Ste. Genevieve, Missouri
Missouri's first permanent European settlement, with a walkable historic core, a genuine local arts scene, and architecture found almost nowhere else in the United States.
Why Go
Ste. Genevieve was established by French colonists by 1750, making it the first permanent European settlement in Missouri — and its downtown still shows it. The Bauvais-Amoureux House and a handful of other buildings here use poteaux-en-terre construction, vertical logs planted directly in the ground: only five such structures survive anywhere in the United States, and three of them are in this one historic district, now protected as Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park. Walking the compact downtown takes you past the Felix Vallé House, the 1790 Green Tree Tavern, and storefronts that now hold restaurants, antique shops, and the Sainte Geneviève Art Center & Art Museum, which carries on an arts tradition dating back to a 1930s art colony. It's a town built for an unhurried day: tour a historic home or two in the morning, spend the afternoon browsing antiques and galleries, and stop for a meal in a storefront that's been part of downtown for generations.
Don't Miss
Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park
Good to Know
- Suggested trip length: 1–2 nights
- Best seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall
- Walkability: Downtown Ste. Genevieve is compact and walkable, with historic homes, restaurants, and shops within a few blocks of the National Historical Park Welcome Center.
- Parking: Free parking is available near the Welcome Center and throughout downtown, though it can be limited during peak season and special events.
Worth Knowing
Several of the historic homes operate on limited tour schedules and are closed some days of the week — check hours before planning a visit around a specific house. Downtown is not directly on the riverfront; a levee separates it from the Mississippi.