20 Things to Do in St. Louis

What is it?
A massive, 1,300-acre iconic public park, which hosted the World's Fair and the Summer Olympics in 1904 and is known as the Heart of St. Louis.

Why should you go?
Think of New York's Central Park, adjoin some 500 acres, and add St. Louis' premier museums. You will get the best things to do in St. Louis in just one place, which is St. Louis' Forest Park. The famed Saint Louis Art Museum, Saint Louis Zoo, and Saint Louis Science Center are scattered across the prodigious green space combining lush wilderness with human innovation.

Read markers as you walk near the Jewel Box, a non-conventional, rectangular Art Deco greenhouse so designed to preserve it from the local hailstorms, and the Grand Basin with its fountains, the scenic center of the World's Fair back in 1904. Apart from the sleek architecture, the park amuses park-goers with kayaks, tennis, and golf course rentals.

Specialization
Nature & Natural History, Fun & Entertainment

Perfect for
Art lovers, history buffs, families, couples

What is it?
A free-to-enter interactive science museum and ticketed futuristic planetarium in St. Louis' Forest Park, one of the largest complexes of its kind in the U.S.

Why should you go?
To enjoy a plethora of cool things to do in St. Louis with your kid, like the immersive OMNIMAX theater and top-notch McDonnell planetarium. It started with an alien spacecraft-shaped planetarium in 1963 and later expanded to offer 700-plus hands-on experiences at a single location.

You can ponder space and the stars thanks to a star projector, custom-built by Zeiss in 2001, one of only three in the country and thirteen on the Earth. Feel yourself a part of the exhibit as you experience the earthquake and tornado simulators and learn what happens when technology and agriculture overlap to produce food in the unique agriculture-themed GROW gallery.

Specialization
Nature & Natural History, History & Anthropology

Perfect for
Art lovers, architecture lovers, history buffs, families, couples

What is it?
A free-to-enter zoo that is home to more than 14,000 animals enjoying their naturalistic habitats across 90 acres within St. Louis' Forest Park.

Why should you go?
To animal-watch in the flamboyant historic and modern parts of the zoo. Discover Missouri swamps inside the famous, hulking 1904 World's Fair Flight Cage, its winged inhabitants, and other star animals like penguins and polar bears up close and under the water. You can either walk along the footpaths or take the 20-minute narrated tour and ride through the tunnels and past the showstopper enclosures in a carriage of a brightly colored train. This ride via the Zooline railroad has been the Zoo's favorite family attraction since 1963. And so is the carousel, with its 64 wooden animal renderings of endangered exotic species protected by the Zoo.

Specialization
Nature & Natural History, Fun & Entertainment

Perfect for
Art lovers, architecture lovers, history buffs, families, couples

What is it?
The tremendous Romanesque church in St. Louis, completed in 1914, yet remained (and is rumored to still be) unfinished till 1988, famous for its impressive mosaic-laden interior.

Why should you go?
To marvel at the world's largest mosaic installation outside Russia, in St. Louis, U.S.A. It took 76 years, between 1914 and 1988, to install all the dazzling pieces covering 83,000 square feet. They were designed by Tiffany Studios and the prominent German mosaic artist August Oetken.
The Basilica is much prized by the citizens, and just like the city itself, it was named after King Louis IX of France, whose life you can see depicted in the narthex. Admire the Byzantine mosaics-influenced adornments of the shimmering domes high above you while you peruse the church's soaring walls and ceilings. Truly uplifting!

Specialization
Cathedral, Art & Design, History & Anthropology

Perfect for
Art lovers, architecture lovers, history buffs, families, couples

What is it?
A vibrant entertainment and shopping space in a converted major railroad station that aided the rapid westward expansion in the 19th century.

Why should you go?
To explore the restored historic train shed and its modern attractions, soak in the opulent Grand Hall decor, and unveil the architectural phenomena of the storied Whispering Arch, a local favorite. You can speak in a normal tone of voice whilst standing near the opposite legs of the arch and being 40 feet apart from your other party. Try it!

A fairytale-like castle on the outside, the Union Station building features a 280-foot clock tower and evocative Romanesque arches. There are the 200-foot Ferris wheel and classic carousel beneath it and the state-of-the-art St. Louis Aquarium with its spacious shark enclosure to amuse the young and young-at-heart.

Specialization
Fun & Entertainment, Art & Design, History & Anthropology

Perfect for
Architecture lovers, history buffs, families, couples

What is it?
An outdoor museum of large-scale modern and contemporary sculptures by world-renowned artists, from the U.S. and abroad, in the 105-acre landscaped park just outside St. Louis.

Why should you go?
To be wowed by over 80 enormous public art pieces. The site-specific Way by Alexander Liberman, made of 18 salvaged red-hued oil tanks, is a 65 feet high eye-catching emblem of the park. Can you relate it to Greek and Roman temples like the artist himself would back in 1980?
When wandering outdoors, look up and gaze at Tony Tasset's towering life-like Deer sculpture and enter Jackie Ferrara's recognizable rustic stacked-wood sculpture called Laumeier Project. Laumeier pioneered bringing the celebrated Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama's iconic Narcissus Garden installation of highly polished stainless steel spheres to St. Louis in 2023.

Specialization
Nature & Natural History, Art & Design

Perfect for
Art lovers, architecture lovers, families, couples

What is it?
The iconic 630-foot arch facing the Mississippi River, St. Louis' best-known landmark since 1965.

Why should you go?
To see the fabled Gateway to the West in the flesh or, better still, in stainless steel. The Eero Saarinen-designed striking Gateway Arch is a structure of superlatives: it is the world's tallest arch and one of the top things to do in St. Louis.

Rather than being an uninvolved spectator, you can ascend to the arch's apex in an almost astronautical capsule of a vintage tram to enjoy the views of St. Louis' skyline and the Mississippi River from the observation deck. To recap the Arch experience, descend to the Museum at the Gateway Arch underneath it and catch up with the history of westward migration in the 19th-century U.S. that it symbolizes.

Specialization
Art & Design, History & Anthropology, Observation deck

Perfect for
Architecture lovers, history buffs, families, couples

What is it?
A state capitol-looking historic courthouse building in the Gateway Arch National Park, known for the Dred Scott trial that took place there in 1847 and 1850, now closed to the public for renovation.

Why should you go?
To learn about the important Dred Scott v. Sanford anti-slavery case that popped up in Missouri state court in this very building in 1847 and famously reached the U.S. Supreme Court in 1857. After the renovation, trial reenactments will go on to better interpret the court system back in the 19th century, when a Black enslaved man Dred Scott and his wife, Harriet Robinson, filed lawsuits for freedom from slavery. Known as the worst U.S. Supreme Court ruling, the 1857 Dred Scott Decision laid the foundation for the upcoming civil rights movement and the Civil War, and you will learn how. Apart from the drastic legal case, St. Louis' history, including its French origins and role in Western colonization, will be covered, too.

Specialization
History & Anthropology

Perfect for
Art lovers, architecture lovers, history buffs, families, couples

What is it?
The quirky non-conventional jungle gym of a museum located in a century-old shoe warehouse and filled in with a bizarre mix of repurposed urban fixtures like construction cranes and old chimneys.

Why should you go?
To have a blast and experience weirdly wonderful indoor and outdoor playgrounds designed by a local artist Bob Cassilly with kids and bigger kids, adults in mind in 1997. Move your 'adventure meter' up high and go ahead. How's that about a ten-story spiral slide, starting at the roof? Or a Ferris wheel and a giant kinetic sculpture of a praying mantis atop it?

The misleadingly called Museum combines dozens of fun activities in downtown St. Louis at a time. There are twists, turns, tunnels, and multiple themed areas. Bring knee pads to soften your crawl. Note: young kids and helicopter parents better stay away as the shadowy venue is notoriously map-free and easy to get lost in (and not to be found in a while).

Specialization
Art & Design, History & Anthropology

Perfect for
Families, couples, children

What is it?
The oldest botanical garden in the U.S., continuously operating since 1859. It unfurled around a private estate of Henry Shaw, a 19th-century amateur botanist, into the lucrative hardware business, catering to pioneers headed west.

Why should you go?
To connect with nature and walk 79 calming acres laid out in photogenic Chinese, 14-acre Japanese, walled Ottoman, and English gardens. Swing by them all! While on the walk, you will be enticed into the picture-perfect Climatron enclosure housing a tropical rainforest under its geodesic dome. There's a fabulous 928-piece Blue Chandelier of blown glass by the great Dale Chihuly bursting from it to further awe you. The locally known Shaw's Garden now boasts the country's second-largest herbarium that participates in breakthrough scientific experiments like germinating seeds that are 200 years old and belong to extinct plant species.

Specialization
Nature & Natural History, Art & Design

Perfect for
Art lovers, architecture lovers, history buffs, families, couples

What is it?
An art museum known for its world-class collection of paintings by German expressionists, housed in a splendid Beaux‐Arts building, the only one remaining in St. Louis' Forest Park from the 1904 World's Fair.

Why should you go?
To browse modern German art, including the world's largest sampling of works by Max Beckmann, and reimagine the grandeur of the World's Fair when outside the Museum. Looking down from the ultimate vantage point near the French King Louis IX statue, fancy a dozen of equally lofty palaces on either side of the Grand Basin.

Keep an eye on George Caleb Bingham's Election series, of which The Verdict of the People painting famously made it to President Trump's inauguration luncheon in 2017, and Bathers by Paul Cézanne, once owned by his fellow Impressionist Claude Monet. In the Roman Baths of Caracalla-inspired Sculpture Hall, spot Anselm Kiefer's installation called Breaking of the Vessels, fittingly monumental and weighing over 7 tons.

Specialization
Art & Design, History & Anthropology

Perfect for
Art lovers, architecture lovers, history buffs, families, couples

What is it?
St. Louis' foremost contemporary art museum, based in an astonishing concrete building by the Pritzker prize-winning Japanese architect Tadao Ando with a permanent collection of just three site-specific sculptures.

Why should you go?
To put your perception of space to the test as you explore the entire Pulitzer campus, where art and nature are mixed and matched. Speaking of art, check out those three sculptures that are permanently on view. In the courtyard, walk around and into the Joe, one of Richard Serra's world-famous torqued spirals of steel, and nestle on the Rock Settee granite sculpture by Scott Burton. Inside, get a sense of how Ellsworth Kelly's Blue Black wall sculpture is attuned to the surrounding architecture. When done, go upstairs to the grassy rooftop to observe the city skyline. Speaking of nature, there are aptly named outdoor museum spaces to venture out to, the Park-Like garden, the Tree Grove, and (more of a husk of) the Spring Church.

Specialization
Art & Design, History & Anthropology, Observation deck

Perfect for
Art lovers, architecture lovers, history buffs, families, couples

What is it?
A flagship brewery that has been producing the popular Budweiser beer in their flagship brewery since the 1850s, owned by the world's largest brewery Anheuser-Busch InBev. They offer guided tours to showcase their production process.

Why should you go?
To sneak into the Budweiser historic beer production plant in the home of Budweiser. Sounds like one of the best things to do in St. Louis for adults, doesn't it? Of all the options, choose the Beermaster tour to be accompanied by a knowledgeable brewmaster and witness the brewing and bottling process across the massive grounds on an all-access 2-mile walk. On your visit to the 19th-century ornate industrial buildings (chandeliers and stained glass, anyone?), you will meet Budweiser's iconic ad superstars, the majestic Clydesdale horses in their sumptuous paddock and stables. Another permanent ad fixture, the Budweiser-branded wagons, are on view, too. Beer sampling is included.

Specialization
Fun & Entertainment, History & Anthropology

Perfect for
Architecture lovers, history buffs, families, couples

What is it?
A museum adjacent to the technologically advanced 1994 Melvin Price Locks and Dam on the bank of the Mississippi River north of Saint Louis.

Why should you go?
To appreciate the centuries-old legacy and destructive force of the Mississippi River and admire its powerful stream way from 80 feet above. The museum exhibition highlights the river's unique ecosystem, plants, trees, and animals like birds and fish native to it. To get an insight into the dreadful flooding control of the past and present, take a free tour of the Melvin Price Locks and Dam. It spans 1,160 feet across the mighty Mississippi between the confluence points with the Illinois and Missouri Rivers, and you will experience it as a lockman would. The lock is where you will take in the breathtaking riverscape and, if you're lucky, view a towboat going through the lock. If not, try navigating one yourself on a computer simulator.

Specialization
Nature & Natural History, History & Anthropology

Perfect for
Art lovers, architecture lovers, history buffs, families, couples

What is it?
A 400-acre forested park southwest of St. Louis, on the site of the former Times Beach town along the historic Route 66, opened in 1999.

Why should you go?
To savor the small-town American appeal of the place and connect with its unhappy past. When Route 66, aka the Main Street of America, running through Times Beach, was in full swing, the Steiny's Inn roadhouse was a popular roadside attraction. It is the only building left from the town now and a free museum that attracts Route 66 buffs and those eager to learn about what is hidden beneath a large grass-covered 'town mound' on the bank of the Meramec River. Expect to see nostalgic vintage signage and a snapshot of the environmental disaster that led to Times Beach's being razed and dumped in a landfill in 1983. Decades later, you can meet roaming fawns as you hike, bike, or walk in the dense forest and fields where it once stood.

Specialization
Nature & Natural History, History & Anthropology

Perfect for
History buffs, families, couples

What is it?
A cave complex with an underground river discovered in 1716, which used to be a famous natural attraction along the former Route 66 and is one of the best-loved outdoor activities west of modern-day St. Louis.

Why should you go?
To walk the damp underground passageways where Jesse James, one of post-Civil War America's most popular outlaws, would hide out. Following his footsteps on a rangers-led tour of the state's largest cave, you will unearth its history and understand why Missouri earned the moniker' Cave State'. Marketed as 'Jesse James Hideout,' known as a cold war-era fallout shelter and where the bumper sticker was invented, this cave is like a 7-story building buried below ground. Be excited to see exceptionally big stalactites that adorn its spellbinding subterranean landscapes. Outside the Caverns, climb up to experience the namesake Meramec River from 200 to 1250 feet above it via a sequence of sky-bridges through the treetops and zip rides.

Specialization
Nature & Natural History, History & Anthropology

Perfect for
History buffs, families, couples

What is it?
UNESCO-featured excavations of a once-thriving and mysteriously abandoned 1350 Cahokia city with its man-made earthen mounds across the Mississippi from the now St. Louis.

Why should you go?
To dig into the development of Cahokia during its heyday in the 1100s and ponder over the abandonment of this pre-Columbian city. Back then, the sprawling Indian metropolis boasted a larger population than contemporaneous European capitals like Paris and London. On your journey to the ancient Midwest, take a free guided tour to learn why Cahokians built their 65 legendary mounds and climb to the top of the largest one, the Monks Mound. It covers 14 acres and stretches 100 feet upwards. Spectacular, isn't it? The views of St. Louis in the distance are worth the strenuous climb of 156 steps.

Specialization
Nature & Natural History, History & Anthropology

Perfect for
History buffs, families, couples

What is it?
A 280-acre park where the rural estate of the Busch brewing magnate family was back in 1903, known for its wildlife, animal barns, and beer garden.

Why should you go?
To interact with animals via extensive hands-on encounters and drink beer if you are not a child anymore. You can explore ownership of the property through the on-site historic buildings, like President Grant's humble log cabin and the Bush family's castle-like 'Big House,' and on a guided tour. Fun things to do in St. Louis' former notables retreat include famous classics like the so-called safari, riding an open tram through the Deer Park, where deers and cattle roam freely, feeding the baby goats with bottles in the Tier Garden, and riding a carousel. Good news for beer drinkers: the venue is now owned by the Anheuser-Busch InBev., hence the Bauernhof beer garden and free beer tasting.

Specialization
Nature & Natural History, History & Anthropology

Perfect for
Families, couples, children

What is it?
A charming Lilliput of a museum that showcases a collection of perfectly Barbie-sized and even smaller, from 1:6 to 1:144, exhibits on two floors across from the quaint 19th-century Bevo Mill.

Why should you go?
To feel like a Gulliver and peer into miniature interiors, models, and scenes of city life, artfully created by locals and artists from around the U.S. Historic and whimsical, captivating and detailed, the exhibits include dollhouses of Victorian and Tudor styles, and more modern pet shop, garage, department store, hairdresser, travel trailer and whatnot, all filled with appropriately sized furniture, props, and dolls inside them. Notice a shabby dollhouse from the 1900s and Scarlett O'Hara's neat bedroom, as seen in the Gone With the Wind movie. There are St. Louis landmarks in miniature, like the famed Robert E. Lee Steamboat replica in a glass bottle, so you can do sightseeing with a twist.

Specialization
Cathedral, Art & Design, History & Anthropology

Perfect for
Art lovers, families, couples, children

What is it?
A modern, fully interactive museum inside the historic Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis to educate you about money, the economy, and your individual contribution to it. Nerdy and fun rolled into one.

Why should you go?
To buy and sell at a simulated stock market trading floor and hold a 28-pound gold bar in the actual St. Louis Fed building. Admission is free, and no money is needed to get inside. Instead, you leave with a free souvenir of shredded money. From the light show in the imposing lobby to digital games and compelling displays in the six themed zones, you will learn economy and currency's what is what. Do you know how many bills it would take to reach your vertex? We bet you don't, but you will learn that, too. And, yes, put your hand in a sophisticated glass case, where a hefty bar of 99.999% pure gold, coming directly from the U. S. Mint, is securely enclosed.

Specialization
Cathedral, Art & Design, History & Anthropology

Perfect for
Art lovers, architecture lovers, history buffs, families, couples, children