The notebook behind Let's Do Wildwood MO
This site started with a simple observation: Wildwood's best advertisement is Wildwood itself. So instead of another listings page, here is a field guide, written by someone who lives and works in the city and keeps coming back to the same trails, counters, and market tables.
A local's argument for the place
Most city websites tell you what Wildwood is. This one tries to tell you what it feels like: gravel dust settling on a lane at dusk, the smell of the wood stove in November, a Saturday market basket heavy with tomatoes, the sound of a horse nickering across three acres of fog.
The guide is created and maintained by Colleen Lawler, a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker Realty. Colleen has spent more than 30 years helping St. Louis-area families find their place, work that has ranked her top in her company, the metro area, and the state. She keeps that record off this page on purpose: you won't find a portfolio here, and you won't find "act fast, it won't last." What you'll find is honest observation: parks measured in miles of trail, restaurants measured in return visits, and schools and events checked against the records of the city, the school district, and the Missouri Department of Conservation.
When you're ready to translate any of it into a move, the same notebook is open, and so is Colleen's.
- Behind the guide
- Over 30 years as an agent
- Ranked top in
- Company, metro, and state
Kept like field notes, not a brochure
Observed on site
Trails walked, counters sat at, overlooks watched until sunset. If a page says a trail is short, it's because someone short of breath verified it.
Checked against records
Acreage, trail miles, addresses, and dates come from the City of Wildwood, the Rockwood School District, and the Missouri Department of Conservation, and we say so when we use them.
Updated with the seasons
The market has a season, the trails change color, and the calendar fills up. This guide gets a refresh when the facts do, not when the mood strikes.
From field guide to front door
School boundaries, three-acre lots, building on a wooded parcel, or just "where do the people who hike actually live?" Ask a local who keeps notes. There's no pressure, only context, and a real answer.