Nostalgic Place Bed & Breakfast: Lodging near Taum Sauk Mountain, Elephant Rocks, Johnson's Shut-ins, Millstream Gardens Whitewater Area, Silver Mines Recreation Area, and other Natural Wonders in Missouri.  We provide elegant and convenient lodging near hiking and biking trails and the Ozark Trail. 

Taum Sauk Mountain literally stands above others as the highest point in Missouri, rising to 1,772 feet. An easy walk leads visitors to the top. From there, the moderately rugged three-mile Mina Sauk Falls Trail continues to the tallest wet-weather waterfall in Missouri. Mina Sauk Falls drops 132 feet over a series of rocky ledges. A portion of this trail also serves as part of the Taum Sauk Section of the Ozark Trail. Farther down the trail lies Devil's Tollgate, an eight-foot-wide passage through volcanic rhyolite standing 30 feet high. The Ozark Trail continues on to Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park, a distance of 12.8 miles."


ELEPHANT ROCKS STATE PARK 

"Imagine giant granite rocks standing end-to-end like a train of circus elephants. That's what you'll see at Elephant Rocks State Park. About 1.5 billion years ago, hot magma cooled forming coarsely crystalline red granite, which later weathered into huge, rounded boulders. Standing atop a granite outcrop, one of the largest elephant rocks, Dumbo, tops the scales at a whopping 680 tons!

Visitors to Elephant Rocks State Park can easily view the granite boulders from the one-mile Braille Trail, designed to accommodate people with visual or physical disabilities. The trail passes by a quarry pond, which now supports a variety of animal life. A short spur off of the trail takes visitors to the top of the granite outcrop, where they can explore the maze of giant elephant rocks.

A second spur brings visitors to a point overlooking an old quarry site. This red granite, first commercially quarried in the late 1800s, has been used as building material and as paving blocks for the St. Louis levee and downtown streets. Today, "Missouri Red" granite is cut and polished mainly for use as monuments. Thirty picnic sites allow visitors to rest and have a cool drink among the stone pachyderms. Come see for yourself why Elephant Rocks State Park is a place you'll never forget!"

JOHNSON'S SHUT-INS STATE PARK

Truly "Nature's Waterpark".  The park is open during the 2009 summer season. Truly one of Missouri's natural geologic wonders.

The swift waters of the East Fork Black River flow through a canyonlike gorge called a "shut-in" in the 8,549-acre Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park. These igneous rocks were formed nearly 1.5 billion years ago when violent volcanic eruptions threw ash and hot gases into the air. As these materials settled to the ground and cooled, they formed the rhyolite rock seen at the park today.  Read more information on Johnson's Shut-ins, the geology of the park and how this natural wonder was formed.

MILLSTREAM GARDENS WHITEWATER AREA

Dramatic rushing waters cascade through Tiemann Shut-Ins.  Hiking, picnicking, fishing, and archery range. From Nostalgic Place, take Hwy 72 East.

SILVER MINES RECREATION AREA

Historic mine trails and beautiful scenery along the St. Francois River plus hiking trails, camping, and picnicking areas. From Nostalgic Place take Hwy 72 East to Hwy "D."

ROYAL GEORGE SCENIC SITE

A stop on the road for great natural views and rock climbing.  Hwy 21, South of Nostalgic Place