St.Louis in 48 Hours
Exploring the Gateway to the West
There's nothing like a road-trip to satisfy one's need for adventure! All too often I find myself yearning to explore new surroundings. In an attempt to satisfy my wanderlust I decided on a destination within bearable driving distance. That destination was none other than the gateway to the West, St.Louis!
St.Louis is the perfect escape for a few days of fun! Since we were only in the city for the weekend my husband and I were on a bit of a time crunch. However, I can confidently say that we used each moment we had to our advantage! Here are some highlights from our adventure.
The City Museum
If you look up things to do in St.Louis the City Museum will surely be one of the top search results. How does one even begin to describe this place!? Just by looking at pictures you can tell the City Museum is unique. Imagine a ginormous jungle gym for children and adults alike. Huge tangles of metal crawl spaces are intermingled with gutted out airplanes and bizarre structures. People are literally crawling, climbing and frolicking around every-which-way you look. With 10 stories of indoor and outdoor fun you can easily spend hours exploring. In all my years I have never seen anything like the City Museum. It is truly a spectacle to behold!
The Citygarden
Something that really stood out to me about St.Louis is the city's use of green-space. The Citygarden is a fairly large park/sculpture garden located in the heart of downtown. Here you can sit on a giant rabbit's lap or pose for pictures next to Pinocchio. Unfortunately we only passed through about half of the park the night that we arrived. Luckily, I was able to snap a pic with the super-sized bunny!
Side note: St.Louis felt very safe, even when walking around at night. Everything was well-lit and the city was rather quiet for a Friday night.
The Arch
You would be a fool to visit this city without scoping-out the famous arch! Seeing as we are not fools we tried to do just that. Alas, the arch was closed! To our despair we had arrived too early! If you're planning a trip to St.Louis before April, 14th 2017 be aware that you are unable to cruise to the top of this glorious structure due to construction. So we settled for a, "I went to St.Louis and all I got was this stupid picture," of the arch moment. ;)
The St.Louis Zoo
Another top result upon searching for 'things to do in St.Louis' is their delightful zoo! Let me tell ya folks, the St.Louis Zoo does not disappoint! Admission to this colossal wildlife park is free! That's right, f-r-e-e, free! Who could say no to that!? The St.Louis Zoo is another example of a great use of green-space in the city. Nestled in the middle of Forest Park the zoo is one of many fun activities to see here! According to their website the Saint Louis Zoo was voted America's best free attraction and is over 90 acres large! The zoo is home to over 603 species and is known for it's realistic habitats. If you love reptiles and snakes this is the place for you. I don't think I've ever seen more snakes in one building than I saw at their reptile house.
The Anheuser-Busch Brewery Tour
Beer lovers rejoice, this is the attraction for you! Another fun and free activity is the Anheuser-Busch Brewery tour. On this tour you're able to get up-close and personal with the hulking Clydesdale horses featured in the Budweiser commercials, examine lovely architecture and best of all sip on some free brews! I will admit this tour isn't the most educational if you're really looking to learn about the brewing process. However, it's still worth the time as the sights really are lovely! I tried the Stella Artois Cidre and the Shock Top Belgian white, both were scrumptious. You also get a mini sample of either Bud or Bud Light to carry around with you on the tour. If you find yourself in the mood for sippin' before or after your tour the brewery has a very nice outdoor beer garden and a large indoor seating area.
The Historic Lemp Mansion
Our next stop was the famous Lemp Mansion. If you've read some of my other blog posts you've probably learned by now that I'm a sucker for haunted locations. The Lemp Mansion is said to be one of the most haunted places in the U.S. Naturally, I had to check it out. First, we stopped by during the day to check out the area and snap a few pictures. The mansion is right off the interstate and smaller in person than I had imagined. There is a parking lot on the side for visitors and a cute outdoor seating area for guests to socialize in the Summer. Later that evening we returned to Lemp for dinner. Silly us being from out of town didn't think to make a reservation. Luckily, they were able to squeeze us in at a tiny table by the bar. I questioned my server for any accounts of paranormal activity and he said he hadn't experienced anything too crazy just shadow figures and the sound of footsteps when no one else was around. The ambiance inside the mansion feels jazzy and welcoming. All of the servers had a pep in their step and were more than happy to assist us. Sadly, we were a day too late and missed the night they offered paranormal tours. I didn't come into contact with any members of the Lemp family that evening, perhaps they were too busy socializing with other guests.
Ted Drewes
Our last tourist destination was Ted Drewes Frozen Custard. With claims of being one of the best places for frozen custard in that nation we had to have a taste for ourselves. Maybe it's because I'm absolutely spoiled with custard options here in the dairy state but, I didn't think Ted's was all that great. Perhaps I didn't know what to order but I was rather underwhelmed by my treat. I don't want to be a hater but I think Wisconsin has St.Louis beat on this one!
After concluding our adventures in St.Louis we determined that it's like Milwaukee's little sister. Both places have an abundance of beer, baseball and custard. St.Louis is pretty cool guys.
Midwest is Best!
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