fiona tate author at My Family Travels
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Jerk Chicken, Curried Goat, And Oxtail Fill The Menu At This Missouri Jamaican Restaurant

You may need a minute with this menu. Jerk chicken sounds good. Then you spot the oxtail. Then curried goat enters the conversation...

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A Rugged Gravel Road Leads To This 1895 Missouri Mill In A Nearly Vanished Ozark Town

There is still a working piece of 1890s Missouri hiding at the end of a rough Ozark road. This old mill dates to 1895, and much of its original equipment remains inside, surrounded...

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This Missouri Trail Drops Down 315 Stone Steps To A Cave, Waterfall, And Lake Views

Those 315 steps look a lot more innocent from the top. Once you start heading down, this Missouri trail quickly turns into a proper little adventure.

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Five Short Trails Take You Through Prairie, Forest, Glades, And Ponds At This Free Missouri Nature Center

You can cover a surprising amount of Missouri scenery without driving anywhere else. Five short trails branch out from this free nature center, taking you through prairie, forest,...

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You Can Tour This Missouri Smokehouse And See How Its Famous Bacon And Hams Are Made

Most people only see bacon after it lands in the frying pan. Here, you can actually see what happens before that. This Missouri...

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Treasure Hunters Could Lose An Entire Afternoon Inside This Missouri Thrift Store

A lamp, a winter coat, three picture frames, and something weird you cannot quite identify can all end up in the same cart here. That is the fun of this Missouri thrift store.

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This Missouri Asian Eatery Fills Steamed Bao With Everything From Pork Belly To Fried Chicken

Pork belly in one bun, fried chicken in the next. That is the kind of lunch decision you get here. This Missouri eatery builds...

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10 Missouri Thrift Stores Where You Could Easily Lose An Entire Afternoon

You know the kind of thrift store where you walk in for one thing and somehow lose two hours? Missouri has plenty of them. These...

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Missouri Has A Pie Shop With More Than 50 Kinds Of Pie

Fifty kinds of pie is a lot to process before dessert. This Missouri shop keeps the cases full of fruit pies, cream pies, nut-filled favorites, seasonal flavors, and a few savory...

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You Can Paddle The Lake, Hike For Miles And Sleep In A Cabin At This Missouri State Park

That quiet water was the first thing I noticed, even with a few boats humming somewhere out past the coves. I had driven into southeast Missouri expecting a simple lake stop, and...

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This Retro Missouri Lodge Lets You Soak Beside A Creek And Watch Movies From The Pool

Tall Ozark trees, the sound of Fall Creek running somewhere behind the buildings, and a property with warm wood and earthy colors tucked into a green valley.

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House-Made Sausage, Akaushi Beef, And Smoked Bologna Fill The Cases At This Missouri Butcher Shop

Dinner plans can get ambitious pretty fast once you see what is behind this butcher counter. This Missouri shop keeps Akaushi...

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This Small-Town Missouri Supermarket Still Cuts Fresh Meat Daily And Keeps Hot Food Coming From The Deli

You can still hear the slicer going and smell lunch before you reach the deli counter. This Missouri supermarket has that familiar small-town feel, with butchers cutting meat daily...

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Fresh Halal Meat Is Cut To Order At This Missouri International Market Packed With Hard-To-Find Groceries

The butcher counter is where this place really gets interesting. This Missouri international market cuts fresh halal beef, chicken, goat, and lamb to order, so you can ask for...

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Still Family-Owned After More Than 65 Years, This Missouri Italian Restaurant Keeps Feeding Generations

There is something reassuring about a restaurant that has been feeding the same community for generations. This Missouri Italian...

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This Remote Missouri Mill Site Has A Giant Steel Water Wheel Beside A Cold Spring

The giant steel water wheel is the first thing that makes this place feel different. This remote Missouri site sits deep in the Ozarks, where an old mill once served a small community...

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This Former Missouri Corporate Retreat Now Hides Two Lakes And Rustic 1930s Lodge Buildings

Executives once came here to get away from work. Now, everyone gets to enjoy the place. This Missouri park grew out of a private...

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This Missouri Plant Farm Has More Than 1,700 Varieties For Gardeners To Dig Through

Plant people could lose a whole afternoon here without trying very hard. This Missouri farm grows more than seventeen hundred varieties, so the selection goes far beyond the usual...

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A Full-Size DC-3 Sits On The Roof Of This Missouri Coffee Factory You Can Actually Tour

The airplane on the roof is your first clue that this is not a normal coffee stop. This Missouri factory has a full-size DC-3...

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A Balkan Cafe Is Hiding Inside This Missouri Nursery That Has Been Growing Since 1959

Plants downstairs, Bosnian coffee upstairs. That is already a pretty good reason to stop. This Missouri nursery has been growing...

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Sushi, Hibachi, And Endless Seafood Fill This Massive Missouri All-You-Can-Eat Buffet

You know the kind of buffet where everyone comes back to the table with a completely different plate? This Missouri spot is built for that.

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This Old-Fashioned Missouri Sweet Shop Lets You Watch Candy Makers At Work

Watching caramel get poured and chocolate get dipped makes buying candy a lot more fun. This Missouri sweet shop lets visitors peek through big windows while the candy makers work...

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Coffee, Ice Cream, And Homemade Food Make This Rural Missouri Crossroads Cafe Worth The Detour

Some of the best road-trip stops are the ones you almost drive past. This rural Missouri cafe sits at a quiet crossroads and...

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More Than 75 Classic And Celebrity Cars Fill This Missouri Route 66 Museum

One minute you are staring at a polished classic, and the next you are pointing at a car you swear you have seen on screen before.

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This New Missouri Gelato Shop Is Filled With Italian Pastries And Sandwiches On House-Made Bread

Gelato might get you through the door, but the pastry case makes it hard to leave quickly. This new Missouri shop packs in Italian sweets, fresh bread, panini, sandwiches, and...

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A Sunken 1856 Steamboat Left Behind 200 Tons Of Frontier Cargo At This Missouri Museum

This is one of those museum stories that sounds made up until you see the evidence. A steamboat sank in 1856, disappeared under the Missouri River landscape, and sat there for...

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Pick A Steak From The Butcher Case And Have The Kitchen Cook It For Dinner At This Missouri Market

Choosing dinner usually happens from a menu. Here, it starts at the butcher case. This Missouri market lets you pick out the...

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Japanese Milk Bread, Fresh Focaccia, And Blackhole Pastries Fill This Missouri Neighborhood Bodega

Milk bread, focaccia, and Blackhole pastries are doing a lot of heavy lifting inside this tiny Missouri bodega. The shelves may say neighborhood market, but the food lineup feels...

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This Three-Mile Missouri Loop Follows A Clear Creek To A Cascading Waterfall

Three miles does not sound like much until the trail starts throwing creek crossings, rocky stretches, and a waterfall into the mix.

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This Missouri Salvage Shop Is Packed With Architectural Antiques And Vintage Treasures

Old houses leave behind more than memories. Doors, hinges, light fixtures, woodwork, and other pieces can all find a second life here.

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More Than 40 Years Later, This Missouri Chinese Restaurant Is Still Serving Award-Winning Cashew Chicken

Some recipes earn a following. Others stick around for decades and become part of the local food scene. This Missouri Chinese...

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This Missouri BBQ Joint Lets You Eat Inside An Old Railroad Car Beside The Tracks

Barbecue tastes a little more fun when dinner comes with a railroad car. This Missouri restaurant serves its smoked meats in a setting packed with train history, including a vintage...

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Behind The Doors Of This Cozy Missouri Italian-French Joint, A Chef With James Beard House Credentials Is Cooking

A restaurant does not need a huge dining room to make a serious impression. This Missouri Italian-French joint keeps things cozy while putting plenty of attention into the food,...

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Missouri Shoppers Can Find Everyday Grocery Savings At This No-Frills Store

Grocery shopping does not always need to mean filling a huge cart. Sometimes, a simple store with everyday essentials and straightforward prices is exactly what you need.

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You Can Hike Around A Wooded Lake Then Cool Off At The Beach In This Missouri State Park

The trail dips beneath a canopy of oak and hickory, and the sound of the lake grows closer with each step. A three-and-a-half-mile loop circles the water, offering shaded stretches...

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Bald Eagles And More Than 300 Bird Species Can Be Spotted Along This Ten-Mile Missouri Wildlife Drive

A wall of honking snow geese so loud you laugh out loud in your own car. That is the first thing that hits you on the gravel loop at a Missouri wildlife refuge, a place where the...

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This Family-Run Missouri Mexican Market Starts Serving Breakfast Tacos At Six In The Morning

That soft gray-blue sky over Kansas City, Missouri before sunrise, and the only light on the block came from a corner building with piñatas hanging in the window. I had heard...

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This Missouri Steakhouse Has Been Serving Dinner In Kansas City’s Historic Stockyards Since 1949

That historic building in the Missouri's West Bottoms has been standing since the late 1800s, and the steakhouse inside it has been feeding people since 1949. Stepping through...

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This Missouri Cave Lets You Walk Half A Mile Underground Without Climbing A Single Stair

That cave mouth was so wide it looked like the hillside had yawned. I had driven out on a warm afternoon expecting a quick roadside stop, and instead I found cool air rolling out...

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This Missouri Cabin Resort Shuttles You Upriver So You Can Float Back To Your Cabin

Most float trips end with a long, tired drive back to the car. This one ends at your front door. At a cabin resort tucked deep...

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This Missouri Park Becomes A Bustling Market Each Wednesday From May Through October

The park looks different on Wednesdays. The usual calm of the green space gives way to a bustling scene of white tents and friendly crowds.

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This Missouri Restaurant Is Hidden Inside A Craft Mall Where Live Music Comes With Dinner

A meal and a show usually mean two separate stops. Not at this spot in Missouri. A restaurant tucked inside a sprawling craft...

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This Giant Missouri Fabric Wonderland Has Crafters Planning Entire Weekends Around It

A single fabric shop has grown into a creative empire that draws crafters from across the globe. What began as a modest storefront with one quilting machine and two bolts of fabric...

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This Missouri Seafood Shack Serves Warm Buttered Lobster Rolls Worth Every Mile

There is a certain kind of magic that happens when sweet lobster meat meets a warm, butter-soaked bun. It is the kind of simple perfection that turns a casual meal into something...

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The Missouri Beachfront Ice Cream Shack Locals Swear By For Summer Treats

A scoop of ice cream tastes even better when eaten with your toes in the sand. That is the simple pleasure waiting at a beloved beachfront shack in Missouri, where locals have...

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This Family-Owned Missouri Mexican Restaurant Has Its Own Tortilla Factory

The best tacos start with a tortilla that is made fresh that morning. At a family-owned restaurant in Missouri, that is exactly what you get every single day.

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This Retro Missouri Diner Serves Plate-Sized Cinnamon Rolls At Any Hour Of The Night

A place that never closes is a rare comfort, especially when the craving for something warm and sweet hits well past midnight. At...

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This Retro Missouri Ice Cream Stand Is Famous For Soft Serve But Its Fresh-Made Smash Burgers Steal The Show

Soft serve draws them in, but it is the sizzle of a fresh-made smash burger that keeps them coming back. A retro walk-up stand...

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Missouri’s Oldest Restaurant Still Serves Fried Chicken Inside An 1834 Tavern And It Feels Timeless

Step inside and the years seem to melt away. Wooden floors creak underfoot, and the scent of frying chicken drifts from a kitchen that has been at work since before the Civil War.

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This Missouri Courthouse Still Has A Civil War Cannonball Lodged In One Of Its Columns

Some scars are meant to fade. Others are left as a reminder of what happened. In a small Missouri town, a courthouse has carried...

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You Have Until January To Ride This Missouri Roller Coaster Before It Disappears Forever

For over three decades, it has been a rite of passage for thrill-seekers visiting the Ozarks. But the clock is ticking on this legendary Missouri coaster.

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The Pork Tenderloin At This No-Frills Missouri Lunch Counter Is Worth A Road Trip

Some of the best meals come from places that refuse to advertise, answer a phone, or even have a website. This cash-only lunch counter in Missouri has built a devoted following...

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This Missouri Bagel Shop Cures Its Own Salmon And Often Sells Out Before Lunch

The house-cured salmon at this Missouri bagel shop is the kind of thing that makes you want to become a regular. The owners...

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This French-Asian Bakery In Missouri Serves Pastries That Look Almost Too Pretty To Eat

One glance at the display case and you will understand the dilemma. Each pastry looks more like edible art than a simple breakfast, with glossy fruit glazes, delicate cream swirls,...

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This Short Missouri Trail Leads To A 40-Foot Waterfall Hidden Inside A Box Canyon

You round a bend in the trail and the ground falls away, revealing a forty-foot cascade plunging into a narrow box canyon. The water echoes off the limestone walls, and the mist...

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This Missouri Waterpark Has An Adults-Only Pool With A Swim-Up Bar And Endless Relaxation

You hear the kids laughing from the wave pool and the lazy river, but there is a corner of this Missouri waterpark that is just for adults. A swim-up bar sits right in the pool,...

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This Former Missouri Quarry Looks Like A White-Sand Beach Hidden In The Midwest

The water is so clear it looks like the Caribbean, and the sand is so white it practically glows. But this isn't a tropical island.

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This Missouri Village Lets You Step Straight Into Daily Life In The 1850s

The past is not a quiet museum here. It is alive and loud. A hammer clangs at the blacksmith shop. A schoolmarm rings a bell....

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Locals Say This Once-Quiet Missouri River Town Is Now Overrun By Tourists

The Elk River still runs clear, and the bluffs still rise above the water. But the quiet that once defined this Missouri river town has been replaced by the hum of out-of-state...

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This Old-School Missouri Deli Has Been Serving Hot Pastrami Since The 1940s

Pastrami. Hot. Piled high. On fresh rye. That is the only reason you need to walk into this Missouri deli. The slicer has...

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