Overnight in Ste Genevieve

I finally spent the night in the Historic District of Sainte Genevieve, Missouri! Saturday night was our first time staying at the Dr. Hertich House, an AirBNB.

I have spent the night twice in Ste Gen., but the first time was at the Microtel decades ago, and then at Crown Ridge Tiger Sanctuary, which is out in the rolling hills of the county.

The Historic District has really been built up in the last five years! While there have always been Bed and Breakfasts, they were not on AirBNB, and at times seemed a bit out-of-date or old-fashioned…just not what we were looking for. But as I said, in the past five years or so this area has underwent a revitalization. Restaurants have been given new identities, historic homes given much-needed facelifts, and the once sleepy little town is positively bustling at night with the addition of live music.

Anyways, I originally booked the Governor’s Suite with the intention of bringing my best friend to celebrate her upcoming nuptials. The wallpaper looked perfect for a little photo shoot, in good walking distance, and there was that wonderful jacuzzi tub! But things happen and she could not attend, so I quickly shifted plans and brought my little family instead.

Now, we were foolish and getting ready was a bit hard that morning because we had swim class beforehand. So…we forgot the pack and play for Olive to sleep in. Luckily there was a small loveseat in an area of the suite for her to sleep on, but unfortunately she is clever and avoids sleep so it was hard to get her down, or keep her on the loveseat. We did manage however, sorry to our neighbors in the house if they overheard the 10 minute meltdown that inevitably happens when the fun stops.

So, we arrived to Ste Genevieve around 2pm. We decided to eat a late lunch at Audubon’s Restaurant, a block away from our stay. Audubon’s also features a hotel, bar, and biergarten in addition to the restaurant.

We enjoyed our meal thoroughly, and then proceeded to walk around the historic district. I found a geocache behind the Main Street Park building, admired the shops, and listened to live music at the outdoor biergarten.

In the backyard of the Hertich House is a lovely setup with tables, chairs, and string lights. We sat outside and let Olive continue running, listened to the music float down the street, interrupted briefly by the horn of the occasional train. If you know me, I LOVE the sound of trains so being by the tracks was a bonus.

For dinner, we were pretty tired from a day of swimming, walking, and exploring so we ordered Sirro’s for carryout and then filled up the jacuzzi with bubbles for Olive to explore. As expected, she was unimpressed because this kid…but anyways, we enjoyed dinner together in the little sitting area, and when she slept I also tried out the jacuzzi tub - absolute perfection! Built for two with powerful jets and apparently a never-ending supply of hot water, it was perfect.

Speaking of perfect, the Hertich House had muffins and cinnamon rolls available downstairs as part of their Bed and Breakfast offerings, as well as hot chocolate, oatmeal, and coffee. The pastries were from a local bakery, Pat’s Pastries. They also had a mini-fridge with beers and wines for charge. Christian grabbed a few beers and I made us hot chocolate; paired with a cinnamon roll it was a perfect before bed snack for us.

We woke early in the morning because Olive had freed herself from the loveseat and came to tell us her babbles before the sun came up. After giving up the good fight on trying to get a toddler to sleep in, we walked right across the street to Rooted Coffee. This charming little shop offered a variety of hot and cold beverages, not just coffee, to get your morning started. In addition to drinks, they offered breakfast burritos, yogurt parfaits, and quiches. They also homemade flavor syrups, which were incredible. The aesthetic of this shop fit the neighborhood so well, and it is truly a gem for the historic district.

We would have normally done a lot of things before heading out, but I needed a bit of rest; Christian’s snores were stronger than my ear plugs, and my feet were a bit too sore to walk around any more. Many of the businesses are closed on Sundays, but the Tiger Sanctuary, Hawn State Park, and attractions in the regular part of town are open and we usually visit them. We did stop in the regular part of town at one point to use the car wash, and it surprised Christian just how big Ste Genevieve really is.

With fall coming to an end, I urge everyone to make their weekend plans to visit this area before winter comes. During the winter, it’s just not as fun - maybe because you can’t walk around as much, or because some little shops close down - but the other three seasons are absolute perfection.

If you need help planning your trip, message me!