Main Street Christmas: Holiday Celebration in St. Charles, Missouri

Stephen Powell, Boone's innkeeper, takes us to the Borromeo Log Church, a replica of where Lewis and Clark worshipped before their expedition. He clicks the heavy padlock, and we marvel at the humble start to one of history's greatest trips. Later, at the First Missouri State Capitol site, we see where legislators, some illiterate, drafted the state's constitution above a general store. Wavy glass windows overlook evergreen-clad shops.

By lunchtime, the sense of anticipation outside is palpable, like a child's toe-twitching excitement on Christmas Eve. Shopkeepers fuss over bows, and a horse-drawn carriage appears. Checking our watches, Natalie and I wait for the moment when an imaginary fairy waves her wand over this toy village, and the Christmas Traditions characters stroll down Main Street again.

A version of this story appeared in Midwest Living® November/December 2011. Click ahead to read a trip guide on what to do, where to eat and where to stay in St. Charles.

Pictured: Local kids participate in the Lewis and Clark Fife and Drum Corps.