{"id":1877,"date":"2026-03-25T19:41:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T19:41:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lewisclarkmuseum.org\/?p=1877"},"modified":"2026-04-10T16:04:37","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T16:04:37","slug":"celebrate-departure-day-on-may-16","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lewisclarkmuseum.org\/?p=1877","title":{"rendered":"Celebrate Departure Day on May 16!"},"content":{"rendered":"

With three cannon shots and a hearty \u201cHuzzah!\u201d, the Lewis & Clark Expedition departed St. Charles 222 years ago this May.\u00a0 Join us on the Missouri River Bank May 16th as we commemorate the launch of their expedition and celebrate America\u2019s 250th anniversary.\u00a0 See our remarkable full-size replica of their largest boat up close, tour the museum, witness re-enactors demonstrate the skills of yesteryear and enjoy a full slate of programs and activities geared toward all ages.<\/b><\/p>\n

7am to 10am<\/b> Hometown Half Marathon, 5k and 10k<\/b><\/p>\n

Choose your distance and follow the Missouri River on this out and back timed run, with plenty of goodies and good times along the way. Locat<\/span><\/b>ion: Boat House parking lot (Museum will open at 10 am) <\/span>Register here.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

10am<\/b> Museum opens with discounted admission<\/b>
\n<\/b> ($5 adults\/$3 children under 17)<\/b><\/p>\n

Consistently ranked in the Top 3 attractions in St. Charles, the Lewis & Clark Boathouse and Museum is an official stop on the Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail and features full-size replica boats, films and docents offering a deep-dive into the historic and dramatic expedition.<\/span><\/p>\n

Departure Day Festivities Begin<\/b><\/p>\n

Special FREE exhibits include up-close viewing of our Keelboa<\/b>t, the pride of our fleet. Meet some of the re-enactors who traveled the full distance of the expedition from 2003-2006.<\/span> Location: Boat House Driveway.<\/span><\/p>\n

Re-enactors camp, with demonstrations of traditional skills, clothing and weapons<\/b> of the Lewis & Clark era.\u00a0 (To register for camping, contact the museum at 636-947-3199).<\/span><\/p>\n

The Revolutionary War in St. Charles and Tracing Your Heritage<\/b>
\n<\/span> St. Louis Chapter, National Daughters of the Revolution<\/span>
\n<\/span> Meet local chapter members, view a diorama of the Revolutionary War<\/span>
\n<\/span> Location: Holton Education Center, Upstairs<\/span>
\n<\/span> Saint Charles Chapter, NSDAR \u2013 St. Charles, Missouri<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

The Journey Continues<\/i><\/b> Film Series<\/b>
\n<\/span>Check out the premier of the <\/span>series of short films<\/span><\/a> commemorating key moments in the early days of the Lewis & Clark Expedition. Produced by the DIscovery Expedition of St. Charles it brings the people and events of the expedition to life, including the arrival and departure of the Corp of Discovery from St. Charles.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rides on the Voyageur Canoe<\/b>
\n<\/span>Join Big Muddy Adventures for guided excursions on their large \u201cvoyageur\u201d style canoe.\u00a0 Experience the Missouri River like the old timers did!\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Fishing for Catfish in the Missouri River<\/b>
\n<\/span>You wouldn\u2019t believe the lunkers that have been reeled in right by the Boat House.\u00a0 Get tips and suggestions from some of our regulars.<\/span><\/p>\n

ALL DAY: <\/b>Food, gift shop, museum scavenger hunts, photo opportunities and Junior Ranger for kids.<\/span><\/p>\n

SCHEDULED EVENTS<\/b>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>\"\"Author Conversation and Book Signing<\/b>
\n<\/b> Uncharted Moments: Love, Legacy and the Lewis & <\/b> Clark Trail by Jeffrey S. Ton<\/b>
\n<\/span> Uncharted Moments is a love story told along the Lewis <\/span> & Clark Trail – a journey through sacred places, <\/span> unexpected turns, and the kind of moments that <\/span> rearrange you.\u00a0 The book is released in May 2026. \u00a0 The <\/span> Boathouse itself \u2014 and the reenactors we encountered <\/span> there during the Bicentennial years \u2014 appear several times throughout the <\/span> book. Those visits were meaningful moments in our journey, so the <\/span> possibility of returning in this context feels especially fitting.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lewis & Clark Fife & Drum Corps<\/b><\/p>\n

Hear traditional American tunes of the <\/span> Revolutionary War played by talented young people <\/span> on the instruments of the era.\u00a0 The uniforms and <\/span> songs are a great way to experience the celebrations <\/span> of yesteryear.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Whiskey Ration Ceremony\/Tasting<\/b><\/p>\n

Presented by StiIL630 Distillery, enjoy the taste of history <\/span> with samples of various spirits from the distillery, each <\/span> one themed to celebrate Missouri history.\u00a0 Uniformed <\/span> re-enactors will demonstrate how whiskey was rationed <\/span> to the men of the Lewis & Clark Expedition (Must be 21 <\/span> or older to partake)<\/span>
\n<\/span> Free with museum admission, on the balcony.<\/span><\/p>\n

Exploring for Laughs, History Themed Improv<\/b><\/p>\n

What funny situations might have happened during the Lewis & Clark <\/span> Expedition? A local improv group mines for laughs and will take your <\/span> suggestions and run with them.\u00a0 Free with museum admission, on the <\/span> balcony.<\/span><\/p>\n

Advance tickets are available here.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With three cannon shots and a hearty \u201cHuzzah!\u201d, the Lewis & Clark Expedition departed St. Charles 222 years ago this May.\u00a0 Join us on the Missouri River Bank May 16th as we commemorate the launch of their expedition and celebrate America\u2019s 250th anniversary.\u00a0 See our remarkable full-size replica of their […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1878,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"spay_email":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[65,61,66,55],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lewisclarkmuseum.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Blue-and-Cream-Boat-Waves-Farewell-Card-1.png?fit=2700%2C1800&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lewisclarkmuseum.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1877"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lewisclarkmuseum.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lewisclarkmuseum.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lewisclarkmuseum.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lewisclarkmuseum.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1877"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lewisclarkmuseum.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1877\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1886,"href":"https:\/\/lewisclarkmuseum.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1877\/revisions\/1886"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lewisclarkmuseum.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lewisclarkmuseum.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1877"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lewisclarkmuseum.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1877"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lewisclarkmuseum.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}