Interesting Things to Do Along Katy Trail, Missouri
Katy Trail is an enormous recreational biking and hiking trail following the northern bank of the Missouri River. It is built upon the foundations of the former Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad route. The trail has a very slight gradient, but it remains mostly flat for the majority of it’s length. The trail passes through many important Missouri landmarks, most notoriously locations visited by the Lewis and Clark expedition. Biking the trail is a popular multi-day tour. Therfore, there are many towns, hotels, restaurants, and bed and breakfasts along the route.
Most people riding the trail choose to ride from the West end to the East. This allows riders finish closer to St. Louis. Also, this takes advantage of the slight downward incline and tailwind coming from the West. Using this model, the Trail begins in Clinton, Missouri and ends in Machens, Missouri.
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Clinton, Missouri
This is the main start point for Katy Trail. It starts in the small town of Clinton. The trail is made of crushed limestone, which is good for mountain bikes and jogging. The entirety of the trail is an old rail line, and is therefore extremely flat. The route kicks up considerable dust in the dry season.
Henry Country Museum – An oddity museum created to mirror at 1920’s township, all made indoors. The area serves as a small, local cultural and arts center.
Calhoun
Cruces Cabooses – Located slightly outside Calhoun, there is a Bed and Breakfast designed inside a series of bright red, decommissioned cabooses.
Sedalia
Trail’s End Cattle Drive Destination Monument – Located within Sedalia is a rather elaborate monument of statues and trains. These icons mark the end point for the first post-Civil War cattle drive.
Cradle of Ragtime Piano – An odd little outdoor artwork, this bright blue cartoonish piano is a tribute to Sedalia’s history as the “cradle of ragtime music.”
Guberburgers – A strange local speciality. Numerous burger shops serve a local hamburger known as the Guberburger slathered with peanut butter.
Daum Museum of Contemporary Art – A nice little museum showcasing modern artwork
Clifton City
Clifton City Cliff – A feature alongside Katy Trail, this is a nice overlook of the Lamine River
Boonville
Note that one must cross the river to continue along Katy Trail from Boonville
Katy Trail Railway Bridge – A large wrought-iron bridge, considered picturesque and peaceful.
Boonville Visitor’s Center – A unique little visitor’s center that doubles as a tiny museum. Here, there are facts about the town’s history. Additionally, there are references to Lewis and Clark when they stopped by the area.
Lewis Miller’s Mitchell Collection – A visit which requires advanced bookings. This stop showcases lovingly restored automobiles
Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail – This waypoint has information regarding the Lewis and Clark expedition. It describes their hardships, accomplishments, route and the 16 states the explorers traveled through.
Depot District – Located just off of main street, this is Boonville’s de facto art and cafe district. There are several interesting shops in the area good for snacks and window shopping
Rocheport
Rocheport Tunnel – A part of the Katy Trail which travels under a picturesque tunnel in the woods
Meriweather Cafe and Bike Shop – This is a popular stop for those traveling along the Katy Trail. Bike repairs and checkups are possible here while enjoying a cup of coffee.
Old Railway Storm Shelter – A tiny, stone-stacked hut alongside the river. It has considerable historic significance to the area.
The A-Frame Winegarden at Les Bourgeois Vineyards – This district has several wine shops and nice decks overlooking the nearby river. It’s a popular stop in the evenings.
Lewis and Clark Historical Site – Located outside Rocheeport upon going SE on the trail, this is a large, pale-stone bluff. Aside from having relevance to the expedition, there are also somewhat obscure pictographs. They were drawn by indigeonous folks on the cliff wall.
McBaine Bur Oak – An enormous, majestic oak tree found along the trail when entering the Columbia districts. The tree has survived 400 years of droughts and storms.
Columbia
Colombia is not part of the trail, but it is a popular stop on the trail route. This is due to the university presence in the area. To reach Columbia, one must continue on Katy Trail until reaching the Hindman Junction. Then, this north trail leads into the city interior.
(Katy Trail) Boathenge – An extremely odd, charming structure made from standing boats. They’re propped directly upward in the earth, found along Katy Trail. The artwork installation has mathematic alignments with Stonehenge.
(Katy Tail) Roche Percee Natural Arch – A beautiful natural arch found along the trail route.
(Columbia, Missouri) Rock Bridge Memorial State Park – An expansive series of hiking trails. It includes small rivers, wooded forests and different types of wildlife
(Columbia, Missouri) The Devil’s Icebox – A local hiking feature, the Icebox includes an underground river and cavern. When lights are turned off, the cavern is pitch black. The Icebox is easy to reach on account of several trails and wooden platforms leading to it
(Columbia, Missouri) 44 Canteen – A local eatery used as a testing site for a main restaurant branch. The menu changes frequently
(Columbia, Missouri) Shelter Gardens – A small 5 acre patch of well-maintained gardens. The gardens host an enormous sundial and numerous flowering hedges.
(Columbia, Missouri) Eagle Bluffs Overlook – Following a strenuous climb, this is considered the best lookout point around Colombia, Missouri
Jefferson City
The capital of Missouri, situated on the Missouri River
Bonnie and Clyde Shootout Souvenirs – During a daring escape through a hail of gunfire, Bonnie, Clyde and their gang abandoned a discarded arsenal of six Browning automatic rifles and 47 Colt .45 pistols. A showcase in the Highway Patrol’s museum displays a small amount of Bonnie and Clyde paraphernalia.
Prison Brews – This pub is located next to the city’s infamous penitentiary. The pub is prison-themed with barbed wire, bards and humorous drink names.
Missouri State Penitentiary – The infamous building was once considered among the grimmest locations in the United States, operating from 1836 to 2004. It is now open for public visitations.
Museum of Missouri Military History – A great museum filled with artifacts of warfare from the Revolution to the Frontier to the World Wars. Displays include items such as a Sheridan Tank, an F-15 Eagle fighter, Sherman tank, C-130 Hercules, F-4 Phantom II fighter, and more.
Hermann
This is a German town with strong roots and celebrations of the fatherland. It celebrates several German holidays, including Oktoberfest and Maifest.
Hermann the German – This is a small statue which retains a lot of interest. Two thousand years following the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, the battle’s champion Hermann now has a statue in Missouri within the town honoring its German namesake
Defiance
This small town was named Defiance during a bitter rivalry between neighboring towns. The rivalry was centered around where the railroad would be built.
Defiance Roadhouse – A truly western monstrosity, this American Biker Bar uses taxidermy squirrels and barbie dolls to create musical displays in an otherwise traditional dive-bar location.
Historic Home of Daniel Boon – The famed frontiersman has a home preserved just outside of Defiance city limits.
Weldon Springs
Weldon Springs Disposal Site – A pale, enormous hill crests the horizon. Inside are heaps of contained materials once used for radioactive weapon production. This is part of the Nuclear Waste Adventure Trail.
St. Louis
Though Katy Trail technically ends at Machins, this location is likewise excellent for visitation. St. Louis is a vibrant city with many strange activities to offer.
Popular Tourism Spots
The Mural Mile – A long series of riverside walks display various iterations of Missouri’s Urban Artworks
Tower Grove Park – This park is ideal for various photos. It famously has some fake tower ruins around ponds and lakes in the garden area which are likewise pretty and interesting.
St. Louis Zoo and Turtle Park – A famously excellent zoo made more appealing through free entry and numerous animal rescue programs. The zoo grounds are also home to the 1904 World Fair’s Flight Cage, which is now a thriving aviary.
Pecan Legacy Park – This tree park is filled with a special type of soil known as Gumbo Flats, which fosters Pecan trees especially well. After several pecan trees survived an enormous flood, including the original monarch tree, this patch of land was registered as a protected zone. Barring any more calamities, these producing trees will continue to thrive for several hundred more years.
The St. Louis Arch – The famous arch of St. Louis, also known as the Gateway Arch
Bevo Windmill – St. Louis has its own Holland Windmill, built by wealthy landowner Adolphus Busch solely so he could have a place to stop on the way home from work for a pint.
The Wreckage of the Inaugural – This ship was once a decommissioned WWII minesweeper serving its country further as a popular museum on the waterfront. However, a storm rushed through and dragged the ship down. Its rusted carcass can be seen from the banks of the Mississippi.
Unique Things to Do
City Museum – A strange, wonderful playground museum made of alternating architecture, tacky displays, playground artwork, decommissioned fighter panes and open-air scaffolding.
Cotton Belt Freight Depot – An enormous loading zone near decommissioned railroads, this half-ruined building found second life as an urban art zone with splashes of intense colors decorating the length of the structure.
Venice Cafe – A popular cash-only bar and eatery with notoriously interesting mosaics covering every surface.
The Shaved Duck Smokehouse – An extremely popular BBQ eatery serving southern-styled specialties.
Miniature Museum of Greater St. Louis – An extremely popular and tiny museum filled with high quality, excellently detailed miniatures.
World Chess Hall of Fame – Accented by an enormous chess piece and giant chess set out front, this museum is home to a mass of chess boards, historical and pop culture figures all revolving around the most famous strategic game on Earth.
The Awakening – A very strange drive-by sculpture. An enormous giant is seen emerging with a screaming mouth from the ground, its hands clawing towards the heavens.
Laumeier Sculpture Park – A bizarre park with numerous odd and twisty sculptures all situated outdoors.
The Billiken – This statue is a supremely strange and creepy combination of a Buddha and a Goblin. The statue was meant to serve as a model for a toy line for children, covering a similar niche of the market as the teddy bear. The teacher of 1908 who dreamed up the minor monstrosity saw no success, but now exists as a University Mascot.
Lemp Mansion – This is a haunted tour service which includes beer, a murder mystery theater and an old house of a long-dead beer baron.
Relaxing Locations
Citygarden Sculpture Park – Located just down the street from the capitol building is a wide walking area filled with upscale cafes and numerous longing sculptures, including the mildly famous Erros Bandato.
The Mud House – A cozy café and pastry shop located on the south side of St. Louis.
Missouri Botanical Garden – This massive garden is one of the most beautiful in the Midwest, with numerous plants, walking trails and a series of excellent contemporary sculptures worked into displays.
Endangered Wolf Center – Located to the South-West of St. Louis, this popular center fosters native wolf populations in their natural habitats.
Big Joel’s Safari and Petting Zoo Educational Park – This drive-through safari is a masterpiece of free-roaming animals. The park offers excellent sights and the chance to get close to the more docile creatures of Earth.
Cultural and Heritage Sites
Monks Mound – Native American civilizations created enormous mound cities on the plains by hand to create defensible positions with wide vantage points. Several mounds exist in the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site
Pulitzer Arts Foundation – An art museum which showcases the widest range of ancient and modern artworks from regions across the world. The exhibits, which change frequently, go from showing ancient indigionous sculptures to Egyptian paintings, to modern Chinese architecture to post-modernism digital pieces.
National Blues Museum – An incredible museum which showcases one of St Louis’ main cultural exports, iconic Blues music. There are regular performances which require tickets in advance.
Grant’s Farm – Originally stewarded by US president Grant, this property includes Grants Cabin and a wide variety of protected and imported animals. Entry to the park is free, but there’s a 12 dollar parking fee. Bikes can enter without any charge at all.
Fort Belle Fontaine – This incredible fort was built directly after the advent of the Louisiana Purchase. The fort was designed as a major waystation for people heading to explore, settle and traverse the new territory. The fort in modern times exists in a beautiful foliaged area.
The Red Tower – This is actually just an enormous 194 foot tall pipe decorated in pleasant red bricks. The pipe was designed to handle buildup from intense water pressure, allowing water levels a place to rise. The pipe never ruptured and still stands in good condition to this day.
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