A Day in St Charles

We had planned to head back to St Louis after a quick visit here but the Tour of the Academy of the Sacred Heart where Rose Philippine Duchesne is buried so entranced us that we never did return to St Louis.

We picked a block of historic Main St and just shopped in every store that caught our interest. The variety is amazing. Interspersed among the retail stores are small museums and restaurants. Allow yourself several hours to browse, more if you have the time.

There is only one bed and breakfast in the historic section, we prefered a hotel with a pool so we stayed about 3 miles away off of route 70.

Quick Tips:

There are many things that we did not have time to do here in St Charles. There is a whole block of antique stores, a Lewis and Clark Museum, Daniel Boone died in St Charles and you can visit his homestead.

We were diappointed to find out that the Dinner Theatre that was located on a Riverboat had closed but if you want entertainment there is a Casino on the Riverfront.

St Charles was the first capital of the state of Missour and the historic buildings are still there on South Main Street. I hope someday to be able to return here to do more than just scratch the surface.

We were here on the 4th and 5th of July and on the evening of the fourth they were having a river front fireworks display and from what we could see it looked like the whole town was attending.

There is also a riverfront casino for those who like to play a few games of chance. It was a very attractive building, right off the highway.

Best Way To Get Around:

You need a car to get around. There is on street parking on Main Street as well as a parking garage. We had no trouble finding a spot.

The Hampton Inn was a 3 story hotel located right off Route 70. Hampton Inn is the economy entry of the Hilton Chain. There are plenty of luxuries however. We had a large king size bed, desk and chair, a coffee pot with excellent coffee and a large clean bathroom with a blow dryer. The hotel had a beautiful pool and hot tub area as well as a small health club. The staff was friendly and helpful and there were warm cookies and fresh fruit at the check in desk for a free afternoon snack. There is an extensive breakfast buffet included in the rate. There are donuts, muffins, danish, bagels, juice, coffee, fresh fruit, cold and hot cereal. Quite good really, and the breakfast room is large and cheery with a big screen tv. Very good value for the price.

We stopped here purely by chance. It was the evening of the fourth of July and we had no idea that Main St would be crowded with people going to the riverfront fireworks display. Luckily we found a parking spot and began our walk along Main looking for a Restaurant. We stumbled upon Kreigers outdoor dining area and were lucky enough to get an outdoor table and a warm and lovely evening.

Erin, our server got to us quickly, even though they were extremely busy and soon we were leaning back, people watching and sipping on delicious frozen pina coladas.

My husband had the sirloin steak with boursin cheese and garlic mashed potatoes. The steak was perfectly cooked and the potatoes homemade and delicous. I had the All American Fried Chicken which was boneless chicken fillets and french fries with a honey mustard dipping sauce. My portion was huge but the coating on the chicken was pretty tasteless, this was relieved by the honey mustard dip.

Joe had a hamburger plate which he enjoyed. There were a few snafus in our service but overall it was a good experience. They have some delicious sounding desserts but the large portions ment we were just to full to try them. The location of this restaurant is perfect for a visit to the historic district.

The Shrine is located on the grounds of the Academy of the Sacred Heart at 610 North Second Street in St. Charles.

Philippine Duchesne first came to St. Charles from France in 1818. Her dream was to teach Native Americans but instead she founded a school for the local daughters who needed an education. The girls came to live with the five nuns in their little log cabin which was located, but no longer exists, on the same site as the academy. This was the beginning of Catholic education in the western United States.

In her old age she was allowed to spend a year among the Indians but she could not master their language so she spent her days in prayer for the success of the mission. This led to her Indian name which means she who prays always.

When she died in 1852 she was buried on the grounds of the Academy. Three years later her body was exhumed and entered in a crypt. What is unusual is that her body was in perfect condition. Nearly 100 years later her remains were removed to the chapel where they are today. We were taken on a tour of the grounds and buildings by a volunteer Mary McClure. It was facinating and we enjoyed learning more about this couragous woman.