As we all know, training camp this summer will be held at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, MO. Since this is a lot closer than River Falls for many of us here at Arrowhead Pride, a lot more of us will be more inclined to head up the road to St. Joseph this summer to watch our boys for the first time. But what else is there to do in St. Joe?

More after the jump.

First off, Missouri Western State University can be accessed from either I-29 or US Hwy 36. There are several hotels right off I-29 that are within minutes to MWSU. These hotels are right next to each other and are about a half mile from the 'Belt Highway,' which is the main drag which houses many fast food restaurants, East Hills Shopping Mall, grocery stores, 2 WalMarts, and many other things.

Hotels in this area include, Super 8, Ramada Inn, Stoney Creek Inn, Motel 6, Drury Inn, Hampton Inn, Days Inn, and Comfort Suites.  All of these hotels are 2 miles away from the MWSU campus. These hotels are next to Applebees, Dennys, Perkins, Ground Round, and Whiskey Creek restaurants.

If you prefer a little longer drive, then there is a Holiday Inn in downtown St. Joe that is right next to the river. It is about 10 minutes away from MWSU. There is also a Best Western about 7 minutes away from MWSU on I-29.

If you are a normal person, you probably eat. If you are hungry, then St. Joe has some restaurants that could feed your appetite. If you were to head up north on I-29, there is a new development in north St. Joe called the Shoppes at North Village. Here you will find restaurants such as Chilis, 54th Street, Olive Garder, Cheddars, Buffalo Wild Wings, Famous Daves, Bob Evans. In these 'Shoppes' there is also a 10 screen movie theater, Best Buy, Borders, Walmart, Sams Club, etc.

If you want to dine at a locally owned restaurant, there are a few of those. One of my favorites is Boudreaux’s Louisiana Seafood. It is located downtown. There is also the Tap Room which is located on the Belt Highway and the Hoof and Horn which is St. Joseph oldest restaurant which is located in the Southend of St. Joseph.

You can see a list of more restaurants here.

If you are a gambling man or woman, then St. Joseph has Terrible's St. Joseph Frontier Casino. While it is not as big as casinos in KC, it does offer around 10 tables and a lot of slots. They also have a decent buffet and Tuesday is Seafood night.

If you are looking for a watering hole, St. Joseph has those, too. As mentioned above, the Tap Room is also a bar, however it is a smoke-free bar, but they do have many big screens that are showing sports. Most bars are located downtown, but most of those bars cater to the college-aged kids, which makes them more or less a club than a bar. There are a few bars on the Belt Highway, and a few hidden in other parts of town.  (I wish I could tell you more about the bars in St. Joe, but I haven't been 21 for too long, so I don't know many of them)

If you are looking for something else to do in the evenings, you could check out a St. Joseph Mustangs baseball game. The Mustangs are made up of  college baseball players from around the area and play at Phil Welch Stadium. You can learn more about the Mustangs by clicking here.

St. Joseph is also home to several museums including the Pony Express Stables and Museum and the Jesse James Home (where he was murdered actually).

Hopefully this will help a few of you enjoy your trip to St. Joseph. If you want to read more about St. Joe, visit http://www.stjomo.com/home.aspx, which is the tourism website.

If you have any questions, feel free to post on the board and I will try and answer them all.

GO CHIEFS!