Outdoors

Whether you want to pick berries and peaches in the summer, stroll through the apple orchard and pumpkin patch in the fall, or cut down your own Christmas tree in the winter, Eckert’s has something for every season. The Belleville location is the largest and is just a short drive from St. Louis. While you’re there stop in the country store for some apple cider donuts or any of their other mouth-watering treats!

 

Imagine your friends sitting in inflatable inner tubes floating down a clean, spring-fed river at 5 mph (even the cooler holding beverages of your choice gets an inner tube)! A float trip is the Missouri way to cool off in the summer. Some of my fellow WashU buddies and I went floating on the Upper Meremac River before school year began. Bring lots of sun protection, water, and food. You can pull on the side of the river at one of the many gravel bars and enjoy your lunch while admiring our state’s natural beauty. If you bring a net, you can catch little fish and frogs too. We were lucky enough to find a rope swing in good condition, so we got our adrenaline fix!