Traveling to Saint Louis

[Fatter than Joey]

I am kicking around the idea of heading to STL around 12/20 -- I want to take my son to the Steeler/Rams game.

 

1.) Any ideas for other activities?

 

2.) Restaurants (family of 5)?

 

3.) Things for the wife and daughters to do?

 

4.) Any ticket/seating tips for the dome?

 

Thanks!

[trwi7]

I'm sure b19 will be able to help you out. As for activities, visit b19 at the zoo. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[brewers19]

1.) Any ideas for other activities?

 

I definitely recommend going to the St. Louis Zoo. It's one of the best zoos in the country and it's got free admission to boot. Also in Forest Park (~4 miles west of downtown) are the St. Louis Art Museum (also free) and the St. Louis Science Center (free as well). The Science Center is pretty huge and is great for kids, and one could easily spend an entire day there.

 

2.) Restaurants (family of 5)?

 

If you're in any mood for Italian food, The Hill is a must. It's the Italian neighborhood just south of Forest Park, and pretty much every restaurant there is wonderful. There are a couple good casual restaurants in the Loop, just north of Forest Park and Washington University; Fitz's is an excellent burger place.

 

3.) Things for the wife and daughters to do?

 

Aside from the Arch and maybe Union Station (indoor area with some shops and restaurants), there's not too much in downtown St. Louis; and you'd be hard pressed to spend more than an hour or two at either of those. If they're into shopping and such, the Galleria (~2 miles west of Forest Park) is a really nice mall.

 

One word of warning: don't plan on using I-64/US-40 to get around in St. Louis, as it's pretty much entirely shut down due to the construction of them redoing the entire thing.

[trwi7]

1.) Any ideas for other activities?

 

I definitely recommend going to the St. Louis Zoo. It's one of the best zoos in the country and it's got free admission to boot.

 

Oh man that's awesome! The only free zoo I know of in Wisconsin is the Lincoln Park Zoo in Manitowoc. I love that cute little zoo so much, it's always funny when the little kids walk right up to the bison cage and the bison snort at them and then they quick jump away.

[whizkid]

Vilas Park zoo in Madison is free.

[trwi7]

Vilas Park zoo in Madison is free.

 

Duh how could I forget that? I went on a field trip there.

[brewers19]

Fact of the Day: There are only three major zoos in the United States that have free admisson; St. Louis, Lincoln Park (in Chicago), and the National Zoo (in Washington, DC).

 

I suppose we should probably stop hijacking this thread now.

[trwi7]

I suppose we should probably stop hijacking this thread now.

 

I don't see how it's been hijacked. You gave him info on what to do, where to eat etc. If he has more questions I'm sure he won't be afraid to ask. So what do you do at the zoo? Is there one main area you run or do you work for someone else? You know what I'm getting at.

[Fatter than Joey]

Actually my kids have been to a lot of the zoos across the country -- It would be exactly something up their alley

[brewcrew00]

I have recently moved back to Milwaukee after spending time working for the Blues in St. Louis. If you have yet to catch an NHL game, I would do it in a heartbeat. The Blue Note is home on the 20th against the Red Wings (bitter rival game) and I would go if you can get tickets. If you do visit the arch, make sure you pay a few extra bucks and catch the short 15-20 minute movie on the construction of the Arch, well worth it!

 

If you have a little adult time at night, and gambling is your thing, cross the river to the Casino Queen, it's much nicer than the President (which may have already been moved).

 

Brewers19 is right about the zoo, I feel like we went every time someone came to visit.

 

The only real restaurants downtown that would be worth a trip are Dan Dierdorf's place and Mike Shannon's. The Landing is decent, but I wouldn't venture down there with kids after say 7 o'clock or so. Old Spaghetti Factory is pretty decent and would also be worth going to.

 

International Bowling HOF is right downtown, near the stadium, so if you walk over that way it could be a neat place to stop into.

 

As far as the ladies go, I would advise your wife and daughter to avoid Union Station, and just take the extra 15 minutes to head out to the Galleria. Also worth a trip if you are into the college basketball scene, SLU has a home game on the 19th, and you could catch Milwaukee's own Rick Majerus in coaching action.

 

Hope that all helped, let me know if you have any other questions!

 

Oh, and PS. The Metro can get pretty slow, so don't plan on using that if you are going to have a car down there anyway!

[Fatter than Joey]

Thanks!

 

If you have yet to catch an NHL game, I would do it in a heartbeat. The Blue Note is home on the 20th against the Red Wings (bitter rival game) and I would go if you can get tickets.

 

Going to the dome though on the Thursday to see the Steelers -- If anyone has any seating/tix advice that would be great

[rwa12]

That is the first time I have ever heard the Casino Queen referred to as "nice"...uggh..I would echo B19's recommendations, depending on how old your kids are, the City Museum is a blast. My family loves Fitz's restaurant, a very fun place. Grant's Farm is a good time if the weather is nice. As far as the football game is concerned, I think better seats are available with each Rams loss.

[Brian the Automator]

It's a bit of a hike, but Purina Farms in Gray Summit, MO was a lot of fun... I'm not sure what they have going on every day, but we saw a dog agility show that was cool. There are also several wineries in the area that are interesting.

 

But yeah, the Zoo's a must.... and the Arch is something you have to do at least once.

[Fatter than Joey]

Thanks to everyone -- Funny thing is I have been through STL many time but never stopped...

 

Did you bychance do the Negro League HOF in KC?

[brewcrew00]

The only reason the Casino Queen is "nice" is because they just sunk a TON of money into it redoing the hotel, restaurants, theater, and gaming floor. I should have prefaced with the "nicest casinos" being 30 minutes from town out at Harrah's and Ameristar.

[Jimbo]

There's a Lewis and Clark museum thingy on the IL side. That was pretty neat. Plus some walking paths that overlook the launching site, but it may be too cold in December.

A day trip to see the sights in East St. Louis.

 

[Brian the Automator]

Oh yeah, and WAFFLE HOUSE.

[homer]

"Oh yeah, and WAFFLE HOUSE. "

 

Just steer clear of Kid Rock if he happens to be there.

[GAME05]

feel free to delete if this constitutes a shameless plug. i've helped with travel information before, and as of Saturday my company just went online. www.professionaltravelguide.com should be able to give you a number of family activities and restaurants to check out (actually, my sister wrote the report).