OT:St Louis for couples

[ajh88]

Just want to chime in and defend the city that I think is a wonderful place to live. I live in a suburb - actually one that is adjacent to Kirkwood, but we also lived in the city for a few years too.

St. Louis is a lovely town with a wide variety of activities - many of which are free or very inexpensive! As with any major metropolitan area, there are neighborhoods that are good and ones that are not as much. I would venture to say that if reasonable caution is exercised (as should be no matter where you visit!), you can have a wonderful visit to St. Louis.

I'm always sorry to hear when people have bad experiences visiting St. Louis because I think it is a great place to live and raise a family. I'll get down off my soapbox now - I just hope you have a wonderful trip and enjoy the city as I have for the past 9 years!

 

[Pixie Dust for Me!]

PHEW...I'm so glad that one of the posters won't be coming to my hometown again!

Sorry, but negative comments can be made about any city when you don't chose a hotel carefully. If I judged Paris on the basis of a hotel stay, and how uncomfortable I felt after dark, I'd never go back!

Anyway, I'm sorry to say that St. Louis is one of those towns where public transportation just won't do! Ours is, unfortunately, rather pitiful.

Based on your budget OP, you've come to a good place. Many of the St. Louis attractions are FREE or are very cheap. They're that way because those of us who live here support them with our tax dollars.

I would recommend going to the Art Museum (it's in Forest Park), then driving about 5 miles to the Hill for lunch. You can eat lunch for about $15 to $20 for both of you at a nice italian restaurant. You can then zip over to Ted Drewes (I'm not much on the concretes but I do love the hot fudge sundaes with macadamia nuts on them) -- again it's about 5 miles from the Hill.

Grants Farm (owned by the Busch Family) is nice. Our son loves it there. We usually save on parking by riding our bikes there, or parking along Grants Trail (by the athletic fields) and walking the Trail to Grants Farm. Food can be a bit pricey, but a good bratwurst and a nice cup of beer is good for us!

As for a nice, romantic dinner...hmmm....there's lots of places to do that. If DH and I were going out (and not to the Hill) for a romantic dinner, we'd likely choose Remy's in Clayton. They have wine flights and small and large plates. Another good place is Mosiac downtown -- love the beef tenderloin and the hummus appetizer! Dinner at either of these places will run you about $40 to $75 (depending on how much wine you consume)! As for romantic dessert places -- we enjoy Cyrano's a lot! YUM!!!

Another fun place to go (again, you need a car) is Kimmswick. It's a small town along the Mississippi, about 45 minutes from where you will be staying, and it's home to the Blue Owl Restaurant (which was featured on the Food Network by the Deen Boys -- hmmm....so was Ted Drewes!). I love the cheese soup there.

To the Other Poster who inquired about St. Peters. Sorry, but that's another planet from where I live. I live in the Southwest suburbs and it takes me about 45 minutes to an hour to get there, so we don't go much. I do agree that Main Street in St. Charles is nice. We really like Lewis & Clark's -- it's a pub like place and Trailshead Brewery -- a micro brew place with good food.

Oh yes, a speaking of micro-breweries and breweries in general. Schlafly's Tap Room -- the fish and chips and sticky toffee pudding is to die for! If you do have the time, a tour of Anheuser-Busch is fun, my son loves seeing the Clydesdales. We like going over 55 on Arsenal to Gus Pretzels too -- a nice beer (sorry, but I can't stand Budwesier) with a pretzel dog is just the ticket for a cheap lunch!

Hope you both have a wonderful time here. It's a nice place to live, work and raise a family.

 

[STLDisney_Freak]

If you want romantic in spades in a hotel, look at the Cheshire Inn (near Clayton); they have some very over-the-top Fantasy Suites. http://www.cheshirelodge.net/FanSuite.htm

Dh and I did the fantasy suites at the Cheshire inn for one of our anniversary. I wasn't impressed at all and they seemed very run down. They weren't worth the price they were charging...that is for sure.

 

[PlutosFriend]

PHEW...I'm so glad that one of the posters won't be coming to my hometown again!

Sorry, but negative comments can be made about any city when you don't chose a hotel carefully. If I judged Paris on the basis of a hotel stay, and how uncomfortable I felt after dark, I'd never go back!

Anyway, I'm sorry to say that St. Louis is one of those towns where public transportation just won't do! Ours is, unfortunately, rather pitiful.


To the Other Poster who inquired about St. Peters. Sorry, but that's another planet from where I live. I live in the Southwest suburbs and it takes me about 45 minutes to an hour to get there, so we don't go much. I do agree that Main Street in St. Charles is nice. We really like Lewis & Clark's -- it's a pub like place and Trailshead Brewery -- a micro brew place with good food.


Hope you both have a wonderful time here. It's a nice place to live, work and raise a family.

Very well said!
I grew up in St. Louis county, and when I got married, we moved to St. Charles county. So actually, I live right next to St. Peters now.
There were a ton of great ideas for OP here My top pick for a little romance and fun would be the boat house at Forest Park. I too think renting a car would be much more handy. That way you can get a hotel that is closer to more of the "action"
Just do research on your hotel, and its surrounding areas. The poster that stayed in the bad Days Inn, must not have? Most major cities have seedy, crime ridden areas unfortunately, right?

 

[E&BMom]

St. Louis is on my short list of "if I never go there again it will be too soon" places. We had a horrific experience at the Days Inn on Washington Street. It's a flop house! Homeless people hanging around, bullet holes in the ceiling, black mold all through the bathroom area.

My strong advice is to stay at the most expensive hotel...4 or 5 stars...that you can find. I'm not sure about romance, but I'd say that if you stay in the downtown area you'd be smart to be back in the hotel by dark.

Last time we went we stayed in Kirkwood. I thought it would be safe, since it's a beautiful little suburb. A couple weeks later the story about the sicko who kidnapped boys as sex slaves broke. He lived right in the area where we stayed. Then recently, there was the wacko who killed people at a town-hall meeting there.

I know none of this is helpful advice, but it's my honest experience with the city!

Just a FYI....
I did a little search of all her/his posts and in one of the posts she/ he talks about how they have lived in MO not so long ago.

I guess the post just rubbed me the wrong way since I live in Kirkwood.

Sorry to be off topic.

To the OP have a great time on your trip. There has been lots of good advice on things to do in our town. Let us know how the trip turns out!!

 

[LizinSTL]

Just a FYI....
I did a little search of all her/his posts and in one of the posts she/ he talks about how they have lived in MO not so long ago.

I guess the post just rubbed me the wrong way since I live in Kirkwood.

Sorry to be off topic.

To the OP have a great time on your trip. There has been lots of good advice on things to do in our town. Let us know how the trip turns out!!

Nill illigitimi carborundum.....

Kirkwood is a beautiful community which has gotten a bad wrap lately. What a shame. St. Louis is a rather large metro area 2.8 million people and over 8,000 square miles of area when you count the metro east counties and suburban sprawl of St. Charles, Warren, Jefferson and Franklin counties!!!

As the OP is doing with this thread, it's always a good idea to do research when one travels....usually it's best to do it PRIOR to booking a hotel in a high crime area that rents by the hour.....

The OP is staying at a much nicer, albeit sort of inconvenient, location nearer to the airport. If she rents a car, no worries- she'll have a great time. If they don't rent a car, the options are more limited but it can still be done via the Metro link- just use the hotel's free shuttle to the airport each time you want to use the metrolink to avoid having to walk/cab to/from the metrolink station!

 

[Our 2 Princesses]

OP here! We were able to rent a car for $10 a day thru Priceline. Thank you all for all of your guidance. We cannot wait for this trip!! It sounds like we need to stay in St Louis for a week, not a weekend! My dh and I are going to read thru all these posts again so we can decide what we want to see and do. Just one more question (I hope! ) about Kimmswick... Is it really worth the 45 min ride and what are the highlights of the town that we should see. Thanks!

 

[Our 2 Princesses]

OP here! We were able to rent a car for $10 a day thru Priceline. Thank you all for all of your guidance. We cannot wait for this trip!! It sounds like we need to stay in St Louis for a week, not a weekend! My dh and I are going to read thru all these posts again so we can decide what we want to see and do. Just one more question (I hope! ) about Kimmswick... Is it really worth the 45 min ride and what are the highlights of the town that we should see. Thanks!

Sorry in advance!! One more question... What is the best Mall/Movie area? Okay... I promise I am done bothering everyone!!

 

[LizinSTL]

Originally Posted by Our 2 Princesses
OP here! We were able to rent a car for $10 a day thru Priceline. Thank you all for all of your guidance. We cannot wait for this trip!! It sounds like we need to stay in St Louis for a week, not a weekend! My dh and I are going to read thru all these posts again so we can decide what we want to see and do. Just one more question (I hope! ) about Kimmswick... Is it really worth the 45 min ride and what are the highlights of the town that we should see. Thanks!

Sorry in advance!! One more question... What is the best Mall/Movie area? Okay... I promise I am done bothering everyone!!

I'm glad that you were able to get a deal on the car rental! It'll make your visit much more enjoyable.

If I were visiting St. Louis and staying near the airport, with just my husband, these are the things I'd put on my short list with estimated costs included.

"Down town/city day"
I'd tour the Anheuser Busch Brewery- Free
Stop by Gus' Pretzels for a pretzel brat afterwards (cash only $2.75 each and a bag of pretzel ends...yum $1.50)
If I'd never done it before, I'd go to the top of the arch (especially if it's a beautiful day!) ( $10 pp)
Maybe grab a sundae or malt at Crown Candy or go to Ted Drewes for a concrete. ($8-15)


"Kimmswick day"

Head to the Blue Owl for lunch and dessert. That's the highlight of the town, really. They were featured on the Food Network a few times and they have very tasty pies! Visit the antique shops in Kimmswick. (Lunch $40) whatever you want on shopping! Is it worth a 45 minute drive? I don't know about that. I'm only 15 minutes from there and we only go once a year. LOL St. Charles is closer and has similar antique shop opportunities if that's your thing. I'm not sure about restaurants though.

"Casino!!!"
We love to go to Harrah's. So we'd give ourselves a budget and hit a casino. There are 2 within 5-10 minutes of your hotel. I like Harrah's in Maryland Heights but my mom prefers the Ameristar Casino in St. Charles. We can have fun for under $100 for the 2 of us for a couple hours. Plus there are decent restaurants there. Harrah's has a great Italian restaurant called Gitto's inside the lobby area. It's really wonderful (they have another location on the Hill and downtown.) ($40-100 on dinner depending on your order!)



I'm not familiar with North County area movie theaters/complexes so hopefully someone will speak up and share their experiences with a good movie theater/mall for you. Don't hesitate to ask questions. St. Louis is a great place to visit and a great place to live.

 

[NotUrsula]

If you want a mall with a movie theatre, then St. Louis Mills it is. It's in far northwest county near the Missouri River, on a spur highway that goes to St. Charles county. BIG outlet mall, with a huge movie theatre complex.

If you like live music, look into the schedule at the Pageant that night. It is in University City, and books national acts in a small nightclub-style venue.
The casinos also often have live acts playing, often oldies acts for a nice price.

Kimmswick is VERY old, and is on the Mississippi, while St. Charles' old district is on the Missouri River. Kimmswick has some buildings set up so that you can see the 18th century building technique; I don't think that St. Charles has any like that.

 

[E&BMom]

OP here! We were able to rent a car for $10 a day thru Priceline. Thank you all for all of your guidance. We cannot wait for this trip!! It sounds like we need to stay in St Louis for a week, not a weekend! My dh and I are going to read thru all these posts again so we can decide what we want to see and do. Just one more question (I hope! ) about Kimmswick... Is it really worth the 45 min ride and what are the highlights of the town that we should see. Thanks!

What a great deal on the car!!! Have a lot of fun!!!!

 

[Pixie Dust for Me!]

We really like the Moolah for movies. If you get there early, you can get a c cou ch to snuggle on during the movie. There's not much shopping near there though. "Best shopping" depends on what you want. Galleria is good...they've punted out the teens by themselves on weekend evenings, which is a good thing...sorry, I know not all "teens" are bad, but it was getting ridiculous! We like Frontenac (Cardwells is good for dinner) and then there is West County (270 and Manchester) which is also good.

Kimmswick is full of antiques and craft types of things. The best thing there is the Blue Owl as others have said, but I also like one little shop where I find great unusual earrings. It makes a good day out for my mom and I...and hubby doesn't mind as long as he gets to eat at the Blue Owl!

We've lived here a long time and have never been to any of the casinos, so I can't help you there. Just not our scene.

As far as Kirkwood goes, I grew up there and my parents still live there. It's a small "bedroom" community and is a nice place to live. Sure, it has its faults, but what doesn't?

Oh yeah...we also like the Chase for Movies and Frontenac. Ronnies is also good. Sometimes the Science Center has special Imax movies...I think they're running the IMAX Night at the Museum right now.

Have a great trip!

 

[E&BMom]

Wow, everyone has so many great tips!!! Even though I live in St. Louis I'm going to make a list of all the tips so I can do some of this things suggested!! The Op sure has a lot of GREAT ideas to choose from!!

 

[sahm1000]

St. Louis is on my short list of "if I never go there again it will be too soon" places. We had a horrific experience at the Days Inn on Washington Street. It's a flop house! Homeless people hanging around, bullet holes in the ceiling, black mold all through the bathroom area.

My strong advice is to stay at the most expensive hotel...4 or 5 stars...that you can find. I'm not sure about romance, but I'd say that if you stay in the downtown area you'd be smart to be back in the hotel by dark.

Last time we went we stayed in Kirkwood. I thought it would be safe, since it's a beautiful little suburb. A couple weeks later the story about the sicko who kidnapped boys as sex slaves broke. He lived right in the area where we stayed. Then recently, there was the wacko who killed people at a town-hall meeting there.

I know none of this is helpful advice, but it's my honest experience with the city!

As a former resident of the "awful, horrible" East side of St. Louis I am laughing at the poster of this! Really, have you ever been to a city that didn't have it's bad spots? And to judge the beautiful suburb of Kirkwood that has so much to offer (did you try the Magic House?) by two mentally ill people who happened to be from the same town really isn't fair. St. Louis is a beautiful area and has lots to offer. Sorry you had such a bad time, please don't go back.

As far as where to go to eat, the best restaurant I've ever eaten in in my entire life is Tony's in downtown St. Louis. I think someone else also replied about this restaurant. I've eaten in lots of fabulous restaurants (and since this is a Disney board, Victoria and Albert's included) and Tony's always exceeds my expectations. I've eaten there probably 20 times in my life (I even got engaged there and told my DH we were expecting DD2 there) and have never had a bad experience. Try the Tony's salad with French dressing (which isn't like any other French dressing - more like a cross between ranch and caesar) and the ice cream pie for dessert with caramel sauce. No matter what you get I'm sure you will be thrilled. Their customer service is outstanding too. I was home for my b-day a few years ago and unable to get reservations. My mother called (she lives in Alton, IL across the river) and explained that we were unable to get reservations but could we please buy an ice cream pie with the caramel sauce and they threw in the salad dressing as a surprise!

The Hill is fantastic for Italian food, never had a bad experience in any of the restaurants but I love Cunetto's! The neighborhood is full of nicely kept small homes and is very safe for an after dinner stroll. It's not a fancy area but safe.

I would definitely check out Forest Park even if you don't want to go to the Zoo (which by the way is a world class zoo and consistently rated as a top ten zoo in the nation and has free entrance). The art museum is beautiful!

Of course, since you're in the Gateway City, don't forget the Arch!

Crown Candy Kitchen is another must as well as Ted Drewe's. Love them both and probably can't pick one over the other. Both have been on the Food Network.

As a plug for Alton (where I am from) which is on the Illinois side and not really St. Louis check out a bar called Fast Eddie's Bon Air. It has also been on Food Network and is a sight all in itself. It is a dive but they have cheap drinks and cheap food which is fantastic! I always stop in when I'm home for a meal of peel and eat shrimp, a burger, french fries and chicken on a stick. My next door neighbor here in Dallas also has been there several times and loves it! It's an institution! And did I mention a real budget stretcher since it's so cheap? While you're in Alton, there is also a gambling boat (the Alton Belle) if you're interested. Alton is about 25 minutes from where you are staying and it's on the Mississippi River.

Someone else also recommended Cravings in an earlier post and I will second their opinions! Fabulous desserts and cakes. My wedding cake came from there and it was unbelievable. I've never had a meal in their restaurant but I'm sure the same attention to quality that goes into their baked goods is in their food.

If you feel like splurging on a big Sunday Brunch check out the Adam's Mark brunch in downtown. It is expensive but it is fabulous!

If you like Blues please check out the Soulard neighborhood and bars. Lots of great music can be found there. Clayton is another fun area with lots to do. Have a great time!

 

[tink fan]

I only live about 10 minutes from Kimmswick. If I were you I wouldn't make the trip there unless you were into homemade, crafty stores. More of a ladies' day out place than a couple's place. My husband would not go to Kimmswick with me. Some of the shops do have nice things and dessert at the Blue Owl is amazing (well, maybe that would be worth the trip!). Old town St. Charles is similar in term of the kinds of shops but the setting is more aesthically pleasing.

Try to make time for the Botanical Gardens. I never get tired of going there.

 

[jacobsmom]

The Old Spaghetti Factory is wonderful!! Grant's Farm is a must see--with free samples!!! A lot of activities there are free. The Arch is a must do activity, and Soulard's Market is pretty amazing! St. Louis has a million things to see and do! Have fun!! Oh--TED DREWES! It's amazing you'll LOVE IT!

 

[SarahKate]

I am from Springfield, IL which is about 100 miles away from St. Louis. We go there several times a year and always try to do things off the beaten path.

Getting Around: You definitely need to follow other poster's suggestions and rent a car.

To the poster who said St. Louis is horrible: Wow! To each his own. I know in the past there was talk of St. Louis being one of the highest crime cities in the country, but you're talking about a concentrated area of St. Louis, close to the river. I have never really felt unsafe there.

Hotels: If you rent a car, there's no need to be so close to the airport. The ONLY hotel we will stay at are Drury's.....it is a chain, but the ones in St. Louis seem to be fantastic. There are 2 we normally stay at, we just see who has the cheapest rate. There's one in Creve Couer, on Olive where it meets I-270....we also will stay at the really nice one in Chesterfield which is on the western edge of St. Louis and backs up to Chesterfield Mall (and a Cheesecake Factory! Yum). Last weekend we stayed at the one in Creve for $69 a nite - includes a hot breakfast, evening reception w/ snacks and drinks, free internet, free long distance, etc. Very well kept hotels. The one in Chesterfield is EXTRA nice too. To us, it is the best value for our money.

Things to do: I agree about the free stuff, there is a lot to do. There's the zoo, Grant's Farm. If you don't want to do a ton of walking, go to Grant's vs. the zoo because it's a lot smaller. The botanical gardens are definitely worth going to, very beautiful place and LOTS of romantic spots there! Butterfly House in Faust Park (Chesterfield) is very cool, with little benches to sit on and take in everything. City Museum is very cool. It is in a borderline area, in my opinion.....just be sure to pay to park in their parking lot. They have some problems w/ break-ins to vehicles parked on the side streets (mainly out of state vehicles are their target - learned this the hard way!). But the pay lot at the museum is well monitored.

Places to Eat: I concur w/ those who suggest Cunetto's at the Hill.
We have eaten at Blueberry Hill and it did not live up to the hype in our opinion.
We would much rather eat at Fitz's! We have eaten there every single time for the last couple of years - NEVER have had a bad meal there, and service is always quick. It's definitely not romantic, but fun nonetheless.
Do you like Japanese food? There's a good place called Oishi, which is on Olive just around the corner from the Drury on I-270 - it's very good, and is walking distance of the hotel.
AND I certainly can't forget Crown Candy Kitchen!! This is one we've wanted to go to for a long time and last weekend we finally did. It is definitely not in a great neighborhood, but we did not feel unsafe at all. The streets were actually pretty deserted, and there were cops everywhere (three of which who were eating there when we were there!). This is a really fantastic place - and I had the BLT that the previous poster mentioned and it is AWESOME. They also make their own ice cream (I had banana, yum!). They actually open at 10:30 - I highly recommend getting there BEFORE 11:00.

Shopping: Chesterfield Mall is a pretty good one. We really like St. Louis Mills, it is quite a lot like Gurnee Mills in Chicago, if you've ever been to one. With any St. Louis mall (and I'm sure it's like this in other cities), don't go later in the evening because the crowd definitely changes. Lots of teenagers, sometimes hard to get through them all. At the mills, they have a huge movie theater, as well as glow in the dark putt-putt golf - depending on what you're looking for, that could be a romantic activity!!! We just did this last weekend and it was great fun!

That's it in a nutshell. I think you will have a great time. Please feel free to PM me if you have any other questions or just want some directions or advice. Be sure to give us a trip report!

 

[Pixie Dust for Me!]

One of the reasons St. Louis is always rated as a "high crime area" is because the City of St. Louis is a separate entity from the suburbs -- St. Louis County. So, the City doesn't "benefit" from the statistical dissolution that comes with other metro areas that are in the same county.

I know it sounds like a "lame" excuse -- but it's true. The City of St. Louis is a City and a County. Very strange, I know, but it is true. It dates back to the 1800s when the City was wealthy and didn't want to be burdened by the "poor" farmers that lived in the "country." Now, the "country" (St. Louis County) which is the wealthiest county in the State of Missouri, doesn't want to be burdened by the impoverished City of St. Louis.

Like mom says, what goes around comes around!

Anyway, the reason I say this is that I go downtown...after dark even, and I've never been mugged, raped or had my car broken into. I do exercise "normal" precautions -- I park in parking lots, in well lighted areas, and keep my car locked with valuables either hidden or removed. I also don't drive the "snazziest" car around -- it's either a Chevy Venture or a PT Cruiser. Maybe I've just been lucky for 30+ years

Anyway, have a great trip. You've gotten a lot of great tips and I hope you enjoy my hometown.

 

[Our 2 Princesses]

I am from Springfield, IL which is about 100 miles away from St. Louis. We go there several times a year and always try to do things off the beaten path.

Getting Around: You definitely need to follow other poster's suggestions and rent a car.

To the poster who said St. Louis is horrible: Wow! To each his own. I know in the past there was talk of St. Louis being one of the highest crime cities in the country, but you're talking about a concentrated area of St. Louis, close to the river. I have never really felt unsafe there.

Hotels: If you rent a car, there's no need to be so close to the airport. The ONLY hotel we will stay at are Drury's.....it is a chain, but the ones in St. Louis seem to be fantastic. There are 2 we normally stay at, we just see who has the cheapest rate. There's one in Creve Couer, on Olive where it meets I-270....we also will stay at the really nice one in Chesterfield which is on the western edge of St. Louis and backs up to Chesterfield Mall (and a Cheesecake Factory! Yum). Last weekend we stayed at the one in Creve for $69 a nite - includes a hot breakfast, evening reception w/ snacks and drinks, free internet, free long distance, etc. Very well kept hotels. The one in Chesterfield is EXTRA nice too. To us, it is the best value for our money.

Things to do: I agree about the free stuff, there is a lot to do. There's the zoo, Grant's Farm. If you don't want to do a ton of walking, go to Grant's vs. the zoo because it's a lot smaller. The botanical gardens are definitely worth going to, very beautiful place and LOTS of romantic spots there! Butterfly House in Faust Park (Chesterfield) is very cool, with little benches to sit on and take in everything. City Museum is very cool. It is in a borderline area, in my opinion.....just be sure to pay to park in their parking lot. They have some problems w/ break-ins to vehicles parked on the side streets (mainly out of state vehicles are their target - learned this the hard way!). But the pay lot at the museum is well monitored.

Places to Eat: I concur w/ those who suggest Cunetto's at the Hill.
We have eaten at Blueberry Hill and it did not live up to the hype in our opinion.
We would much rather eat at Fitz's! We have eaten there every single time for the last couple of years - NEVER have had a bad meal there, and service is always quick. It's definitely not romantic, but fun nonetheless.
Do you like Japanese food? There's a good place called Oishi, which is on Olive just around the corner from the Drury on I-270 - it's very good, and is walking distance of the hotel.
AND I certainly can't forget Crown Candy Kitchen!! This is one we've wanted to go to for a long time and last weekend we finally did. It is definitely not in a great neighborhood, but we did not feel unsafe at all. The streets were actually pretty deserted, and there were cops everywhere (three of which who were eating there when we were there!). This is a really fantastic place - and I had the BLT that the previous poster mentioned and it is AWESOME. They also make their own ice cream (I had banana, yum!). They actually open at 10:30 - I highly recommend getting there BEFORE 11:00.

Shopping: Chesterfield Mall is a pretty good one. We really like St. Louis Mills, it is quite a lot like Gurnee Mills in Chicago, if you've ever been to one. With any St. Louis mall (and I'm sure it's like this in other cities), don't go later in the evening because the crowd definitely changes. Lots of teenagers, sometimes hard to get through them all. At the mills, they have a huge movie theater, as well as glow in the dark putt-putt golf - depending on what you're looking for, that could be a romantic activity!!! We just did this last weekend and it was great fun!

That's it in a nutshell. I think you will have a great time. Please feel free to PM me if you have any other questions or just want some directions or advice. Be sure to give us a trip report!

Thank you for all your suggestions! They're great! I went online and checked out the Drury's near the Chesterfield Mall and it looks wonderful. I may just have to change our reservations. I know we will definitely stop at a mall and get our dds a present and we will probably catch a movie as well so this seems like a good area to stay. We love The Cheesecake Factory too! Does this mall have a Disney Store? Grant's Farm and the Botanical Gardens sound fun too! Is it hard to get around St Louis? Thanks again!

 

[Mcqueen Fans]

I only live about 10 minutes from Kimmswick. If I were you I wouldn't make the trip there unless you were into homemade, crafty stores. More of a ladies' day out place than a couple's place. My husband would not go to Kimmswick with me. Some of the shops do have nice things and dessert at the Blue Owl is amazing (well, maybe that would be worth the trip!). Old town St. Charles is similar in term of the kinds of shops but the setting is more aesthically pleasing.

Try to make time for the Botanical Gardens. I never get tired of going there.

We must live very close, I only live about a mile from Kimmswick.

I would not make a special trip just to go to kimmmswick. A lot of people like the Blue Owl but I have never really thought it was that great. The desserts are the best thing there for me. They do have some good crafty stores. I love the Christmas store and it is open year around.

We like going to Crown Candy Kitchen for ice cream.