A Go West Getaway to St. Louis, Missouri
Tara Burghart Tuesday, February 15, 2011 at 8:00AM So, why would someone who lives in the Chicago area want to visit St. Louis? St. Louis has professional baseball, hockey and football teams, an exciting children’s museum, an amazing botanic garden, a world-class zoo and tons of delicious Italian restaurants -- but Chicago possess all those things, too.
The Arch and the Old Courthouse. Photo by Frank Peters on Flickr.Of course, I could point out that St. Louis’ baseball team actually has winning seasons most of the time, but ... Hey! That’s just a good-natured joke from a Cardinals fan.
St. Louis is definitely worth a visit, however, for any family looking for an easy getaway, located about a five-hour drive from the Fox Valley. Many of the attractions are inexpensive, and while public transit is very limited, with a car you can get from downtown to its near suburbs in less than 20 minutes outside of rush hour.
WHAT TO SEE:
St. Louis is located on the Mississippi River just south of where it meets up with the Missouri River. It was founded by French traders in 1764, about 70-some years before the city of Chicago was incorporated. Its position as the “Gateway to the West” lends it a different sort of history than the brawny, blue-collar tales of Chicago.
Its most famous feature, of course, is the Gateway Arch, which is located in downtown in a park called the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, part of the National Park Service. In addition to the arch, this area includes paved paths overlooking the river and a building called the “Old Courthouse,” where slave Dred Scott unsuccessfully sued for his freedom.
Once you see the Arch, you’ll likely want to board a tram for a trip top of this 630-foot stainless steel monument during your stay. But so does everyone else visiting St. Louis, so this one requires some advanced planning. I was at the visitor’s center (located underneath the arch) on a dreary weekday in mid-May at 11 a.m. and the next available tram ticket wasn’t until after 3 p.m. Tickets often sell out. So either plan to stop at the visitor’s center very early in the day, very early in your stay, to buy your timed-entry tickets. Or buy them ahead of time via phone (877-982-1410) or on the web at gatewayarch.com. You’ll have to pass through a security check-point for going up in the Arch, always a fun proposition with kids, so make sure to allow plenty of time before your tram time if you have pre-purchased tickets. (Editor's Note: In the interest of full disclosure, we did not go up to the top of the Arch on our latest visit with our toddler. It just seemed like too much of a hassle, especially because my husband and I had both made the trip before. But I look forward to taking her when she can better appreciate the experience.)
The view underneath the Arch on a cloudy day. Photo by Tara Burghart.Also at the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, you can buy tickets for a riverboat ride on the Mississipi River, or rent bikes for a tour. The Museum of Westward Expansion is located in the visitor’s center and it is free. It features exhibits with life-sized horses and tepeees, but all of them are hands-off, and it is generally quite darkly lit and text-heavy. So while the museum would probably be of great interest to anyone who likes American history, most kids would probably run through it pretty quick.
Even if you decide to avoid the tram trip to the top, it’s still worth a stop to let your kids see the Gateway Arch up close, where you can appreciate how the gleaming individual steel panels are welded together. The area around it the Arch is open and grassy, so it’s a great spot for a game of catch, too.
Other highlights of a trip to St. Louis include:
* Forest Park is one of the gems of St. Louis, a park any city would be proud to call its own. It opened in 1876 and at 1,293 acres, Forest Park is one of the largest urban parks in the United States. It houses a skating rink; the St. Louis Art Museum; the St. Louis Science Center: the Muny, the nation’s largest and oldest outdoor theater; the Jewel Box, an Art Deco-style greenhouse from the 1930s that was recently restored; and the city’s Shakespeare Festival. You’ll likely end up in the park on your way to the zoo (see below) but Forest Park is worth exploring on its own. A lovely option for lunch is the Boathouse, a charming cottage-style building overlooking Post-Dispatch Lake. The Boathouse restaurant is open year-round and serves family-friendly sandwiches, soups and salads and has a good kids’ menu, too. Your children can be entertained by watching boats on the lake or likely by a neaby pooch -- the restaurant stresses it is dog-friendly.
A treehouse in the children's garden at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Photo by Tara Burghart. * The Missouri Botantical Garden is the nation’s oldest botanic garden in continual use and is also a National Historic Landmark. Its 79 acres include a strolling Japanese garden, a number of Victorian-era structures and an interactive children’s garden that I found so impressive. It was like something I would have dreamed about as a kid! The children’s garden features limestone “caves,” massive treehouses and a mini-village where your kid can shop for produce in the general store, check out an old-time schoolhouse or “lock” their sibling up in a jail. I’ll leave it up to you whether you want to make the children’s garden the first or last stop on your trip to the botanical garden -- just know that once you get there, you’ll probably be spending a couple hours watching your kids scramble all around it.
Note that while children under 13 don’t pay an admission fee to the garden overall (for adults it is $8), kids ages 3 to 12 do pay $5 to get into the children’s garden, although their parents tag along for no extra charge.
* The Magic House is St. Louis’ children’s museum and is actually located in a house, a 1901 Victorian mansion, although many additions have been made since the museum opened in 1979. Highlights include a room devoted entirely to bubbles, a large “village” featuring a grocery store, pizza parlor and library where kids can play make-believe and a beautiful outdoor garden with a (warning) sand pit. For children under two, there is a section called “For Baby & Me” that features tiny little gym equipment, a mini school bus and a peek-a-boo house. Children ages 1 to 6 can explore a maze of mirrors, splash in a trough full of water or crawl through secret tunnels.
* The St. Louis Zoo has been around for 100 years, although its bird cage dates to the 1904 World’s Fair. (For my fellow fans of movie musicals, yes, that’s the fair of such interest to Judy Garland and her family in “Meet Me in St. Louis.”) The zoo is broken up into a number of large, themed areas that seek to replicate the animals’ natural settings in the wild. For instance, in “Red Rocks,” you’d see lions and tigers grouped near zebras, giraffes and antelope -- but not too near, of course. Historic Hill, which houses the bird and monkey houses, is notable for its 1920s architecture.
Admission to the zoo is actually free, but you’ll pay $11 to park your car in the zoo lot. If you happen to visit the zoo on a day when the weather is poor or the crowds stay away from some other reason, you can park for free along the street in Forest Park, where the zoo is housed, and hoof your way in. However, that often means walking in the road, and Forest Park can get quite busy with traffic, so unless you luck out with a spot near the entrance, the $11 parking fee is worth it.
WHERE TO EAT:
* You’ll want to plan to eat at least one meal on “The Hill,” St. Louis’ Italian district, located just south of Forest Park. You can find everything from fancy restaurants to casual hangouts to home-style bakeries here. A couple of my family’s favorites include Cunnetto House of Pasta (5453 Magnolia Ave., 314-781-1135) and Rigazzi’s, (4945 Daggett, 314-772-4900.) Both are very popular with St. Louis residents, so early dining might be a good option. Cunetto’s has been owned by the same family for more than 35 years and appropriate to its name is renowned for its pasta. Rigazzi’s is the more casual of the two, known for its giant “fishbowl” drinks and toasted ravioli.
* Imo’s Pizza has so many locations you are bound to pass a few. It is about as casual as it gets -- some of its parlors don’t even have seats and tables. Imo’s makes a pizza you’ll likely either love or hate: It’s a thin, crispy crust and is topped by “provel” cheese, which is comprised of provolone, cheddar and swiss.
Inside Crown Candy Kitchen. Photo by Tara Burghart.* Crown Candy Kitchen (1401 Saint Louis Ave., 314-621-9650) is a old-fashioned soda fountain and candy shop that also features sandwiches and burgers on its menu. The restaurant has been in operation since 1913, when it was founded by Greek immigrants. While I can personally attest that the size of the BLT is impressive, this place is known for its ice cream creations, shakes and malts. By the way, if you can drink five malts or shakes within 30 minutes, you get them for free, plus your name on a plaque on the wall and a free t-shirt. That’s a deal that’s been in place since 1913, but spoiler alert: That plaque doesn’t have many names on it! Note that the neighborhood where Crown Candy Kitchen is located is undergoing some gentrifcation but still isn’t stellar, so you’ll likely feel most comfortable visiting during the day and parking on busy St. Louis Avenue.
* Fitz’s Soda Bar & Grille (6605 Delmar Blvd., University City, 312-726-9555) is famous for its root beer, which has origins in a recipe from 1947. The restaurant serves your typical burgers, fries, salads and sandwiches (although the kids’ menu does offer a healthy chicken, veggies and rice bowl) in a casual, diner-style restaurant. The real draw here is the vintage root beer bottling line, which you can view from your table through a glass window. The line doesn’t run everyday, though, so call ahead if you want to plan your stop around the operating schedule.
* Blueberry Hill (6504 Delmar Blvd., University Ciyt, 314-727-4444) is a restaurant and music club filled with pop culture memorabilia, including vintage lunch boxes, baseball cards, toy firetrucks, and “Star Wars” collectibles that will attract your kids’ (and likely your husband’s) attention. It is known for its burgers but features a diverse menu, including breakfast, which is served all day. This is a nightspot and often has live music but would be a good spot for lunch with the kids.
How can you resist a cool sign like this? Photo by cammom on Flickr.* For dessert, you just *have* to make a trip to Ted Drewes for frozen custard, something St. Louis residents have been doing since 1930. (There are two locations: 4224 S. Grand Blvd, 314-352-7376, open only in summer, and 6726 Chippewa, 314-481-2652, open February to December.) You’ll know you’re at Ted Drewes when you see the crowds milling around outside, eating their concretes (like a Dairy Queen Blizzard, but not as good, of course) in the parking lot or on the sidewalk. Don’t worry, the lines move very fast, but you’ll likely have to just enjoy your custard standing up or sitting in your car – there are no tables.
* If you visit the Chippewa location, you should also stop by Gooey Louie (6483 Chippewa, 314-352-CAKE), located just about 1/2 mile east of Ted Drewes. The family-owned Gooey Louie makes gooey butter cake, another St. Louis specialty, from a recipe handed down through four generations. You can pick up a treat for later, either the original butttery cake or one of about 10 other flavors, including devil’s food and blueberry. And by the way, since a Ted Drewes’ concrete won’t survive the trip back to the Fox Valley, feel free to pick me up a gooey butter cake instead. Any flavor will do!
WHERE TO STAY:
As with any travel story on this site, I can’t recommend specific places to stay because I just don’t have the budget or the time to check out a number of hotels. As for areas, St. Louis is incredibly easy to get around in a car. Traffic is not much of a problem, at least when you are coming from the perspective of Chicago-area traffic! Downtown hotels will put you close to the Arch, Mississippi River and the sporting arenas, but the area can be quite desolate at night (except on baseball game nights) so don’t expect to be doing a lot of walking anyway. The suburbs of Clayton and Brentwood would also all be convenient places to base your trip. The St. Charles-Maryland Heights-Westport area is farther west of downtown but also includes many nice shopping and dining options.
Note: When this story first appeared on the home page, it inspired a few readers to write in with their own St. Louis recommendations. You can read those by clicking here.
Reader Comments (1)
The Missouri Bottanical Garden sounds like so much, not just for kids but young at heart adults too!