I'm sad that I was here on a Sunday afternoon and did not have a chance to properly tour the…read moreinterior of this beautiful home. It's clear that this is a leftover from better days in Cairo, a city that has fallen into deep disrepair like a shopping mall with no tenants. The outside is stunning with well kept grounds including the small gazebo and the brick paths. Even if it's closed for the day, it's still well worth a good walk around. [Review 1242 of 2024 - 197 in Illinois - 22265 overall]

I saw this place on the map and was looking for something to do it was awesome. The tour guide is…read moreso sweet and knowledgeable. He really cares about his job. There's so much to see there. If you have a chance and you like old homes this is a must see. The $8 fee is well worth the money. They were just taking down there Christmas decorations but the place was still impressive. If you can give a call before you go in case he's out that would be great because you don't wanna miss this house.

The Popeye statue at the Illinois Welcome Center in Chester is a fun and unmistakably local…read morelandmark, sitting right in the parking area on the Illinois side of the bridge that leads to Perryville Missouri. It's a cheerful figure and on a quick stop, it adds a little personality to what would otherwise be a standard highway welcome center. The placement is perfect. Enter the parking lot and there he is with that classic grin before you even get to the building. It's here because Chester is the hometown of Elzie Crisler Segar, the creator of Popeye. The town has fully embraced that heritage, scattering character statues around the area and celebrating its connection to the comic strip. The welcome center Popeye is one of the most visible of the bunch, acting as a friendly introduction to the town's quirky claim to fame. As roadside attractions go, it's simple but charming, and it sets the tone nicely for a visit to Chester. [Review 1097 of 2026 - 257 in Illinois - 26276 overall]

Kinda blew right past the welcome center hosting this tribute due to lots of goings on going on…read morewhat with the bridge construction and reconfiguring the approaches and all that... Popeye is all bronzed up for the world to adore as he welcomes folks to Chester Illinois, hometown of EC Segar. plenty of parking but the lot will need some attention when the road is completed. the visitor's center was closed when I got here it's full up with sailor stuff so try to get here when you can step in and have a look around. there's maps available in the lobby that show the location of 18 other statues of characters from print and film if you want to spend a day doing nothing of merit but enjoyable regardless. this, the first statue, dates from 1977. after a twenty-nine year hiatus 18 additional marble statues were eventually installed around town - one per year - to enhance the visitor experience. yea Popeye!

I've been to about 150 Frank Lloyd Wright homes and have been lucky enough to have been inside…read morearound 30. We didn't know if we could get on the tour that day so we first stopped by to see it and take some pictures. We met an intern and found out that we could get in on a tour about 2 hours later. So we paid our fee and went to see Frank Lloyd Wright's mentor, Louis Sullivan's Wainwright Building in downtown St. Louis. I believe this is one of Sullivan's best work still standing. When we returned for the tour I was stunned. This is a great, late house by Wright that has many magical and playful elements to it. It's has most of the original furnishings and something totaling unexpected in a Usonian house--art glass windows. The tour guide was new and did an excellent. Everyone involved in this project should be very proud of the work they've done, and continue to do.

We joined a group of people to do a group tour of the Frank Lloyd Wright house in Kirkwood, MO. It…read moreis well worth the $20 tour fee. Anne was our docent. She was very knowledgeable about Wright and Russell and Ruth Kraus who the house was built for and the only residents. The Kraus house is one of the very few Wright houses that have not been remodeled and contains the original furniture designed by Wright. It has a cozy feel from the time you walk inside. I was intrigued by the esthetic design throughout the home.

This site is a hop skip and a jump away from Wickliffe Mounds if you are passing through Paducah,…read moreKY. Cross the bridge into Illinois and take a brief excursion through river flood plain to see this site. It is quite impressive even if you are observing the mounds (respectfully) from a distance. I was moved by these features. To think what people accomplished at this site nearly a thousand years ago. Absolutely astonishing to behold. The size of these mounds is amazing.

To be honest, there really isn't that much to see. Unless you are an Ancient World History…read moreenthusiast, you may find this fascinating. It is very interesting that at one point in the past, this was an actual city. The land where the site stands today was once a major trading post on the Ohio River. If you're looking for something spectacular in sight, this probably won't be for you. There are signs and plaques that tell the story, as well as showing what was believed to have existed at the time, but not very much else. The public is not allowed near or on the mounds. Speaking of which, they really weren't that attractive as they looked like their grass hasn't been cut in years. Maybe it is intentional, for all I know. The site is very tricky to get to. The best way to get there is from Brookport, Illinois. You'll see a sign for Kincaid Mounds as you're going onto Unionville Road. It is probably ten miles from the town. Once you pass the small village of Unionville, you'll know you are getting close and follow the signs. The roads are uneven, as there are no paved roads (just dirt and rocky roads) getting to the mounds.

You will find this nice sculpture on the Mississippi Riverfront, in St Louis, just behind the…read moreGateway Arch. It is the work of Harry Weber who completed the piece, which is made of bronze and sits 22 feet tall, in 2006 The 3.5 ton sculpture depicts explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark and their Newfoundland dog, Seaman. It is owned by the city of St Louis and was commissioned by the Greater St. Louis Community Foundation to commemorate the bicentennial of the explorers' return September 1806. According to Weber, it "took seven months of long hours to complete the structure in clay, make molds and reassemble it like a giant jigsaw puzzle. It is a nice sculpture and Weber does a great job encapsulating Lewis and Clark's feeling of accomplishment, sacrifice and pride. It is very detailed and well done. The viewer can really connect to the piece. The sculpture is designated a national Lewis and Clark site by the US Park Service and spending on how high the Mississippi River gets, sometimes the statue is submerged in the river. In 2014, the statue was removed and restored to repair damage it had received from the flood. In 2016, the statue was returned to the riverfront to a location slightly south and about 17 feet higher than before. Before it was moved, during a flood situation, it would look like the duo were sailing into shore Anyway, as with most sculptures that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a long stop. I was there less than 10 minutes. So, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other attractions in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip. I would recommend checking out the Gateway Arch and Park while visiting this sculpture.

It's a great little Museum, also an Amtrak station. Wonderful folks are working there; it's also a…read morehistoric train depot.

I've only been once, and briefly, but the neatness of the facility, the amount of historical…read moreartifacts (antique clothing, farm equipment, and more), the helpfulness of the staff and the holdings they have will bring me back sometime soon.

The general John a Logan Museum is completely devoted to general Logan and his political pursuits,…read morefamily and the Civil War forward. The museum is on the property for Logan's family farm and surrounded by homes built in the 1880s and 90s. If you're a history buff this is a must stop, a little gem .

Nice little museum that does a good job telling about Logan's life and some of the momentous…read morehappenings during his career. Has a few artifacts that belonged to the Logans but not many. They are working on a GAR room but it wasn't set up when I visited. I think it took me about 30 minutes to go through. Worth a stop if you are interested in Logan, probably not if you aren't.

After enjoying two beers at nearby Many Good Things Brewing, I walked a bit along the riverside. No…read morebarges passing this time but it was still an amazing view that goes north around the bend and south to see the beautiful Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge. Some seating here and a few captions, don't miss the "high water" marks on the floodwall. Holy smokes! [Review 1252 of 2024 - 354 in Missouri - 22275 overall]