Things to do in St. Louis???

[#1hoosierfan]

We are thinking about taking the boys for a quick weekend trip to St. Louis in a few weeks.

I have only been to St. Louis once and that was about 12 years ago.

We know we want to do the arch and take a tour of the Budweiser facility.

What else should we do? Dh and I both love microbreweries. Are there any good ones that are kid friendly.... maybe get dinner there?

I think I remember a neat area of town with some good restaurants and cobblestone streets?

Also where should we stay that is reasonably priced but in a safe area?

Thanks!

 

[disney-akj]

Forest Park is a great area in St. Louis where you can visit the awesome zoo and science center (both of which are free and worth the visit). The area by the arch is cobblestone and has several restaurants. You could be remembering that?? City Museum is amazing for kids!!! It is a must and worth every penny!!! If you want to stay in a hotel downtown, anything close to the stadium should be relatively safe.

http://buschstadium.stadiumhotelnetwork.com/

You can probably find a good deal on a hotel on a discount travel website, but at least the link above should help you have an idea of what is downtown.
Schlafly is a brewery and we have been to their tap room, but it is usually later when kids wouldn't be allowed in so I am not sure how kid friendly it is during dinner? I am sure a quick phone could answer that question.

Edited***Just looked at your kiddo's ages. They may too young for city museum **** The zoo would be perfect and cheap though

 

[merekc]

Grant's farm might be fun based on their ages.

St. Louis has a good children's museum, the Magic House.

Blueberry Hill is a fun restaurant. http://www.blueberryhill.com/

But if you like Italian, there are tons of good Italian restaurants around St. Louis and on The Hill.

 

[anna08]

We just did Father's day weekend there and had a blast! The zoo should be the top thing on your list - it's free and really well done.

You could check out Stubhub and see if there are any cheap tickets to a Cardinals game - it's fun even just to walk around with little ones that age, if you get in cheaply.

There is a free museum under the Arch that my kids loved - we went on Friday night and it was almost empty. We sat and looked at the river so swollen and then went under to the museum. It has things that deal with westward expansion (teepees, buffalo, indians, explorers etc) and has very nice workers who will talk to your kids about things on their level.

The city museum IS amazing, but I would recommend it only if you are feeling really active and like chasing little ones around. There is a lot of stuff that they won't be old enough to try there.

We went for a St. Louis traditions of Ted Drewe's custard (yummy soft serve ice cream with mix-ins) and the Hill where we at a relaxed family Italian restaurant (there are probably several in the area.)

We stayed at the Hyatt downtown - kid friendly, but very expensive. We could walk easily to the ballgame and the Arch and that made it worthwhile for us. There are lots of hotels around Forest Park too and that's a pretty area. Have fun!

 

[LizinSTL]

Magic House
Zoo
Grants Farm

Check out Schafly in Maplewood- family friendly!
Iron Barley is tasty and has a great beer selection but don't brew their own.

Lots to do in STL. Skip the city museum until your kids are older!

 

[southern_redhead]

I second Grant's Farm and the Magic House. We stayed in STL last summer and did a lot of local stuff. Those two were up at the top for favorites. Grant's Farm isn't as overwhelming as the zoo and there is lots of shade.

The Magic House is amazing. It is HUGE, too. It's an awesome idea for a rainy day (though I wouldn't pass it up if the sun is shining!) My kids could have spent two full days in there and still not been ready to leave. Their favorite was the treehouse area.

 

[uk_wildcat]

Last summer we took the kids to the zoo and science center and they had a blast (ages 5 and 8 at the time). We also did the arch and I took them to have lunch at Fitz's so they could see the root beer being bottled. We stayed at the Drury Hotel downtown and it was great. The room was nice and the free breakfast and afternoon drinks/snacks were a great value.
We were able to do the science center for free because we have a membership with our local museum. I also got a discount on the train ride at the zoo because of our museum membership.

 

[#1hoosierfan]

Last summer we took the kids to the zoo and science center and they had a blast (ages 5 and 8 at the time). We also did the arch and I took them to have lunch at Fitz's so they could see the root beer being bottled. We stayed at the Drury Hotel downtown and it was great. The room was nice and the free breakfast and afternoon drinks/snacks were a great value.
We were able to do the science center for free because we have a membership with our local museum. I also got a discount on the train ride at the zoo because of our museum membership.

Did you stay at the Drury by the Arch? That is the hotel I am leaning towards.

 

[PartyFromSaturn]

#1HF:
I'm from Southern Indiana too!

We go to St. Lou frequently for Cardinals games.

The Magic House is AWESOME! We eat Imo's Pizza in our room late at night for a local treat. It has this strange, delicious, stinky cheese on it.

That Drury by the Arch is nice. We usually Priceline a 4 star downtown, or else stay at the Millenium. St. Louis is so fun. I think you will enjoy it!

 

[uk_wildcat]

Yes, it was the Drury right across from the Arch. We could just walk across the street and up the hill to the Arch. There is also a Max & Erma's right downstairs near the entrance of the parking garage of the hotel. The pool was ok, but nothing great.

 

[turtlegirl25]

The only "attraction" I've been to in St. Louis, besides the arch, is the National Bowling Hall of Fame which is across from the ball park. Yep, you read that right. The only reason why we were there is because my father was inducted years ago.

P.S. - Don't go it's pretty boring.

 

[JB2K]

We eat Imo's Pizza in our room late at night for a local treat. It has this strange, delicious, stinky cheese on it.

It's called provel cheese, and it's unique to St. Louis...

 

[JB2K]

The only "attraction" I've been to in St. Louis, besides the arch, is the National Bowling Hall of Fame which is across from the ball park. Yep, you read that right. The only reason why we were there is because my father was inducted years ago.

P.S. - Don't go it's pretty boring.

You can't go, at all -- the National Bowling Hall of Fame has since relocated to the U.S. Bowling Congress in Arlington, Texas.

 

[Leajess99]

The Drury Inn in Forest Park is very nice. Clean, well kept and comfortable. It is probably also cheaper than Downtown.

For the Arch, make sure you get your tickets in advance if you plan on going up to the top of the Arch. They tend to sell out for the earlier trips. Also, they tell you no food or drinks in the top of the Arch. Our experience was that the parents with kids were being told but the 2 Teens to Early 20 year olds were not told so we had to deal with them eating stinky popcorn in the small tram type car and making a mess.

My kids have loved Grant's Farm, The Science Center, and the Zoo and they are all free with the exception of parking. We also did the Arch back in April and they enjoyed that.

 

[gigi1976]

Cobblestone streets with restaurants sounds like Main St in St Charles, about 30-40 minutes west of downtown. And there is a great microbrewery there called Trailhead.

 

[medicjch]

It's called provel cheese, and it's unique to St. Louis...

Love IMO's pizza! Unfortunately the wife is not a big fan. Fortel's Pizza (local chain) is also pretty good, we usually try to stop when we are in town.

Cobblestone streets with restaurants sounds like Main St in St Charles, about 30-40 minutes west of downtown. And there is a great microbrewery there called Trailhead.

I have not been to Trailhead for a while, but I do like it. There is also restaurant called Lewis and Clark's that is good. OLD St. Charles can be fun to explore.

Everybody above has already given good suggestions on things to do. If you want to go to the Hill and get good italian......I recommend Zia's!

 

[cjlvsccm]

...
Everybody above has already given good suggestions on things to do. If you want to go to the Hill and get good italian......I recommend Zia's!

We LOVED our dinner at Zia's! Also had a fab meal at Iron Barley, but were still full from an afternoon stop at Fitz's (fried ravioli and all-we-could-drink root beer!!!!!).

The zoo, museum, and Grant's Farm were great, the arch was too cool, and the brewery tour was really a site to see.

And just around the corner from the Bud brewery we hit a place called Gus's Pretzels, for awesome pretzel sticks and pretzel-wrapped hot dogs and brats. Fun to watch them make the pretzels while you wait in line!!

Schafly's brewery was on our list, but unfortunately we didn't make it there on that weekend trip. We'll have to go back to catch a game and check out Schafly's.

Enjoy your visit!!

 

[SarahKate]

STL is one of our fave places! A big city that's just about 100 miles from where we life, so we go several times a year.

I created a big list of fun things to do in STL last year and have shared here before. http://springfieldmoms.org/st-louis-day-trips-and-attractions/

As for hotels, we ALWAYS stay at Drury Hotels. We haven't stayed @ any downtown (but will be in a few weeks - American Idol concert - ya!). Have always gotten away from downtown and into the 'burbs such as Chesterfield (yes, out of the way but a lot of shopping and we just like it out there - Cheesecake Factory too) and Creve Couer.

I agree with others, skip City Museum til your kids are older.

We love Fitz's....fun place to go and we've never had a bad meal there.

One of our favorite places to go with our daughter is Yucandu, which is a funky little art studio in Webster Groves. You can do mosaics, paint, glitter, decoupage, whatever you want. It's our tradition and we never make it home without a trip there.

 

[NotUrsula]

Schlafly's is family-friendly in that it allows children in the restaurant, but their service in the restaurant is molasses-slow. Our kids get antsy because the food takes forever and so does waiting for the check.

If you want to do the brewhouse tour at Schlafly, don't wear sandals and don't go on a weekend.

 

[nchulka]

CITY MUSEUM!!!!!!!! It doesn't matter how old your kids are, YOU will love it! I took my kids for the first time at 2 and 3 and they did everything! It is so cool and unique. There is nothing else like it anywhere. Where else can you ride a ferris wheel on the top of a city building or climb inside a school bus hanging over the edge of the building??? It's only 12 bucks and your youngest will be free. It is a place that has to be seen to be believed, absolutely incredible!

Also Forest Park is nice. My kids and I just spent the entire day there today and didn't spend a dime. We went to the History Museum (probably won't be a big hit with little kids), the Zoo and saw a musical at the Muny. The Science Center is cool (and free) too, we just ran out of time today.

Your kids are the perfect age for the Magic House, voted the number one children's Museum in the US year after year.