DESTINATION ALTON
Great River Road
ALL ABOUT ALTON
Where grand rivers converge, new venues emerge from historic sites.
FIFTEEN MILES NORTH OF ST. LOUIS IS THE HISTORIC RIVER TOWN
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OF ALTON. Sitting on the banks of the Mississippi River, Alton is part
Opened in the former Alton Atrium Hotel and Conference Center in June 2017, Best Western Premier Alton-St. Louis Area Hotel received $4.2 million in improvements, including a complete renovation of the 4,5000-square-foot ballroom. Now divisible into four sections, the ballroom has new flooring, lighting and wall coverings, an upgraded sound system and high-speed internet. The hotel lobby also was transformed and includes a waterfall element. “Now it provides an open canvas for our breakfast seating, community tables (with charger outlets), and several seating areas that provide a very welcome and relaxing space for all of our guests,” says
of the Meeting of the Great Rivers National Scenic Byway, a 33-mile stretch that includes the confluence of three major rivers: the Illinois, the Mississippi and the Missouri. Alton is famous for its limestone bluffs, brick-paved streets and Civil War-era history (the area was a major stop on the Underground Railroad and had many ties to Abraham Lincoln). Today, the greater Alton area is a year-round tourist and meeting destination. From the holiday season through the end of February, it’s home to the largest gathering of bald eagles outside of Alaska. “Alton is part of a greater regional story that
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includes Route 66 and the Great River Road,” says Katie Bennett, tourism sales manager for the Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau. “Alton offers a feeling of escape while maintaining easy access to historic sites, locally owned shops and restaurants, and more.”
P H O T O S : G R E AT R I V E R S & R O U T E S T O U R I S M B U R E A U ; ( O P P O S I T E ) B E S T W E S T E R N P R E M I E R A LT O N - S T. L O U I S A R E A H OT E L
BY BELINDA LICHT Y CL A R K E
