Sweet Summer Fun

I am so excited for tomorrow!! We have such a fun day planned and I know the boys are going to have a blast! Although I think I may be more excited than they are! We're starting our day off at Centennial Farms in Augusta. Centennial Farms has been in operation for 191 years! According to their website, the farm was established in the town of Augusta back in the 1800's by a man named Leonard Harold. Harold sold the land in 1854 to Christian Knoernschild and it has been in their family since then. The farm is 75 acres and consists of a variety of crops such as apple and peach trees, berries, vineyards and an array of veggies. In 1976, the farm was designated a "Centennial Farm" meaning it has been in operation for over 100 years in the same family. It is also on the National Register of Historic Places. I simply love visiting Centennial Farms!! We have picked apples and blackberries from the farm and we also go to their Pumpkin Land each October. It is such a fun, kid-friendly place, they boys always have a great time. The owners are so very friendly and always welcome visitors with a warm smile. I love browsing through the old barn turned market, look at the genuine beauty of this old place!

Please note I do not own this photo, I copied it from their website. If you are ever in St. Charles County, I highly recommend you visit Centennial Farms. You will not be disappointed, I promise! Visit their website for more information: http://centennialfarms.biz/ I cannot wait make southern style blackberry cobbler! The little town of Augusta is a trip in itself. Known as "wine country", you can easily spend a whole day in Augusta walking from winery to winery to quaint little shops to a brewery. There is quite the array of bed & breakfasts in Augusta; Bryan and I have stayed at two different B&B and we've always had excellent service. Obviously we will not hit any wineries tomorrow with the boys, but I am super excited because Bryan and I are going back to celebrate our 10 year anniversary next month! I cannot wait to explore the whole town! Augusta was established in 1836 although the land was purchased in 1821. So much rich history to learn about in this beautiful land!

This is the Katy Trail in Augusta.

One of the many vineyards in Augusta.

After blackberry picking in Augusta we're going to head over to Indian Camp Creek. Indian Camp Creek is a 600+ acre park located on the edge of St. Charles County. This is such a neat place to explore! There are miles and miles of trails used for horses, hikers and bikers. When we hiked a few years ago we had many opportunities to pet the horses as they slowly passes us. There are several shallow creeks to explore as well as a fishing lake and a neat little "Eco-Playground". We are going to explore the creeks and maybe hike a short trail if time permits. The boys are most excited about this part of the day as they have great memories from past summers in the creeks here. 

This is the boardwalk across a creek.

This is on old picture from 2010 of the boys on one of the trails.

Days like these make me so happy. The simply beauties of picking summer berries at a century old farm, gazing at nature's perfect beauty of trees and vineyards, visiting with elders in a quaint little town, walking along a grassy trail, splashing and wadding in cool creek water, trying to catch frogs and minnows and best of all, making priceless memories with the children, is what summer is all about. The best things in life are so very simple and sweet!