My fun and vivacious cousins introduced my relatives and me to a wonderful neighborhood of St. Louis called Soulard! After viewing the famous Arch again, we headed towards Soulard which peaked our curiosity with my cousin’s descriptions.

Located within 2 miles south of downtown St. Louis, we stopped in the enchanting and historic French neighborhood named for Antoine Soulard who developed the area. (read about him in link below).On the way to a brunch at Soulard Coffee Garden,

we passed the historic Anheuser Busch St. Louis Brewery  (which I had toured during my twenties). The smell of  yeast was powerful as we drove passed it to the impressive row houses and apartments.

Historic churches, restaurants, bars and the stately and noble architecture of Soulard conveyed the historic feel of the time period when this attractive area was built. The live music of jazz and blues happens in these bars but Soulard is most famous for its Farmers Market which is reportedly the oldest farmer’s market west of the Mississippi.

It was lovely to slow down on a Saturday morning with out of town relatives having brunch in this alluring area. Highly recommended!

www.explorestlouis.com/things-to-do/neighborhoods/soulard/

www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=20567

photos by Gina Kingsley

International travel recommendations (lodging, restaurants, excursions, etc) like this can be found in my book, A Magic Carpet Ride. Proceeds from the book are being donated to various charities. (available on Amazon or directly from me.) Link below.

www.amazon.com/dp/069271393X/ref=cm_sw_su_dp