On our way out of Kansas we stopped at the Tallgrass Prairie National Reserve. We had the opportunity to see part of the small percent that is left of the Tallgrass prairie that used to cover much of the center of our country. We arrived just in time for a driving tour up to a spot where almost everything you can see is prairie!! There was also a house there that had been owned by the man who owned most of the land in that area in the late 1800s. Pretty cool!
We then booked it to George Washington Carver National Monument in Missouri. Sadly we only had about 30 min there before it closed. I was excited to be able to say that I've been to where he grew up since I wrote a report about him during my schooling years!
We spent the night in Kansas City. The next morning we ate breakfast at a vegan bakery that I had found on a list of the best vegan bakeries in the country! With our dietary needs, it is amazing to be able to eat things like scones. :D
Then we headed to Marceline, Missouri where Walt Disney lived from ages 5-10, and the place that remained dear to his heart for all of his life. We toured the Disney Hometown Museum first. The woman giving is the tour hosted the Disneys on their first trip back to Marceline after Disneyland opened! Her family remained friends with Disney family for years. It was a neat, personal connection! The museum had really neat information about the whole family as well as amazing artifacts like his school desk, an original flag from Disneyland, etc.
Then we walked down Main St USA which was the model for Main St in Disneyland (with a few embellishments).
Our final stop was the location of Walt's dreaming tree and a barn which Walt had constructed to replicate the one on the farm he grew up on. We even got to sign our names on the inside of the barn!!
We then began our time in St Louis. On Saturday morning we drove down to see the Arch. Sadly there is construction going on all around it, but we were still able to see it, go up to it, and wander around the visitor center. One of the Rangers gave an amazing tour about the history of St. Louis around the courthouse across from the arch. So much happened in a block!
We enjoyed an incredible lunch as well as a ride on a bus around town. Highly recommend Taze Mediterranean Street Food if you find yourself in St Louis!
Our last stop of the day we actually stumbled upon accidentally. It was a sculpture park surround by flowers called the Citygarden. It was so peaceful to walk around and a fun setting for pictures! We even saw people photographing a wedding. :)
Sunday we spent the morning relaxing and listening to a church service online. Both of those things were soothing and refreshing for us. Then we had plans to go to Grant's Farm. But when we were almost there we noticed a sign to Ulysses Grant National Historic Site! So we decided to stop...and are so glad we did. We got to see the house of Grant's father-in-law that he later acquired and had hoped to return to.
And we learned that Grant's farm was on some of the land that Grant had owned and tried to turn into horse breeding grounds after the civil war. While at Grant's Farm we had the chance to feed goats, RIDE A CAMEL!!, feed a camel, and touch an iguana. It was so much fun!
While volunteering fell through for this weekend, we enjoyed times of refreshment and renewal. We also had amazing conversations with so many cool people!
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