Possibly Visiting St. Louis this Summer...

[JoeyGee]

We might take a vacation this summer to visit my sister and her family in Colorado (driving). We have always wanted to stop in St. Louis to see the Arch. Does anyone have any suggestions for other things to see and do in or near St. Louis? We have three kids, all under 6.

I do know a membership to our local zoo gets us into the St. Louis Zoo for free, so we might do that. We haven't set our dates (or even fully decided we're going at all) so we may consider scheduling it around some interesting event.

[JR]

Go to a show at the outdoor theater (I forget its name, but it's a great place for family outings.)

The arch has a museum of the west down below, which is worth seeing. Going up in the arch is a don't-miss-it experience.

Go to a ball game.

Do not go to East St. Louis.

JR

[Ed62]

I do know a membership to our local zoo gets us into the St. Louis Zoo for free, so we might do that.

I would recommend that. It's a really nice zoo. We went there after my wife had a bunch of tests done at the hospital in St. Louis, but we didn't get to do anything else.

Ed

[JoeyGee]

Do not go to East St. Louis.

JR

East St. Louis--isn't that where the Griswold family ended up and had their wheels stolen? I really need to watch that before I make a bunch of plans...

[DUD]

The zoo is really good, last summer it was free, You just had to pay for parking. The "Hill" for food is really great and not too pricey. Bill

[gsmittle]

Joey, give me a look-up when you get to town!

The top of the Arch is indeed worth the wait in line and ticket price. There is no restaurant at the top.

The St. Louis Zoo is always free, except for the Children's Zoo. However, if you get to the Children's Zoo right after the zoo opens, you can get in for free. If you're willing to walk, you can park in Forest Park for free.

I recommend the Art Museum (most galleries are free) and the Science Center. Admission to the Science Center itself is free--to see a movie in the Omnimax or see the exhibit in the Exploradome costs.

The City Museum downtown is NOT free, but is great for kids of all ages.

The Magic House in Kirkwood is great fun.

Watching the Cardinals play is always entertaining, but expen$ive. If the Cubs are in town, you won't get a ticket anywhere.

The River City Rascals play baseball in St. Charles (about 20 miles out of town). It's minor league, and consequently much less expensive.

St. Louis is known for it's variety of good restaurants. Besides just about any place on the Hill, try the Schlafly Tap Room downtown. Great food, and even better beer.

One other thought--try to time it so you're driving through Kansas in the middle of the night. There's nothing to see there anyway.

g.

[JoeyGee]

G, thanks for all the great info, I really appreciate it. I have been through Kansas, and I know exactly what you mean. I told LOML when she first brought up the idea, that we should wait until July, so that way all the corn is in, and we have that to look at, at least.

[billwmeyer]

Ouch! I think my state just got zapped!

I agree with the Magic House and the Science Center. It took my girls there when around that age and they loved it. I am sure that have made improvements since then. I don't know if it is still around, but there was a puppet manufacturer there at one time that gave puppet shows and of course sold puppets etc. It was good too, but I don't know if it is still around or it's name.

The arch is well worth seeing. However if you are claustrophobic, or have a fear of elevators, you will have a problem getting to the top. They have a kind of tram system, that travels the arch in a string of small cars, and as you advance to the top, they level themselves out. It is unique. Also the wait can be long, so you may want to go and purchase your tickets then have some other activity scheduled.
Bill

[Doug Jones]

I also agree with the Arch tour. Allow yourself extra time to be able to take the trip to the top of it, as the lines can be lengthy. I was also surprised at the quality of the zoo. Being a free zoo, I had preconceived thoughts of a run down place. This was not the case, it was every bit as good as any pay zoo, the kids would love it. The free museum across the street would be another excellent choice, but probably not for the younger crowd.