow/.
As a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, I was delighted to find this site at VisitMO.com/things-to-do/american-revolutionary-war-era-flagway. This is the largest display of the flags of the American Revolution in existence. The display, owned by Sue and Ken Molzahn, can be found three miles west of Collins on US Highway 54. The “flagway” down their 1/8th-mile-long driveway, features more than 135 hand-painted or sewn flags honoring the militia, regimental, dragoon, artillery, naval ensigns and variations of the original 13-star Stars and Stripes. Also included are the regimental flags of the French Expeditionary Units that participated and fought alongside George Washington’s army for an independent America.
Missouri offers an abundance of things to do and see in all our seasons during the fall. Perhaps our paths will cross. If you should see me tapping my toe to some country or blues music or sampling some Missouri wine, be sure to say hi. Meeting friends always makes any day a better one. Until then, be safe on the IRL road or on the internet.
Here is a site that I bet very few of us have visited IRL: Atlasobscura.com/places/welch-spring-hospital-ruins. The Welch hospital ruins are located on the upper Current River between Cedargrove and Akers and are best reached by canoe. The spa was built in 1913 by a doctor who believed that the waters of the spring and the air from the nearby cave had healing qualities. Access at the time was only by two dirt roads, and the crowds he expected never came.
The Vacuum Cleaner Museum at St. James offers easier access. Found online at Atlasobscura.com/places/vacuum-cleaner-museum-and-factory-outlet, the museum boasts 600 vacuum cleaners on display. It is advertised as the cleanest museum in the United States.
Fall festivals and fairs can be found throughout the state. Hootin and Hollering (HootinAnHollarin.com) takes place in Gainesville. Folks, that is Missouri country at the finest. They promise crafts, food, entertainment and square dancing. It sounds like a good time to me.
If Ozark Country Music is not quite your style, you might prefer Blues music at the National Blues Museum (NationalBluesMuseum.org) in downtown St. Louis. Visiting the museum on Saturday or Sunday provides the opportunity to hear live Blues performances.
There might not be many things more calming than the sound of running water. and the sound and the sight of waterfalls can be very appealing. TheCrazyTourist.com/14-amazing-waterfalls-in-missouri/ showcases photos of 14 amazing Missouri waterfalls. Instructions are included on how to visit them IRL, but the photos prove that the “amazing” title is well deserved.
My home town of Glasgow joins with many other towns with Civil War battles to participate in the Civil War Passport Program. Our location is the Bushwhacker Bend Winery (BushwhackerBend.com). Visitors can have their “passport” stamped to mark their visit to Glasgow. We were the site of a significant Civil War battle in 1864. The passport program is described in detail at MO-passport.org/glasgow/.
As a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, I was delighted to find this site at VisitMO.com/things-to-do/american-revolutionary-war-era-flagway. This is the largest display of the flags of the American Revolution in existence. The display, owned by Sue and Ken Molzahn, can be found three miles west of Collins on US Highway 54. The “flagway” down their 1/8th-mile-long driveway, features more than 135 hand-painted or sewn flags honoring the militia, regimental, dragoon, artillery, naval ensigns and variations of the original 13-star Stars and Stripes. Also included are the regimental flags of the French Expeditionary Units that participated and fought alongside George Washington’s army for an independent America.
Missouri offers an abundance of things to do and see in all our seasons during the fall. Perhaps our paths will cross. If you should see me tapping my toe to some country or blues music or sampling some Missouri wine, be sure to say hi. Meeting friends always makes any day a better one. Until then, be safe on the IRL road or on the internet.