What to know before traveling to St Louis?

Life is all about finding the right balance, which is what makes St. Louis a destination worth visiting. Eat more barbecue than anyone should for lunch, and then have dinner at a restaurant with a strong veggie focus that has won awards. Walk through Forest Park before visiting some of the more than 60 breweries in the area.

A variety of civilizations have long coexisted in St. Louis. Entrepreneurs, artists, and creators abound in this metropolis. You can find it if you wander the streets of Maplewood, the Grove, or Central West End while shopping.

Check out the Gateway Arch

Your journey starts in the nearby Old Courthouse as The Arch grounds and museum are still undergoing a significant reconstruction project to better connect the city’s most recognizable skyline piece with the rest of downtown.

Make use of the downtown guides

Super-friendly Downtown Guides are happy to help you find an attraction, recommend a restaurant, guide you to your car or hotel, etc. They are outfitted with radios and iPods and have a great sense of humor.

Parking bills must be paid.

Be aware that new parking meters have been put by St. Louis city in a few well-known neighborhoods. Make a note of the four-digit number that will be posted at your parking space. Then locate the nearby kiosk and adhere to the simple instructions. A receipt is issued when you pay with coins or a credit card.

Light rail MetroLink

The light-rail network, MetroLink, links the Central West End, The Loop, Clayton, and Belleville, Illinois, with downtown St. Louis. It is quick, comfy, and clean, but the food is not permitted. No one asks you for a ticket when you board a train, but you should have one handy in case a conductor does. Verify the ticket’s validity.

Streets and Trails for Bicycles

St. Louis is becoming a bicycling paradise as a result of an increasing number of bike aficionados, with dedicated bike lanes on numerous streets and a vast network of hiking/biking trails throughout the area, on both banks of the Mississippi. You can also bring your bike to MetroLink. For $10–$15 per hour, you can rent a bike at Big Shark Bicycle Company in the city.

Wine Country in Missouri

Just 45 minutes outside of St. Louis along Highway 94, several of those bike routes naturally pass by vineyards in Missouri wine country. Some tourists might be surprised to hear that Missouri has a thriving wine sector that produces world-class wines primarily from French hybrid grapes.

Things you ought to know.

Although we already know you won’t enjoy St. Louis-style pizza, we will nonetheless pressure you to try it and then argue with you if you decide you don’t like it. Pay heed to the prediction because the weather is unpredictable. It might be bright and 80 degrees now, but tomorrow it might snow.

Loop Delmar

Having no plan is the best course of action when visiting the Delmar Loop. It won’t take long to see something because there is something to look at or do every few feet if you start at the west end of the mile-long strip and stroll along. Catch a show at one of the three music venues on the street, indulge in some barbeque, eat delicious Thai food you’ll swear you’re in Chiang Mai, or watch a movie in the Tivoli Theatre, which was built in 1924 and has been refurbished.

Farmers Market at Tower Grove

There isn’t a better way to spend a Saturday morning on a sunny day than by visiting the farmers market at Tower Grove Park. There is always something intriguing to find thanks to the more than 60 merchants displaying the best in regional vegetables and cuisine, as well as the several charitable organizations and craftsmen present. When you’ve finished shopping and munching, explore the remaining areas of this almost 300-acre park or head to the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Forest Park

In Forest Park, a week would not be enough time to see everything it has to offer. Bring a blanket and enjoy the views on Art Hill, go for a run, play 18 holes of golf, or stay outside and take a boat out on the water. This 1,300-acre park is home to three museums, the Muny outdoor theatre, and the renowned Saint Louis Zoo, which offers free entrance, aside from, you know, the natural beauty.

Studio Union

Because it can be challenging for regional artists to have their work shown and sold in shops, Union Studio was founded by its owner and children’s clothes designer Mary Beth Bussen. Every piece of merchandise in the store is a creation of a St. Louisan, and with an ever-changing selection of jewelry, dishes, wall art, and more (they carry the work of more than 80 local craftsmen), it’s worthwhile to stop by frequently.

Pageant

With numerous venues spread around the city, St. Louis is a place for music lovers. There are some enormous and some little, but smack in the middle is the Pageant, a cozy theatre that seats 2,000 people. You are within 70 feet of the stage from wherever you are. Keep an eye on their calendar as the venue hosts a variety of performers, from rock to jazz to stand-up comedy. You can never predict what will happen next.

City Gallery

The City Museum is quite difficult to describe. There was a somewhat insane man in the town who acquired a huge abandoned warehouse, filled it with the remains of old structures that were being knocked down all around it, and then employed equally insane artists to make loads of stuff. On the roof is a school bus. A 10-story slide is present. A complete cave system is accessible via crawling. There is a huge bronze statue of a hot dog. The relics of St. Louis’ ancient structures have been transformed into art galleries, a sizable children’s playground, an aquarium, and more by this century-old shoe manufacturer.

Final Words

We imagine St Louis to be a typical, mid-sized Midwest City with pleasant, helpful residents, but it could be useful to have some background information. The above information can be helpful before your visit.