Missouri Fall Magic! Little Old Towns and Soaring Rolls!

This episode is quite a treat! As the Missouri fall colors turned more vibrant and magical, we made our way south into the Ozarks. On the way, we stopped in Ste. Genevieve, MO to explore the first European organized settlement west of the Mississippi. Afterwards, we satisfy Danny’s need for good homecooked food with a stop at Lambert’s Cafe in Sikeston, MO.

Headed Down the Road in Missouri

As we pulled out of Meramec State Park, we noticed that the colors were definitely starting to change- we enjoyed the reds, oranges and yellows of the trees mixed with the occasional wildlife sighting. Our final destination for today would be the small town of Eminence, MO, where we would stay for the next week. More about that later. In the meantime, we had a couple of stops to make.

Ste. Genevieve

Our first stop was in the small town of Ste. Genevieve. Known for being the first European settlement west of the Mississippi River, Ste. Genevieve was first settled by French traders and settlers in 1735. In the pre-revolutionary United States, this was the same year that Baltimore was founded and our second president, John Adams was born in Massachusetts. In 1763, the town was given to Spain and in 1803 was again handed over to a new country in the Louisiana Purchase. However, the French language, culture, and architecture remained very important throughout the town’s history.

Today, visitors come to Ste. Genevieve to see the beautifully preserved houses built by the early French colonists. It was so much fun to stroll the streets and see these buildings made from huge logs that were cut to size and placed vertically. Mixed in with said buildings were the brick storefronts and cobblestone streets built by later residents of the town. There were plenty of unique stores to explore as well and as a result, we spent way more time (and money) than we intended here. We still didn’t see everything, so like most of the places we visited on this trip, we will be back!

Lambert’s!

Once, when I was a little girl, we took a road trip to visit family in Tennessee. I remember a few things about that trip: 1. I was so excited because I was going to go to Tennessee, where Dolly Parton lived! 2. One of the coolest places we ever ate was Lambert’s Cafe, right before we crossed from Missouri to Tennessee. So, when we planned this trip, I knew Lambert’s definitely had to be on the itinerary.

The original Lambert’s is in Sikeston, Missouri. They also have a second location in Branson, but since we were going to be driving right by it, we stopped at the one in Sikeston. Danny tried several times to weasel out of stopping since it was somewhat of a longer route, but I insisted. I knew for a food lover like him, this was not a stop to be missed!

What’s the big deal?

What makes Lambert’s so special, you ask? Well, it could be the mouth-watering home cooked meals that they serve giant portions of. We both decided on the meatloaf and I highly recommend it! It could be the extra sides that they bring around in giant bowls, a-la Brazilian steakhouse style. We sampled all of them- from the fried potatoes to the okra to the black-eyed peas…. And they were all delicious.

All of these parts of the meal are amazing, but Lambert’s main claim to fame is that they are the home of the throwed rolls. Yep, you heard me right. They throw rolls at you there. And then once you catch the rolls, they also load you up with your choice of butter or sorghum. Danny’s new favorite topping for any type of bread is sorghum or molasses as a result of this experience.

Unlike when I visited Lambert’s as a child, there was quite a wait to get in, but it was well worth it. Danny still talks about his dinner at Lambert’s a whole year later! In fact, I think sometimes he DREAMS about that meal! Unfortunately, I think we were so busy eating that day that we didn’t get any pictures to share with you. I guess you will have to watch the video and then make the trip to Missouri to experience it for yourself!

More Missouri Fall Magic to Come!

After we filled our tummies to the brim and packed up the leftovers for later, we headed on down the road and arrived at our campground near Eminence, Missouri late that evening. After a good night’s sleep, we were ready to head out on our first adventure in the Ozarks. But, that’s a story for another day.

For more of adventures with Traveling with Terriers, please check out our other Travel-A-Long Adventures, Behind-the-Scenes Blogs, relaxing Drive-A-Longs, and our Top 5 Tips and Tricks. Just in time for the holidays, our brand new Merch Store is open! Visit it to find Traveling with Terriers apparel, swag, and our newly released book available now on Amazon! Until next time, happy traveling!