World Country Guide

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Food & Drink
Everything from elegant downtown restaurants to more casual eating places serve traditional ethnic fare in St Louis. The Kansas City area is famous for its steaks and barbecues.

Theatres & Concerts
In St Louis, there are performances at the Opera Theatre of St Louis, the Fox Theater and the outdoor Muny Theatre. The Kansas City Philharmonic plays at the Music Hall. Also in Kansas City, the Missouri Repertory Theater performs on the University of Missouri’s campus; other venues include the Lyric Opera of Kansas City and Starlight Theater. Branson has a busy theatre scene, with venues including the Country Tonite Theater, Moon River Theater and the Branson Variety Theater.

Nightlife
There are many nightclubs and restaurants on the riverfront in St Louis, where jazz and ragtime music is performed nightly and discos can be found in most modern hotels. There are four full-gaming casinos located within 15 minutes of downtown Kansas City, whose historic Westport district is home to great blues, jazz and R&B.

Shopping
Two of the St Louis area’s most elegant regional shopping malls are Plaza Frontenac and the St Louis Galleria. The new St Louis Mills mall combines shopping with a NASCAR Speedcar track, a skatepark and an ice rink (the new practice ground for the St Louis Blues NHL ice hockey team). The city’s neighbourhoods are also filled with fashionable boutiques, speciality shops, gourmet delicatessens and antique stores.
Soulard Market in south St Louis is a colourful and amusing place to shop on Saturdays. The market was established in 1779 and today offers fresh goods, such as meat and home-baked items, as soon as they arrive in the city. Union Station, the city’s historic Victorian railroad station, has been redeveloped as a festival marketplace, with more than 100 shops and restaurants, and numerous nightclubs. Branson is also becoming a popular shopping destination, with three outlet malls, and unique craft and gift stores throughout the city. Kansas City has nationally-known stores, plus hundreds of shops and boutiques to be found off the beaten path.

Special Events
The following is a selection of special events occurring in Missouri in 2005:
Jan 30 Groundhog Run, Kansas City. Feb 12-13 Missouri Wine Fest, St Louis. Feb 18 Winter Bluegrass Music Festival, Hannibal. Feb 20-24 Soulard Mardi Gras, St Louis. Feb 26-27 Chocolate Wine Trail, Hermann. Mar 12 St Patrick’s Day Parade, St Louis. Mar 19 Old Time Fiddlers Content, Boonville. Apr 1-2 13th Annual Big Muddy Fall Festival, Boonville. Apr 5-9 BransonFest. Apr 9-10 Spirit of St Louis Marathon. May 6-8 Valley of Flowers Festival, Florissant. May 7 Ozarks Day Festival, Eminence; Truman Day Celebration, Lamar. May 8-24 Renaissance Faire, Wentzville. May 14-15 Lewis & Clark Heritage Days, St Charles. May 20-22 Plumb Nellie Days, 31st Annual Hillbilly Festival & Craft Show, Branson. Jun 4-5 Strawberry Festival, Kimmswick. Jun 10-12 Festival of the Four States, Joplin. Jun 24-26 Heritage Days, Boonville. Jun 25 Barton Country's 150th Birthday Celebration, Lamar. Jun 25-26 St Louis PrideFest; Airfest, Joplin. Jul 2-4 Fair St Louis. Jul 13-16 Prairie Home Fair, Boonville. Jul 14-17 Golden Harvest Days, Golden City. Aug 27 Annual Oldtime Fiddle Contest, Branson. Sep 9-11 St Louis Art Fair. Sep 17 Prairie Days, Liberal; Great Forest Park Balloon Race, St Louis. Sep 17-18 Fall Festival, Rockaway Beach. Sep 24-25 Pioneer Days at the Boone Home, Defiance. Oct 1 Apple Days, Lamar. Oct 8 Rodeo Days Arts & Crafts Festival, Eureka. Oct 15-16 Deutsch Country Days, Marthasville. Oct 22-23 Apple Butter Festival, Kimmswick.