Food destinations within easy reach of St. Louis, worth the train, the rental car or the early start.

Worth the trip

Augusta (Missouri Wine Country)

  • ★ 4.1
  • 45 minutes west by car

Famous for Missouri's oldest wine district, tastings on the bluffs

Augusta was named America's first federal wine district in 1980, and its bluff-top wineries like Montelle pour Norton and Vignoles above the Missouri River.

Drive west on I-64 then Highway 94 along the Missouri River

Hermann (Missouri Wine Trail)

  • ★ 4.2
  • 80 minutes west by car

Famous for A German wine town with the historic Hermann Wine Trail

A German-settled river town, Hermann anchors a wine trail of family wineries including Stone Hill, Missouri's oldest, founded 1847, plus sausage and strudel.

Drive west on I-44 and Highway 19, or take the Amtrak Missouri River Runner

Defiance (Missouri Wine Country)

  • ★ 4.0
  • 40 minutes west by car

Famous for A compact cluster of wineries, a brewery and a distillery

A small river-bluff town, Defiance packs several wineries, a brewery and a distillery within a couple of miles, the closest wine country to St. Louis.

Drive west on I-64 then Highway 94 to Defiance

Kimmswick (Blue Owl pie)

  • ★ 4.1
  • 30 minutes south by car

Famous for The Blue Owl's Levee High Apple Pie in a historic river village

A tiny 19th-century river village south of the city, Kimmswick is home to the Blue Owl Bakery, famous for its Levee High Apple Pie stacked with 18 apples.

Drive south on I-55 to the Kimmswick exit

Ste. Genevieve

  • ★ 4.0
  • 1 hour south by car

Famous for French Creole history and a cluster of wineries

Missouri's oldest town, Ste. Genevieve preserves 1700s French Creole architecture and sits in wine country, with more than a dozen wineries within its limits.

Drive south on I-55 to Ste. Genevieve

Edwardsville, Illinois

  • ★ 3.8
  • 25 minutes northeast by car

Famous for Goshen Coffee and the Cleveland-Heath dining tradition

A college town across the river in Illinois, Edwardsville is home to Goshen Coffee Roasters and a walkable Main Street that anchors the metro-east scene.

Drive northeast on I-55 across the river into Illinois

Washington, Missouri

  • ★ 3.8
  • 1 hour west by car

Famous for A riverfront town near the Missouri wine corridor

A historic Missouri River town near the wine corridor, Washington pairs a brick downtown with proximity to the Augusta and Hermann wineries.

Drive west on I-44, or take the Amtrak Missouri River Runner

Kirkwood (Global Foods)

  • ★ 3.9
  • 20 minutes southwest by car

Famous for An international grocery and a walkable downtown

A leafy inner-ring suburb, Kirkwood pairs a walkable downtown and farmers market with Global Foods Market, the metro's premier international grocery.

Drive southwest on I-44 to Kirkwood

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