Small Towns Near St. Louis
The best small towns near St. Louis are Ste. Genevieve, for its French colonial houses; Hermann, for German history and Missouri’s biggest winery; and Hannibal, Mark Twain’s boyhood town. Ste. Genevieve and Hermann work as day trips, and Hannibal makes a good overnight.
The list runs nearest first, from Kimmswick about 20 miles out to Arrow Rock at about 150. Distances are straight-line miles from downtown St. Louis, so the drive will be longer. You’ll find Mississippi River towns, Missouri wine country, Ozark float trips and a village that’s a National Historic Landmark.
| Town | Distance | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Kimmswick, Missouri | About 20 miles | pie, a fall festival, history |
| Elsah, Illinois | About 25 miles | stone houses, a quiet stroll |
| Grafton, Illinois | About 25 miles | river views, eagles, a state park |
| Ste. Genevieve, Missouri | About 45 miles | French colonial history, a day trip |
| Clarksville, Missouri | About 65 miles | eagle watching, a river town |
| Hermann, Missouri | About 65 miles | wineries, German heritage, a weekend |
| Steelville, Missouri | About 75 miles | float trips, cabins, the Ozarks |
| Hannibal, Missouri | About 100 miles | Mark Twain, the river, families |
| Van Buren, Missouri | About 120 miles | springs, the Current River, camping |
| Rocheport, Missouri | About 130 miles | the Katy Trail, wine, bluffs |
| Arrow Rock, Missouri | About 150 miles | theater, frontier history, a weekend |
Distances are straight-line miles from downtown St. Louis, as the crow flies.
Kimmswick, Missouri
About 20 miles as the crow flies · Best for: pie, a fall festival, history
Kimmswick is a Mississippi River town of 133 people, platted by Theodore Kimm in 1859. Its historic district is on the National Register, and its Apple Butter Festival at the end of October typically draws more than 100,000 visitors.
Don’t miss: the Levee High Apple Pie at The Blue Owl Restaurant & Bakery, and Mastodon State Historic Site just north in Imperial, with a mastodon skeleton replica and a trail to the Kimmswick Bone Bed
★ Good to know The Blue Owl serves breakfast and lunch only and is closed Mondays.
Elsah, Illinois
About 25 miles as the crow flies · Best for: stone houses, a quiet stroll
Elsah is a village of 519 tucked into the bluffs on the Illinois side of the Mississippi. The whole village went on the National Register in 1973, and most of its houses and shops are 19th-century stone and brick.
Don’t miss: a walk down LaSalle Street’s stone buildings and a ride on the Sam Vadalabene Bike Trail along the Great River Road
★ Good to know Pair it with Grafton, a few miles upriver, for a full day.
Grafton, Illinois
About 25 miles as the crow flies · Best for: river views, eagles, a state park
Grafton, population 626, sits near where the Illinois River meets the Mississippi. It was founded in 1832 and calls itself the winter home of the bald eagle.
Don’t miss: Pere Marquette State Park, with about 12 miles of marked trails, bluff views over the Illinois River and a 1930s stone lodge
★ Good to know Come in January or February for the best bald eagle viewing.
Ste. Genevieve, Missouri
About 45 miles as the crow flies · Best for: French colonial history, a day trip
Ste. Genevieve was the first organized European settlement west of the Mississippi in present-day Missouri. It has three of the five surviving vertical-log poteaux-en-terre houses in the United States, and a national historical park now covers part of town.
Don’t miss: the Jean Baptiste Vallé House, where the Park Service usually gives tours daily, and a walk past the Bolduc and Beauvais-Amoureux houses
★ Good to know Start at the Ste. Genevieve Welcome Center for park and town information.
Clarksville, Missouri
About 65 miles as the crow flies · Best for: eagle watching, a river town
Clarksville is a Mississippi River town of 372 in Pike County, platted in 1819 and named for William Clark. Lock and Dam No. 24 sits at the edge of town.
Don’t miss: Eagle Days, when the Lock & Dam 24 observation deck opens to the public for eagle watching
★ Good to know Eagle Days is held in late January; check the date before you go.
Hermann, Missouri
About 65 miles as the crow flies · Best for: wineries, German heritage, a weekend
Hermann, population 2,185, was founded in 1837 by the German Settlement Society of Philadelphia. It anchors the Hermann wine region, and Amtrak’s Missouri River Runner stops here.
Don’t miss: Stone Hill Winery, founded in 1847, with tours of its historic underground cellars, and Deutschheim State Historic Site’s 1840s German immigrant houses
★ Good to know Maifest is the third weekend in May and Oktoberfest runs the first four weekends of October, so book rooms early.
Steelville, Missouri
About 75 miles as the crow flies · Best for: float trips, cabins, the Ozarks
Steelville, population 1,472, calls itself the Floating Capital of Missouri. The Meramec River runs just north of town, and the Huzzah and Courtois are close by.
Don’t miss: a canoe, raft or kayak trip with Bass’ River Resort on the Meramec, Huzzah or Courtois
★ Good to know Float conditions depend on water levels, so check with the outfitter before you go.
Hannibal, Missouri
About 100 miles as the crow flies · Best for: Mark Twain, the river, families
Hannibal is a river city of 17,108 where Samuel Clemens grew up. The town and its people fed into The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Don’t miss: the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum, eight buildings including 15 original Norman Rockwell paintings, and the electrically lit Mark Twain Cave, a National Natural Landmark
★ Good to know National Tom Sawyer Days, with fence painting and frog jumping, runs around the Fourth of July.
Van Buren, Missouri
About 120 miles as the crow flies · Best for: springs, the Current River, camping
Van Buren is a Carter County town of 747 on the Current River, next to the Mark Twain National Forest. It’s a gateway to the Ozark National Scenic Riverways.
Don’t miss: Big Spring, four miles south of town, one of the largest springs in the country at an average 289 million gallons a day
★ Good to know The CCC-built Big Spring lodge and cabins are closed for renovation, so plan to camp or stay in town.
Rocheport, Missouri
About 130 miles as the crow flies · Best for: the Katy Trail, wine, bluffs
Rocheport is a Missouri River village of 201 with buildings dating from the 1830s. Lewis and Clark passed here in June 1804, and it sits near the middle of the Katy Trail.
Don’t miss: a ride on the 240-mile Katy Trail and a meal at Les Bourgeois Vineyards’ Blufftop Bistro, overlooking the Missouri River
★ Good to know Les Bourgeois’ tasting room is open April through November.
Arrow Rock, Missouri
About 150 miles as the crow flies · Best for: theater, frontier history, a weekend
Arrow Rock has only 60 residents, but the whole village is a National Historic Landmark. It was a Santa Fe Trail crossing, and painter George Caleb Bingham lived here.
Don’t miss: a show at the Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre, Missouri’s oldest repertory theater, and the J. Huston Tavern, built in 1834
★ Good to know The Lyceum’s 2026 season runs through October 4, with A Christmas Carol December 11 to 20.
What’s the closest small town to St. Louis?
On this list, Kimmswick, about 20 miles as the crow flies. Elsah and Grafton, on the Illinois side, are about 25 miles out.
What’s the best small-town weekend trip from St. Louis?
Hermann, for its wineries and German history. Hannibal is the other strong pick, with Mark Twain’s boyhood home and the cave.
Where can you see bald eagles near St. Louis?
Grafton and Pere Marquette State Park in January and February, and Clarksville during Eagle Days in January.
Which small towns near St. Louis are in Illinois?
Elsah and Grafton, both about 25 miles away on the Great River Road.