A stroll through the Soulard Market

Considering how often I visit Saint Louis and its historic Soulard neighborhood, I’m almost ashamed to admit that I waited until my birthday last month to make my first visit to the historic Soulard Farmers Market.

The Soulard Farmers Market is considered one of the oldest of its kind in the United States, dating back more than two centuries and pre-dating New Orleans’ arguably more famous French Market by a few years.  As often as I travel to New Orleans, I try to make a point to visit the French Market on every trip.  So, I was very pleased to finally tour Saint Louis’ Soulard Market which, by my comparison, seems more true to the spirit of the traditional open-air farmers markets in almost every sense.    

For starters, the Soulard Market seems to have a much greater number of vendors selling meat and produce – both locally grown and from around the world.  Even though we arrived early afternoon on a Saturday and the pickings were getting slim, we still saw many great finds and bargains. 

Mamma mia! – A birthday lunch at Zia’s, St. Louis

I recently completed somewhat of a whirlwind trip to Saint Louis to celebrate my birthday where the focus was going to be on checking out the Soulard area and a little nightlife (and day drinking, as it turned out) in the neighborhood, with a final stop at one of my favorite places in the STL – Broadway Oyster Bar.  But I’m getting a couple of blog posts ahead of myself.  That’s because my previous trip to Saint Louis and its historic Hill neighborhood last summer left such an impression on me that I was determined to go back.  So, we started the celebration with lunch at one of the Hill’s more well-known restaurants – Zia's. 

One reason why Zia's is regionally famous and synonymous with the Hill’s Italian restaurant scene is because you can find their house dressing and pasta sauces on most grocery store shelves where I live in Central Illinois.  Therefore, although Zia's is probably one of the newer kids on the Hill (founded in 1986), it has earned a solid reputation even with those who have never been to the restaurant.

Exploring Eldred – Kathy’s Corner and Thirsty’s Tavern

(Editor's note:  Thirsty's Tavern recently changed names and is now known as Tucker's Pub.  Rest assured, it's still in its great location in downtown Eldred.)

Consider this post a prologue to my previous entry about last months’ trip to Grafton, Ill., since before we made it to our destination, my girlfriend and I got the itch to add some small town, off-the-beaten-path bar hopping to the day’s festivities.  And you don’t get much more off the beaten path than Eldred, Ill., a small farm community in rural Greene County that also serves as a pit stop for seasonal hunters and bikers.

Eldred isn't quite as old as the hills it’s nestled against, but it may seem like it when you first visit.  People have lived at this village’s location in the Illinois River bottom beside the bluffs for nearly 200 years.  It also happens to be on the south end of the lightly traveled Hillview-Eldred Road, which is one of my favorite fall drives in Illinois because the road nestles along the bluffs for miles and miles with barely a trace of civilization around you.  Yes, you could say we took the scenic route to Grafton, and that involved a couple of stops in Eldred. 

The first was at Kathy’s Corner, appropriately named for being at the corner of Hillview Road and Illinois Highway 108.  If you take 108 a few miles west, you’ll be treated to a nice ferry ride across the Illinois River into the sleepy river town of Kampsville, but that’s another adventure for another time, especially since my girlfriend has a slight aversion to ferries and old bridges. 

Standing on a corner in ... Eldred, Ill.

Gallivanting through Grafton

Not long ago, Grafton, Ill., wasn't much more than a sleepy river town that just happens to be perfectly positioned where the Illinois River runs into the Mississippi River.  In fact, the Great Flood of 1993 almost washed Grafton off the map.  Even now, the official population stands at 675 people, according to the last U.S. Census. 

But since then, the tourists have been showing up in ever-increasing numbers.  Grafton had always had a devoted following among bird watchers due to its proximity to a bald eagle nesting area.  Pere Marquette State Park and its lodge have also attracted visitors for a long time.  But then wineries came, followed by the art galleries, specialty stores and other tourist traps.  Now, you can even zipline, parasail or hit a water park (summer only, of course).  

Still, Grafton retains much of its original small river town charm.  So, a few weeks ago, my girlfriend and I were among the hundreds of tourists to descend on Grafton and take advantage of the last blast of warm weather this fall.

The first place we found after parking our car in one of the public lots along the river was the Piasa Winery and Pub, which takes its name from a mythical bird that was believed to inhabit the bluffs nearby.