Winter 2024
Winter can be a bit forbidding, I suppose. But, if you can focus on the good things, it can also be a great season. Especially if you are enjoying it in our great state of Missouri.
Cold days and nights and snowy roads are a challenge, but winter also gives us the time to sit by a fire with our loved ones. Well-chosen trips during the winter either IRL or through our computer screen can be especially rewarding.
In order to help you plan your trips, I have researched some Missouri travel internet sites.
It is especially important for winter travel to check on road and weather conditions. Back in my teaching days, my principal, Joe Parkinson, used to often say, “Plan Ahead!” It was good advice back in Caruthersville High School, and it still is today. The Missouri Department of Transportation has a web page to help make travel plans. MODOT.org/winter-road-conditions makes it easy to check highway conditions, and it even includes access to video cameras that show live views of highways throughout the state.
I remember as a Missouri farm boy (years ago) taking my sled to slide down the best hill on our farm. I used to wish that I could snow ski. There are now several ski resorts in Missouri. Hidden Vally, just a bit south of St. Lous, is the oldest such resort in Missouri. Even if the natural snow is a bit light, Hidden Vally makes its own. You can check out the resort at HiddenValleySki.com.
Christmas is always a special part of the winter season. If you are near Scott City, just south of Cape Girardeau, you would enjoy a visit to The Yule Log Cabin, found online at YuleLogCabin.com. This little cabin in the woods is filled with 185 decorated Christmas Trees and hundreds of thousands of unique Christmas ornaments, stockings, tree skirts, decorative items and live Christmas trees and wreaths.
Many Missouri communities sponsor a drive through Christmas light display, including The Country Club Plaza in Kansas City: VisitKC.com/visitors/things-do/kansas-city-plaza-lights. Missouri’s official Santa Claus, Jimmy Kuhn, turned on those lights for years. Jimmy was a resident of Glasgow and stared in the Tom Sawyer movie filmed in Arrow Rock (ArrowRock.org).
We have a drive thru display in Glasgow in Kuemmel Park. It is free, but donations are accepted. We also have a lighted Christmas boat parade in our historic downtown. Learn more at VisitMO.com/events/old-fashioned-christmas-boat-parade.
I have a good friend who raises goats. I am sure she would enjoy Baetje Farms (BaetjeFarms.com). This farm is located near Bloomsdale and offers a number of great opportunities. Baetje Farms, pronounced Bay-G, began when co-founders Steve and Veronica Baetje bought their first goat just over 20 years ago. As a hobby, they sought out the best way to make French inspired “Pure Artisan Farmstead” goat cheeses. Since then, Baetje Farms has won more than 70 national and international awards for their cheese which is distributed throughout the Unites States. They also provide lodging in special “tiny houses” and offer hosting for weddings and other celebrations. Of course, they offer a big assortment of delicious goat cheese.
Winter certainly brings thoughts of Christmas and Christmas brings thoughts of fruitcake. I know that many people joke about fruitcake, but once you taste the cake made at Assumption Abbey in Ava, you will become a fan. AssumptionAbbey.org/fruitcakes tells the story of the monks and their business and provides a way to order those delicious cakes.
Enjoy your winter travels. If we should cross paths online or on the IRL highway, say hello. Next to a good slice of fruitcake, I really enjoy those friendly greetings.
Cold days and nights and snowy roads are a challenge, but winter also gives us the time to sit by a fire with our loved ones. Well-chosen trips during the winter either IRL or through our computer screen can be especially rewarding.
In order to help you plan your trips, I have researched some Missouri travel internet sites.
It is especially important for winter travel to check on road and weather conditions. Back in my teaching days, my principal, Joe Parkinson, used to often say, “Plan Ahead!” It was good advice back in Caruthersville High School, and it still is today. The Missouri Department of Transportation has a web page to help make travel plans. MODOT.org/winter-road-conditions makes it easy to check highway conditions, and it even includes access to video cameras that show live views of highways throughout the state.
I remember as a Missouri farm boy (years ago) taking my sled to slide down the best hill on our farm. I used to wish that I could snow ski. There are now several ski resorts in Missouri. Hidden Vally, just a bit south of St. Lous, is the oldest such resort in Missouri. Even if the natural snow is a bit light, Hidden Vally makes its own. You can check out the resort at HiddenValleySki.com.
Christmas is always a special part of the winter season. If you are near Scott City, just south of Cape Girardeau, you would enjoy a visit to The Yule Log Cabin, found online at YuleLogCabin.com. This little cabin in the woods is filled with 185 decorated Christmas Trees and hundreds of thousands of unique Christmas ornaments, stockings, tree skirts, decorative items and live Christmas trees and wreaths.
Many Missouri communities sponsor a drive through Christmas light display, including The Country Club Plaza in Kansas City: VisitKC.com/visitors/things-do/kansas-city-plaza-lights. Missouri’s official Santa Claus, Jimmy Kuhn, turned on those lights for years. Jimmy was a resident of Glasgow and stared in the Tom Sawyer movie filmed in Arrow Rock (ArrowRock.org).
We have a drive thru display in Glasgow in Kuemmel Park. It is free, but donations are accepted. We also have a lighted Christmas boat parade in our historic downtown. Learn more at VisitMO.com/events/old-fashioned-christmas-boat-parade.
I have a good friend who raises goats. I am sure she would enjoy Baetje Farms (BaetjeFarms.com). This farm is located near Bloomsdale and offers a number of great opportunities. Baetje Farms, pronounced Bay-G, began when co-founders Steve and Veronica Baetje bought their first goat just over 20 years ago. As a hobby, they sought out the best way to make French inspired “Pure Artisan Farmstead” goat cheeses. Since then, Baetje Farms has won more than 70 national and international awards for their cheese which is distributed throughout the Unites States. They also provide lodging in special “tiny houses” and offer hosting for weddings and other celebrations. Of course, they offer a big assortment of delicious goat cheese.
Winter certainly brings thoughts of Christmas and Christmas brings thoughts of fruitcake. I know that many people joke about fruitcake, but once you taste the cake made at Assumption Abbey in Ava, you will become a fan. AssumptionAbbey.org/fruitcakes tells the story of the monks and their business and provides a way to order those delicious cakes.
Enjoy your winter travels. If we should cross paths online or on the IRL highway, say hello. Next to a good slice of fruitcake, I really enjoy those friendly greetings.