Well?  Last time there was for a week.  Stayed in the hotel (Collinsville), drank a lot, went to a Blues game (which was awesome),  went to the Arch (also pretty cool).  

Will be there 10/20-11/4ish.  Thinking of finding a hotel across the river.  

What shall I do with myself?

ETA: flying in privately  (not mine, part of my job is to accompany and oversee the airplane I maintain during heavy maintenance).  Is it even worth bringing anything of mine?  

Bringing what of yours?

Shop Bass Pro & Cabela's.  Visit Budweiser & take tour w/ free tasting.

Eat at Fast Eddies once if you have not yet- good food Cheap in Alton.
Tuckers is a good steak house in Collinsville, but pretty $$$.
If you like BLT's Crown candy in STL is amazing.
PI pizza in Edwardsville is worth mention.

There is a indoor / outdoor gun range in highland IL if you wanted to shoot. I think there is a range at olin Winchester plant in East Alton never been there- not sure if they do tours?? might be cool. indoor range in Belleville.

Ferry across Mississippi into Saint Charles MO and check out the riverfront in saint Charles. Trailhead brewery is excellent and Millstream right next door if it is still there was really cool.

Lol, sorry.  Bringing any of my own firearms.  I'm told there is a very nice gun club close to East Alton.  

Can I even buy ammo there?  There seems to be a bit of confusion about that.  The way I read the laws, I can, but the guys I'm talking to out there disagree.

You are good to buy ammo here. Check out Peel Pizza in Edwardsville. Winchester has a public range at their plant in East Alton. Grafton is a nice place to check out with a few restaurants and a gorgeous drive up the river road this time of year. There is a great state park past Grafton that has some great hiking.

Sounds right up my alley.  Thanks!

I second Peel Pizza in Edwardsville if you ever get a chance to try it.
It is the second best pizza place i know.
I recommend the potato pizza.  that son of a gun is good!!!

There are a few good bars in Collinsville but i dont go there often.  the 5th Quarter has this weird named beer on tap that i like called Left Hand  Milk Stout Nitro.  It is a better Guinness.
In St. Louis, i would go to one of the two Schlafly Breweries (i prefer the Bottleworks). They have a lot of good beers on tap and the Bottleworks has pretty good food. Their pizza is no slouch either....
Good BBQ sandwich and the potato au gratin is tasty....
A lot of folks like the Tap Room for some reason but I havent figured out why.  
If you want to go just for the beer then either will be good.  They have "Cask" beer at the Tap Room...

Cabelas is a pretty good stop.
Bass Pro is alright but I prefer Cabeals.  It depends on what you are looking to get. I stock up on ammo there when I can

I dont know about any gun clubs in Alton, its not really my area..
Tony's in Alton is a good place to eat, at least it was when i went there a few years back. It is an Italian joint with peppercorn prime rib that they are famous for.

Oh, and Fast Eddies is a famous bar in Alton.  They are known for having cheap food that you cant take with you.  Their Kabobs are not that bad.  Just about everyone who is traveling through the area goes there it seems.

It seems that I only know how to post on food.

Oh, and i dont want to stop on anyone's toes but I don't tend to like Metro Shooting Supply (the one in Belleville Illinois in particular). They seem to charge a little bit more for everything.
Belleville is not really close to Alton though.

Edwardsville (the same town as Peel Pizza) has a gun club that now has a rifle range.  At least that is what i have heard, I have not been there personally.  

Skip the Belleville range.  It's a dump and the employees are weird (to be nice).

Fast Eddies for sure.

River Road up to Grafton for a nice drive by the river.  Take photos of the Piasa Bird:  http://www.altonweb.com/history/piasabird/

Imo's Pizza for a classic.  The square beyond compare.

Could stop by the Alton Museum and see the world's tallest man exhibit:  http://altonmuseum.com/html/boy_giant_book.html

I think that, since you are an out-of-stater, you will probably need to show ID to buy ammo.  Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but I assume that to be the case because IL residents have to show the FOID card to buy ammo, and I doubt any seller is going to accept "Oh, I'm from Wyoming" without fearing the ISP is lurking around.

Some places will refuse, and some will ask for a photocopy of the license as a CYA.  Its a total clusterfuck.

Need to repeal this FOID card bullshit anyway. . . .

You're truly missing out of you don't hit fast eddies.

Fast Eddies is a go, I was encouraged to go find it last time I was there.  Anything else?  Anything I shold I hit over in St. Louis?  Last time I was there the guys took me to some bar (after the Blues game) where the girls had painted on tops?  Not really my style, but great drinks.  

Well, if you're seeking a gentlemen's club, you could head across the river to Sauget, IL and hit up PTs Sports Club or Diamond Caberet.  Then, a few miles up, there's a Hustler Club right off I-64.  They have "good drinks" too.

Hit up Fast Eddies yesterday.  Burger, fries, and 2 beers for under 10 bucks.  And a decent burger at that.  Looks like a fun place for Friday night.

Peel Pizza is on the menu for Friday.  Getting a pie for me and a a few for the hotel staff.  They're pretty excited, which makes me pretty excited.

A couple tips about peel. Hit the place up before 6 or you may have an hour or so wait. Their wings are fantastic. Also if you decide to order a salad and are by yourself do not order the full salad. It can feed three.

My tip is never move here.

did you try the potato pizza?
in my opinion, its the only one that really excels on their menu.  They are good pizzas but the potato pizza is great.
i can really think of any other places to hit up...
maybe one of the Schlafly breweries in St Louis?

I was at peel the other night and i saw no-gun sticker on the door....
i was kind of disappointed in that.

Traffic on the week end in Grafton is real heavy this time of the year. Lots of motorcycles and many of the riders are drinking. I did only work one motorcycle accident by the State Park the other night. Watch the deer they are everyplace.

If you do go to Pere Marquette State Park  the scenic  drive next to the lodge is beautiful in the fall. You can see both rivers and the Arch from there. The fence and guard shacks are from a old Nike Missile  Base dug into the bluffs.