St. Louis
A historic and wonderful place to visit, St. Louis is the pride of the Midwest. The tall Gateway Arch greets you into the city and you know you have arrived. There is a lot to see and do in this growing and expanding city. Once thought of as a boring and grimy place, this city has been making strides to turn itself into one of the nicer and cleaner cities to visit. And it’s a good thing they have. St. Louis is home to some impressive sports teams like the Cardinals and Rams, the city is also home to the most famous brewing company in the country, Anheuser-Busch. With friendly people, tasty barbeque, and excellent nightlife, what more could you ask for. Check out St. Louis and enjoy a nice city without breaking the bank.
- Pictures |
- Things to do |
- Nightlife |
- Dining |
- Shopping |
- Travel tips
St. Louis Pictures
Things to do in St. Louis
The Gateway Arch is really the centerpiece of the city. This large monument is the tallest national monument in the world. Built as a bridge to the west, this arch welcomes locals and tourists alike to the city. Ride an elevator up to the top and check out the cool view of the city. Directly below the arch, next to one side is a historical museum, Museum of Westward Expansion. When walking around the city, see the Old Courhouse. It’s not the coolest thing to take a tour of, but definitely a beautiful architectural piece. The St. Louis Zoo is one of the largest in the country. During warmer months it’s a great day activity. The Botanical Gardens are nice to visit on a slower day. The serenity you feel upon entering this space is nice and the flowers are just beautiful. Take a tour of the Anheuser-Busch Brewery. College students love taking the tour and learning about one of the largest breweries around. Learn about the history of the company, the Clydesdales, and the brewhouse. And get this, the tour and beer tasting is free to visitors. If you are looking for something more unique and authentic, go to the St. Louis Renaissance Faire. Step back in time as you enjoy village shops, entertainers, feasts, jousting knights, characters in renaissance clothing, and some old-fashioned activities.
Nightlife in St. Louis
St. Louis has a really fun nightlife. Home to the world famous Anheuser-Busch brewery, many places proudly promote the delicious, refreshing beer at their establishments. There are also many places to pride themselves in St. Louis microbrews. Schlafly microbrews are very popular here and offer a wide variety for any pallet. Located in the Blues district, the Beale on Broadway, St. Louis’ #1 bar is a great place for the best nightlife. It works as an inexpensive pregaming bar for your busy night out. Or you can choose to spend a night here listening to live Blues bands with great people. Hair of the Dog is a cool bar with a great atmosphere. You will find some of the cheapest drinks and best grub food here along with a friendly waitstaff. Pretty much the perfect combination for a low key night out. For college students that perfer something a bit more upscale, try Bailey’s Chocolate Bar. Voted Best Martini, the Chocolate Martini will have your mouth watering in no time. Grab a signature drink and a small snack like crepes or cheese plate.
Dining in St. Louis
Eating is one of the best activities to do in St. Louis. If you love barbeque then you have come to the right place. You won’t easily find a bad meal in the city and there are a few things native to St. Louis you will definitely want to try. Barbeque pork steaks are done up “St. Louis style” in Maull’s barbeque sauce. This delicious cut of meat tastes amazing and the sauce is what makes it most authentic. Maull’s barbeque sauces is a spicy-sweet sauce that comes in a bunch of varieties and is sold all over the city. Most barbeque comes smothered in the sauce. This city has it’s own style of pizza. Move over Chicago, this pizza is made with provelone cheese, which is a combination of cheddar, swiss, and provolone. Frozen Custard finishes any barbeque meal off quite nicely. Ted Drewers is the best in town and offers a bunch of different flavors including Sunday Delight and Dutchman Delight. Another popular dessert treat is the Gooey Butter Cake. Gooey Butter Cake is a rich coffee cake with a topping made of eggs, sugar, butter, and cream cheese. Absolutely delicious and sold in most restaurants.
Shopping in St. Louis
St. Louis is home to the Midwest headquarters of Macy’s. There is a six story Macy’s located in downtown, along with many other fun and unique stores. This is where you can find your designer duds. The Hills, as it is called, is St. Louis’ Italian section. Here you find many Italian shops, bakeries, and eateries. It’s cute for tourists for an afternoon treat. The St. Louis Galleria is the largest mall in the city. So if you are in the mood to shop, definitely check this place out. If used and vintage items are more your style then check out Hullabaloo. One of the largest vendors of used clothing in America, it’s located in the city and you can peruse the aisles of funky, old, and unique used clothing.
St. Louis Travel Tips
- The Metrolink is st. Louis’ main form of public transportation.
- April through August are the wettest months.
- Definitely grab a beer in the home of American brewing.
St. Louis is a fantastic city! I have lived here 8 years and love it! Sadly, Balabans has closed, but it certainly was good! I recommend The Black Thorn, Broadway Oyster Bar, anything on The Hill, and anything on South Grand.
I’m originally from St. Louis, have traveled considerably, and once again live back in St. Louis.
St. Louis is not a pedestrian city. There is a one-line light rail that runs from a military base on the Illinois side to Lambert Airport. It comes once every 20 minutes, is clean and safe, and serves its purpose well. However, don’t expect the same level of public transpo quality as major cities. As a native…don’t take the bus unless it’s necessary. It’s the first thing they cut when the city/county needs to dip into funds, and it shows. More than anything, it’s a damn shame.
If you’re looking for bars, etc. head to Soulard, where you have your pick of bars, pubs, pizza and seafood. A few blocks away is the Broadway spur where you will find Beale’s on Broadway, Broadway Oyster Bar, and BB’s Jazz and Blues Bar…all good places to get a beer, some pub fare and hear some good music. B.O.B. is primarily all seafood (Cajun-style) and tends to feature bluegrass/folk music rather than blues. If you’re looking for a fun bar, check out Venice Cafe on Pestalozzi, 2 blocks from Anheuser-Busch. Lemmon’s in south city on Gravois, the Tin Can Tavern (featuring old gaming consoles) in south city on Morganford, and Mangia on Grand are all good bars. If you’re looking for the gay scene, it is largely located around the slowly gentrifying area of Manchester & Sarah and down in South Grand.
Asian food is mediocre in St. Louis, compared to the west coast, but working with what we have…you will find the best affordable Thai/Vietnamese on South Grand. There are also also a couple good Ethiopian and Afghani restaurants mixed in. Everest Cafe, a Tibetan-Nepalese restaurant, has two locations on Olive, including one just opened for the business folk downtown. Black Bear Bakery is a collective/employee-owned and operated antiestablishment bakery that offers excellent vegetarian food.
Black Bear and Mokabe’s in south city both offer excellent vegan/vegetarian brunches on Saturday. Gokul’s Indian restaurant on north Olive also offers a vegan/vegetarian buffet. For a city that prides itself on beer, baseball, and BBQ, these places offer good options.
Decent coffee shops: Foam on Cherokee in south city, Mokabe’s on S. Grand and Arsenal, the Mud House on Cherokee is mediocre but a nice atmosphere, and Kaldi’s has a couple of locations. Starbucks IS actually good in St. Louis, because our coffee is so average.
Things to do: Forest Park and City Museum are going to be on every half-respectable list, and they’re there for a reason. The zoo, science center, art museum and history museum are good, centrally located, and FREE. Make use of them and you will thank your pocketbook, as well as those of Missourians for making sure they stay free. St. Louis Cardinals games and Ted Drewes will also be on most to-do lists. City Museum is an absolute must for the child-at-heart of any age. Free tours of A-B will get you a couple of free glasses of beer. While you may or may not thinking highly of the beer quality, don’t knock Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis. InBev may have bought it out, but it’s been this city’s lifeblood for a century, and all the locals know it and are proud of it.
Neighborhoods: South Grand (most international district of St Louis, good bars, good food, interesting shops, Tower Grove Park, and home of CheapTrx…one of the best tattoo shops and THE best piercers in St. Louis); the Loop (Delmar & Skinker, home of Washington University and most of its students, good independent theatres-Tivoli and the HiPointe, good pizza-Pi and Dewey’s, mediocre Thai, Iron Age tattoo, Meshuggah’s coffeehouse, the Pageant, some good smaller shops, and people-watching. Life music at Brandt’s, Cicero’s and Riddle’s in the evenings); Benton Park and Soulard (near A-B brewery at hwys 44-55 intersection, good bars and nightlife, home of the 2nd biggest Mardi Gras party in the nation, a few niche shops); MidTown (area surrounding Saint Louis University roughly Grand & Olive, college bars, couple of restaurants, check out The Fountain on Locust…great ice cream); Webster Groves/Kirkwood (home of Webster University, good restaurants, coffee houses, bookstores, music shops…check out Music Folk for all of your stringed needs); Brentwood/Clayton (businesses, REI, World Market, the Galleria mall, and yuppies take up a large percentage of this area, and likewise the wine bars and better quality restaurants that appeal to this income level… Sasha’s Wine Bar on DeMun in Richmond Heights has a great little seating area outside on warmer nights); The Hill (Hampton/44, the older Italian neighborhood that is pretty much generationalized out to recipes passed down and few real Italians left. Thank goodness though, the recipes are still amazing, so be sure not to miss eating at at least one of the restaurants/delis in this neighborhood); and Dogtown (Oaklan/40 & Tamm, a few good restaurants and bars, home of the GOOD St. Patrick’s Day parade, and Turtle Park). Of course, I’m leaving out many other neighborhoods that have plenty to offer to the local color of the city, but this is where you will find the largest concentrated venues of things that may attract out-of-towners.
Leave your response!