eefor jfp

I'm taking my son on a short trip to St. Louis at the end of September (kind of a mileage run to use up a credit on Delta before it expires). We'll arrive late (around 9:30) on Monday and leave around noon on Wednesday.

Any sites that are not to be missed? (I figured we'd do the Gateway Arch, the Zoo and maybe the Magic House/Children's Museum.)

Any special places to eat that are great for kids?

Do I need to rent a car or can we use the light rail/public transport/taxis? Time could be a factor if we want to try to get to the zoo and the children's museum.

For accommodations, I thought we'd do at least the first night at the airport (either at the Hilton on a Pointstretcher since I'm Gold or using Priceline--prices seem to run around $30). Should we stay there the second night or switch to a downtown hotel? I was going to try the Sheraton using a cash and points award but they discontinued participation July 31. The Hyatt regularly pops up on Priceline for $46. Is this a good bet or should we just stick to the airport?

Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Eugene

Add these to your list:

City Museum (terrific for the kids!)

St. Louis Science Center



If you decide to go to several, if not all, places on your list, I would definitely recommend renting a car, it's very inexpensive in St. Louis. Also, see my comments below.



That's a personal choice, you can stay around the airport or move for the second night to downtown.

You can also stay the first night at the airport, rent a car the next morning and drive around, then return the car and take MetroLink to downtown ($3 from the airport, $1.50 from any place else). Stay a night there, enjoy the Arch, and perhaps, the Union Station, then take MetroLink to the airport the next morning.

pseudoswede

I would definitely rent a car to get around places in St. Louis. Traffic isn't horrifically bad, and the light rail only runs from the airport to downtown (away from most of the places you want to visit).

In downtown, I'd recommend the Arch, City Museum, and the Anheuser-Busch brewery tour.

Forest Park contains the Zoo, Science Center, and many other wonderful (and mostly free!) museums and attractions. There used to be a shuttle bus that would go to all of the tourist stops ($1 all day), but I can't seem to find any information about it. You may also want to have a quick look at my alma mater on the western edge of Forest Park.

As for food, there is a Fortel's Pizza Den near The Magic House, which serves the best pizza in St. Louis.

DaDOKin DC

You did not mention your son's age, so that may affect what will hold his interest.

Dowtown near the Arch are several interesting and historical building. It's been a few years since I lived there, but I think the courthouse where the Dred Scott decision was decided is there (regarding slavery), and the old Catholic cathedral, which is simple but charming.

Anheuser Busch is really fascinating -- younger kids will be fascinated by the converyor belts full of cans zipping along, plus you get to see the Clydesdales. Older kid will like it because, hey, it's about beer!

The Zoo is one of the better ones in the US, IMHO.

If your son is old enough to be interested in pre-Columbian history and Indians, I highly recommend a short drive acrosst he Mississippi to the Cohokia Museum -- located about a 10-20 drive right off the highway (I think I-70) in Illinois. The Museum is largely outdoors, showing the mounds that they built for either housing or religious ceremonies. The Indians who lived there ~!000AD, apparently a huge city, and had a calendar made of tree trunks, affectionally called 'Woodhenge'. I had never heard of them before and was thoroughly fascinated.

jonu

This is a fun restaurant for kids: http://www.fitzsbottlingco.com/

CPRich

I had my 5 yr old old to visit me at my client site over the 4th of July. There is a surprisingly large number of things to do - we didn't even make it to the zoo, which was listed in one of the Parenting magazines as a top 20 place for kids.

I can highly recommend the Arch, the downtown City Museum (unique and fascinating), and the Science Center.

skye1

Can't believe no one in this thread has mentioned this yet (unless I've missed it..sorry). Ted Drewes Frozen Custard...along historic Route 66, in the city, near Jameson & Chippewa. The best frozen custard on the planet bar none....lots of imitations and copy-cat custard places in the area, but it's the "original" and the best.
Yep, you gotta' go up the arch. The views are really incredible. You go under the arch to catch the "tram" cars up to the top. When you enter the area under the arch, you buy a ticket for a "tram" ride that might be later that day....check out the Arch's website about how to best time all that. It's one of those attractions that locals only go up when we have out-of-town guests/family, then we wonder why we don't do it more often.
See dinasour fossils at Mastadon State Park just south of town...maybe a 20-minute drive south. Not a "MUST DO", but if you've never seen dino. bones, might be worth it.
Go on a Lion-Country-Safari style animal tour at Grants Farm---actually a very cool place. It's FREE! You get a cool ride on an open-air small tram through the "countryside" checking out buffaloes, antelope, lamas, deer, whatever. Free samples of Anheiser Bush products (yep, FREE BEER!), at the cool German courtyard where the tram ends. MAJOR PLUS OF GRANTS FARM: You park your car right next to the stables & pasture of the famous Budwieser Clydesdale horses...incredible horses to see up close, & to watch 'em gallop across the pasture is awesome....don't have to be a horse fan to appreciate it.
Speaking of A/B, as others have said--the A/B Brewery tour is cool...lots of things to see & learn, all those bottles flying thru the conveyors, more FREE BEER at end of tour. And, another look at Clydesdale horses.

Definitely the CITY MUSEUM. Don't miss that. And, you know how at a lot of tourist kind of places there's always that exhibit or two that's a few bucks extra beyond the admission fee you've already paid? Well, the City Museum has 'em too, but in this case, it's worth it. Cool mazes of caves to explore, etc. You can even crawl across the wings of an airplane in the air. City Museum is open to adults only after 9:00 at night, and they have a bar with live music then too---the playground for adults.
The City Museum is in the middle of St. Louis' Washington Avenue Loft District...an up & coming club/restaurant/lofts area. Cool restaurants around to grab lunch.
The St. Louis is zoo, as others have said, is a must. The new Penguin Exhibit (puffin' coast, etc.) is really cool.
Not sure how old your son is. If you both like bicylcing, there's places you can rent bikes and go along the Riverfront Trail along the Mississppi, or the Katy Trail along the Missouri River thru Missouri's wine country.
Again, not knowing how old your son is: if he's older, at least junior or senior in high school, college, etc. he may or may not like a dinner on board a moving railroad on a restored luxury train. You can take re-enact your own Orient Express train murder mystery on a murder mystery dinner rail cruise, or do a "rail cruise" across the Missippi thru the Illinois countryside, or along the Missippi south of St. Louis. More of a "date" thing or a married couple's nite out, but if you and your son want do a "father-son" something in style while you're here, it's the ticket. Check it out railcruise.com. Not cheap, but unique....leaves from St. Louis Union Station (a tourist spot in and of itself).
If you're both into diving, you can actually go fresh-water scuba diving near St. Louis, and no, NOT in the muddy mississippi river either: It's an old mine...the Bonne Terre Mine, less than an hour south of St. Louis. IT WAS NAMED AS ONE OF NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE'S BEST ADVENTURES! the mine is the largest fresh water dive resort in the world. Even famed underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau visited the mine and called the billion-gallon lake's cobalt blue waters "magnificent." With constant air and water temperatures and visibility of more than 100 feet, Bonne Terre is the only dive resort in America that offers guaranteed diving year round.
Back to younger kids...as others have said, the Magic House in Kirkwood is a cool place for kids. And YES, FORTEL'S PIZZA DEN near the Magic House has some of the best pizza in St. Louis.
Like Italian food? "The Hill"--an entire neighborhood of GREAT Italian mom & pop deli's with great fresh food for lunches, snacks, etc....Viviano's has an entire grocery-store length row of nothing but buckets of all kinds of fresh olives, and there's all kinds of GREAT Italian restaurants in the area. And, dinner at one of these places is enough food for several meals---everyone usually gets the 75% they couldn't eat wrapped up/boxed for lunch the next day. Great Italian eating to be sure---the Hill is basically south of I-44, west of Kingshighway Blvd.
A native Californian, I continue to be amazed at how much this town has to offer....even just lots of great parks and historic neighboorhoods to just walk thru if you and your son just want some hang time. Enjoy!!!!!

mrspilot

skye1, Talking about historic Route 66 made me think how long it's been since we did that ride (don't ask!). That alone would be a worthwhile itinerary for making the trip. We're going into the best time of year to do it, too!

Looking for Route 66 in the Fog,

mrspilot

pseudoswede

It may be blasphemous for me to say it, but I was never fond of Ted Drewe's custard. Nonetheless, it's definitely worth a trip over there to experience it.