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Photography courtesy of Beth Horton
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We just love Beth Horton. She had her wedding last fall at the top of the Arch. Did you know they held weddings up there, in that freaky carpeted corridor at the crest of the inverted, weighted catenary? And did you know you can have your wedding reception at the Magic House, where Horton plans to have her (delayed) party next month?
We didn’t, but Horton did, because she lives for the unusual, the spooky, and the corny, and chronicles her peculiar peregrinations at her popular Craves, Caves & Graves blog.
“Next week I’ll post to the blog about our trip to the Vacuum Cleaner Museum up in St. James,” she says. “That place is a trip. It’s a vacuum cleaner factory that has a museum with a curator, and this guy loves vacuum cleaners. It was probably one of the funniest trips we’ve been on.”
Another of her more memorable excursions was her day trip to the Bonne Terre Mines (a destination we chronicled here), where she met the man who would become her husband.
Now he accompanies her on CC&G’s treks along blue highways with enthusiasm—for the most part.
“If I get 1,000 fans on Facebook, my husband has to go to the Precious Moments Chapel in Carthage with me,” she threatens with a laugh.
On the occasion of the blog turning five this year (that’s like 35, in years adjusted for the Internet age), we asked Horton to compile a list of her absolute favorite roadside attractions and quirky quests, with comments.
When the weather gets a bit more conducive to exploration, you might want to hit some of these spots. We’re contemplating a jaunt to another of Horton’s haunts, Leila’s Hair Museum in Independence.
CC&G Top 10:
One of the creepiest museums in the state, with department store mannequins standing in for doctors and patients.
9. Butterfly House at Faust Park
I ate a bug for the blog! Also, this is my favorite example of Action Cam, which is usually just us making a joke of filming something unexciting. This one turned out exciting.
My favorite trip to Bellefontaine, because we got a private tour and were allowed to go inside the Lemp and Wainwright tombs.
For the geeks, the largest private collection of space memorabilia in Missouri. They usually have a “Space Day” in June with special guest speakers.
Sometimes the purpose of the blog is to answer the question, “Is this place safe to stop at?” In this case, yes, it is much nicer than it looks from the outside.
5. Backstage at the Fox Theater
You’ve probably seen a play or concert at the Fox, but did you know that it’s a tradition for visiting artists to create a backstage mural? Call ahead, because you won’t get backstage on the tour if there’s a show that night, or within a week on either side (for load-in and load-out of touring shows).
If you are a fan of Mark Twain, you must visit this cave. It’s illegal to deface a cave today, and that's a good thing, but there is still something charming about the 19th century graffiti of Hannibal’s party cave.
3. Cabbages & Condoms Restaurant
It sounds racy, but the purpose of this restaurant is to raise funds for the Population and Community Development Association in Thailand. Many of the decorations in the restaurant are made of condoms in a rainbow of colors.
2. Missouri State Penitentiary Paranormal Tour
MSP does daytime history tours if the nighttime ghost hunt is too much for you. This day trip goes well with Prison Brews microbrewery down the road.
1. Wedding at the top of the Arch
Because we got married at the top of the Arch!
