Things To Do In St. Louis

The Gateway Arch

Take a 630-foot ride to the top of this world-famous stainless steel monument for the finest views in the Gateway City. While you’re there, be sure to make time to explore the on-site museum, which traces over 200 years of our region’s history in six themed exhibit areas. Visitors to the Gateway Arch National Park can also hop aboard a 19th century paddle-wheel boat replica for a narrated cruise down the mighty Mississippi or soar above the city on a helicopter tour.

 

Busch Stadium

During the spring and summer seasons, you can cheer on our 11-time World Series champions, the St. Louis Cardinals, at Busch Stadium. For a more intimate baseball experience and some of the most creative game-day treats and activities around, check out the Gateway Grizzlies at GCS Ballpark. Soccer fans can watch all the excitement of St. Louis’ new MLS team, St. Louis CITY SC beginning in 2023. For some hoops action, check out the St. Louis Surge – the two-time GWBA National Champions. No matter what time of year, visitors can get a taste of true team spirit in this bona fide sports town.

 

Six Flags St. Louis

This exciting theme park is fun for the whole family! Visitors can fly like a bat on Batman the Ride, spin 16 stories up in the air on Catwoman Whip, soar at speeds of up to 62 mph on the Screaming Eagle wooden coaster and get soaked on the whitewater rapids adventure of Thunder River. Guests of Six Flags St. Louis can also see live shows and concerts, meet their favorite Loony Toons cartoon characters and have tons of fun in the sun at Hurricane Harbor Water Park. There are plenty of hotel amenities just minutes from the park, and visitors can take advantage of group discounts for youth groups, company outings, family reunions and much more!

 

Ballpark Village

Check out the sports-anchored entertainment district in the heart of downtown’s Ballpark Village! Head to The Grove and take your pick of some of the hottest bars in St. Louis in this up-and-coming neighborhood. Out west, fun-seekers can also go for dinner, drinks and a show at Westport Plaza’s 42-acre entertainment district. Looking for something upscale? Check out the area’s trendiest boutiques and upscale dining establishments in Clayton and the Central West End. If live music is your thing, Soulard boasts some of the best blues venues in town. Or, try out your detective skills at one of the awesome escape rooms in the area like Escape Challenge St. Louis, Escape The Room, St. Louis Escape and Mastermind Room Escape.

 

St. Louis Union Station

St. Louis Union Station was once one of the largest and busiest passenger rail terminals in the world, helping move passengers from the east coast to the western part of the United States. Today it is home to more than 13,000 animals at the St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station, the 200-foot St. Louis Wheel, a carousel, an 18-hole mini-golf course, the mirror maze, a ropes course, the train park, and several restaurants to go along with the St. Louis Union Station Hotel. While you’re there, don’t miss the Grand Hall Light Show, which airs daily from 5 to 10 p.m. Laser lights dance on the 65-foot barrel-vaulted ceiling of the historic train station lobby, narrated by famous St. Louisans, including Jon Hamm, Bob Costas, Dan Dierdorf and Joe Buck. Grab a cocktail at the bar, sit back and enjoy the show.

 

The Magic House

The Magic House offers kids hundreds of fun and educational activities, from open-air nature playscapes to the interactive bubble room. In the Construction Zone, kids can construct a firehouse and design architectural plans. In a miniature town, kids can play grownup for a day as they change the tire on a wooden car, stock shelves in a model grocery store or serve pizza in a pretend kitchen. There’s even a three-story beanstalk to climb and a giant kaleidoscope to spin! In the summer, visitors can take a trip to the backyard beach, enjoy special events that include free family nights and special early entry.

 

Forest Park

Opened to the public in 1876 and home to the 1904 World’s Fair, at 1,300 acres, Forest Park is one of the largest urban parks in the United States. This historic gem attracts 12 million visitors a year with world-class attractions, scenic walking and biking trails, golf courses and over 180 acres of nature preserves. Forest Park is operated by the City of St. Louis and is funded through the Zoo Museum District, which ensures that the institutions here – the Saint Louis Zoo, Saint Louis Art Museum, Missouri History Museum and the Saint Louis Science Center – are free. Other points of interest include the Muny, America’s oldest and largest outdoor musical theater; the Jewel Box, a beautiful greenhouse filled with magnificent floral displays; and the World’s Fair Pavilion, a perfect site for a company picnic or private party.

 

Citygarden

Enjoy a fusion of sculpture and landscape architecture at Citygarden, an urban oasis featuring modern and contemporary art, native plants and six rain gardens. Or discover the stunning Laumeier Sculpture Park with over 70 outdoor sculptures, a music amphitheater for special events and a rotating series of exhibitions. One of the first and largest dedicated sculpture parks in the country, Laumeier is free and open to the public. A fan of public art? Clayton is home to an outstanding collection of sculpture from renowned artists including works from Botero, Milles, Ben Tre and Trova. Chesterfield also boasts an impressive collection, including The Awakening, a 70-foot statue of a giant embedded in the earth.

 

Breweries

St. Louis is overflowing with breweries, from world-famous Anheuser-Busch to small craft producers. At A-B, visitors may choose from a number of tour experiences. You can visit the Clydesdales, learn to brew beer and take a behind-the-scenes VIP look at the brewing operations. As the city’s first craft brewery since prohibition, Schlafly is a St. Louis stalwart, offering great beer and great food at four area locations. With two locations in St. Louis – Midtown and The Grove – plus one in Germany, Urban Chestnut pours beers made with old-world techniques in a modern style. At 4 Hands Brewing Co., which is within walking distance to Busch Stadium, choose from a core lineup of lagers, ryes and ales, or pick a seasonal pour. Looking for a hidden gem? Try Narrow Gauge, which is tucked into an Italian restaurant in Florissant and sought after for its creative small-batch brews.

 

Saint Louis Zoo

Get up close and personal with the furry, the flying and the fishy creatures of the Saint Louis Zoo. One of the city’s many free attractions, the Saint Louis Zoo has been recognized as one of the nation’s leading zoological parks. . The Endangered Wolf Center’s mission is to preserve and protect wolves and other wild canid species. Visitors may experience these amazing animals through a variety of tours and events. At the St. Louis Aquarium, visitors explore aquatic life, from river, in the Confluence Gallery, to ocean, in the 250,000-gallon Shark Canyon. At the Butterfly House, more than 2,000 butterflies magically flit around an 8,000 square foot conservatory. World Bird Sanctuary sits on 305 acres and is home to over 200 animals representing over 60 species. This unique organization features free seasonal shows, nature trails and educational programs. Want even more animal action? Go on a private expedition through Grant’s Farm for an up-close and personal feeding experience with buffalo and goats. Stop by and visit the majestic Budweiser Clydesdales and take a ride on the Grant’s Farm carousel. Or explore the family-friendly Purina Farms, where you can interact with barnyard animals and see exciting performances by rescued dogs at the Incredible Dog Arena.

 

City Museum

Explore the City Museum’s unique all-ages multi-story playground filled with caves, slides and climbing apparatus made from recycled and found objects. Visitors can venture through the Museum of Mirth, Mystery and Mayhem and wander through the Elmslie and Sullivan architectural exhibit. Stop by Circus Harmony for circus-themed food and live performances held daily. Create your own masterpiece in Art City, take notes with the world’s largest pencil and grab a bite or a beer on every floor of this unique museum, from the first floor 19^th century Cabin Inn to the Rooftop Cafe.

 

Museum of Contemporary Religious Art (MOCRA)

Visit Saint Louis University’s Museum of Contemporary Religious Art (MOCRA), a venue committed to peaceful interfaith dialogue and understanding. Take in the beauty of one of the largest mosaic collections in the western hemisphere inside the spectacular Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis or see the historic Old Cathedral and St. Ferdinand Shrine, both constructed in the early 19th century with ties to the oldest Catholic congregation in St. Louis. Across the river, attend mass, walk the 200-acre grounds and enjoy the tranquility of the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows.

 

Saint Louis Science Center

At the Saint Louis Science Center, find out what it’s like to venture out into the wild, journey under the sea or fly high up in the air at the four-story Omnimax Theater, a film experience unlike any other. See a thrilling show at the Planetarium, one of nation’s leading space education facilities and the largest artificial sky in the Western Hemisphere. Younger children will enjoy the Discovery Room filled with interactive exhibits and experiments, and visitors of all ages can explore over 700 hands-on displays including flight simulators, the GROW Lab and a life-sized animatronic Tyrannosaurus Rex. At Myseum, kids learn science through fun and unique exhibits like a dino-dig, vet clinic, video wall, radar slide, magnetic ball wall and giant UFO maze. And MADE for Kids is a 7,000 square foot makerspace designed specifically for curious young minds. Kids can design and print 3D objects, create a stop-action movie, learn screen printing and try their hand at pottery.

 

Moto Museum

Tour a collection of rare and vintage motorcycles at the Moto Museum, or explore the history, mechanics and design of the cart and buggy, planes, trains or anything else with wheels at the National Museum of Transportation. If you want to get in the driver’s seat. don’t miss Victory Raceway St. Louis – Indoor Karting or Amp Up Action Park for some world-class indoor carting action and much more. And if you’re visiting in the late winter, be sure to stop by the St. Louis Auto Show and Boat Show at America’s Center. Of course, race fans will not want to miss a visit to World Wide Technology Raceway, which hosted a NASCAR Cup Race in June of 2022. The Raceway presents drag races and oval track and road courses weekly May through November.

 

St. Louis Art Museum

View a world-renowned collection of art ranging across 5,000 years and diverse global cultures at the St. Louis Art Museum. Opened in 1879, SLAM presents more than 2,700 objects, from sculpture and oil paintings to charcoal drawings and photography, and the museum is free and open to the public. Enjoy the works of up-and-coming artists at the Contemporary Art Museum of St. Louis, where there is no permanent collection, allowing the curators to feature work that is responsive and relevant. Right next door to CAM, the Pulitzer Arts Foundation presents contemporary art in a Tado Ando-designed building. With a focus on creating dynamic experiences with art, the Pulitzer features concerts by the Saint Louis Symphony, panel discussions and educational programs. A more permanent collection of contemporary art resides in the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum. One of the oldest teaching museums in the US, this unique museum is part of Washington University and is housed in a building designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Fumihiko Maki.

 

RYZE Adventure Park

Climb, leap, hang and soar at the RYZE Adventure Park, a four-story, 100+ obstacle aerial adventure tower. Soar through the treetops at Adventure Valley Zipline. Hop on your bike and check out some of the 128 miles of paths built and maintained by the Great Rivers Greenway.  Hit Castlewood State Park for al fresco activities ranging from fishing and hiking to horseback riding and biking. In fact, Castlewood is considered the best place to mountain bike in the St. Louis area! Journey underground at Onondaga Cave State Park, where you can camp, fish, hike, boat, bike and swim. Look for Jesse James’ hideout and discover buried treasure at Meramec Caverns, or stay the night at a comfy bed and breakfast in Missouri’s famous wine country while sampling some of the region’s finest varietals.