Stardate: 2020-03-11
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Middle March is the perfect time to go on a daffodil hunt and there is no better place to do it than Bellefontaine Cemetery in North Saint Louis. Daffodils are the trumpets of spring, and nothing shouts spring like thousands of bright yellow daffodils bursting wildly from the ground.
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Surprisingly, this is a great trip for teenagers, particularly brand new drivers. Teens are intrigued by cemeteries and the narrow sleepy roads are perfect for building spatial intelligence and for taking the wheel that very first time.
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Be sure to stop first at the Main Office to pick up a map and a bottle of water, and perhaps use the facilities. Use your official map to target one or two destinations, but in general, simply have your teen follow the white line around the cemetery, which might take about an hour. The cemetery is surprisingly large.
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The best daffodils are located near Cypress Lake. Daffodils are the trumpets of spring; they shout that spring is coming but spring is not necessarily here yet.
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Missouri weather can be unpredictable in March, but this trip works in any kind of weather. If it’s a nice day, bring a picnic and get out of the car to explore on foot, or head towards William Clark’s plot to leave a penny on this famous adventurer’s gravestone.
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Bellefontaine is full of significance and there is something for everyone. You will want to return many times to begin to explore this magnificent arboretum and nature preserve, perhaps during the Beer Baron Tours in the fall.
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This is also a nice field trip for families seeking social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic. Interestingly, Bellefontaine Cemetery was originally created in response to a cholera epidemic that killed nearly 6% of the Saint Louis population before a clever doctor made a map and determined that a single water well was the source of the contamination.
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Speaking of maps, here’s a Green Spiral adventure map designed for younger families. You can make your own adventure map, download this map from the Green Spiral Facebook page or buy it in the Urban Wild book of adventure maps available on Amazon.
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Indeed, whether following the trumpet of angels, soldiers or daffodils, Bellefontaine Cemetery has an adventure for nearly everyone in early spring.
Bellefontaine Cemetery: 4947 W. Florissant; 63115
greenspiraltours.wordpress.com 
March 24, 2020 at 3:47 pm
Excited to revisit the cemetery now! Thanks Jessie for walking us through this local attraction and giving us some helpful hints along the way!