So we've been to St. Louis a ton, as my husband has family there. Magic House is perfect for a 2.5 year old; we just took our kids there in October (ages 3, 5.5, and a baby) and they could have spent all day there. City Museum is very neat and they do have a toddler area, but might be better for a slightly older kid. We also did the aquarium on the last visit, and the kids loved it but I thought it was a little expensive for what it was, as we only spent about 1.5 hours there in total. The Science Center and Zoo are both free, though the Zoo is mostly outdoors. Also, the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park is also free, and has a good children's exhibit. For food, Ted Drewes is awesome, and St. Louis has wonderful Italian food in addition to surprisingly good Chinese food (Cate Zone for Szechuan, and we always do Lulu Seafood and Dim Sum for cart-style dim sum.) Also worth tracking down St. Louis Gooey Butter cake. Enjoy the trip!
3 day, winter trip to St. Louis, experience or ideas?
- Thread starter Clonedogg
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We've done the Magic House with our at the time 1 3/4 year old boy. Big time win. Only negative was having to drag him out kicking and screaming when it was time to go.
KidSilverhair
Well-Known Member
My son and I go to St. Louis almost every year (since 1998) to see the Cardinals. I agree, so much of downtown is hollowed out and depressing, although there are some nice redeveloped spots sprinkled around. We love the calzone place (Sauce On The Side) near the Convention Center, but we walk past empty businesses and condo buildings to get there. It’s sad to see some of the advertising on the condos talking about redevelopment “opening in 2008” (so it’s been since that downturn, not even the pandemic). The building right next to our hotel this past summer was also a hotel, but it’s currently completely emptied out and you can see right through the windows & rooms clear through to the other side - not to mention the empty landmark round-shaped Millennium Hotel building still standing between the ballpark and the river, or Mike Shannon’s closed restaurant with homeless people living on the patio.
That said - plenty of neat spots around. The zoo, the Arch, Forest Park, City Museum, Science Center is awesome, the aquarium … I’ve been going there long enough to see Union Station go from a bustling, packed shopping area to a run-down nearly abandoned shell back to a destination again.
This will probably be one we visit for me. I was already trying to sneak it in, the good food suggestion sold it to the wife. Thanks
There is a "Urban Chestnut Brewery and Biergarten" and a "...Bierhall" (separate location) thinking about trying one out, time permitting.
Clementines Ice Cream is great! Several locations, but we like the Lafayette Square area. Nice park, brewery, ets. MO Botanical Gardens is a close drive. Imo's pizza will deliver to your hotel down by the Arch.
Schlafly is okay, but if you are really into beer Urban Chestnut, Perennial, and City Life probably have better beer.
My sister lives in Brentwood so I am there constantly. Many things I would recommend have already been thrown out there. City Museum, Magic House, Forest Park (weather permitting) and a few of the others are good bets. StL is supposed to have a good/great Italian scene though I'm not one to eat out for Italian food. Bogarts (Soulard) and the Stellar Hog are both phenomenal BBQ joints (I live in KC if that tells you anything) and would highly recommend both (Stellar Hog has a corned beef brisket that's out of this world). There are are a few other things I'd recommend if you didn't have the 2 year old in tow. Catching a Blues game is also a great experience (could maybe work for the kid depending on your child).
My wife isn’t a beer drinker and is usually fairly picky with food but when we lived there that was the place we’d go to eat out more often than not.