I’m a history buff. A costume wearing, reference book buying, card carrying history buff. So why wasn’t I excited when friends wanted to take my husband and I to the historic district of St. Charles, Missouri? Let’s be honest here- most historic districts are pretty dull. Every small town has one in the hope of dragging in a few passing tourists and they rarely amount to much. Thanks to my historic district snobbery, I had passed St. Charles by countless times on my way back and forth to St. Louis. When will I learn?

The historic district in St. Charles dates back 200 years to a French settlement on the Missouri River and has seen more than its share of events. Visits from Lewis & Clark and Daniel Boone, its status as the first capital of Missouri, and its location on a major westward settlement route justify its “historic” status. As if this wasn’t enough for one historic district, it’s also loaded with shops, restaurants, bed and breakfasts, and even a brewery or two, all packed into a picturesque 13 block stretch next to the Missouri River. We only spent one day in the area, but I could very easily see making a weekend of it at any of the little bed and breakfasts in the immediate area. There is more than enough to do to keep me busy for two days.

First off, wear your walking shoes. Parking is limited due to the narrow brick streets, but there is plenty available if you are willing to walk just a little. The sidewalks are also uneven, so high heels and flip flops could be treacherous. Taking a little cash along with you is also a good idea. Many of the small, locally owned shops have minimums for credit card purchases. As for that other little issue that can spoil a good historic district walk, don’t worry- there are several clean, well lit restroom buildings just off Main Street.

The original reason for heading to the historic district after breakfast was to go to a chocolate shop. (No…just after breakfast is NOT too early for chocolate) J. Noto had a wide selection of candy and cookies. I picked out an assortment of chocolate, while our friends went straight for the anise cookies. I really dislike the taste of anise, but everyone else swore that the cookies were really fantastic. The chocolates were pretty good and the prices were decent. Next door to the chocolate shop was another of my weaknesses- a yarn shop! Knit and Caboodle had a little bit of everything, starting with low priced commercial yarns up to $50 a skein art yarns. They carried silk, baby llama, banana fiber, good old cotton, and everything in between. I’m pretty sure I touched every skein of yarn in the store.

 A little further on, we found the Olde Town Spice Shop. They had a spectacular selection of spices, blends, dip mixes, marinades, and sauces. Not to mention all the samples. Our friends purchased a shopping basket full of spices for a little under $20. Everything was very reasonably priced. From there, we hit Main Street Books, Thistle & Clover (Irish and Scottish imports), The English Shop (English imports), a clock shop I can’t remember the name of and a bunch of other equally nifty shops.
We finally completed the loop back to the car, when my husband spotted the Lewis and Clark Boat House and Nature Center. Located at the far southern end of the historic district and located right on the Missouri river, it houses a small museum on the upper level and replicas of the boats Lewis and Clark used on the lower level. It took over an hour to drag my husband away from the boat replicas, but since he was patient while I squeezed every skein of yarn, I guess it was his turn.

All in all it was a really great day. The weather was perfect, the company was good, and I learned my lesson about dismissing destinations without due cause. As I mentioned earlier, the Midwest Traveler came the next day with an article about the holiday season in historic St. Charles, and the merchant directory I picked up listed several interesting festivals, so I’m pretty sure a return trip is in my future. It’s only 45 minutes from downtown St. Louis, less than a mile off of I-70, and near plenty of other great St. Louis area attractions. If you find yourself in the area, do yourself a favor and stop.