St. Louis, MO Road Trips

The city is named after King Louis IX of France, but it's usually pronounced "Saint Lewis", instead of "Saint Louie". St. Louis is known by the nickname of The Gateway to the West. The city was the last major stop before pioneers journeyed westward to the Pacific coast. The city also played a large part during the steamboat era due to its position at the confluence of the Mississippi River and the Missouri River. St. Louis was acquired from France by the United States during President Thomas Jefferson's term in 1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase. The transfer of power from Spain was made official in a ceremony called "Three Flags Day." On March 8, 1804, the Spanish flag was lowered and the French one raised. On March 10, the French flag was replaced by that of the USA. In 1904, St. Louis hosted that year's World's Fair and the Summer Olympic Games. Many of the parks, buildings, and finer homes in St. Louis were built around this time period. While the Fair has passed out of living memory, it holds an important place in the modern development of the city. Before Detroit became America's automotive capital, St. Louis was the largest producer of American automobiles in the early part of the 20th century. Midtown and Downtown still have many of the original warehouses and factories standing, but most have been converted to other purposes, such as loft apartments, shops and restaurants. St. Louis was also home to a bustling fashion manufacturing industry in the early 1900s, centered on Washington Avenue downtown.

Obviously, the Gateway Arch is a must-see attraction; even if you can't handle the ride to the top, you should at least gaze upward and ponder the arch's majesty. But St. Louis has plenty else to see, too, and several of the attractions offer free admission. (That doesn't mean parking is free, or that you can do everything within the attraction without extra charges... but still: free!) 1 Anheuser-Busch Brewery, 1200 Lynch St, ☏ +1 314-577-2626. The place where all Anheuser-Busch beers are made for the mid-west U.S. Free tour, with free beer samples for those 21+, of one of the world's largest breweries and bottling factories, housed in beautiful red-brick buildings. The Clydesdale horses and their historic truck and stables are one of the biggest attractions on the tour, as are the brew house and packaging facility. The adjacent beer garden serves really good food and offers cheap samples of most Anheuser-Busch branded beer, from Goose Island to Hoegaarden. 2 Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, 4431 Lindell Blvd (at Newstead Ave in the Central West End neighborhood), ☏ +1 314-373-8200. 7AM-7PM. This Roman Catholic church contains the most mosaic art in one site in the world—83,000 square feet, installed by a family of artists who used more than 41 million tiles with more than 7,000 colors. 3 Citygarden, 801 Market St (walk down Market Street five blocks from the Arch). Sunrise to 10PM.

1 America's Convention Center. Over 500,000 square feet of exhibit space, also featuring formal reception rooms, presentation-style rooms, a theatre, and the Edward Jones Dome next door. 2 World Chess Hall of Fame (WCHOF), 4652 Maryland Ave, ☏ +1 314-367-9243, [email protected]. St Louis has become the U.S. capital of chess, with many of the U.S.'s top players and university teams in the city. The U.S. and World Chess Halls of Fame are at this address. You can see exhibitions about the sport of chess. (updated Apr 2016) 3 The Central West End. An eclectic, cosmopolitan neighborhood home to soaring turn-of-the-century mansions on St. Louis's famous private streets, chic dining, and upscale boutique shopping with a great mix of cafés, independent bookstores (check out Left Bank Books on Euclid and McPherson), art galleries, salons, antique and modern furniture such as a Design Within Reach and Centro, coffee houses, and youthful energy. One of the more lively neighborhoods in St. Louis that borders Forest Park, the CWE is a great destination for a day of walking around or a weekend stay. 4 Laclede's Landing. Just north of the Arch and part of Downtown St Louis, and the second oldest neighborhood after Soulard, "the Landing" is what amounts to St. Louis' old town. You are likely to enjoy the cobblestone streets and the shops, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and a bizarre wax museum.

St. Louis has its very own magazine and accompanying website, Sauce, which is the definitive guide to dining in St. Louis. Visit for a searchable restaurant directory, news, and reviews. Barbequed pork steaks, St. Louis-style — Boston Butt sliced into steaks, basted with Maull's Barbecue sauce Gooey butter cake — a type of coffee cake with a bottom layer of buttery yellow cake and a top layer of either egg and cream cheese, or butter and sugar Toasted ravioli — breaded, then deep fried, these small meat, cheese, or veggie stuffed pasta pockets reflect local Italian influence; a favorite bar food in St. Louis Slinger — a large plate full of hash browns piled over with two eggs and a hamburger patty (or other meat) and then covered with chili and cheese (onions optional); a popular ultra-heavy diner food St. Louis-style pizza — made with Provel cheese on a super thin crust. St. Paul sandwiches — a fried egg and vegetable patty on white bread with lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise; unique to the Chinese-American restaurants in St. Louis 1 Gus's Pretzels. great hot large pretzels about 1 ft long and 1 inh diameter! (updated Mar 2019) Maull's Barbecue Sauce — a spicy, semi-sweet tomato-based sauce unusual for containing pepper pulp and anchovies; available in eight varieties. Red Hot Riplets — a somewhat-spicy variety of potato chips made by local firm Old Vienna with St. Louis-style barbecue sauce. Ted Drewes Frozen Custard. Every St. Louis resident has had Ted Drewes at some point in their life. They have two locations in St.

Most tourists will be familiar with St. Louis' world famous Anheuser-Busch brewery, especially its signature variety Budweiser, or their best-seller Bud Light. However, unless you are accustomed to American style pilsners, it is unlikely you will find these and other Anheuser-Busch brands suit your palate. For those more familiar with European brews or who have been caught up in the domestic craft brewery explosion interested in sampling a local brewery's product, the Saint Louis Brewery's Schlafly craft brews are more likely to satisfy. Schlfaly is the largest craft brewery in St. Louis but not the only one. 4Hands, Civil Life, Urban Chestnut, Square One, Perennial Artisan Ales, and O'Fallon Brewery are just a few of the other breweries in town. They are definitely worth a look. If you would rather explore rather than choose one specific establishment, two areas in St. Louis are great for wandering from location to location: The Central West End (featuring the Drunken Fish and Bissinger's Chocolate Lounge all off Euclid Ave), and Downtown centered around Washington Ave (featuring Lucas Park Grille and Plush). St. Louis's MetroLink system is great if you prefer not to drive, but much of the line will stop running by 1AM. St. Louis is also home to a number of gay and lesbian friendly nightlife options. From busy bars to energetic dance clubs, make sure to stop by. Much of these are on Manchester Rd in Forest Park Southeast. 1 Blueberry Hill, 6504 Delmar Blvd (on the Delmar loop), ☏ +1 314-727-4444. Restaurant, darts, bar open till 3AM.

St. Louis does have the host of usual Marriott, Hilton, Holiday Inn and similar chains. Check out chain websites for exact locations throughout the metropolitan region. One great thing about the city is an abundance of hotel rooms, convention and meeting space, and amenities for travelers. Since the city has a low cost of living, even for the Midwest, you might find even the most expensive hotels relatively affordable; rooms at even the Ritz-Carlton start in the mid $200s per night. In addition to the following listings, which are in St. Louis city, see St. Louis County for more listings. 1 Drury Pear Tree Inn (previously Hampton Inn), 2211 Market St, ☏ +1 314-241-3200. Near the Union Station. Swimming pool. 2 Drury Inn Union Station, 201 S 20th St, ☏ +1 314-231-3900. Indoor pool, restaurant. Restored historic hotel, near the magnificent Union Station. 3 Moonrise Hotel, 6177 Delmar Blvd (The Loop). An affordable, luxury boutique right on the Delmar Loop. True to its name, the entire hotel, and every room, is lunar-themed. Check out the roof-top bar with great views of downtown. Close to Clayton, University City, Washington University and tourist attractions. 4 The Chase Park Plaza Royal Sonesta St. Louis, 212 N Kingshighway Blvd, St. Louis, MO, 63108, ☏ +1 314-633-3000. Check-in: 4PM, check-out: noon. (updated May 2020) 5 Four Seasons Hotel, 999 N Second St, ☏ +1 314-881-5800. Check-in: 4PM, check-out: noon. The Four Seasons' newest hotel, in Downtown St. Louis in the Lumiere Place casino and entertainment complex.

St. Louis is a freeway hub, connected to the following cities by freeway: connects to Kansas City to the west, and Indianapolis and Columbus to the east. connects to Louisville to the east. connects to Chicago to the north and Memphis to the south. connects to Springfield (Missouri), Tulsa, and Oklahoma City to the southwest. Within the St. Louis area, ( on the Illinois side) forms a loop around the metropolitan area, bypassing the center city. Locals may refer to Interstate 64 as "Highway 40"—US-40 is coincident with I-64 through St. Louis. Also, older or more traditional residents are likely to pronounce 40 as "Farty", which out-of-towners sometimes find humorous. 1 Lambert St. Louis International Airport (STL IATA). is the largest airport serving St. Louis, with annual passenger traffic of approximately 13 million people. The airport is 14 miles northwest of the city center and is directly served by the MetroLink light rail line. A 2-hour MetroLink transfer ticket costs $4 from the airport. Uber and Lyft are allowed at the terminal. (updated Mar 2019) 2 St. Louis Downtown Airport (CPS IATA). 3 miles east of the city center and serves charter and cargo flights. (updated Mar 2019) 3 MidAmerica St. Louis Airport (BLV IATA). 21 miles east and only serves Allegiant flights. (updated Mar 2019) Amtrak (☏ +1-800-USA-RAIL (872-7245), 551 S 16th St) offers five daily arrivals from Chicago, two daily arrivals from Kansas City, and one daily arrival from Los Angeles, San Antonio via Dallas, Little Rock and many smaller intermediate stops on each route.

MetroLink, +1 314-231-2345 – A light rail system that runs to many of the metropolitan area's most popular destinations. There are two branches on the Missouri side of the river—the Red Line begins at Lambert–St. Louis International Airport, while the Blue Line begins in the suburb of Shrewsbury. The lines merge at the edge of Forest Park, and travel through downtown and into Illinois. MetroLink stops at the Delmar Loop, Grand Center arts district, Forest Park, the Central West End, Downtown St. Louis, and Downtown Clayton, among other places. The campuses of University of Missouri-St. Louis, Washington University and St. Louis University each have stops on campus or nearby. A 2-hour transfer pass costs $3 ($4 if purchased at the airport station). Day pass, which includes trains and buses, is $5. Metro St. Louis operates buses around the St. Louis metro area, although in many cases, they don't run as frequently as you would like. A single fare is $2. Travel by car is the most common mode of transportation in St. Louis. Taxis generally do not drive around looking for street hails; you must order service by phone or from an app. Uber is extremely popular and useful in St. Louis. A 2015 accident in a taxi that did not have insurance has caused a controversy—make sure you choose a reputable taxi or ride-hailing company. St. Louis is one of the more segregated cities in the nation, and is home to the country's first private gated street—Benton Place in Lafayette Square.

St. Louis' designation as the "most dangerous city in America" should not deter the potential visitor. In reality St. Louis is just as safe as any other Midwestern city—that is to say, extremely safe in suburbs and wealthy neighborhoods, and quite dangerous in inner-city slums. The statistical discrepancy is because, unlike most cities, St Louis' municipal boundaries include mostly slums and very few suburb-like areas. The areas of the city proper that are most often visited by tourists, such as Downtown, the Central West End, and Forest Park, have quite low crime rates. Some economically depressed North County suburbs like Wellston, Pagedale and parts of Normandy and Jennings, as well as many parts of North St. Louis city are unsafe. The post-war exodus to the suburbs has taken a huge economic toll on these areas, leaving many buildings abandoned, decaying, or demolished. East St. Louis, in Illinois, is also noted for its high crime rate (this is not true of Alton or Belleville, in Illinois to the north and south). When in the city, a general guideline (though politically incorrect and somewhat simplistic) is that areas north of Delmar Blvd are unsafe, and should be entirely avoided after dark. Most tourists, however, will have little reason to visit any of these places, so it should not present reason for much concern. Some Metrolink stations are in areas some may find questionable after dark as well. But most downtown areas around Busch Stadium, and Union Station, as well as the St.