Columbia was one of the prime spots to watch the total solar eclipse on August 21. An old friend Vivian from Milwaukee came to visit us for this once in a lifetime event. During her stay, we took her around and found out that, with all the international trips we do, we sometimes forget that there are interesting and beautiful spots right in our own backyard. We visited the Churchill Museum at Westminster College in Fulton, MO (a small town 30 miles from Columbia) . In 1946, Churchill made his famous ‘Iron Curtain’ speech which put Fulton on the map. The Westminster College has hosted many US Presidents and world leaders. It is a must see if you ever come through this part of country.
During the Labor Day weekend, the Missouri Botanic Garden hosted a Japanese Festival, featuring the 14 acre Japanese Garden – the largest one in North America . My garden friends and I drove to St. Louis for the day. It was a gorgeous sunny and cool September day. The festival has many programs but with the limited time, we were only able to attend a few including a visit to the Japanese tea house. There were also many young people dressed up as ‘animes’ (animated character) chasing Pokémon all over the garden. This sure was a different and unique visit of the MBG.
I learned about the Prairie Garden Trust from my yoga teacher It is a 600 acre prairie in New Bloomfield (just 10 miles from Fulton) set aside by Domke family. Since 1970s, they planted many native plants and built a visitor center. The PGT has many ponds and trails to explore. With the wild flowers blooming and butterflies fluttering, it is one of the secret gems of Missouri most people never heard about it. Here is their website http://prairiegardentrust.org/. You just have to send them an email if you want to visit this lovely place.
Here is the link to my google album where you can see a collection of photos of these magic places in my neighborhood. Enjoy!
Enjoy your travel blog always! Indeed, there are many germs in our neck of woods!