Surroundings, St Louis

The 200-acre Faust County Park was created in 1968 through the generosity of Leicester and Mary Plant Faust who donated the property. It is home to Faust Historical Village and St Louis Carousel.

The Daniel Boone Home is a four-story Georgian-style structure that was hand-built with quarried Missouri limestone and black walnut over a seven year period. There are three floors open to visitors. The house was home to Daniel, his wife Rebecca and their ten children.

The Black Madonna Shrine was begun in 1938 as a tribute to the Virgin Mary. It features an open-air chapel and seven grottos.

Mudd's Grove is a Greek Revival home that was completed in 1860 for John Hoffman, a local builder and real estate developer. The house was built with thick masonry walls and in order to protect the brick's fragile character, the exterior is painted. Each room has a nearly identical mantled fireplace. Mudd's Grove serves as a museum and resource center for the Kirkwood Historical Society.

The Museum of Transportation in Kirkwood has over 70 locomotives making it the most complete collection of American rail power anywhere. The collection of automobiles, buses, streetcars, aircraft, horse-drawn vehicles and river boat material reflect the ever-changing nature of transportation.

The Calvin Opera House was designed by E.C. Little and opened in 1909. It is currently used for bluegrass concert series and a few movie screenings.

The congregation of Old St Ferdinand Shrine was founded in 1789. Most of the Church, built 1821, is constructed of logs, with only the exterior and front section of the building constructed of bricks.Old St Ferdinand Shrine has a convent wing that was built in 1819 and is still maintains most of its original condition.

The plantation of Taille de Noyer began as an Indian trading post in 1790, and later the hunting lodge of John Mullanphy, one of Missouri's most illustrious citizens. It became the country home of Mullanphy's descendants and now serves as the headquarters for the Florissant Valley Historical Society.

The second floor of two adjoining Federal-style brick buildings, the First Missouri State Capitol Historic Site, was divided and used as Senate and House chambers, an office for the governor, and a small committee room. Visitors can take a guided tour through the actual restored and furnished rooms where Missouri state government was created and first practiced.

The Lewis & Clark Center is dedicated to the adventures and accomplishments of the famous Lewis & Clark Expedition. Exhibits include information about the members of the Expedition, the tools they used, the journals they kept, the fauna and flora, and the many Indian cultures they encountered.

The formation of caves and stalactites, fossils and limestone are found on the five floors of Meramec Caverns. During the Civil War, the Union forces used the caves to store powder kilns and leaching vats.

The Jesse James Wax Museum presents the theory that Jesse James was not killed in 1882 but lived until the age of 103 under an assumed identity.

Purina Farms is a tourist center with two canine competition areas. Hands-on activities and exhibits showcase obedience shows and grooming demonstrations. Children can pet Purina's own dogs and cats, milk a cow, and play in the hayloft.

The 2,400 acre Shaw Nature Reserve contains a diverse collection of plants and animals in restored and constructed natural habitats. A restored 19th-century home, houses a 'People on the Land' exhibit, with environmental and conservation themes.