St. Louis, Missouri is a greatly underestimated city in the United States, since Los Angeles or New York or Chicago tend to take the spotlight. However, there's plenty to see, plenty to do, and plenty to love about the city. I visited during my university's fall break in order to gain a better appreciation for one of the greatest Midwest cities around, and I think I got a fantastic taste of the city. Guided by St. Louis natives, I got to see St. Louis from all angles.
1. St. Louis Arch
This is an obvious must-see. The Arch is just as fantastic as it has been made out to be. Underneath the Arch is a great museum telling about its history as well as some St. Louis history. Going up into the landmark in tiny elevators can be a little nerve-wracking, but rewarding, as you get to see the city and the Mississippi River from a bird's eye view. The Arch is also photogenic from any angle, which is a bonus.
2. Busch Stadium
To begin with, paying for a guided tour is worth it, especially if you're not from the city and may not have a chance to go inside otherwise. The tour takes you just about everywhere, and added to my limited knowledge of St. Louis history, particularly baseball history. It's a fun tour for baseball fanatics and laymen alike. One notable part of the stadium was the Stan Musial memorial that sits just outside the third base gate. It emphasizes the city's great respect for its players and for the sport, especially exceptional players like Stan who are well known for their actions on and off the field. Baseball is clearly a part of the St. Louis identity.
3. St. Louis Zoo
I cannot say enough good things about the St. Louis Zoo. First and foremost, a huge benefit is that it's free to visit, and was actually voted the best free attraction in the United States. They also clearly take time to care for their animals, and the exhibits are both fun for visitors and comfortable and habitable for the animals. Since I went around Halloween, they had the whole site decorated, which added to the fun. They even have a Build-a-Bear with a unique zoo-related selection, such as painted dogs and sloths. It's a must-see if you happen to be in St. Louis.
4. Art Museum
As with most of the attractions in Forest Park, the art museum is free to visit. It's also huge, and full of both typical art exhibits, and an abundance of ancient art that I am especially fond of. For example, they have a good amount of ancient Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and Islamic art that you may not see in any old art museum. They also have a very interesting exhibit on medieval armor and weaponry that is relatively small, but still worth seeing. The art museum also has a beautiful garden and a huge statue of St. Louis, the inspiration for the city's name.
5. History Museum
This museum is significantly smaller than the art museum, but is still worth seeing. It has a great exhibit on the 1904 World's Fair and on Route 66. You can spend entirely too much time there, like I did, learning about both historical landmarks. It also had a smaller exhibit within the Route 66 exhibit about Ted Drewes, the famous frozen custard shop in St. Louis, which was both informative and tempting me to go to Ted Drewes for perhaps the fourth time in a week.
6. Ted Drewes
Frozen custard is perhaps one of my absolute favorite desserts. It has the flavor and temperature of ice cream, but an unrivalled smooth, creamy texture that I adore. Ted Drewes also makes perhaps the best frozen custard in the country, and I was lucky enough to be staying two blocks away from one of the locations. Their "concretes" are an invention of the owner, who originally wanted to make a thicker shake for a customer who kept asking for them. They caught on and are now the most popular thing on the menu. I can personally vouch for its quality.
7. The Loop
The Loop is one of my favorite places in St. Louis. It's a social hub, with a little bit of something for everybody. There are a large variety of restaurants and types of food at said restaurants, for whatever you're in the mood for. Seoul Taco may be one of the best examples of this, as a Mexican-Korean fusion restaurant, which is a much better fusion than you may think. There is also a comic book shop in the Loop, boutiques, theaters, and a variety of other fun venues. I could spend days exploring it and never get bored!
8. Washington University in St. Louis
Exploring new college campuses has always been fun for me, mainly to see their similarities and differences to my own university. WashU is also known for its looks as well as for its academics, and I can confirm it looks just as beautiful in person as it does in the brochures. It was built all in a similar style, so most buildings are alike in style, but they are distinguishable. I could go on about how beautiful the campus is, but you should go and see for yourself.
9. Sunset Park
Sunset Park is in Florissant, Missouri, but is still in the greater St. Louis area. It's a great, quiet place to go sit by the shore of the Missouri River. It's a gorgeous, out of the way site, perfect for a date or personal reflection. Ten out of ten, would recommend.
10. Ferguson
The infamous name of Ferguson is unfortunately in many American memories as a warzone of riots and harsh retaliation. While it definitely went through a rough patch in 2014, it is not nearly the horrible area that the media painted it to be. Ferguson is actually a pretty nice area of St. Louis, with the beautiful brick buildings, charming local businesses, and wide streets that characterize a lot of the cities in the greater St. Louis area. We only drove through on our way out of St. Louis, but considering the negative media it has gotten, it's an interesting place to visit, even if it's only to drive through.
Hopefully this list helps you find the best places to visit in St. Louis if you find yourself there! It's a great city with a great personality, and I think everyone should make a trip there at some point in their lives, though I would recommend setting out at least a week to thoroughly enjoy everything! I know I certainly did!
