There are several wineries relatively short drive from STL.
We went to a lovely winery with good food and wine/ some wine os also from CA.
It is beautiful with large fireplace and big comfortable chairs inside/ outside has a huge patio that overlooks vinyard (small) and a lake and rolling hills. Often there is really good live music!! web site below

www.chandlerhillvineyards.com

A few miles past that is Augusta with many other wineries.

Mount Pleasant and Montelle are popular ones.

Augusta has nice B&B's too. There are little shops and pubs as well.
Blumenhof Winery is located on Highway 94 in the historic village of Dutzow, Missouri's oldest German settlement, founded in 1832. This has won many awards.
http://www.blumenhof.com/

By the way, these are all about 45 minutes give or take from the county of STL.
Where will you be staying?

The best thing I remember is visiting The Trail of Tears.

Have you been to Cahocia Indian Mounds? Just a bit east of St. L in Illinois. There is a very nice museum there and a great view of the city from the top of the mounds.

Thanks for the quick replies! I'm looking foward to seeing the changing leaves on these trips as well.

+1 for Cahokia Mounds.

http://www.cahokiamounds.com/

Check out this website http://www.greatriverroad.com/

If the leaves have turned when you are here (which they haven't yet and don't look like they are going to any time soon) it would be pretty to drive to IL to see the convergence of the Mississippi, Missouri and Illinois rivers. For future visitors, Grafton Illinois is a home to migratory bald eagles in January and it's a good place to view them.

I also highly recommend the Great River Road. The area around Grafton and Pere Marquette Lodge is beautiful. The lodge has a nice restaurant that serves good food.

Are there cabins to rent at Pere Marquette park? There used to be years ago.
I recall they were famous for the fried chicken-

I'm honestly not sure about the state park itself, but the lodge has both hotel rooms and very nice cabins (the cabins are basically large hotel rooms, separate from the main lodge, with all the amentities you would expect in a hotel room). The state park may have its own, much more basic (I'd assume) cabins, but I'm not sure on that. I was just up there today, and I definitely saw lots of that fried chicken being ordered at the lodge restaurant...and did it smell good!

Here is a link to the Lodge atPere Marquette State Park in Grafton Illinois

http://www.pmlodge.net/

Here is a link to the park website

http://dnr.state.il.us/LANDS/landmgt/parks/R4/PEREMARQ.HTM#Lodge

thanks so much for the info - will take a look!

And please see St Albans.... much coveted secret around town,, can be found in many gourmet magazines. A very quaint exclusive "village" not far from St louis