2025 Summer Road Trip – Part 3

Sometimes you just need to hit the road, to get away and get back to your roots. For me, the towns of rural America is my roots. As successful as last year’s road trip through Kansas was, I decided to take another this year, but through the Show Me State. There were a number of communities in Missouri that I had been eyeing to check out for a while now and this past August I got my chance.

Provided below is the third part of my summer road trip. To read up on the first two parts, you can check out 2025 Summer Road Trip – Part 1 and 2025 Summer Road Trip – Part 2.

Washington, Missouri

Although the thermostat in my truck was broken, I was able to limp it into Washington, Missouri (@CityOfWashMo), without significant issues. Knowing I wasn’t going to get much further, I settled in for the night. Thankfully, Washington was on my list of towns to visit. Washington is yet another community that has taken advantage of its position on the banks of the Missouri. However, the community has grown well beyond the river to become a regional hub outside of the St. Louis Metro Area.

Washington has successfully reclaimed its waterfront from its early industrial roots. Through adaptive reuse and redevelopment, the community’s stretch of land along the Missouri River is an enviable asset. The community’s former waterworks building has been converted to WashMO on the Go, a welcome center for visitors. Constructed in 1888, this building’s latest life houses historical exhibits from Washington’s past and a gift shop.

A few blocks to the northwest is a former railroad depot that has been converted to an axe-throwing entertainment business. The Axe Depot adds variety to the entertainment options along the riverfront, which already boasts a trail, bars, tap rooms, and restaurants. There’s also a considerable amount of residential redevelopment along the riverfront. Developers are obviously drawn to the area due to the variety of amenities and the topography of the area. The quickly rising banks on the south side of the river help protect redevelopable land from floods and also provide residents with amazing views of the Missouri River.

Augusta, Missouri

Thankfully, the mechanic in Washington was able to start on my truck the morning after Labor Day. By that afternoon, thankfully, I was on the road again. But my time on this road trip had essentially run out. Needing to get home that evening, I had to cut out many of the stops that I simply didn’t have time for. This included Times Beach. Though I was still able to write a Ghost Towns post about it, I was unable to visit the town site personally.

But one town I didn’t want to miss out on was Augusta. Though it was just a 20-minute drive from Washington, it was a highly entertaining route, full of hills and curves. I wished I had a Mustang to drive the route rather than a pickup truck. I was pacified, though, by the scenery. The mixture of farms and woods transitioned to an ever-increasing number of wineries. The rolling hills were increasingly covered in grape vines as I headed deeper into Missouri’s wine country. This overall region features over 130 wineries and 11 “wine trails”, including the popular Hermann Wine Trail.

Wine is the hook in Augusta as well. Like Hermann, they have their own wine trail. But there’s much more, including an intriguing wine and beer garden and their historic Walnut Street Historic District. For those wanting to stay a little longer, I’ve counted eight bed and breakfasts. Quite a bit for a town of only 253 residents.

This quaint little town is geared up to be a wonderful host to not just wine enthusiasts though; they are welcoming to bikers as well. Augusta is yet another stop on the Katy Trail. In addition to a trailhead and signage to the attractions in town, there’s a bike shop offering rentals, repairs, and snacks to riders.

Western St. Louis Suburbs

As it was my last day of the road trip and the afternoon light was starting to fade, I knew I only had time for a couple more nearby stops. O’Fallon was just down the road from Augusta and within reach before the sun sank too low for good photographs. Though this suburb of St. Louis wasn’t the typical town that I highlight on Rural Resurrection, it had a couple of intriguing spots to check out.

First was O’Day Park, which had recently had its playground facilities renovated. The park improvements won a Missouri Municipal League (MML) Innovation Award, and walking through the park it is clear why the award was given to O’Fallon. The renovations looked great, and nearly all of the playground equipment installed was unique. But specifically, I spotted these benches that brought out the natural playground feel. Though I’m guessing these were purchased and installed, a crafty local carpenter may be able to recreate these on a smaller budget.

O’Fallon also has a Veterans Memorial Walk located just off Interstate 70. Though I was able to snap some pictures of the memorial, the following video on O’Fallon’s webpage gives it justice better than my pictures.

More to Come…

Though the road trip is over, some of these central Missouri towns deserve more attention. Look for deeper dives on a few of these communities. There is much more to reveal about what makes them so great and what your community can learn from them.