I am planning trip to st louis

[Vickie46]

I would love any advice regarding neat places and things to do in St. Louis. We are going to stop in American Girl Place too

 

[Danielle3699]

We went last year and had such a great time! Here's the things we did with hours, prices, address, and how much time you're likely to spend there. We ate at Fitz's twice and my kids LOVED their root beer!

Gateway Arch - $10/$5 8-10 11 N 4th St, 63102 (2-4 hours)
City Museum - $12 9-5M-R, Fri and Sat 9-12, Sun 11-5 701 N 15th St, 63103 (2-4 hours) (no food and drink allowed to be brought in)
Grant’s Farm – free admission/$12 parking 9-3:30 9:30-4 Sun 10501 Gravois, 63123 (2-4 hours) (no food or drink allowed to be brought in)
St Louis Zoo – free $15 parking 8-5 M-R 8-7 Fri & Sat Forest Park, One Government Dr, 63110 (2-4 hours)
Forest Park – free dawn-10 Forest Park 5595 Grand Dr, 63112 (2-4 hours)
St Louis Science Center – free/$10 parking 9:30-5:30 M-Sat, 11-4:30 Sun Forest Park, 5050 Oakland Ave, 63110 (2-4 hours)
Anheuser Busch Brewery – free Mon-Sat 9-5 Sun 11:30-5 12th & Lynch St, 63118 (2 hours)
Fitz’s Resaurant/ Root Beer Brewery 11-9 6605 Delmar Blvd, 63130

 

[CinderellaMouse]

Welcome! I've lived here all my life. I recommend:

The Muny: One of my favorite things to do in St. Louis. Every week from mid June-mid Aug., they put on a different Broadway musical in the largest open-air theatre in the US. The ticket price range - $80 for a seat in the front to $12 in the back section, along with 1,000 free seats in the very back - make it truly for everyone. Left to perform this summer are Shrek, Nunsense, South Pacific, Les Mis, Mary Poppins, and West Side Story. The Muny is in...

...Forest Park, which is considered the nation's #1 urban park. The old 1904 world's fairgrounds, it's a beautiful setting with a number of free attractions. These include the zoo, the art museum, and the history museum, with the science center right on the edge. There's also the Boathouse, a cute restaurant on a dock where you can rent paddleboats.

City Museum: This is basically a huge indoor playground. There's a forest section and a cave section for kids and adults to climb around in, plus an outdoor section that's a city built of junk pieces, as well as an exhibit of old carnival stuff. A unique place that kids love. (Warning if you have escape artist children: it's easy to lose track of a kid in here.)

Grant's Farm: A scaled-down version of the zoo on the grounds of Ulysses S. Grant's farm. It was later the Busch family estate, and the Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales live here. Kids (and adults) love feeding the little goats from milk bottles. They act like they haven't eaten all day.

The Arch: Of course you wouldn't miss this! But don't forget the Museum of Westward Expansion in the base. There's also an interesting movie about the monument's construction.

Missouri Botanical Garden: A gorgeous spread of gardens from all over the world. They have a great kids' center as well as a fun hedge maze.

The Magic House: A really awesome children's museum. I haven't been in years as it's not a place you would go without kids and I don't have any, but I've never found a kid who didn't like it there. I loved it growing up. Kids should probably be under 10 at the most to fully enjoy it.

Cahokia Mounds: One of North America's largest Indian settlements is over the river in Illinois. It's a huge mound city with a great museum.

Anheuser-Busch Brewery: You get to see the Clydesdales here as well, followed by a fascinating tour through the factory. You'll learn about the beer-making process, as well as a lot about St. Louis history.

Kakao: A pricy but worth it chocolate shop. All the truffles are made by hand from all-natural ingredients, and you'll find flavors like chai tea and bacon alongside the usual caramel and marshmallow.

The Hill: The old Italian section of town that remains very true to its roots. There's a restaurant on every street corner, and I've never had a bad meal here. My personal favorites are Zia's and Gian-Tony's, but you really can't go wrong here.

Crown Candy: One of my favorite restaurants anywhere. This is an old 1913 soda fountain that somehow survived, probably because of its absolutely amazing malts. It's adorably nostalgic, and the food is to die for. (Warning: while it isn't unsafe to go here during the day, the area around the restaurant has completely fallen apart. Don't judge St. Louis by how this neighborhood looks.)

Grbic: Awesome Bosnian restaurant in south St. Louis.

Ted Drewe's: authentically St. Louis frozen custard. It's a local institution and it's not to be missed.

Imo's: the original St. Louis-style pizza.

 

[Vickie46]

I would love any advice regarding neat places and things to do in St. Louis. We are going to stop in American Girl Place too

Thank you both for the info

 

[Egdisney]

We have recently moved to KC and were thinking of heading to STL for a mini vacay since we are going to DW in Oct. thanks for the info!

 

[3CW]

The previous posters have covered most of the highlights. Have fun! I grew up in St. Louis and moved away a few years ago...still miss it!


A couple other fun places that I didn't see mentioned above:

- the Fox theatre: this is a gorgeous old 1920's silent theatre that was restored in the 80's to become a venue for concerts/comedians/musicals. It's the main St. Louis location for traveling Broadway shows.

- the Loop: the Fitz's restaurant a PP mentioned is on a neat little street of shops and eateries called the Loop (it was part of a trolley loop back in the day...now it's basically just a strip). There is a St. Louis walk of fame on the sidewalk. The Pin-Up Bowl is also here and a lot of fun.


We went back to visit family last June, and visited:
- the zoo
- Grant's Farm
- the Arch
- Busch Stadium for a Cardinals game
- Caleco's...great Italian place downtown
- the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival in Forest Park...FREE, runs from Memorial Day to Father's day each year
- the Royal Dumpe dinner theatre at Laclede's Landing...fun but ribald, not for kids
- Imo's...had to get my toasted ravioli and St. Louis-style pizza!

 

[SarahKate]

Lots of great suggestions. We love Fitz's too, its a great family place. Highly recommend the Drury next to Chesterfield Mall. It's very very close to AG and you could walk it very easily. We stay there several times a year. There is also a fun place in the area I think it's called Chesterfield Sports Fusion and they have laser tag, rock climbing, putt putt and lots more. It's a great place. Our daughter is 11 now but we used to love taking her to Magic House. Great place but suggest getting there when they open. Another of my daughters fave places is called Yucandu and its in Webster Groves. It's a make your own art studio and they have all kinds of mediums like decoupage, mosaics or just painting. Really great place to spend a few hours and best of all you can take your creation with you the same day. City Museum is very neat but I don't know if I'd recommend going if the weather is really hot. We went last summer and it was mid 90s. The a/c couldn't keep up and it was miserable and the outside structures were too hot to climb on.

 

[Vickie46]

Lots of great suggestions. We love Fitz's too, its a great family place. Highly recommend the Drury next to Chesterfield Mall. It's very very close to AG and you could walk it very easily. We stay there several times a year. There is also a fun place in the area I think it's called Chesterfield Sports Fusion and they have laser tag, rock climbing, putt putt and lots more. It's a great place. Our daughter is 11 now but we used to love taking her to Magic House. Great place but suggest getting there when they open. Another of my daughters fave places is called Yucandu and its in Webster Groves. It's a make your own art studio and they have all kinds of mediums like decoupage, mosaics or just painting. Really great place to spend a few hours and best of all you can take your creation with you the same day. City Museum is very neat but I don't know if I'd recommend going if the weather is really hot. We went last summer and it was mid 90s. The a/c couldn't keep up and it was miserable and the outside structures were too hot to climb on.

Sara how close is the art studio to American Girl? Was that Drurys place real nice? Did they have a pool? AG package or free breakfast?

 

[Vickie46]

The previous posters have covered most of the highlights. Have fun! I grew up in St. Louis and moved away a few years ago...still miss it!

A couple other fun places that I didn't see mentioned above:

- the Fox theatre: this is a gorgeous old 1920's silent theatre that was restored in the 80's to become a venue for concerts/comedians/musicals. It's the main St. Louis location for traveling Broadway shows.

- the Loop: the Fitz's restaurant a PP mentioned is on a neat little street of shops and eateries called the Loop (it was part of a trolley loop back in the day...now it's basically just a strip). There is a St. Louis walk of fame on the sidewalk. The Pin-Up Bowl is also here and a lot of fun.

We went back to visit family last June, and visited:
- the zoo
- Grant's Farm
- the Arch
- Busch Stadium for a Cardinals game
- Caleco's...great Italian place downtown
- the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival in Forest Park...FREE, runs from Memorial Day to Father's day each year
- the Royal Dumpe dinner theatre at Laclede's Landing...fun but ribald, not for kids
- Imo's...had to get my toasted ravioli and St. Louis-style pizza!

Is grants farm close to the zoo?

 

[SarahKate]

Sara how close is the art studio to American Girl? Was that Drurys place real nice? Did they have a pool? AG package or free breakfast?

Drury Hotels are in great numbers in the STL area and it is a wonderful hotel chain. The one by AG is actually called "Drury Plaza," which basically means it's a bit of a step up from a "normal" Drury. The rooms are very nice and sometimes they have specials with free upgrades. You can't beat the price, considering you get free hot food both for breakfast and in the evening and there are also adult beverages in the evening. The pool is great....it's one of those that is partially inside and outside and there's also a hot tub. They also welcome pets, which not all hotels do - we sometimes take our Shih Tzu with us and it's great.

I'd suggest going to www.druryhotels.com and just checking out their rates. Try promo codes "stlfun" or just "fun" as many times they'll have discounted rates. We normally get a room for around the $100/night range.

I did see a package for AG: https://wwws.druryhotels.com/DruryDeals.aspx?DealId=12016115&Property=0121

Also saw your post asking about Grant's Farm and the zoo. They're not really close. However, I definitely wouldn't recommend doing both. They're both essentially zoos. STL Zoo is easily a full day, whereas you could do Grants Farm over a morning or afternoon.

Yucandu (www.yucandu.com) is about 20-25 minutes away from the Chesterfield Mall area. It's a very easy drive.

 

[3CW]

Is grants farm close to the zoo?

Also saw your post asking about Grant's Farm and the zoo. They're not really close. However, I definitely wouldn't recommend doing both. They're both essentially zoos. STL Zoo is easily a full day, whereas you could do Grants Farm over a morning or afternoon.

Agreed, Forest Park (where the zoo is) and Grant's Farm are about 10 miles/20 minutes apart. Given the choice between the two, I would definitely recommend the zoo - just more there to see! But there is some neat history to Grant's Farm as well - as you might guess from the name, it was once owned by Ulysses S. Grant and has a cabin hand-built by him. It's also home to the Budweiser Clydesdales.

We did both when visiting last year because my nephew is animal obsessed!

 

[MarbleBob]

Don't know when you are visiting, but two brand new outlet malls are opening in August. Both are just minutes west of the American Girls store in Chesterfield. Not that big of a deal, except for one of them is going to have a Disney Store outlet!!!!

http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/store_listing.asp?id=108

 

[Vickie46]

Don't know when you are visiting, but two brand new outlet malls are opening in August. Both are just minutes west of the American Girls store in Chesterfield. Not that big of a deal, except for one of them is going to have a Disney Store outlet!!!!

http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/store_listing.asp?id=108

Which mall is the best there? I might do back to school shopping. We are gong this week.

 

[MarbleBob]

If you are already going to be in Chesterfield for the American Girl store, then I'd say just shop at Chesterfield Mall. We aren't big mall shoppers, but when we do, we hit Chesterfield Mall 99% of the time.

The other two good options are the St. Louis Galleria and West County mall. Galleria is bigger, but it's been in decline over the last 10 years or so and isn't quite what it used to be. The only reason we ever go there anymore is for the Disney store. West County mall is really nice, but the only reason we ever go there is for the Apple store since it has many of the same shops as Chesterfield. Then, there is the St. Louis Mills outlet mall. It's also on the decline, but might have some shops worth visiting.

Also worth noting, is that if you are into shopping, the longest strip mall in America is in Chesterfield Valley, just a mile or so west of Chesterfield Mall off Hwy 64/40. Nothing really that you can't visit anywhere else, it's just really convenient to have so much in one place.

 

[MarbleBob]

More food for thought... No-one has mentioned the Butterfly House, which is just a couple miles north of the American Girl store. My kids (DD13, DS10, DD6) all love that place and we usually go at least once or twice a year.

http://www.missouribotanicalgarden....the-butterfly-house/featured-attractions.aspx

There is an old restored carousel next door in Faust park that is also pretty cool. http://www.stlouisco.com/ParksandRecreation/ChildrensFun/StLouisCarouselatFaustPark

Additionally, they have a really nice outdoor playground in Faust park.

-----

Having lived in the St. Louis area most of my life, we've done most everything that's been listed here several times over. Of everything that's been listed so far, our favorites are the Zoo, Arch, Missouri Botanical Gardens, and the Magic House (for whatever reason my kids like the magic house better than the City Museum).

We also love Fitz's root beer, Ted Drew's, and Imo's Pizza. I don't feel like any of those are really worth going far out of your way for, but if you are relatively close, then go for it!

------------

A couple more options...

If you like history and quaint shopping, then Historic St. Charles might be fun. It's about 20-25 minutes north of Chesterfield mall. Old cobblestone streets, little shops, historic building (St. Charles was the first Missouri capital). Also, they have a Lewis and Clark interpretive center that's pretty cool. http://www.historicstcharles.com/

Also, if you like history, the Daniel Boone home is really cool. It's about 25 minutes or so west of Chesterfield Mall. http://www.danielboonehome.com/

Finally, if you were willing to make a day trip out of it, then Marceline, MO (Walt's boyhood home) is about 3 hours west of Chesterfield. There's some cool stuff to see for Disney fans. We went for the first time last fall. Check the trip report (linked in my signature) for more info and photos.

 

[wiigirl]

We have recently moved to KC and were thinking of heading to STL for a mini vacay since we are going to DW in Oct. thanks for the info!

We are in KC too and go to STL atleast twice a year....its a fun weekend trip.

 

[SarahKate]

Chesterfield Mall is really great. Wonderful variety of stores, in my opinion. And it's kept up better than some of the other malls. Galleria has always been a very popular one but I don't understand why....it's not one high on our list. Like another poster said, since you're already going to AG, just stick around at the mall. They also have a Cheesecake Factory (very close to the AG store too!), which is extremely popular and always packed. One of our little traditions is stopping by and picking up a few slices of cheesecake and taking it back to our room (since we stay at the Drury across the street, we can just walk over).

The big strip mall in Chesterfield IS huge. Ditto what the other poster said, there really aren't greatly special stores there but so nice to have them all there. And there's a Chick-Fil-A nearby (maybe not a big deal to some, but our city doesn't have one so it's a special treat for me!).

 

[Zooshoveller]

Welcome! I've lived here all my life. I recommend:

The Muny: One of my favorite things to do in St. Louis. Every week from mid June-mid Aug., they put on a different Broadway musical in the largest open-air theatre in the US. The ticket price range - $80 for a seat in the front to $12 in the back section, along with 1,000 free seats in the very back - make it truly for everyone. Left to perform this summer are Shrek, Nunsense, South Pacific, Les Mis, Mary Poppins, and West Side Story. The Muny is in...

...Forest Park, which is considered the nation's #1 urban park. The old 1904 world's fairgrounds, it's a beautiful setting with a number of free attractions. These include the zoo, the art museum, and the history museum, with the science center right on the edge. There's also the Boathouse, a cute restaurant on a dock where you can rent paddleboats.

City Museum: This is basically a huge indoor playground. There's a forest section and a cave section for kids and adults to climb around in, plus an outdoor section that's a city built of junk pieces, as well as an exhibit of old carnival stuff. A unique place that kids love. (Warning if you have escape artist children: it's easy to lose track of a kid in here.)

Grant's Farm: A scaled-down version of the zoo on the grounds of Ulysses S. Grant's farm. It was later the Busch family estate, and the Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales live here. Kids (and adults) love feeding the little goats from milk bottles. They act like they haven't eaten all day.

The Arch: Of course you wouldn't miss this! But don't forget the Museum of Westward Expansion in the base. There's also an interesting movie about the monument's construction.

Missouri Botanical Garden: A gorgeous spread of gardens from all over the world. They have a great kids' center as well as a fun hedge maze.

The Magic House: A really awesome children's museum. I haven't been in years as it's not a place you would go without kids and I don't have any, but I've never found a kid who didn't like it there. I loved it growing up. Kids should probably be under 10 at the most to fully enjoy it.

Cahokia Mounds: One of North America's largest Indian settlements is over the river in Illinois. It's a huge mound city with a great museum.

Anheuser-Busch Brewery: You get to see the Clydesdales here as well, followed by a fascinating tour through the factory. You'll learn about the beer-making process, as well as a lot about St. Louis history.

Kakao: A pricy but worth it chocolate shop. All the truffles are made by hand from all-natural ingredients, and you'll find flavors like chai tea and bacon alongside the usual caramel and marshmallow.

The Hill: The old Italian section of town that remains very true to its roots. There's a restaurant on every street corner, and I've never had a bad meal here. My personal favorites are Zia's and Gian-Tony's, but you really can't go wrong here.

Crown Candy: One of my favorite restaurants anywhere. This is an old 1913 soda fountain that somehow survived, probably because of its absolutely amazing malts. It's adorably nostalgic, and the food is to die for. (Warning: while it isn't unsafe to go here during the day, the area around the restaurant has completely fallen apart. Don't judge St. Louis by how this neighborhood looks.)

Grbic: Awesome Bosnian restaurant in south St. Louis.

Ted Drewe's: authentically St. Louis frozen custard. It's a local institution and it's not to be missed.

Imo's: the original St. Louis-style pizza.

All of these are fabulous, but just go to Ted Drewe's and order a concrete. That's all you need. LOL

Seriously - this is an awesome list!

 

[NotUrsula]

OK, I'll chime in. I'm not a St. Louis native, but DH is, and I've lived here for several decades now.

About IMO's -- it's awful. I don't know anyone who wasn't born and raised here who will eat it unless they are starving and have no choice. The crust is literally cracker-thin, which bothers some people, but the real issue is the cheese: it's Provel. Contrary to what you might guess, that is NOT shorthand for Provolone; it is a processed-cheese blend of cheddar, swiss and provolone that in my opinion has the consistency of rubber cement. There are MANY better choices for pizza in this city. PI is very good if you like really thick deep dish (think 2 inches thick, be prepared to wait an hour while it cooks). Dewey's, though a regional chain that is out of Cincinnati, is quite excellent for a more conventional-style crust. There are also a lot of local places that have outstanding pizza, including Joanie's in Soulard, LaPizza in U.City, and Onesto in South St. Louis.

If you want toasted ravioli, go to dinner on the Hill and order them as an appetizer; every full-service restaurant on the Hill serves them, except Modesto, which is a (excellent, btw) Spanish tapas restaurant. (PS: Cunetto's on the Hill is great, but they don't take reservations and they always have a huge line. Regulars *will* get served ahead of you; just so that you know.)

If you go to City Museum, don't wear good clothes. Many of the climbing areas have a rough concrete finish; I still love the place for fun, but I don't want to ruin good clothing snagging it on walls. Also, we are having a problem this year with car break-ins downtown; while at City Museum, pay for parking inside their lot, don't park on the street in that area.

As to the zoo vs. Grant's farm, the trick is that GF has something that the zoo doesn't have: horses. If you have girls who are horse-mad, Grant's Farm will win hands down. (Also, this year Grant's Farm has introduced camel rides, which is kind of an odd experience.) Our zoo is world-class, and my DD loves it, but she is very into horses right now, so we've been spending a lot more time visiting the big boys at GF this summer. (If your kids are REALLY into horses, you can also visit the Clydesdale breeding farm out in Boonville, Warm Springs Ranch. http://www.warmspringsranch.com/war...-Springs-Ranch.html#/about-warm-springs-ranch)

Also, just so that you know, the American Girl store in St. Louis is not on a par with the ones in Chicago or NYC. It's one of the smallest stores, at just under 11,000 sq. feet. (By contrast, the Chicago store is 50,000 sq.ft.) If they have been to the big ones, be sure to set expectations for the smaller experience at this store.

Personally, I wouldn't stay in Chesterfield if the only thing that you plan to do there is go to AG. Chesterfield is an outer-ring suburb, and it is a LONG way out from most of the more family-oriented attractions here, with the exception of AG and the Butterfly House. (It's close to a hour out of the city in rush-hour traffic.) Drury Inns are great, I agree, but the most centrally-located branch for tourists with families is actually the "Forest Park" location on the edge of the Hill, at the Hampton Av. exit off I-44.

 

[Lilliputian]

I love this thread! We just moved to the Chesterfield area about 2 months ago, and I'm always looking for more information about things to do.

We've done a lot so far because our family of 5 boys had to live in an apartment for almost 2 months while we bought a house. We went on a lot of outings during that time so that we didn't kill each other.

Of the things mentioned so far, we really like the zoo, the Magic House, the Butterfly House, and the botanical gardens (especially the Children's Garden). The Children's Garden at the botanical gardens costs extra, but kids are free into the main part of the gardens, so it's not too bad. Just don't go on Tuesday because members' kids get in free on Tuesdays, so it's more crowded. Make sure you go the pond in the Japanese garden where you can feed the fish. The Arch is, of course, a requirement. It's pretty spectacular, and the western expansion museum at its base is good.

Reading a few books about Lewis and Clark before you come can help you get a better appreciation of the area. Historic St. Charles is very pretty, and it's where they started. You don't have to go to the museum at the boathouse there. It's okay, but it's really small and kind of overpriced. The museum at the arch is much better, but it's just not at the actual place where it all started.

Has anyone mentioned the transportation museum? That's pretty good, too. The collection of cars isn't too exciting, but they do tours inside the passenger cars of the trains throughout the day, and that's really good. My kids read a lot of older books (because I can get them for free on their Kindles), and the people in those books are always traveling by train. It was neat for them to get to see what those train cars are really like.

Don't know when you are visiting, but two brand new outlet malls are opening in August. Both are just minutes west of the American Girls store in Chesterfield. Not that big of a deal, except for one of them is going to have a Disney Store outlet!!!!

Thank you for this! I wondered what they were putting in there. That area is going to be HUGE, and I'm from Texas, where everything is big. I'm so excited to see that they are going to have a Stride Rite outlet. My kids all have wide feet, and I haven't been able to buy them shoes in stores since we moved here. I'm getting a lot of bonus points on Shoebuy.com, but it will be nice to be able to go to a store and buy shoes when they need them right away.