St. Louis
Admittedly, St. Louis was only on my radar for the Gateway Arch. I visited as a teenager as a stopover on a longer road trip, but that is all I recall. My family has a membership to Six Flags amusement parks (and a goal to visit as many different parks as possible this year). We decided we could manage the drive for a long weekend and we were surprised by how much we enjoyed our time in St. Louis. Here are the high points of our itinerary and some history.
Gateway Arch
The Gateway Arch is the smallest National Park in America. The arch was proposed in 1947 to mark St. Louis’ role as the “gateway to westward expansion”. For a long time, the railroad ended in Missouri, so Easterners wanting to move out west took the train that way then took wagon trains on to their new homes. The project got pushed to the 1960s due to lack of funding. We strolled through the Explorer’s Garden and saw the Louis and Clark statue on the river. Unfortunately, the old courthouse was closed for renovation. It’s the site where Dred and Harriett Scott sued for their freedom. I added some elements to my Lewis and Clark lesson plan after our visit to the museum.
Gateway Arch National Park
City Museum
City Museum is bananas. It's as if Gaudi, Escher, Lewis Carroll, and Willy Wonka made a giant playground inside a warehouse. At one point, I found myself saying, "We all have to go down the dragon slide off the side of the building or we will never find each other again." That decision led us to a labyrinth of mazes, where we had to climb down through a tree structure to end up at the whale? The intricate tunnels, weird slides, multiple climbing structures, skateless skatepark, and much more kept us highly entertained and rather bewildered. The outdoor part is aptly named Monstrocity. Watch the drone tour to get a sense of the fun.
“Monstrocity” outdoor installation at City Museum
Zoo
The STL Zoo is free, one of the few in the country not to charge admission. (Note: you can pay extra to attend shows and encounters.) I’ll be honest, I went for the polar bears. It also has penguins, puffins, grizzly bears, seals, rays, and more. Forest Park where it's located is quite pretty and boasts 1,300 acres of green space and other museums.
Penguins at the St. Louis Zoological Park
City Garden
This sculpture park opened about four years ago. Our favorite installation was “Unzip the Earth” which uses pavers to emulate a zipper. Because it was early spring when we visited, we missed out on the water features and some of the interactive elements, but we enjoyed a wander through.
Statue in City Garden
Crown Candy Kitchen
This soda fountain is over 100 years old. God help you if you stand in the to-go line but you’re actually waiting for a table. We went at 2:30 on a Saturday and got a table within 20 minutes. According to the locals we chatted with, that’s the best time to visit. It was an ice cream sundae for lunch kind of day.
Crown Candy Kitchen
Six Flags St. Louis
No matter your age or thrill threshold, there are rides for everyone. There are several nods to the Louisiana Purchase Expedition, also known as the World’s Fair in 1904. The giant Ferris wheel Colossus goes about 2 miles an hour. Various vintage automobiles and pavilions dot the park. And the fudge shop and ice cream parlors in the front are turn-of-the-century themed.
