Just when you thought you might need a bank loan to build a walk-in freezer in your bedroom, a cool breeze blew in. To celebrate it cooling off, let's say to heck with the sweaty, hilly hike. Just for one weekend. And let's bask in comfortable temps from flat ground.

You're so close to making it through this surface-of-the-sun summer. You deserve low-difficulty outings.

Get Outside

Take a chill stroll through the Mississippi lowlands...because lowlands need love, too. (Your calves told me to say that.) East Prairie's Big Oak Tree State Park offers 3 shady, low-difficulty hikes. One of which is a boardwalk. Get the trail details on each here.

Big Oak is usually happy to show off why the area used to be nicknamed Swampeast Missouri. But it's been drier than a popcorn fart lately. The upside is the trails won't be muddy... or underwater. It's always nice to see where you're supposed to be walking. Only luxury travel experiences for my readers.

Side note: Wouldn't Swampeast be the perfect name for a Southeast Missouri punk band?

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Didja Know? Nature Edition

If there were a Rock' n' Bird Hall of Fame, Big Oak Tree State Park would be in it. Of the 150 species living there, "several of the birds are considered rare in the state, including the prothonotary warbler, cerulean warbler, cottonwood tanager, red-shouldered hawk, Mississippi kite, and fish crow." One of those is made up. Totally fake. Couldn't help myself. Guess which one.

An opinion no one asked for: If you like Pokémon, you will like birding/bird photography. It's the same thing.

Not cool enough for birding? Go on a safari anyway. "The park protects 250 kinds of plants, 25 kinds of mammals, 31 reptiles, and 7 amphibian species." 12 of the species it protects are rare. If you’re lucky, you might spot a swamp rabbit - a nocturnal rabbit that swims! (Swamp Rabbit is already taken as a band name. I Googled it.)

Check out the park's Facebook page to see what wildlife watchers are seeing there. It kinda slaps.

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UTV Rides - Reader Request

This section is back by popular demand...all 5 of you.💕🫶🙏 See? It pays to engage.

Just across the river in southern Illinois, the Sahara Woods State Recreation Area (near Harrisburg/Carrier Mills) opened just 3 months ago. It offers nearly 30 miles of OHV trails and a "simple setup" (whatever that means) for SxS riders for a $20 day pass.

*Full disclosure: No one from Backroad Weekly has visited this site to give our full endorsement. We don't even have a SxS. We're doing research and making phone calls to bring you this section. Please check the Illinois Department of Natural Resources' page for rules, prices, permits, seasonal dates, etc.

Day Tripping

Destination: Alto Pass, IL

No town with a population of under 500 has any business having this much to do. Sorry to be annoying about this, my SEMO-ians, but you gotta start crossing that bridge, dudes. Not only does Alto Pass have a surprising number of things to do, but you have choices about where to go for each activity.

Here's how I'd do it: Active morning, cute little lunch, lazy overlook.

• Active Outdoor Morning - Start the day with the thing that's going to need your energy. Because after lunch, ain't nobody feel like doin' nothin'. Alto Pass has an option for all walking/hiking styles:
  • Strut around a flower field ($6) and an orchard shop at Rendleman Orchards.
  • Or spend 3-4 hours on a heavy metal hike (~3.5 miles, steep hills, a canyon, slippery rock scramblin') at Little Grand Canyon. *You can also just walk out to the overlook and back to avoid the canyon and slipperiness. It's a lot less hardcore, and there's still a view.
  • Orchard too chill? Lil' G Canyon too metal? Consider the Quetil Trail. (~2.5 miles along an old railroad bed.) I saw a box turtle. Five stars.
  • Or if you want to walk very little but linger in a pretty place: Pomona Natural Bridge Trail. (~0.3 miles with a neat geologic feature to photograph). Be careful on steep and/or slippery slopes.
• Cute Little Lunch - Non-drinkers, don't be deterred by the fact that your options in Alto Pass double as wineries, a brewery, and a bourbon bar. These establishments offer more than loudmouth soup.
  • ​Peachbarn Winery & Cafe - Light bites! Soup and a charcuterie board. But hurry. The winery & cafe is closing on Oct 25 to transition to vacation lodging.
  • ​Alto Vineyards - Southern Illinois' oldest winery calls its menu 'snacks & light meals'. But they have pizza, soooo...thumbs up.
  • ​Von Jakob Winery & Brewery - Definitely the foodiest and most German option, offering a full lunch and dinner menu.
  • ​Havisham House and Bourbon Bar - This is an upscale experience that you might avoid if you smell like sweat and bug spray after four hours on the Little Grand Canyon trail.
• Drive-up Overlook - After lunch, when you're stuffed and sunburnt, drive up to an overlook and stare at some treetops. Your options: Bald Knob Cross and/or Cliff View Park Overlook.

Alto Pass? How about you Alto pass me my car keys. We're goin'.

Caption This

What do you think these AI-generated campers are thinking? Hit reply with your best interpretation. We'll post our favorites on Facebook and Instagram (if you're ok with it, and anonymously). Keep it PG-13 and under, though. Don't get me banned from the internet.

Anyone who has driven in the Bootheel area will probably describe it like this: farmland, farmland, Dollar General, farmland. But once upon a cotton field, SEMO's floodplains were covered in oak, hickory, and cypress giants. Some of the largest in the state. Most of those trees were cut down more than a century ago. "Over 2 MILLION acres were converted from forest to cropland."

In the 1930s, some folks finally looked around and said, "Yeah...so... these huge trees are pretty cool. Maybe we shouldn't cut ALL of them down."

There was one 400-year-old oak tree in particular that inspired locals to protect a piece of the area. But the state said, "Oopsie. It's the Depression. We can't afford it". The locals stepped up, and a grassroots campaign was born. Businesses donated, and even schoolkids pitched in with nickels. By 1938, conservation-minded SE Missourians had secured over 1,000 acres, saving a slice of Missouri’s ancient lowland forest, creating Big Oak Tree State Park.

This is movie material. Who wants to help me write the script?

The tree that inspired the movement has since died, but some of the park’s current trees are taller than a 12-story building. Several are currently or formerly the biggest of their kind in the state.

So if you want to time-travel to what Southeast Missouri looked like before soybeans, corn, and cotton took over, Big Oak is your portal.

Second-Hand Scores

I know thrifting is already a religion in MO. But for those of us who STILL fall victim to Amazon and Temu’s siren song, this is your friendly reminder that it’s cool to buy used. Heuring Furniture & Mattress Store in Dutchtown, MO, buys and sells used furniture. Now that the sun is feeling a little less hostile, we're looking at their used lawn furniture options. 👀

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Made Around Here

We came across this local silversmith’s work at a booth in downtown Cape, and it haunts my dreams, in the best way... I can’t get her jewelry out of my mind:​ ​MNTN Meadow Jewelry Co​. Whether you're treating yo'self or buying a gift, you really can't go wrong with a one-of-a-kind wearable work of art, handmade locally.

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Worth a Visit🎨🎵

Have you ever been somewhere where creativity feels contagious? Like you walk in for a class or event, and your conversations ignite ideas and motivate you to finally build the macramé Frankenstein you've been envisioning for years? Malone Park Center for the Arts (MPCA) feels like that.

I'm eyeing their painting classes. I still not-so-secretly entertain the idea that it's time for my eccentric artist era, when I move into a cabin in the woods to paint landscapes, only wandering into town with paint-stained overalls to sell my creations at some downtown market.

Adults - Malone Park Center for the Arts has painting and sewing classes, live music, coffee tastings (learn how the pros do it), and big community events like Oktoberfest...to name a few.

Children’s art and music programs are offered at no charge to families, and adult classes come at a subsidized rate, so you can pick up a new skill at an affordable cost.

📍Stop by in Sikeston, follow MPCA on Facebook, or call 573-621-8729 to see what’s next.

Sponsored by Malone Park Center for the Arts

Find Your People

I love connecting writers with writers, even if it's to commiserate.

Connect with those who understand your plight and cheer each other on at the Adult Fiction Writers' Workshop, the first Wednesday of every month in Carbondale, IL.

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Help Out & Pitch In

​Bats and Your Backyard!, Wickliffe, KY - Hear me out on this one, especially if you like to garden. It's time to bust some myths about bats. They're great for your garden and the environment. And what's good for the environment is good for everyone. This free program will teach you how to make your yard more bat-friendly. Take your learnings home, roll out the red carpet, and know you've done a good thing for these misunderstood pest-eaters and pollinators.

*No one from Backroad Weekly has tested out either of the activities in the Community Connection section this week. But they look amazing. Would love to hear from anyone who goes!

Want to give a birthday shout-out? Celebrate your cousin’s engagement? Congratulate your brother on running a 10K? Maybe just roast your buddy for saying mowing the lawn once a week is his cardio routine? Book a spot in Backroad Weekly and get your announcement in front of 500+ subscribers. $25 gets you the megaphone. Just keep it nice-ish.

Pass me the mic

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For each event, you’ll find more info at the link.​
​*Because these events are upcoming, they have not been vetted. That would require a time machine, and we don't have the funds. Party at your own discretion.

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This Weekend’s Happenings - HOLIDAY STYLE

Bonus Day!

Fri, Aug 29

​Benton Neighbor Days (Day 2), Benton, MO - This one is for your inner kid (or your real kid) who loves annual community festivals. Friday events include pageants, live music, and the greased pole climb at 8pm.

​Stairway to Zeppelin, Jackson, MO - A Nashville-based Led Zeppelin cover band is bringing a whole lotta love to Jackson City Park. A free, family- and pet-friendly show with food trucks. Be there (with a lawn chair) or be square. Seriously, take lawn chairs.

​The Musical of Musicals (the Musical!) (Day 1), Anna, IL - It's a musical. And a parody.

​Tunes at Twilight, Cape Girardeau, MO - This week, Nashville’s Seth Walker is bringing his warm blend of bluesy guitar and smooth Americana to Cape's favorite outdoor stage.

​Weapons at Rock' N' Roll Drive-In, Chaffee, MO - Is everyone talking about this movie, or is it just my algorithm? Either way, it's creepy, and it's playing at your local drive-in this weekend.

​Board & Brush DIY Doormat Workshop, Cape Girardeau, MO - Hand-make a doormat. And every time you go home, you'll be reminded of how talented and creative you are.

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Sat, Aug 30

​Fermented Traditions, Hot Sauce Workshop, Cape Girardeau, MO - Make your own hot sauce. And when you're in the kitchen, you'll be reminded of how capable and self-sufficient you are. Take THAT, Schnucks.

​Benton Neighbor Days (Day 3), Benton, MO - Attending community festivals is a great way to explore Southeast Missouri towns. Catch a parade, mud races, a kiddie tractor pull, Heartland Idol, and the famous greased pole climb.

​Advance Labor Day Picnic (Day 1), Advance, MO - BBQ cookoff, mud volleyball, a 5K, live music, a gravel bike race...I would be the racer covered in BBQ sauce.

​The Lone Pine Band Live at the Warehouse, Perryville, MO - In case you're tired of rockin' under the stars in all the same places, go rock under the stars somewhere else. This time, Perryville.

​Lake Wappapello Movie in the Park: Migration, Williamsville, MO - In case you're tired of watching movies in all the same places, go watch one somewhere else. This time, the Lake Wappapello Amphitheater, and for free.

​Labor Day Weekend at Fort D Historic Site (Day 1), Cape Girardeau, MO - Hang with local Civil War reenactors.

​The Musical of Musicals (the Musical!) (Day 2), Anna, IL - Put your musical knowledge to the test. See if you can guess all the musicals that are parodied.

And don't forget about Bats and Your Backyard! in Wickliffe, KY, this Saturday!

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Sun, Aug 31

​Advance Labor Day Picnic (Day 2), Advance, MO - A DUCK CALL COMPETITION! A dog show, beauty pageants, and a beer garden. All in the same place on the same day. The USA is a glorious place. 😂

​The Smooth Jazz Festival, Hosted by the Harold S Jones Fine Arts Center, Cairo, IL - Don't put your lawn chairs away yet. This looks cool. And you get to check out the Cairo regional airport.

​Deeply Rooted: Stories of Missouri Farming, Ste. Genevieve, MO - A traveling museum exhibit on MO’s agricultural history from Native traditions to modern-day farming.

​Old Cape Road at the Bayou Cajun Smokehouse - You know what, just keep your lawn chairs in the trunk until winter. The music is calling, and you must sit.

​The Musical of Musicals (the Musical!) (Day 3), Anna, IL - A night out. Supporting local performers. Music AND laughs. Win, win, win, win.

​Labor Day Weekend at Fort D Historic Site (Day 2), Cape Girardeau, MO - The reenactors probably won't let you fire a cannon. But it doesn't hurt to ask.

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Mon, Sept 01

​Advance Labor Day Picnic (Day 3), Advance, MO - It's show time: Car show, quilt show, art show. Parade (much like a show). Adults on stick horses barrel racing...very much a show. And a video game tournament.

​Labor Day Weekend at Fort D Historic Site (Day 2), Cape Girardeau, MO - If you're not doing anything else this Monday, might as well go hang out in the 1860s.

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Plan Ahead

The Fun You Can't Improvise

​The Red Cedar 12-Mile Hiking Challenge at Giant City State Park, Makanda, IL - Earn an exclusive patch in exchange for the sweat and blisters. It's a rugged backpacking trail, a physical challenge, and a scavenger hunt all rolled into one rewarding experience. You get a month to finish, and you can do it in sections.

​Great Rivers Rendezvous - Paddlers, the launch points for this activity are kind of far. Had to share anyway.

​Cache River Days 5K, Ullin, IL - I'm sharing this too late! We've missed the guaranteed t-shirt cutoff date. And the shirt's pretty cool, dangit. Oh well, the money raised will go to local veterans. That's the whole point. And you get to show a new town how fast and cool you are.

​Canoeing with Southeast Alzheimer's Association, Perryville, MO - If you know someone experiencing memory loss, their families and caregivers, or someone at risk, share this therapeutic opportunity with them.

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*With so much going on, we can’t include everything. We hand-select picks that match the mission, and include events from all over the area to encourage you to explore towns you don’t usually visit. If you’re looking for more in Cape or Carbondale, here are some more sources: The Southeast Missourian, the Missouri Department of Conservation, The Scout, KFVS12, Southern Illinois Tourism, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and Southernmostillinois.com.

Have an event you'd like to get in front of 500+ Southeast Missourians? Advertise with us! Click here and check out the event ad info.

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If you’re looking for a single guidebook that’s truly about our corner of Missouri, check out Pavement Ends: Mystery, History and Scenery in Southeast Missouri* (2024) by the late James Baughn. This columnist, hiker, and landscape photographer's family compiled his articles into this remarkable book about day trips and hikes exclusively in Southeast Missouri. From parks to conservation areas and lesser-known destinations, Baughn made the region’s trails and landmarks more accessible for the rest of us to enjoy. It’s a fitting tribute to Baugh, and a practical companion for anyone eager to explore the Swampeast.

When I'm thinking, "What should I do this weekend?" I pick up Baughn's book and flip through the pages. This unique guide is a valuable resource for Backroad Weekly. You can find Pavement Ends at Cape Girardeau County History Center in Jackson, MO., for $20, or order a copy for home delivery here* for $24.99 + tax.

*If you buy a copy through the Barnes & Noble link, Backroad Weekly may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

When you click a response, this poll will open in another window. That is totally normal internet behavior. Do not panic. You'll also be able to see the stats on how other readers have voted.

What's your go-to kind of day trip? Trails, nature, or any outdoor activity Food and drink Festivals, concerts, events, or sporting events Shopping! Markets, antiquing, thrifting, or shopping centers It's all about the kids History, museums, or art

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Refer a Big Muddy Buddy

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The Fake Bird: Cottonwood Tanager. Did you guess right?

Don't forget to send your 'Caption This' captions.

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Welp, (*slaps knees), we better get goin'. Catch you down the road.

Caitlan Hester
Publisher, Backroad Weekly