Ste. Genevieve, MO adds another charm to its historic town

STE. GENEVIEVE, MO (KFVS) - A new trolley set up in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri will allow residents and tourists to sight-see in the historic downtown area and visit the local wineries.

Whether you are visiting the historic town to sight-see or lounging around at the local wineries, this new service is one that has people excited about.

"It was really exciting how the community actually welcomed it with, it seems, with open arms and everybody was excited about it," owner Sam Oberle said.

Sam Oberle and Jon DeBold had the idea to bring something fresh to the town of Ste. Genevieve about seven months ago.

"We went to Herman, Missouri and fell in love with the whole overall experience," Oberle said. "They have trolley's and stuff too. It just made the whole trip a lot better, more enjoyable. I just thought, why not try it here in Ste. Genevieve."

The Ste. Genevieve Trolley is a 1991 model equipped with lots of bells and whistles. It's also handicap accessible and the sides of the trolley can even open up during warmer weather.

It had been Oberle's dream to one day help residents and tourists to be able to see and experience all of what Ste. Genevieve has to offer.

"I always thought it was kind of a cool idea. To try something like this," Oberle said. "A lot of people drive taxis or shuttles but I was just going with a whole different feel of it."

Some tourists who were visiting and shopping in Ste. Genevieve on Sunday, June 5 said they didn't know about the trolley, but are already planning another visit to the town to experience what it has to offer.

The trolley just started running in town less that a month ago and there have already been dozens of people ride it to the city's wineries and downtown area.

They have even had people from as far as Springfield, Illinois come for the trolley experience.

"A lot of people come here to Ste. Genevieve to stay in the bed and breakfasts, and I know they really would like to be able to just come around downtown Ste. Gen. and also go to the different wineries that they have," Megan Meyer of Festus said. "So I think this allows them to come and kind of have no worries about anything and they can just go and ride around and get to know everything. Especially without knowing any area out here."

Oberle said this trolley could help businesses as more people would shop in town and visit the wineries. Oberle has already seen couples extend their stay to experience more of Ste. Genevieve.

"When people come out of town, say like from Cape or St. Louis or even different states, we can kind of market to them and they
can experience the whole atmosphere of what Ste. Genevieve has to offer," Oberle said.

Ste. Genevieve is full of history, with old buildings at nearly every turn in the downtown area. In fact, the town has received national recognition on multiple occasions with the historic and preserved buildings.

Oberle said he feels this trolley will just add to the charm of the town.

"Just the look and the feel of it goes in perfect with the historic side of Ste. Genevieve," Oberle said. "So with the bed and breakfasts, the wineries, all the nice restaurants, I think it ties in very well with everything."

Meyer said he feels this trolley is an experience worth traveling to Ste. Genevieve for.

"With Ste. Genevieve being the more historic town, I think this kind of sets it back a little bit and in more of a historic time," Meyer said. "Having this trolley car in here, I think that it really fits in well here and it kind of fits in with the way the community is."

"The trolley is another fun and convenient attraction and a great way for those visiting Ste. Genevieve to get to the wineries safely; and for overnight guests who are staying in wine country it's a really convenient way for them to get to the historic center of Ste. Genevieve, to see the sights and do some shopping," Sandra Cabot, Director of Ste. Genevieve Tourism and Economic Development, said.

As of now, the trolley operates on weekends and by appointments only.

On Wednesday, June 8 the trolley will take out residents and family of the Ste. Genevieve Care Center to visit area restaurants and tour the other historic sites.

"It's actually a really awesome feeling. Just knowing how big of history Ste. Gen. has, being born and raised down here," Oberle said. "Just seeing everything from the historic homes, the historic district down here and then all these beautiful wineries being built, it just is really awesome. Overwhelming in a good way to be able to contribute back to the community."

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