Autumn…the air gets crisp, the trees deck themselves out in their favorite colors, leaves crunch under your feet, the pace of life seems to slow a bit. It’s just the right season to seek out the perfect place to curl up with a good book.
If you’re not sure what you’re in the mood to read, head to a place where options abound…like a library. A great choice is the Kansas City Central Library. Just look for the giant bookshelf mural and be sure to check out the Nine Muses Library Coffee Shop inside to add a side of coffee and a sweet treat to that new novel.
If the weather’s mild, take advantage of the Show-Me State’s gorgeous scenery: sit by a waterfall like Grand Falls in Joplin, find a scenic historic site like Dillard Mill in Davisville, search out a spot in a garden like the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis or the Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden at the Springfield Botanical Gardens, or lay claim to a bench in Forest Park in St. Louis or Krug Park in St. Joseph.
If you’re up for a book lover’s overnight getaway, check out Hermann’s Cottages Tree Houses. There’s a lovely reading nook with your name on it. The Lodge at Echo Bluff State Park in Eminence, Big Cedar Lodge in Ridgedale and Hotel Vandivort in Springfield have fantastic fireplaces perfect for toasting your toes while you read.
If you like your reading with a beverage, just name your poison. Places like Shortwave Coffee in Columbia provide the caffeine needed for the fastest moving action-adventure tale and hot cocoa to soothe your nerves during a horror novel. Missouri has a variety of amazing roasteries in every corner of the state, like Park Avenue Coffee in St. Louis (just be sure to blow the powdered sugar from your gooey butter cake off your fingers before you turn a page) and Parkville Coffee, a full-service café and small-batch coffee roastery in downtown Parkville. The Ground-A-Bout in Jackson offers a variety of flavors so you can match one to your literary genre. Depending on your tastes and mood, indulge in an espresso double shot or a health shake at Classic Rock Coffee in Springfield while you read and enjoy the colorful décor.
If caffeine is too stimulating, take it down a notch while you browse books to borrow, buy or trade at The Tiger’s Den in St. Joseph, with a glass of your favorite wine or a cool cocktail in hand. Spend Happy Hour or just many a happy hour at Afterword Tavern & Shelves, a Kansas City bookshop, bar and café rolled into one. That way you can read your way through cocktail hour and dinner without interruption.
If you love reading there are only good places and great places to curl up with a new book or an old familiar friend. Check out some of our suggestions or seek out a special spot of your own – and feel free to share it with us on Instagram (tag @visitmo or #MissouriAdventure). Happy reading!
Written by Barb Brueggeman