Day One begins and ends in historic Farmington, Mo.

Silver Mines Recreation Area on the St. Francis River near Fredericktown, Mo., will provide riders on the Day One long route with great scenery.

The hilly roads will provide lots of challenges — and lots of scenery — on the first day of Tour de Grape.

Attractions on Day One

On Day One, riders will begin and end their ride at the Tradition Inn, owned and operated by Crown Valley Winery. Riders will have a choice of a 45- or a 60-mile route.

Both routes include the Farmington historic district, gentle hills through Missouri's lead belt and the Trail of Tears region to a lunch stop in Fredericktown. The 60-mile route includes a stop by the rolling St. Francis River at Silver Mines Recreation Area and plenty of opportunities to test your hill-climbing skills..

At the completion of the ride, participants will enjoy the awards dinner before retiring for the evening at their choice of hotels, campsites or bed and breakfasts. (Participants must make their own overnight accommodations.)

Tour de Grape
Sponsors

YouthBridge Association,
St. Louis, Mo.

Lou Fusz Automotive Network,
St. Louis, Mo.

Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, Mo.

Crown Valley Winery, Ste. Genevieve, Mo.

Enterprise Bank & Trust, Clayton, Mo

Tour de Grape
Supporters

Tradition Inn,
Farmington, Mo.

Mesa Cycles,
St. Louis, Mo.

Smith Management Group, St. Louis

Mozaic Ltd.,
St. Louis

Become a sponsor of Tour de Grape! Contact HavenHouse Development Director Julie Gaebe via e-mail or at 314.434.5858 for more details

The Bolduc House in Ste. Genevieve, Mo., dates from the late 1700s.

Pierre Menard State Historic Site near Chester, Ill.

The Popeye Statue in Chester, Ill.

The Liberty Bell of the West on Kaskaskia Island. (Photo: Tourism Bureau Southwestern Illinois)

Attractions on Day Two

Day Two begins and ends near the Inn St. Gemme Beauvais in the heart of historic Ste. Genevieve, Mo. Riders will tour 45 or 60 miles through some of the country's oldest and most notable homesites, including the Jean Baptiste Ste. Gemme Beauvais House, the Bequette-Ribault House, the Bolduc House Museum and the Bolduc-Lemeillure House.

We'll cross the Mississippi River into Illinois, and we'll stop at the Popeye Statue, which honors Popeye creator Elzie Segar, a native of Chester, Ill. Then we'll cruise along the scenic bluff roads to the Pierre Menard State Historic Site and Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site. The 60-mile route includes a trip to Fort de Chartres State Historic Site, a restored French fort from the 1700s.

An optional side trip will take you to Kaskaskia Island to see the only Illinois community west of the Mississippi and to see the Liberty Bell of the West. Kaskaskia was the first state capital of Illinois (1818-1820) and once was east of the Mississippi, but flooding and a change in the river channel destroyed most of the original town.

After crossing the river on the Modoc Ferry, riders will complete their journey in Ste. Genevieve and will be invited to a wine tasting party featuring the five wineries from the Ste. Genevieve area.

To learn more about the French Colonial Country of Missouri and Illinois, visit greatriverroad.com.