St. Charles, Missouri is a fantastic and criminally underrated city to find yourself at in the summertime. With tons of festivals, events, and picturesque spots to explore, I can guarantee you won’t regret paying this small town a visit.

Explore Frenchtown

Just north of Main Street, on 2nd Street, is St. Charles’ historic Frenchtown district. There are tons of cafes, small businesses, antique shops and more, so if you didn’t yet get your fix of checking out small shops after exploring Main Street, then I recommend you give Frenchtown a try.

Explore Historic Main Street

Historic Main Street in St. Charles is an amazing strip of boutiques, small businesses, cafes and restaurants with tons of character and antique beauty. Most of the buildings are over a hundred years old and the streets are cobblestone, and there are dozens of little shops to explore and restaurants to try. Main Street always has great vibes and it’s not a place that you’ll soon forget.

Festival of the Little HIlls

The Festival of the Little Hills is an annual event in St. Charles, in which hundreds of arts and crafts vendors show off their skills in a three-day festival to raise money for their endeavors. The festival is over 50 years old and takes place on Main Street and in Frontier Park, and it’s a great time if you’re an arts and crafts kind of person.

Flea & Artisan Market

On the second Saturday of each month there is a flea and artisan market on the top floor of the 2nd Street parking garage, with dozens of vendors from all over St. Charles that set up shop from 8am-1pm. You’ll always be able to find something new and interesting here, but even if you don’t, there will be great summertime vibes regardless. Everyone is always in a great mood and it’s always fun to talk to the vendors.

Music On Main

On the third Wednesday of every month, St. Charles has a free outdoor concert called Music on Main with live music, food and drink vendors and more. Bring a lawn chair, grab a bite to eat, sit back and relax and listen to some great music in the middle of St. Charles’ Historic Main Street.

Walk Through Frontier Park

Frontier Park is a beautiful park across from Main Street and cozied right up on the Missouri River. It’s a great spot to go for a walk, have a picnic, read a book, sit in the sun or even just watch the river flow by. Branching off from the park is also the Katy Trail, a 239-mile trail running almost all the way to Kansas, so if you feel like going for a walk there’s plenty of land to cover.

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I hope you enjoy your time in this adorable little town I get the privilege of calling home! Let me know in the comments if there is anything I missed, and don’t forget to follow for new travel recommendations each week!

Safe travels!