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What we did on our summer vacation

Published Aug. 24, 1997

By Tim Wood Once upon a time, students used the topic of "What I did on my summer vacation" for their first paper of the year.

It seems appropriate that this column feature that same topic. Hopefully, this column will turn you on to some of the tourist treasures that are within fairly close driving distance.

It started out as a routine vacation. The mission was to see relatives on both sides of the family and try to have a little fun on the way.

My wife, Cheryl and I estimated we'd drive around 1,400 miles as we went to Kansas City, Mo., and then out to central Oklahoma and back.

Our annual visit to relatives was canceled last year because of our relocation to Columbia. This would be our first real vacation in two years.

We had decided that we would take the time to stop and see interesting attractions along the way. We planned some stops, but others were surprises.

First up on the list was Metropolis, home of Superman. In truth, the town was Metropolis, Ill., and it is anything but a sprawling metropolis.

Nonetheless, it is the official home town of Superman. Located in southwest Illinois near Paducah, Ky., the town has a Superman theme throughout, starting with the likeness of the Man of Steel on a billboard at the town's entrance.

There are approximately 8,000 occupants of the town, whose newspaper is called the Planet. It's not called the Daily Planet, which was the fictitious newspaper where Clark Kent and Lois Lane worked. That could be because the newspaper isn't published daily.

The town's association with Superman dates back to 1972, when a resident thought the comic book association would help boost tourism. A major theme park was envisioned, but never came to pass. Nonetheless, there's much to see and enjoy.

The town square features two major Superman attractions. The most eye-catching is the 18-foot-tall statue of the Man of Steel. Dedicated within the last two years, the $100,000 statue was financed by community contributions.

Right across from the statue is the Superman museum, featuring the collection of Jim Hambrick. Any Superman-related item you could possibly imagine is in that museum. A gift shop sells t-shirts, other mementoes, and - you guessed - Superman comic books.

Down the street is the Chamber of Commerce, where you can find free Kryptonite for the children. There's also a phone booth where children can pretend to be Clark Kent making a rapid change into his superhuman alter ego. My sons, Daniel and Michael, had fun with this.

Just as Columbia has Mule Day, Metropolis has Superman Days, an event which draws 50,000 people and Superman-related celebrities.

After getting our fill of the Man of Steel, we headed on down the road. In nearby Chester, Ill., there's a statue of Popeye the Sailor Man. The popular cartoon character was created by a Chester native, who was inspired by another Chester resident.

It's in a small, attractive park located, appropriately enough, near a Mississippi River bridge. We crossed the bridge and headed to Ste. Genevieve, Mo.

We would cross the Mississippi again - but not in the same fashion.

Ste. Genevieve has a strong German heritage as well as many fascinating buildings. We ate supper in the oldest brick building west of the Mississippi. The next day, we took a walk around town and found a nice interpretive center as well as many interesting houses and churches.

The town has a large Catholic Church, the sanctuary of which is open to the public. It is incredibly beautiful and features a short audio tour.

My wife had read about the ferry rides offered across the Mississippi and she was determined to do it. We arrived too late the previous day to do it. But we found the ferry crossing, honked our horn, and soon the ferry was on its way.

The ferry arrived and we drove onto it. We made a round trip just for the experience of riding the ferry. It made no practical sense. But that's the point of having fun.

After leaving Ste. Genevieve, we planned to drive straight to Kansas City to see my mother and brother. But again, we stumbled onto something.

Our van should have a sticker saying "We brake for historical markers, etc." Cheryl spotted a sign advertising the home of Daniel Boone. How could we resist?

We left interstate 70 and took a winding country road to the home. It features a gift shop, the home, and a small "village" of old buildings which have been restored. There is a church, old-fashioned chair maker's shop, and some houses.

Daniel Boone built his house in the later stage of his life. The four-story home features thick walls and openings where one could fire against intruders.

During the tour, we learned that Daniel Boone kept his casket under his bed and occasionally checked it for fit.

There is exquisite woodwork and old furniture throughout the house, done by either Boone or family members. How they did such incredible work before the age of power tools is beyond me.

If you visit, ask the tour guides to tell you the story of where Daniel Boone is buried. I won't spoil it by telling it in this space.

After visiting there, we went on to Kansas City, then to Shawnee, Okla., my wife's home town. We didn't do anything "touristy" again until the trip home.

We took a more direct route on the way back, but that doesn't mean that we didn't brake for attractions. On the route was Fort Smith, Ark., a town where I've gone to several editor conferences.

We had stopped at a visitors center on the highway and discovered that the town features rides on an old-fashioned trolley. We couldn't pass this up, so we stopped downtown and rode the trolley.

The conductor, a senior citizen who volunteers his time, explained the trolley as well as some of the town's history. Along the trolley route is a mural that was painted by an art class under the direction of a wheelchair-bound teacher. A tornado once knocked down the mural, but the teacher and his class restored it - and added a painting of a tornado.

We had lunch at a hamburger restaurant that I remembered from my trips there. After that, we were on the road again.