Are you ready for a vacation that does what it’s supposed to do – refresh you? Step out of time and stroll down the same streets as American legends John James Audubon, Lewis and Clark, and Thomas Hart Benton. Ste. Genevieve is a hidden gem nestled in the limestone hills of Missouri that roll above the Mississippi River. It’s a city that was once larger than St. Louis, but over time found itself isolated from the beaten path.

Now, when you visit, it feels like you’ve got Ste. Genevieve all to yourself. It’s a place whose natural beauty and immense history have invited massive investment in terms of facilities, but the marketing has long been devoted to the local crowd when the appeal is national and international. That leaves visitors with a lot of elbow room and the chance to experience something truly special.

Imagine waking early in your downtown B&B. You step outside and there’s no one on the street, just a gurgle of voices passing in and out of the coffee shop. You get your coffee and sit staring. No pressure. No action you need to take. Just peace. Even the things that produce anxiety elsewhere rarely happen here.  No traffic.  Few crowds.  Lots of space for little ones to play safely.

Ste. Genevieve is like that, and that’s just part of what makes it special. The commitment to decompression is thorough, and the spaces you’ll be invited into will have you marvel at how affordable it is.  The best part is, we’re still becoming who we can truly be.  We like to say we’re what Asheville or Sedona was forty years ago: an unpretentious destination, where community is strong and the vibes are forged by an authentic interest in creating something special.  

In fact, that’s what we’ve done best for over two-hundred years: create something special.  It’s woven into who we are.  It’s our brand.  You can feel it when looking at the frontier buildings that have anchored our downtown for centuries.  You can hear it in the stories of the people who share the same last names as the streets and buildings set in place more than two hundred years ago.  You can see it in the faces of the people in photos from a bygone era standing in the same spot in the same building you’re standing today.  

It takes a lot to keep a community thriving on such a small scale.  Keeping things local.  Prioritizing community.  Making sure big box stores don’t drive our merchants to ruin.  It’s something worth seeing and experiencing.  It’s a lesson you can take back with you, wherever you come from.  Wherever you are, we hope to see you soon.