Weston, Missouri, offers great day trip opportunities for Midlanders
Weston was once a major port city along the Missouri River. During its heyday, the city was second in size only to St. Louis in Missouri.
Times change. A major flood eventually moved the Missouri River a mile west of town. So, now the once mighty river city is a great day trip location for Midwesterners. It is home to about 1700 people.
A portion of the downtown area has been designated on the National Register of Historic Places.
The downtown is quaint. It’s a few blocks long, but packs a lot of shopping and entertainment opportunities.
The town museum is located along the main street. It has an interesting collection of items dating to the early days of Missouri. There is an exhibit of Daniel Boone on loan. Boone’s Weston connection comes through a descendant, who called the town home.
As you walk along the store fronts downtown, you can take a break in the city park. It’s actually a small patch of space, with a water fountain.
We stopped with friends at the Weston Wine Company. Lisa and our friends sampled wines. The winery has an “Alice in Wonderland” theme. I checked out the garden, which has been named “The Secret Garden.”
I liked the colorful labels used for the wine bottles.
The trio enjoyed their wine samples, and we picked up a bottle for our daughter, Steph, as a thank you for dog sitting. For more information on Weston Wine, please check out http://westonwinecompany.com/.
The St. George Hotel has been in business since 1845. The hotel has 26 guest rooms. The area has other hotels and bed and breakfast inns.
A little more history can be found at the Weston Brewing Company. The brewery was reopened in 2005. It produces up to 20,000 kegs of beer annually.
We enjoyed a great lunch at the O’Malley’s 1842 Pub. The bangers and mash were delicious.
The pub has three levels for entertainment and socializing. We checked out the basement level, where you have to walk through a limestone tunnel. The tunnel is dark. The pub is dark with some lighting. But, it looks like it’d be a great spot for an evening of some local drinks or Guinness. For more information on Weston Brewing and the pub, please see http://www.westonirish.com/.
O’Malley’s is home to the world’s biggest ball of string (supposedly). Finley Stephens started making the ball during the 1950s. It was included in a museum he operated. He eventually stopped adding to the ball. The ball of string was included as part of the Irish pub and is available for public viewing, just outside the entrance. it sits is a covered corner of the patio area.
We walked to Pirtle Winery, which has been in business since 1978. Pirtle is located inside an old church. It really adds to the ambience of the winery. Pirtle makes a variety of wines. The wine tasting was free. For more information, please visit http://www.pirtlewinery.com/.
Our side trip to Weston on our way home from Kansas City was worth it. We enjoyed the food, drink, company and the views. We plan to return during the holiday season. We’ve been told Weston does a great job in presenting visitors a wonderful Christmas season.
