King Tut and Dinner on the River in St. Louis

It was a beautiful summer day and my friend Betty and I were heading to St. Louis.

We were going to spend the afternoon at the St. Louis Science Center before taking off on a Gateway Arch River Cruise for dinner.

We decided to leave the car in the lot by the boat and take an Uber to the museum and back. 

The cruises left right below the Gateway Arch and we had quite a view from that spot.

The St. Louis Science Center is located within Forest Park. Like the other museums there, it is free to the public.

We didn’t realize that the museum closed at 5:00 pm so we couldn’t see it all, but we had enough time to go through the main thing we came for:

The King Tut Exhibit.

With our tickets we received our recorders for the guided audio tour. 

I really didn’t know what to expect since it had been many years since I had seen anything on King Tut. 

This exhibit was so much more than I ever expected.

It is set up so that you are walking in the steps of archaeologist Howard Carter when he discovers the King Tutankhamun site in 1922. Nothing else like it had ever been found.

The exhibit then takes you through the tomb and the artifacts, including the mummy cases and tomb treasures. 

It consists of lots of gold in every shape and form.

Betty and I were both amazed at all of this splendor, created thousands of years ago with minimal tools.

The King Tut Exhibit is open at the St. Louis Science Center through January 7, 2018. There is a charge for this exhibit, but it is definitely worth it.

We had some time before the river cruise and we had Uber driver take us around Forest Park. 

I had been to the Art Museum and the Zoo, but hadn’t spent any significant time in the park since I was a kid.

Our driver had us back at the boat in time for the cruise. We had not had any substantial food all day and couldn’t wait.

The tables were reserved and the buffet was set up when we boarded. There was a banjo player and Betty and I each order a glass of wine and began to relax.

Dinner on the Gateway River Cruise included a beef carving station, chicken, fish, vegetables, potatoes, fruit, and pasta salad.

We helped ourselves to full portions and the food was very good.

The dessert was a choice of Red Velvet and Chocolate Fudge cakes. I had a little of each and they were both delicious.

It was a beautiful night and the ride along the Mississippi River was wonderful. 

We went outside to catch the sunset and watch the boat get ready to dock.

Dinner cruises, which you can reserve on the website, run through October and start back up in April.

The one-hour sightseeing cruises go until November and start again in March.

Kayaking, Music and Lots of Food in Branson

We got up early at the Radisson Hotel for our first full day in Branson and had a quick breakfast.

Marsha, Brittany, Amanda and I got in the car and headed to Table Rock Lake, where we were going kayaking at Flat Creek Resort in Cape Fear.

It was a scenic drive on winding roads, something we didn’t see in Central Illinois.

Flat Creek Resort is Just outside the city of Branson and we had been invited to check it out, specifically the kayaking.

It was something new they started this season and everyone was excited to be out on the brand-new boats, especially Brittany, who was trying stand up fishing from a kayak for the first time.

The staff helped us get started.

After Brittany did the fishing kayak for a while, she joined Amanda, while Marsha and I in the other tandem kayak.

They were much sturdier than kayaks I had previously been in.

It was the perfect partly cloudy and warm day to be out on the water. It was the most relaxing hour I’d had in a very long time.

Flat Creek Resort itself isn’t very big, but the lake availability is huge, as is the very popular restaurant and bar.

After kayaking we went to the restaurant and found out why so many people, especially locals, come out here.

The drink menu was so inviting, Marsha, Amanda, and I (it was still two days until Brittany’s 21^st birthday) had to give some of their signature cocktails a try and they were delicious:

The Relaxer-Blue Chair Bay Coconut Rum, Peach Schnapps, Skyy Vodka, pineapple juice, and cranberry juice.

Bahama Mama-Captain Morgan White Rum, Blue Chair Bay Coconut Rum, banana liqueur, pineapple juice, orange juice, and grenadine.

Grateful Dead Margarita-Skyy Vodka, Tanqueray Gin, Captain Morgan White Rum, Cazadoras BlancoTequila, Chambord, and house made sweet and sour.

Everything on the menu looked fantastic and we were really hungry so we got a little carried away.

We started with the Pulled Pork Nachos Supreme and the Loaded Potato Skins while we made our decisions for main dishes. We chose the right ones.

Amanda and I had the Hawg and Slaw, a pulled pork sandwich topped with cole slaw, and the mashed potatoes.

Marsha had the brisket salad.

Brittany had an assortment, ordering the Flat Creek Trio: Ribs, Brisket, and Catfish with two sides (she had green beans and baked beans).

As full as we were (our “doggie bags” were quite big), we could not resist the desserts our waiter was offering.

We succumbed to Red Velvet Cheesecake, Chocolate Tuxedo Cheesecake, a Cherry Fried Pie, and (fried bread pudding)

After we left Flat Creek, we went back to the Radisson Hotel to chill for a while before our 4:00 pm Showboat Belle Branson dinner cruise.

We made the short drive to White River Landing for the boat. We were disappointed that it was starting to drizzle, but I noticed that the boat was very large and mostly indoors.

I had been on a lot of dinner cruises, but the food and entertainment on the Showboat Branson Belle was top notch.

We had a choice of steak, fish, or pork chop with vegetables and potatoes.

Soft drinks and dessert, turtle cheesecake or chocolate cake. Didn’t eat much.

The boat is beautiful, clean, organized and very well kept. Our table (premium section) was in the perfect position to see the show. Performers were fantastic.

I loved the Billy Joel medley as I had been about overcome with country music prior.

The clouds were quite ominous, though it didn’t rain hard. We took a walk outside. No sunsets on this night.

We had talked about doing something after the show, but we were all wiped out so we just enjoyed the pool and jacuzzi when we got back to the Radisson Branson before bed.

We had another full day ahead in Branson, Missouri to come.