Things to do around st. louis
the saint louis arch:
It’s the gateway to the west! The Arch was built in the 1960s to honor one of the least popular shapes (outside of math and engineering). You can ride to the top in a tiny egg elevator! And if that doesn’t sell it, the spectacular views will. Visiting this bow of stainless steel bring you right downtown for all the other fun to be had. The arch is famously mentioned in ‘Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief’ and probably other works of fiction. Hard to say.
Anheuser-Busch brewery:
You likely have not heard of this micro-brewery, but all that is about to change! The brewery - where Heavy and Light beers were created - is open for tours and casual beer garden sitting. You have maybe seen pictures of the bride and groom wearing fun hats from here. Some say these frogs are still alive and roaming the grounds.
grant’s farm:
A historic farm that was (is!?) owned by Ulysses S. Grant if you can even believe it! The land was a wedding gift from his father in law, so a visit this weekend would definitely be on-theme. The reserve is free to enter and filled with fun animals, most notably the majestic Clydesdale horses known for pulling beer around for fun.
the city museum:
Not your average museum! In fact, I would venture to say this is not a museum at all. Once an old shoe factory, the City Museum is now one of the coolest, most fun places EVER! A jungle gym for kids and adults alike, you can climb through a giant whale, get lost in caves, slide down a three story slide and scale a rooftop bus. It’s the best time.
forest park:
Is it too much to say that Forest Park has it all? Absolutely not. The Park hosted the Louisiana Purchase Expo, hosted the Summer Olympics, and was designed by the same dude who designed New York’s Central Park. While being a lovely park in and of itself, it is also home to the STL Art Museum , the Saint Louis Zoo (free to visit, home of Raja the elephant, just sayin!), the Science Center, the Boathouse and MORE!
the saint louis zoo:
Mentioned above, the Saint Louis Zoo is one of the countries top Zoos! Its FREE and full of cute little animals! It has a train! It has an aviary! It has bugs! It has a riverwalk! It has a penguin house! It has a sea lion enclosure! And, it has what the bride considers to be the funniest slogan of all time: “Who’s watching who at the Saint Louis Zoo? Can you come out and play?”
busch stadium, home of the stl cardinals:
Is October still baseball season? Maybe! (Dan: no, but it is hockey season) If so, check out a Cardinals game! (Dan: you cannot, but the Blues could be in town) Baseball is the great American past time, and while the groom prefers hockey and basketball, he still likes ol’ stick ball. (Dan: this part is true) The bride enjoys yelling at all sports, but refuses to learn how they are played. (Dan: also true)
missouri botanical gardens:
Missouri Botanical Garden is one of the oldest botanical institutions in the United States! There are a lot of cool art installations here, and of course a lot of exotic greenery. There is a hedge maze that employees swear is free of minotaurs, but it seems impossible that there wouldn’t be at least a couple stomping around in there.
36 Hours in St. Louis
In anticipation of our wedding (probably), the NY Times travel section did a signature “36 hours in” feature on St. Louis! It includes some of the fun mentioned above, and much more.