What is there to see in St. Louis
When I planned this trip two years ago, I was most excited to go to St. Louis. When the trip got pushed back a year, the excitement only grew. Well I’m here to tell you that St. Louis did not disappoint, and our time here isn’t even over!
City Museum
This museum opens at 10am. We got there early and parked in the “monstrocity” parking lot right by the museum on the corner of Delmar and 16th street. There are huge serpents on the fences surrounding the parking lot. It’s $10 to park and they accept visa and cash. The line for the entrance was already growing. You can buy the main tickets online but can only purchase the rooftop access from the physical entrance. If there is any rain, the rooftop is closed. This morning, unfortunately, it happened to be raining. It’s one of the only times I’ve been sad about rain, but the inside was still well worth the visit.
There are three main stories that are more playground than museum. They don’t have maps because the idea is to get lost in the exploration. It is a kids/big kids dream; fish tanks throughout the building, tons of structures to climb up, and slides all over. Such a fun place.
On the main level, there is a cave that you can enter and follow back until you find spiral staircases that go up 10 flights. There’s a slide at the top that you can ride all the way down. It was fun…but also made me dizzy going around and around and around…and around.
On the third floor, there are a few rooms that have fossils and insects and other museum-esk type things. Also on the third floor is a little food and drink place. They have grilled cheese sandwiches, hot dogs, vegan chili, and tons of drinks. I got a pomegranate Italian soda that tasted great and didn’t make me feel like I would go into a sugar coma. We also left our names behind in a pretty sweet lunch location.
It was so fun to walk around and explore our way through the maze that used to be a shoe warehouse; so many cool things around each corner.
Missouri Botanical Garden
The Missouri Botanical Garden has parking available on site. We had no difficulty finding a spot and purchased our tickets before hand which made getting in nice and easy. The last admittance is 4pm and they close at 5pm.
We walked around these gardens for at least 3 hours. So beautiful!
You can’t miss the climatron, it’s so central and huge! The inside is a rainforest with many varieties of plants. We found a bench and sat through two rainstorms and took time to appreciate the oxygen.
Dinner at Favazza’s on the Hill
The Hill in St Louis is known for its Italian food, so we decided to try it out by going to Favazza’s. We had the toasted ravioli, veggies with filet and white sauce, ceaser salad, garlic bread, and a chocolate ice cream pie. Everything was yummy and we definitely overate. The service was pretty slow, but I don’t mind taking a long time to eat if the food is worth it. (By the way, the parking lot is on Marconi Ave, just past the restaurant.)
Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis
Wow. This is one of the most impressive buildings I have ever been in. They are usually open until 5pm, but often have events, so they suggest calling before you come to visit (314-373-8241). We did not call but were lucky enough to come in a few minutes before 5 and glimpsed a little of the magnificence before a rehearsal for a wedding. The very sweet event planner told us that none of the walls are painted, it’s all marble on the inside. The outside is stunning too and the whole building is way larger than I was expecting.
Forest Park
We were so full from dinner, but did stop at Forest Park for a little walk before heading back to the hotel. This is such a calm place filled with paths and little play areas for kiddos. There’s free street parking everywhere by paths and benches for picnics or just hanging out.
I hope you’re all enjoying nature and the continual adventure!
This was maybe my favorite day yet! The greenhouse, yummy food, and majestic cathedral were all so incredible!