Free State Family is a parent blog full practical and entertaining information for parents in and around Lawrence, Kansas. Not from the area? No problem! We also have a healthy dose of general musings suitable for the wider audience.
We just returned from a whirlwind trip that brought us to various parts of Indiana to visit family, but on the way home, we stopped an hour southwest of St. Louis at Meramec State Park for a mini vacation.
Rather than hassle with camping, we opted for a small cabin that had a decent sized cave just a short trail away from it.
By decent sized, I mean that you could walk in far enough that the mouth of the cave was no longer visible, and still have the option of going further. It was just like Goonies, only darker. (We didn't see any bats, by the way)
In addition to spelunking, we took a float trip down the Meramec river in a big raft. From what I've read, this particular float trip is pretty popular on the weekends with St. Louis drunkards who have a penchant for loud music, but our weekday float was pretty peaceful.
The highlight of the route was defintely the cool cave/waterfall at the half way point. The route, however, lost a few points with me for lacking a decent current in spots. You're not suppose to actually have to row on a float trip.
All in all, it was an affordable getaway that offered a decent amount of adventure.
Any suggestions for other good float trips in the area?
Oh yeah, we also roasted some marshmallows while we were there.
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Rather than hassle with camping, we opted for a small cabin that had a decent sized cave just a short trail away from it. 
The highlight of the route was defintely the cool cave/waterfall at the half way point. The route, however, lost a few points with me for lacking a decent current in spots. You're not suppose to actually have to row on a float trip.
