Things To Do While In St. Louis

Duh, right? Not like we had to tell you this is here.

Take a trip to the smallest National Park and head up 630 ft. to the top and check out the great view of the city. 

St. Louis' Union Station used to be one of the busiest train stations in the U.S. back in its hay day, but now it's packed with plenty of fun things the check out, including the St. Louis Aquarium, a ropes course, mini golf, dining, and the St. Louis Wheel, a big ferris wheel that still somehow feels small compared to the Arch.

"Museum" might not be the right word, but it was built by an artist, so it works. This place is a giant playground for all ages and includes plenty of things to climb on, a skateless skate park, the world's largest pencil, and a 10-story slide. 

Fun tip: Bring up the City Museum with an STL personal injury attorney.

Beautiful to everyone without bad allergies, the Botanical Gardens has everything an anthophile could want. 

There's a Climatron, Japanese Garden, several festivals, and even a corpse flower that blooms once a year for a day and smells like a fart. You won't believe how long the line is to smell it.

Tell a St. Louisian that you're from out of town and going to Forest Park, and you'll hear them say, "Did you know it's like twice the size of NYC Central Park?"

There is a ton of things to do here, many of them free, including the Zoo, History Museum, Art Museum, and Science Center. There's also a golf course, the largest outdoor theater in the U.S., and cute little boat house where you can rent a paddle boat and then realize it's a lot of effort to peddle those things.

Located in Forest Park, the St. Louis Zoo is a celebrated part of our fine city. And it's totally free!

They got lions. They got tigers. They, and you'll never guess it, even have bears. Oh my.

Another free and fun spot in Forest Park, the Science Center is a great place to check out if you'd like to tell the rest of us at a bonspiel how the physics of curling actually works.

We've emailed Neil deGrasse Tyson and Bill Nye about it, but they haven't gotten back to us. 

Want to broomstack while holding your Busch Light can with your pinky out? Check out this free museum in Forest Park and act out that one scene from Ferris Bueller's Day Off with your bonspiel team. 

Built in an old foundry (clever, right?), this entertainment complex has several spots to check out, including a PuttShack mini golf, Alamo Drafthouse Theater, City Winery, local shops, and a food hall of local deliciousness that is perfect for a group that can't agree on where to eat.

Wait, wait, the World Chess Hall of Fame? Who knew that STL was so nerdy?

STL actually has a robust chess scene, and several grandmasters have been spotted playing here regularly. Curling is sometimes called "chess on ice" so you might get something from visiting. 

While the smell of the brewery is indistinguishable, the tours are a great look into the history of the King of Beers. There are several options, and they come with tastings.

We recommend the Beermaster Tour and a sober driver.

STL is sometimes called "Mound City" and it's not because we've got great talent in our Cardinals pitchers. 

Cahokia Mounds is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the location of the largest pre-Columbian site north of Mexico, even larger than London was at its peak around 1100 A.D.

Honestly, anywhere you visit in STL's Italian neighborhood, The Hill, will have some amazing food, but Anthonio's Taverna is where you want to check out for toasted ravioli.

Yeah, we know it's fried. Shut up.

The coffee is great, but what you really want to try is their gooey butter cake. Someone in STL had a happy little accident once and made an amazing treat.

Winning a James Beard Award back in 2017, Gioia's is famous for their hot salami sandwiches. 

There's a location close to our rink, so there's no excuse to not stop in to try this with some provel cheese.

St. Louis has the largest Bosnian population outside of Bosnia, and the best place to try their cuisine is at Balkan Treat Box.

We'd recommend getting there early for lunch since it can get pretty packed and they will sell out of some items. 

While our friends on the other side of the state think they're the kings of BBQ, St. Louis actually consumes the most BBQ in the nation.

St. Louis BBQ is famous for our ribs, and Pappy's is the go-to spot to get them.

Built by August Busch Sr. in 1917 as a halfway point between the AB Brewery and his home, the Bevo Mill now offers German cuisine and drinks. 

The restaurant and beer garden are only open for special events, so check their website before you visit.