There is no shortage of things to do in St Louis. When my best friend Tommy and I made plans to take a road trip there in August, 2021, I had no idea there was going be so many great things to do. While it is a bit of a trek from Ohio, it definitely is one of my favorite road trips to date. In fact, I’ll go so far as to say that it may be one of my favorite US cities I’ve visited, making it worth the 6 hour drive from Columbus and I plan on visiting again. Check out this list of the best things to do in St. Louis.

St. Louis Museums

St. Louis offers a myriad of museums, parks and things to do that are completely free. And all because the locals pay a tax that allows visitors to enjoy some amazing sites for absolutely no cost- thanks St. Louisans! Here is my list of some great St. Louis museums that you should visit.

1. The Gateway Arch

Visit the worlds largest arch! Did you know the St. Louis Arch, known as the Gateway Arch, is the tallest structure in Missouri? The Gateway Arch is also the tallest man-made monument in the US. Visitors can ride to the top of the 630 ft. tall stainless steel masterpiece, built in the 1960s as tribute to where the adventures of Lewis & Clark began. From the top you have a great view of St. Louis, the mighty Mississippi River, and beyond.

Tickets to ride the tram to the top of the arch are available for pre-sale purchase on this website. Tickets for adults are $12-$16 depending on when you visit (its more expensive on weekends). For children 3 to 15 the cost is $8-12. On the website you can also buy tickets to see a documentary movie about the making of the arch, or to ride on a river boat. You can buy a ticket for a combination of those attractions, or bundle all three for up to $40.

Visiting Gateway Arch National Park

Another option for you while you’re visiting the Gateway Arch is a walking tour with a park ranger. Did you realize that the Gateway Arch is a National Park? It’s actually the smallest National Park in the United States. Walking tours are available through Labor Day and are free. The Gateway Arch is open in the summer from 9-8 and in the winter from 9-6. However, the park grounds are open from 5am-11pm year round. It’s also important to note that the last tram to ascend the arch leaves one hour prior to closing.

Even if you don’t go to the top of the arch it’s worth it to visit the museum, which is free for visitors. In the museum you can trace the story of explorers, pioneers, Native Americans and other people who made the America of today possible. The galleries cover things such as colonial St. Louis, Jefferson’s vision, manifest destiny, the riverfront era, and the building of the gateway arch. If you want to read more about visiting Gateway National Park be sure to check out this blog post.

2. City Museum

Be a kid again at City Museum. Located inside the old international shoe company factory building is a re-purposed architectural and industrial adult playground. It was opened in 1997 by artist Bob Cassilly, a classically-trained sculptor. When you visit you’ll see a giant praying mantis (luckily there is a slide to escape his grasp), a school bus hanging over the roof, airplanes…

The museum is a 10 story, 600,000 square foot playground. Visitors can wander the museum, climbing up and down the staircases, riding down slides, swinging from wall to wall. You can explore caves and tunnels, visit an aquarium, or spend time at the bar. Everything is made from salvaged materials, so it’s basically a huge recycled center. The upcycling of materials and remains of the factory make this such a unique and fun experience.

And all that is just the inside portion of city museum. Outside there is a suspended plane and school bus and caged tunnels that you crawl through.

Visitors can pay an extra fee to go all the way to the roof. Tommy and I were joined by our friend Claire and we thought we would spring for this extra bit of fun. On the roof there is a ferris wheel, some giant slides, a huge praying mantis and you can climb up a wall through the ceiling to the roof. It was a thrilling, slightly scary experience. Don’t miss it!

3. St. Louis Art Museum

Spend some time gazing at art. Located in Forest Park, The St. Louis Art Museum occupies the 1904 Worlds Fair Palace of Fine Arts building.

This three-story museum is massive, and, you guessed it, free! It is one of the best art museums in the US that I have visited, and is one of the nation’s leading comprehensive art museum. Click through the slideshow below for some of my favorite works that you can see while you visit, including Oliver Lee Jackson, Jackson Pollock, Pablo Picasso, Auguste Rodin, Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh, Renoir, Degas and more. Tommy and I explored the museum for over two hours and saw just a fraction of the museum.

Closed Monday, but open Tuesday-Sunday from 10-5 and Friday 10-9. The parking outside around Forest Park is free, though they also have a museum parking garage that costs $10.

4. Missouri History Museum

Step back into history at the Missouri History Museum. Also located in Forest Park, the Missouri History Museum is all about the history and culture of St. Louis. The Museum’s historic building was the first national monument to Thomas Jefferson, and opened to the public in 1913. It allows visitors to learn more about the St. Louis Worlds Fair, as well as information about St. Louis’s baseball teams, the civil rights movement, life on the Mississippi River, and more. It is open Wednesday- Sunday from 10-5 and is closed Monday and Tuesday, with free admission.

5. St. Louis Science Center

The St. Louis Science Center gets more than a million visitors a year, making it one of the largest science centers in the world. It is one of the only free, nonprofit science museums in the country. That’s right- another free museum! Here you can explore exhibits featuring such things as energy, life science, space (we were super geeked to see the Mercury 19 and Gemini 3A- actual space capsules from the 1960s in person), weather, dinosaurs…it seems they have it all. There are some exhibits you need to pay for, and in fact Tommy and I went to see a show in the McDonnell Planetarium (with the largest artificial sky in the Midwest) that was excellent. They also have a four-story omnimax theatre.

The St. Louis science center is open Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday: 9:30-5:30(or 4:30 PM in winter) and Sunday from 11- 4:30 PM. It is closed Tuesday and Wednesday. You have to pay for parking, but Tommy and I found street parking not far away.

Other things to visit…

6. Anheuser-Busch Factory Tour

Even if Budweiser isn’t your thing, or even beer for that matter, when in St. Louis you’ve got to check out the original site of Anheuser-Busch and perhaps take a brewery tour.

This is such an important part of St. Louis’s history. Founded in 1852, Anheuser-Busch started as a small neighborhood brewery. I’m sure Eberhard Anheuser and Adolphus Busch didn’t imagine that now they would be producing 16.5 million bottles of beer everyday in a sprawling 142 acre site, employing thousands of employees.

While visitors can’t visit all 1.6 million square feet of floor space during their tour, there is so much to see on this beautiful campus. If you want to buy tickets for one of the tours, of which there were 5 different varieties, click on the link. Tommy and I chose to take part in the ‘Day Fresh’ tour, which costs $15. On this tour, which had quite a few people led by a guide and lasting 75 minutes, we got to walk around the campus, and learn about the history of the brewery as well as the brewing process.

What to see on the Anheuser Busch tour

The tour started with a visit to the Clydesdale Stables, where we got to see the horses, as well as some of the red beer wagons. The Budweiser Clydesdales tradition began in 1933, when August A. Busch Jr. presented his father with the first team of Clydesdales in order celebrate the repeal of Prohibition. Inside the beautiful round paddock house you can see the red beer wagons and the horse harnesses (which weigh more than me!) up close. What a beautiful building.

The tour route continues to where the beer is actually made- the historic six-story Brew House. Built in 1891, the Brew House includes a beautiful clock tower, ornate wrought-iron railings, and hop vine chandeliers.

On of my favorite spots of the tour was the Bevo packaging facility. Tommy and I loved the Bevo mascot- an adorable Fox- and we found out that during prohibition the brewery factory produced the Bevo beverage instead of beer, which we were told tasted like a carbonated milk drink. Can’t imagine why that didn’t catch on.

There was so much to see on the tour, including the bottling process, and that is when visitors receive a bottle of day-freshly made beer.

When you take a tour of the Anheuser Busch factory, you also get a free tasting of a beer of your choice from the Anheuser-Busch family selection of beers. It was the great end to the tour. We really loved spending the afternoon at the Anheuser Busch brewery mostly due to the iconic history of it. It was one of my favorite things we did on our trip to St. Louis.

7. Das Bevo Windmill

Maybe I should be including this in the section about where to eat and drink, but this was one of my favorite places in St. Louis. After touring the Anheiser Busch plant and loving the Das Bevo fox, we were told by a lovely lady in the gift shop about the Das Bevo Windmill, and we knew we had to visit. The Bevo Mill was first established in 1917, and was built to be a rest stop for the Busch family when they traveled from the brewery to Grant’s Farm (which I’ll talk about later in this blog). This location, with its 60-foot tall windmill, became a spot for the family to entertain guests for years. Now it is being rehabilitated and we stopped by for a delicious brunch on our last morning in St. Louis. Outside in the whimsical biergarten there was a band playing.

Lucky for us, because we were enamored with the place we asked the bartender for a bit of a history lesson, only to find out her husband was the manager and he offered to give us a private tour of the premises!

Touring Das Bevo

The manager was so passionate about the place and gave us loads of information. We toured the main dining room, where he pointed out the original fireplaces and mosaic tiling. Upstairs we saw the private rooms, and he even led us to the very upper level to check out the windmill, which he turned on for us!

We saw memorabilia and photos of when Das Bevo was at its height of popularity. Das Bevo windmill was so charming. I’m obsessed with history, and it was so cool walking around and see exactly what it looked liked for over a century- from the original tile floor, wall sconces, carved wooden figures and of course spotting Das Bevo in the decor.

Das Bevor was one of my favorite spots we visited in St. Louis. It is now used as an event space, including being used for weddings. You can schedule your own tour by contacted the biergarten, or visit for a beer or meal Friday and Saturday from 5-11pm. The Sunday brunch is from 10-2pm (and was very delicious!).

8. Old Courthouse

Outdoor sites

9. Explore Forest Park

St. Louis has a park that is bigger than Central Park in New York City! Forest Park is 1300 acres and offers five of the largest cultural institutions in the region, including the art, science and history museums I mentioned earlier in this blog. The map below gives you a feel for the magnitude of this park. Click the map to see the website with more details.

Forest Park also has remnants from the 1904 Worlds Fair. We visited the World’s Fair Pavilion, which from it’s position on top of a hill gives excellent views of Forest Park. Also in Forest Park is a large lake where people were using paddle boats and there are hiking and biking trails. Visitors could easily spend a full day here!

10. St. Louis Zoo

While in Forest Park, make a stop at the St. Louis Zoo. The zoo is home to 1700 animals and has quite an interesting history. The 1904 Worlds Fair included a walkthrough flight cage, commissioned by the Smithsonian Museum. The citizens of St. Louis fought to keep the flight cage after the World’s Fair, buying it for $3,500, and it became the cornerstone of the zoo. The zoo takes up over 90 acres of Forest Park and is free! In fact, it is one of the few free zoos in the nation. Though it is free, you do need to make advance reservations in order to visit. The zoo is open daily from 9-4 in the fall and winter, or 9-5 in the summer.

11. Missouri Botanical Garden

The Missouri Botanical Garden is one of the oldest botanical gardens in the US, founded in 1859. It is a national historic landmark and offers a variety of gardens including Japanese and English. There’s a mansion in the middle and over 70 acres of garden grounds. The gardens are open Tuesday-Sunday from 9-4 and cost $14.

12. Shop for antiques on Cherokee Street

The historic brick row homes along Cherokee Street are a hotspot in St. Louis for antique shopping. The mile-long stretch of road is also home to lots of artistic finds- from vintage clothing, music shops to cafes, we loved exploring this adorable street. Our personal favorite spots include breakfast at the Mudhouse, the Sheppard Art Studio, featuring lots of quirky drawings of possums, and finding some unique antiques at Verdigris.

13. Grant’s Farm

14. Malcolm W. Martin Memorial Park

If you’re trying to get the best view of the St. Louis arch, take a short drive across the Mississippi River to the Malcom W. Martin Memorial Park. The park is home to the Gateway Geyser- the tallest water fountain in the U.S.- and the Mississippi River Overlook. We went up the curved walkway to get our own spectacular view of the arch.

Eating and Drinking in St. Louis

If you’re looking for some fun breweries or dining options in St. Louis, there’s a whole slew of them. Here are some of our favorites:

a) 4 Hands Brewing

I found my favorite adult seltzer at 4 Hands Brewing Company, located just blocks from downtown St. Louis. They have a downstairs bar area, and also a huge tasting room upstairs with skeeball and arcade games. We found out they have different beers on tap downstairs and upstairs, so check them both out. They also have a food menu, over 14 beers on tap, as well as a full bar menu. They are open Monday-Thursday from noon-10, Friday from noon-11, Saturday 11-11 and Sunday noon-8.

b) Alpha Brewing Company

Alpha Brewing Company has some very unique, rare beers that you can’t find anywhere else. I had to do a flight because there was so much I wanted to try. They had TONS of sours, of which I am a big fan. I really liked the sour black ale, and the plum sour. I also really loved the artwork in this fun space tucked in a neighborhood. They are open every day from 2-10, though the kitchen (did I mention they have food?) closes at 9.

c) Rockwell Brewing

If you’re a Columbus native, Rockwell Brewing really reminded me of Brewdog Brewery. This huge, industrial looking space had TONS of outdoor space, and indoor seating as well of course. They are open Sunday-Wednesday from 11-10, and Thursday-Saturday from 11-12am. They offer food and drinks, and it was a very popular place to be on Friday night.

The Grove/Manchester Ave.

Located near Rockwell Brewery is a very fun street with TONS of food and drink options, Manchester Ave. This area is known as The Grove. You won’t find chain restaurants here, just tons of LGTBQ friendly places.

d) Urban Chestnut

Located in The Grove is Urban Chestnut, a huge space that offers food and drinks, and even has a dog-friendly patio. They specialize in lagers, but have over 20 beers on tap. Open Tuesday- Thursday 3-10, Friday and Saturday from 12-12 and Sunday 12-7.

e) Wellspent Brewing Co.

In St. Louis not only did I find my favorite adult seltzer ever, but also had my favorite stout (a German chocolate cake stout) ever, at Wellspent Brewing Co. Located in Midtown, this taproom is located in a early 20th century theatre. I loved the space, and the beer was spectacular.

f) Small Batch Whiskey & Fare

Also located in Midtown was my favorite meal we had while in St. Louis at Small Batch Whiskey & Fare. This whisky lounge and restaurant offer over 140 different whiskeys, and has a vegetable-centered menu.

We LOVED our food, from the complimentary amuse-bouche, to our shared appetizer (a rice pudding style dish). Tommy had the etoufee and I can never resist a pad thai. This 1930s inspired restaurant was appealing to the eyes, and to my belly.

There you have it, my suggestions of the best things to do in St. Louis ! I really was impressed with this city, and I can’t wait to visit again, because there is so much I didn’t get to see, and things I would love to revisit. Do you have any suggestions for me before my next trip to St. Louis? Or a suggestion for a future road trip? Let me know by leaving a comment. Thanks for visiting CatchingKatie today, see if you can catch me on my next adventure!