A day trip from St. Louis, worth the drive and the ferry.
Sixty to ninety minutes from the Arch, across the river on a little ferry, there is a family orchard that has been growing peaches in Calhoun County since 1937. Pack a cooler. Bring the grandparents. Make a day of it.
Close to the city, but it does not feel like it.
St. Louis has plenty of ways to spend a Saturday. Most of them look the same on Sunday and feel the same on the credit card. A drive up the Great River Road and across the ferry into Calhoun County is the opposite of that. Two-lane roads, river bluffs, orchards in every direction, and a stand at the end of it where the peaches were picked that morning.
The ferry is half the fun.
From the Illinois side near Grafton, the Brussels Ferry runs around the clock and it is free, operated by the state. From the Missouri side, the Golden Eagle Ferry crosses for a small fee. Either way, you roll the window down and the kids talk about it the whole way home. We are about three miles from the Brussels Ferry landing. See the full ferry directions.
Peaches in summer. Apples and pumpkins in fall.
In July and August it is Calhoun County peaches and blackberries. All season there are fresh-baked weekend pies and ice cream. Come fall, it is apples, pumpkins, and a corn pit.
Open July through October.
Monday 12 to 5, Tuesday through Saturday 10 to 5, and Sunday 11 to 5. Cash and card both work. Call ahead at 618-883-2385 to hear what is ready that day or to reserve a pie.