Le Bourgeois Wine Garden, Rocheport, Missouri

        Storms threaten the Missouri river valley. Still, for Beverly and Larry Lamb, it is a perfect time to find a little relaxation with a glass of wine. It is Larry’s birthday, and the couple is enjoying one of the best views of the landscape in central Missouri.

Although weekends find a crowd of people at Les Bourgeois wine garden, they’ve got the place almost to themselves.

Les Bourgeois’ wine garden consists of an old-fashioned A-frame building with the roof stretching nearly to the ground and picnic tables on a scenic bluff overlooking the Missouri River and the Katy Trail. However, it is not the only reason to come to the countryside between Columbia, Mo., and tiny Rocheport, Mo. Les Bourgeois is more than the wine garden and the restaurant. It is also a winery, which is open for tours and wine tastings. It is the third-largest of the 56 wineries in the state, producing 90,000 gallons of wine each year.

As visitors walk through the winery door, the intoxicating aromas of wine fill the air, sweet and fruity. A cat that lives in the winery slinks between the tanks and laps up water from a puddle, a result of the heavy rains of the day. The sounds of the machines pumping and clicking are a slow background rhythm – but soon, harvest will be in full swing.

Fin Inn, Grafton, Illinois

A catfish glides along the side of its aquarium, peering at a nearby table where hungry customers are dining on its aquatic fellows.

For some customers, the tableside aquariums at The Fin Inn in Grafton, Ill., accent the atmosphere. But for others, the nearby creatures limit dining choices.

“They had turtle pie on the menu, and I’m like, ‘Hmm, eat turtle pie next to the turtle?’” Linda Laws said.

Laws and her friends ate next to a tableside aquarium containing a large blue-fin dolphin catfish.

“[My friend] literally was going to order catfish,” Laws said. “That catfish just kept, like, staring at her, and she thought, ‘I can’t do it. I can’t order catfish. He’s looking at me,’ so she ordered shrimp.”

The restaurant’s four 2,000-gallon wall aquariums, which are divided to separate their inhabitants, feature an array of fish, including tilapia, catfish, cod and suckerfish. The white-and-yellow speckled devil fish draws attention with a huge bubble-like bump on top of its head while carp with their ever-gaping jaws swim in another tank.

Osceola Cheese Company, Branson, Missouri

Susie White and her husband, Bill, climb into their late-model white pickup with a paper plate and a knife.

Two hours after they leave their home in Kansas City, Kan., a giant cartoon mouse on a neon purple billboard proclaims, “Six More Miles to the Osceola Cheese Company.”

Their final destination, Branson, Mo., is still more than two hours away, but the highlight of the trip is only five minutes down the road.

Six identical billboards later, Susie and Bill White cross a four-lane highway to turn into a two-acre parking lot. The Osceola Cheese Company rises before them.

Inside, they will find flavors such as chocolate, cranberry and apple cinnamon – varieties one generally finds in cereal aisles where hundreds of glossy box fronts promise sugar highs and cheap prizes.

But at the Osceola Cheese Company in Osceola, Mo., they are flavors of cheese.

Shatto Milk Company, Osborn, Missouri

The products of Shatto Milk Company are vast. Their milk does not just come in the typical whole, 2%, 1% or skim, but includes other uniquely flavored milks such as chocolate, orange crème, strawberry, root beer and banana.

“We just want to make milk fun,” said Leroy Shatto, who even made a batch of cotton candy-flavored milk for Family Day this past year.

What started as a family-owned dairy farm located just north of Kansas City in Osborn, Missouri has grown into an award-winning small business that welcomes thousands of visitors each year.

Shatto said people occasionally are skeptical when they hear of these products, but once they try them, they realize what a treat they actually are. In addition to milk, Shatto Milk Company also produces cream, fruit punch, iced tea, butter and seasonal eggnog.

The Blue Owl Restaurant and Bakery, Kimmswick, Missouri 

Imagine a homemade apple pie that is so big it takes 18 apples to fill it, was named after a flood barrier, and has appeared on television twice because of its originality.

This is not a typical pie that can be found in an average grocery store. The Levee High Apple Pie is only one of the many desserts created by The Blue Owl Restaurant and Bakery in Kimmswick, Missouri.

Between its irresistible charm and inviting menu, The Blue Owl has taken flight since it began more than two decades ago.

Hamburg Inn No. 2, Iowa City, Iowa 

Hidden in the depths of downtown Iowa City, the Hamburg Inn No. 2 looked like most other diners – but when Ronald Reagan stopped in for the meatloaf special, everything changed.

“He had been an announcer for sports radio in Des Moines, so there was a history there,” said Dave Panther, owner of the Hamburg Inn. “Unfortunately I wasn’t here when he stopped in – I was out making a balloon delivery as a court jester. By the time I came in, he was out.”

That’s right, Panther also works part-time as a professional clown.

His restaurant started out modestly enough, but it has grown into something of an exception in the world of family-owned, mom-and-pop-type establishments. Its reputation was built by countless appearances in travel magazines, newspapers, even a TV show or two and as local destinations go, it’s a little slice of Midwestern Americana with a twist – part of it due to political star power.

Stone Hill Winery, Hermann, Missouri

Nestled in central Missouri among the farms and small towns lies a group of wineries. Although Missouri is not as well known for wines as certain parts of the world, it is host to many vineyards and wineries, which offer tasty and reasonably priced wines. Among the oldest and best known of these is Stone Hill Winery in Hermann, Missouri. 

Thomas Held, director of sales and advertising for Stone Hill Winery, said Hermann is a city with much to offer because of its distinct German culture.

“Hermann itself has 70 to 80 bed and breakfasts, German architecture, rolling hills, vineyards on the hillside, romance and ambiance,” Held said. “You can put yourself back in time, and it can be quite romantic.”

Eckert’s Orchards in Belleville, Illinois, located about 45 minutes outside of St. Louis, began more than 100 years ago when Henry Eckert planted the first fruit trees near his home on Turkey Hill in St. Clair County, Illinois. In 1910, Henry’s son Alvin began selling the fruit at a roadside stand, and since then the business has continued to grow.

Today, with two additional locations in Millstadt, Illinois, and Grafton, Illinois, Eckert’s Orchards is the largest family-owned and operated pick-your-own farm in the U.S., according to the company’s Web site.

Crown Candy, St. Louis, Missouri

Located near downtown St. Louis, Missouri, Crown Candy offers an atmosphere that the average corner candy store can’t. The vintage jukebox, old-fashioned Coca-Cola collectibles and antique signs allow visitors to feel as though they have taken a step back in time. With a traditional soda fountain and a menu that boasts items such as a newport — a sundae with a lot of whipped cream and pecans — this establishment clearly offers more than just a tasty meal. It offers the feel of a simpler time.

Part of Crown Candy’s charm comes from the fact that it has a history that makes it different from the run-of-the-mill candy store. According to the store’s Web site, Harry Karandzieff and Pete Jugaloff opened Crown Candy when they brought their confectioners’ skills from Greece in 1913. The two men wanted to create an establishment with a family atmosphere in which to sell their sweet treats. In the 1950s, Harry’s son George took over, keeping the business in the family. Today, George’s three sons, Andy, Tommy and Mike Karandzieff, run the family business.

Ice Cream Capital of the World, Le Mars, Iowa 

In 1913, the Wells family started a dairy company out of their backyard in the small town of Le Mars, Iowa. Today, the city of Le Mars produces 100 million gallons of ice cream per year, more than any other city, prompting the Iowa state legislature to crown Le Mars the Ice Cream Capital of the World in 1994. 

With a population of 9,435, Le Mars seems like an unusual home for the acclaimed Blue Bunny company. Liz Crosten, manager of corporate communications and public relations, said that one of the two factories still stands at the edge of a housing development because the family just continued to build onto the original backyard business.