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From St Louis: Take Hwy 67 North through Alton and Godfrey IL. As you are leaving Godfrey, veer right onto Hwy 111 (formerly Rte 67), traveling approximately 8 miles to Brighton IL. We are located 3 miles north of Brighton on Hwy 111. Watch for our nursery sign on Hwy 111. Approximately 50 minutes from the St Louis arch.
From northern or eastern Illinois: Take Hwy 55 south to Hwy 16 at Litchfield IL. Follow Hwy 16 West to Piasa IL At the junction of Hwy 111 and Hwy 16, make a left (South)… we are one mile down the road. We highly recommend calling the Alton Visitor's Center for their guide 'All Around Alton'. You will find an extensive list of Bed and Breakfasts, Restaurants, and things to do in this historic area. Or log on at www.visitalton, their email address is altoncvb@ezl.com. Cottage Garden is located 15 miles north of Alton IL.
For detailed directions, click here on Mapquest and enter your starting address.
For
Nature Lovers
Missouri Botanical Garden 4344
Shaw Blvd. St. Louis MO.
To those of you who aspire to those dreamy gardens in all the magazines,
Mo Bot is proof that it can happen here in our Zone 5-6 temperature extremes.
Tired of seeing Pacific Northwest gardens so prominently featured
in garden magazines? We midwesterners have struggled over the years
to develop our own garden style and you'll see it at Mo Bot, featured beautifully
and intelligently in a can-do style. While there check out the Kemper
Center for Home Gardening for the latest most up-to-date perennials, tropicals
and woody plants you won't want to be without. Their 'Plant Finder'
will tell you where to get them too! Tropical aficiandos won't want
to miss the Climatron, a virtual plant zoo under glass, so wear your safari
helmet and loin cloth to fit right in. Check out their website at
www.mobot.org.
Riverlands Hwy 67 just south of the Clark Bridge in Alton.
Birders and nature lovers unite at Riverlands year-round to enjoy this marvelous
wetland ecosystem. Especially beautiful at dusk, with the sun setting
on the majestic Mississippi. Memories will be made here, my favorite being
a late afternoon scene of blue herons framed against the setting sun, evoking
images of an oriental painting. Too beautiful for words! Follow up
your visit with a plate of 'talk n chic' fried chicken at Castelli’s 255 Restaurant,
fifteen minutes away, or maybe a lovely afternoon drive up the scenic Great
River Road to My Just Desserts in historic Elsah for soup and sandwiches,
and killer pie.
Local restaurants, things to do…..
GODGREY, ILLINOIS
Josephine's
Tea Room and Gift Shop www.josephinestearoomsandgiftshops.com
6109 Godfrey Rd. (Rte 111) (618-466-7792)
Famous for their lobster bisque, soups, sandwiches and desserts. Garden
clubs traveling to our nursery lunch there, and it receives rave reviews.
Beautiful gift shop in a historic nineteenth century cottage. A Southern
Illinois institution!
ALTON, ILLINOIS
Castelli’s 255 Restaurant www.moonlightat255.com
3400 Fosterburg Road (618-462-4620) A **** rating by our Jack Russell terrier P.J., who never tires of the best fried chicken in Southern Illinois. Extensive menu, superb house salad, with Italian favorites, too!
My Just Desserts www.myjustdesserts.org
31 East Broadway (near Visitor's Center) (618-462-5881) Lovely historic rivertown ambience with food that is just plain good. Desserts will have you drooling, so wear elastic waist pants.
Alton Area Antique District (On Broadway in downtown Alton) Scavenge for vintage garden accessories and art….do we ever have enough??
National Scenic Byway (The Great River Road) Begins in Alton at the riverfront, a hop, skip and jump from the great Mississippi River, adjacent to the Visitor's Center of Alton. Follow it to historic Pere Marquette State Park or the lovely little village of Elsah. Drop dead gorgeous scenery, some of the most beautiful in the lower Midwest.
LITCHFIELD, ILLINOIS
Ariston Café www.ariston-cafe.com
Get your kicks on old Route 66 at the historic Ariston Café. The salad bar is unrivaled and family style dinners are the tops. Fifty and sixty-somethings will groove to the to the fifties-style diner ambience!
