4 Fascinating Farms Around Ellisville

With summer just around the corner, its time to start planning the perfect family picnic. Fortunately, there are several parks in Ellisville, Missouri, that are excellent picnic spots. Here are five Ellisville parks that are fantastic options for your summer picnic. Bluebird Park At Bluebird Park, you'll find all of the facilities you need to host the perfect picnic. The park features a variety of pavilions available to rent that can accommodate 10 to 125 people. All pavilions feature barbecue grills, while the Lions and Bussmann pavilions also offer water and electricity. In addition to the fantastic picnic areas, Bluebird Park has a playground, three tennis courts, two softball fields, and a disc golf course. Your picnic guests will have plenty to do thanks to these facilities. After lunch, take a stroll along Bluebird Park's 1.8-mile trail. Bobwhite Park Bobwhite Park is a charming neighborhood park featuring a picnic area and barbecue grill. The park's playground has equipment for children of all ages. You and your picnic guests can enjoy a friendly game of basketball on the park's basketball court. There's also an open space where you can play all sorts of games. more Castlewood State Park In the early 1900s, residents of nearby St. Louis, Missouri, came to the area that is now Castlewood State Park to dance the night away. While the dance clubs are no longer there, visitors can still enjoy the beautiful landscape, which includes the Meramec River and the lush river valley. There are fifty picnic areas throughout the park, many of which sit along the Meramec River and Kiefer Creek. These areas provide plenty of shade from the Missouri sun. The horse trailer parking area also features equestrian picnic areas. These sites feature picnic tables, charcoal grills, and hitching posts. For large groups, you can rent one of the park's picnic shelters. Shelter One can accommodate 100 people and features two grills. Shelter Two can seat up to 70 people and also offers a grill. Both shelters provide a water fountain and restroom. There is also plenty of space to play volleyball, softball, or a game of horseshoes. Mockingbird Park Mockingbird Park is a neighborhood park featuring plenty of gorgeous shade trees. The park's picnic area and barbecue grill are conveniently located next to the playground, so the kids can entertain themselves while you prepare lunch. After lunch, you can explore the park's nature trail and play games on the open field. Dr. Edmund A. Babler Memorial State Park Dr. Edmund A. Babler Memorial State Park has been a favorite picnic destination for generations of Missouri families. Three picnic shelters are available to rent, including Cochran's shelter, which features a fireplace and can accommodate 70 people. Walnut Grove shelter can seat up to 56 people and offers a barbecue grill. Alta shelter has three fireplaces, two barbecue grills, and seating for 130 people. These are just some of the fantastic picnic spots in the Ellisville, Missouri, area. No matter which one you choose, you're sure to have a memorable summer picnic. Image via Pixabay.

If you're in the Ellisville, Missouri, area, your options are plentiful. Here are a few of our favorite coffee shops and cafes we think you should check out in the Ellisville area: Donut Palace If you're looking for a classic coffee and donut shop, head to the Donut Palace. Their fresh-made donuts and quality coffees are one of the best ways to start the day in Ellisville. They have a wide variety of donut styles to choose from, so you're sure to find something that fits your palate. Whether you want to be royalty at the office or slip away solo for a refresher, Donut Palace has your back. The Wolf Cafe The Wolf Cafe is a crowd-favorite that's worth visiting multiple times to try everything they have to offer. Its chic atmosphere and focus on real, thoughtfully made food pair well with their coffee selection. They have all the espresso-based drinks you'd expect from a well-established coffee shop, but it's their brews that we keep coming back for. They offer bottomless cups of drip coffee, cold brews, nitro cold brews, and Vietnamese coffee. If you're at The Wolf Cafe for lunch, make sure you also try one of their fantastic sandwiches to stay fueled for the day. more 6 North Cafe Need a hand-crafted latte to warm you up? Try Ballwin's 6 North Cafe. They have a coffee menu that covers all your coffee shop staples, as well as great breakfast and lunch options to complete your experience. They've been bringing some of the best coffee to the area since 2005, and they show no signs of slowing. Grab a breakfast sandwich or wrap to start your day off, or choose one of their soups, salads, or crisp sandwiches for lunch. The Miller Haus Head over to Wildwood, less than 10 miles east of Ellisville, for the Miller Haus, a coffee shop that you could easily spend hours in. This MIller Haus is a beautiful space that lends itself well to the tasty coffee its baristas brew. This coffee shop prides itself on being a community space where people can lounge, meet with coworkers and friends, and even bring their dogs (in the outside area). More Than Coffee If you're looking to make a difference in your community just by buying a cup of coffee, head to More Than Coffee in Ballwin. This coffee shop is owned by the Extreme St. Louis Charitable Foundation, and a portion of the profits go to helping special needs youth. So, you can feel good in two ways: by warming up with a good cup of coffee and by giving to those in need. Nothing warms the soul quite as well as a good cup of coffee. Whether you're a black coffee aficionado or a sweet espresso drink seeker, you'll find what you need at these top-notch coffee shops in and around Ellisville, Missouri. Image via Pixabay.

Every city has a history filled with facts and figures; what they also have in common are bits and pieces of interesting information. St. Louis has its own story to tell. Find out about some of the fun facts that tell the tale. Wainwright Building As skyscrapers go, there are more than a few towering buildings around the world that stand tall into the sky; many competing with the clouds. In St. Louis, there's a 10-story high-rise called the Wainwright Building. Designed in 1891 by architects Sullivan and Adler, this National Historic Landmark has the distinction of being one of the first high-rise buildings in the world. You can visit the Wainwright Building in downtown St. Louis. Grant's Farm Since 1852, Anheuser Busch has made its home in St. Louis. One of the most popular attractions of the major brewing company through the years has been its stable of Clydesdales. The horses are housed nearby at historic Grant's Farm, named after Ulysses S. Grant, who originally owned the property. more Peanut Butter Peanut butter has a very long history that begins with ancient Aztec and Incas who turned the crunchy peanut into a palatable paste. Fast forward to 1903 when Dr. Ambrose Straub of St. Louis, developed and patented a machine that turned peanuts into today's version of peanut butter. Waffle Ice Cream Cones A year after Italo Marchiony was awarded a patent for producing the first ice cream cone, in 1904 at the St. Louis World's Fair, the waffle cone came into creation by Ernest A. Hamwi. The invention wasn't planned. During the fair, an ice cream vendor whose booth was next to Hamwi who was selling pastries, ran out of cups to serve fairgoers fresh ice cream. Seeing the dilemma, Hamwi rolled up one of the waffle pastries he was baking to form a cone, also referred to at that time as a cornucopia. The vendor took it, filled it with ice cream, and the rest is history. In 1906, Stephen Sullivan of Missouri became one of the first independent entrepreneurs serving ice cream in creative cones at Missouri events. While Sullivan was busy serving cones, Hamwi started the Cornucopia Waffle Company and later the Missouri Cone Company. The Naming of St. Louis Before becoming the busy metropolis it is today, St. Louis was a fur-trading village founded by Frenchmen Pierre Laclede and Auguste Chouteau. When choosing a name for the village, Laclede chose St. Louis in honor of French King Louis IX, an acknowledged Anglican patron saint. Brown Shoe Company Back in the day, shoes men's and women's shoes weren't always discernible from one another and they weren't created for the difference between the right and left foot. In 1878, George Warren Brown changed the "sole" of the industry when he formed the Brown Shoe Company with the focus on designing shoes for men and women and creating them to fit properly for each foot. In 1913, the company made it to the New York Stock Exchange. In 2015, the company changed its name to Caleres, which means "passionate to glow." Take a trip through time and uncover the many interesting fun facts that will have you coming back to discover more. Image via Flickr by Akihito Fujii | CC BY-SA 2.0.