Reviews written by The Travel Penguin
At 812 acres, Saint Stanislaus Conservation Area is one of the larger conservation areas in St. Louis County. Located in a rural area of Hazelwood on the Missouri River, you can reach the area by taking the Earth City Expressway north from I-70. The Missouri Department of Conservation website says: "It can be reached from Highway 370 by going northeast...
This McDonald's in Florissant looks very new and features a unique contemporary look with images of St. Louis. It has a central almost couch-like seating area, a 12-stool high counter area, plus seating at tables with modern chairs. We found this McDonald's to be clean during our visit. In fact, there were those yellow warning signs advising that the floors...
Spanish Lake Park is a 242-acre park located in the city of Spanish Lake in north St. Louis County. It has a nice looking lake that appears to allow only non-motorized boating. There are two entrances off of Spanish Pond Road accessing either side of the lake. Around the lake are shaded grassy areas with several pavilions and at least...
Although I don't find Sunfish & North Lakes listed at the St. Louis County Parks website, I stumbled upon this park while driving down Spanish Pond Road nearby the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area. The park entrance sign indicates two lakes. I only saw one lake but a Google map shows there are several small lakes...
The Missouri Welcome Center, located on Dunn Road just north of the intersection of I-270 and Riverview Drive just next to the Mississippi River, is easy to miss. If you are coming from Illinois, this exit is immediately after you cross the river bridge. From Missouri, it is your last exit before crossing over into Illinois. ...
At over 4,300 acres and with 6.5 miles of river frontage, Columbia Bottom Conservation Area is one of the largest nature parks in Saint Louis County. It is located at the confluence of the Missouri River and the Mississippi River. So if you always wanted to get a view of this point of geography visible from low earth orbit, here...
Years ago when I escorted tour groups in Asia, I always looked forward to my visits to the Grand Palace in Bangkok. I never tired of the sun shining on the golden buildings, the soft tinkling of the wind chimes, monks chanting, or the local people making offerings. It is a most beautiful site -- especially if you can visit...
I'm surprised that I haven't already reviewed Lu Lu Seafood as they are simply the most authentic and best tasting Chinese food in the St. Louis area. You'll quickly note that more than 50% of the clientele is Asian! That says a lot. Lu Lu Seafood isn't the classiest restaurant around, but the taste...
Pacific Brew Haus is a fantastic pub restaurant located in Pacific, Missouri. It is just south of the Old Historic Downtown past the train tracks. From the outside, it looks somewhat plain. But don't be misled. The interior has been totally remodeled with high quality materials throughout while retaining the historic character of this 1908 opera house building. Look up...
Route 66 State Park is more developed than other parks that I've been to in this area. Most of the park is located on the north side of I-44 but we entered from a point on the south side of I-44 (heading east) for which we used exit 265. On the south side of I-44 there is a parallel road...
I visited Pacific Palisades Conservation Area on a weekday afternoon in August. Our GPS had trouble routing us into the southern entry and put us into a residential neighborhood instead. We finally gave up but as we headed back toward St. Louis on Old Highway 66, we saw a sign showing the way to a northern entrance and the boat...
The city claims 26+ acres for Soetebier Park. But all that I saw after I pulled into the macadam parking lot at the sign (just down the road from Kircher Park) is about 1 acre of grass -- unless there is another entrance further down the road? Otherwise, there was nothing else here. Kircher Park...