Aaahhh . . . it’s that time of year again. The leaves are changing their hues and there’s a slight crispness in the air that can only mean one thing here in the Missouri River Valley . . . tis time to hit the wineries. As summer becomes a distant, humid memory, the small towns outside of St. Louis beckon with their grape-ladden hillsides and stunning vistas.
Half a continent away from the heart of America’s renowned Napa Valley, the state of Missouri is home to a strong wine country that totals nearly 90 wineries, with a large concentration of them just a short, extremely picturesque drive from downtown St. Louis.
Just an hour south of St. Louis, quaint and welcoming St. Genevieve sits in the heart of the Route du Vin, an up-and-coming wine district that consists of six wineries peppered along the winding roads of southeastern Missouri. Click here for a printable map.
Chaumette Vineyard & Winery, one of the most celebrated among the six Route du Vin wineries, boasts bucolic views, an exceptional restaurant, deluxe accommodations, an inviting spa and a diverse range of wines. Truly a quintessential Missouri wine experience.
If you head southwest of St. Louis and wind down the snake-like stretch of Highway 94, you’ll fin Augusta, Missouri, America’s first designated wine district (even older than Napa, itself). Here you’ll have your pick from some of Missouri’s most established and on-the-rise wineries.
Established in 1859, Mount Pleasant is a longtime local favorite. Growing Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay, Mount Pleasant offers tours and majestic views from their peaceful patio.
On your way to Mount Pleasant, take the slightest of detours and sample the vino at Chandler Hill Vineyards in Defiance. As the closest winery to St. Louis, Chandler Hill is quickly gaining speed at “The” winery to visit. With a vineyard in California, as well, Chandler Hill affords visitors a chance to compare Missouri wines to renowned California wines. Hmmm . . . is it 5 o’clock yet?
Tags: Chandler Hill Vineyards, Chaumette Vineyard & Winery, Mount Pleasant, St. Louis Dining, St. Louis Entertainment & Attractions
We’re not sure what’s more of a St. Louis must . . . taking in a show at The Pageant or staying a night at the new Moonrise Hotel just a couple doors down in The Loop. Well, thanks to the “See a Show. Stay the Night” VIP Package currently available through Ticketmaster, you can do both at a staggeringly low price.
For $260.98, two adults (must be at least 21 years of age) will receive two reserved center balcony tickets to select shows at The Pageant (Tier 1D for “Main Level Only Shows”) and your choice of a Superior King or Superior Double Queen room, plus valet parking.
Tickets to a show at St. Louis’ premier concert venue and a night’s stay at St. Louis’ hottest new boutique hotel for under $150 a person? That’s definitely one of those I-can’t-think-of-a-reason-not-to situations that you must seize, like now-ish.
A limited number of these packages are available for the select shows, and the promotion ends one week after the show’s on sale date, so to quote a group that totally would have rocked-out The Pageant, “The time to hesitate is through.”
This package is currently available for Bo Burnham on Nov. 14 or Rob Zombie on Nov. 15. Hmmm . . . from YouTube comedy phenom to heavy metal rocker, The Pageant is quite eclectic, isn’t it? To find out if this package is available for an upcoming show you would like to attend, visit the ”Shows” page on The Pageant’s Website and look for the Hotel+ icon next to the event’s description.
Click here to learn more and reserve your tickets and room now.
Tags: Moonrise Hotel, St. Louis Culture & Attractions, The Pageant
With all the attention given to the hottest new food trends and celebrity chefs it’s easy to let the classics, the tried-and-true basics fall to the wayside. But one all-American favorite that will never lose its place in our hearts is the good old-fashioned diner.
Home fries, The Slinger, the Monte Cristo, the formica tabletops–St. Louis has the diner recipe down so pat that the film Diner was actually filmed here. But, unfortunately (or fortunately, really) you won’t find Mickey Rourke hanging out at any of these comfort food favorites.
A first pick for many late-night-noshers and early-bird breakfasters, City Diner has become a comfort-food fixture in the Grand South Grand neighborhood, and recently announced plans to open a new location down the road in the heart of Grand Center, near the Fox Theatre. This new location is slated to open in December–perfect for grabbing an indulgent after-theatre meal.
The brand-new, much-hyped 12th Street Diner is located in the heart of the Washington Avenue nightlife-strip in Downtown St. Louis. 12th Street is pure diner kitsch, open 24-hours and offering an enormous menu that will leave you all blurry-eyed when you inevitably stumble in after a night out.
Constantly voted the best diner in town by the media powers-that-be, Tiffany’s Original Diner in Maplewood is one Tiffany’s you can breakfast at. Tiffany’s is so old-school, that they don’t even have a website (gasp! says the blogger), so no online menu here, but expect the unadulterated basics served at the counter with a side of secondhand smoke (hey, we said it was old-school) and colorful local flavor.
Tags: 12th Street Diner, City Diner, Downtown St. Louis, Grand South Grand, Maplewood, St. Louis Dining, Tiffany's Original Diner
You may have heard that this week is Fashion Week in New York, but a far lesser known and less established fashion week is currently underway in the St. Louis area. The first ever St. Charles Fashion Week is in full swing, showcasing both local and New York designers, area boutiques and even hosting a “Project Runway-inspired” competition for fashion students at nearby Lindenwood University.
Fashionable festivities will take place throughout the St. Charles area through this Sunday, September 20th. Click here to check out the schedule of events.
In conjunction with St. Charles Fashion Week, a Fashion Expo will take place at the Family Arena near Historic Downtown St. Charles on Saturday, September 19 and Sunday, September 20. Here, fashionistas can check out the current trends and will have a chance to purchase clothing from local boutiques and designers. Doors are open Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday from noon-5 p.m. Admission is $5.
Tags: St. Charles, St. Louis Shopping
You don’t often hear stories of CEOs forgoing the bottom line, but at Homewood Suites by Hilton St. Louis – Galleria and other Homewood Suites in the St. Louis area, the owner is doing just that. This all-suite hotel will set aside six rooms a night for the free use of parents or caregivers whose children are patients at Ranken Jordan, a pediatric specialty hospital in Maryland Heights that provides rehabilitation and medical treatment from seriously ill and injured children regardless of their family’s ability to pay.
The treatment a child may undergo at Ranken can often take many costly weeks and months, and Homewood Suites is doing their part by offering parents an economic relief and comfortable place to lay their head while away from home. Homewood will also provide free shuttles to and from Ranken for the families.
Homewood Suites is particularly convenient for families on an extended stay because each room features a full kitchen, seperate living and sleeping areas, complimentary hot breakfasts and complimentary high-speed internet–as close as you may come to a home away from home.
The chairman and CEO of Equis Hospitality Management said the free stays and shuttles will also apply to as many as six rooms a night at the company’s other St. Louis area hotels–the Homewood Suites Riverport, the Residences Inn by Marriott St. Louis Downtown, the Residences Inn in Earth City, the Fairfield Inn and the TownePlace Suites in Fenton.
Tags: Homewood Suites, Ranken Jordan, St. Louis Accommodations
The second location of Mango, St. Louis’ first and only Peruvian restaurant, opened today in the heart of downtown St. Louis. St. Louis’ first taste of Peru came with Mango’s original location in Shrewsbury, which will now just serve dinner, but the new downtown location will cater to the gourmet crowd for lunch, happy hour and dinner seven days a week.
Serving classic Peruvian cuisine, coupled with modern twists and seasonal specialities, Mango will add even more spice to downtown’s already happening restaurant scene.
Natives of Peru, chefs and owners Jorge and Nori Calvo, bring imaginative and cosmopolitan twists to the rustic flavors of their rich culture, and with this new venture, now offer downtown diners a unique place for small plates, classic South American wines and cocktails, and a chance to experience new flavors. Delicioso!
Tags: Downtown St. Louis, Mango, St. Louis Dining
Itching to experience something new? Need a diversion from the mundane? Then, local performance artist Tom Brady of the ANNONYArts consortium, dancer Monica Newsam and many others have just the thing for you. This dynamic group of artistic visionaries have concocted a “fully integrated art experience” that is, put simply,the telling of the prodigal son parable through music, movement and high-energy media. From September 3-5 and 10-12 Prodigal will light up the “Shakespeare Glen” in Forest Park, just northwest of the Saint Louis Zoo.
With Prodigal, ANNONYArts offers a “secular” look at this well-known parable that explores the depths of family and self-discovery. This event is free to the public and definitely unlike anything you’ve seen before.
Performances will begin each night at sundown, around 8:30 p.m. It’s free, outside in one of St. Louis’ most beautiful settings . . . check it out. You have nothing to loose. Except maybe your tired perspective on this classic tale.
Click here for more information on this unique event.
Tags: Dance, Forest Park, Prodigal, St. Louis Culture
When you hear the term “community theatre,” visions of cringe-worthy overacting and your mailman strutting and fretting his hour upon the stage probably dance through your head, but throughout St. Louis, a few small, but quality troupes have emerged-offering the community a unique divergence from the usual theatre experience.
Committed to presenting lesser known plays and musicals, the Stray Dog Theatre is well-established in the art of taking something and making it their own. Performances take place at the Tower Grove Abbey in Midtown.
The Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble (SATE) is quickly gaining speed as a dramatic force to be reckoned with. A recent all-female production of Macbeth, which SATE performed outside at the Old Post Office Square downtown, garnered rave reviews, and love em’ or hate em’, this is one theatre company worth checking out. Click here for upcoming shows.
As the name implies, the OnSite Theatre Company specializes in site-specific theatre, from bowling alleys to public restrooms. Their productions, more accurately described as theatrical events, rather than plays, offer an ever-changing experience for the audience. Their goal is to “emphasize stories and events that reveal the relationship between our physical environment and us,” so with each production, the audience and the location play active roles, putting the community in “community theatre.” Click here for upcoming shows, or who knows . . . maybe you’ll just stumble upon one.
Tags: OnSite Theatre Company, Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble, St. Louis Culture & Attractions, Stray Dog Theatre
In its first two years, St. Louis served as the finish line for the Tour of Missouri, but on Labor Day, the third year of this highly anticipated race will get its start in the Gateway City. Labor Day weekend promises for days of Tour festivities for professionals, amateur cyclists and spirited spectators.
The Tour of Missouri is just a toddler compared to St. Louis’ Gateway Cup, which will take place in conjunction with this year’s Tour. In its 18th year, the Gateway Cup will feature four days of amateur and professional racing in four of St. Louis’ most distinct and picturesque neighborhoods.
The Gateway Cup features five or six successive races each day based on ability, ranging from beginner to pro. These neighborhood-specific races are made up of one mile laps, in which the packs of cyclists will pass by spectaors every few minutes at incredibly high speeds. Each day’s featured events include the Pro-Am Race and the Tour of Missouri Women’s Series, in which the nation’s top cyclists will whip through the streets and around corners approaching 30 mph.
On Friday, September 4th, the Gateway Cup will speed through historic Lafayette Square. On Saturday, the cyclists will take to the streets of St. Louis Hills and on Sunday and Monday they will speed through the Hill and the Downtown route of the Tour of Missouri.
Tags: Gateway Cup, St. Louis Attractions, St. Louis Events, Tour of Missouri