Explore the rich culinary scene, thriving arts community, and charming atmosphere of St. Louis in this weekend itinerary.
Welcome to Two Days Away, our series featuring weekend-long itineraries within a five-hour drive of your city—because sometimes we all just need a little adventure fix.
No millennial can forget the power Nelly held when he sang “I’m from the Lou and I’m proud” in the 2000 banger “Country Grammar.” Today, “the Lou,” is giving Chicago, its big-city neighbor to the north, a run for its money with its booming culinary scene, warmer weather, green space, and thriving arts community. The city is racking up the accolades with James Beard Award-winning restaurants and chefs and investing in its local artists through public installations and free access to the arts, making this a travel destination worth adding to your list. St. Louis combines a charming old-world vibe with the swag of contemporary culture to create an environment that sparks creativity. Here’s your weekend itinerary for St. Louis, Missouri.
Travel time:
4 hours and 25 minutes from Chicago.
4 hours and 30 minutes from Nashville.
3 hours and 45 minutes from Kansas City.
If you don’t do anything else: Stroll through St. Louis’ charming and historic neighborhoods
Much like fellow Midwestern titans Chicago, Minneapolis, and Detroit, St. Louis is a vast patchwork of neighborhoods each imbued with its own distinct vibe and tourist appeal. Comb through the family-friendly streets of landmark hamlets like the Hill, an Italian enclave known for its enticing restaurants (Sado, a sushi restaurant by James Beard nominated Chef Nick Bognar, is a must) and the Ville, a deeply historic African-American community that gave rise to some of country’s first Black millionaires, before exploring the visions of traditional architectural grandeur that line the lavish residential and commercial corridors of Lafayette Square and Central West End. The artistically inclined should carve out some time to peruse the eclectic outposts that put Cherokee Antique Row and Grand Center on the map while nightlife-seekers have to hit up lively entertainment districts like the bar-centric Delmar Loop, resident gayborhood the Grove, picturesque Maplewood with its many breweries and cafes, and Downtown’s bustling post-industrial cityscape.
Photo By Raymond Boyd/Michael Ochs Archives/
Fill your days:
Breweries to drink at in St. Louis
No trip to St. Louis is truly complete without a pilgrimage to Anheuser-Busch’s sprawling factory and visitor’s center—it’s basically written into the local constitution at this point. But, truth be told, the venerable Clydesdale-pushing giant is only just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to sudsy attractions. The city has long been a hotbed for world renown craft breweries, with influential outposts like 4 Hands, Schlafly, Urban Chestnut, Side Project, Narrow Gauge, Perennial, 2nd Shift, Earthbound, Rockwell, Bluewood, Alpha, Civil Life, and Modern covering all your beer-loving bases. And that’s just scratching the surface. Sift through STLBeer’s comprehensive city guide to start planning a freshly brewed pub crawl to end all pub crawls.
Museums to visit in St. Louis
If you’re looking for some hands-on entertainment, Union Station is an excellent starting point. Once among the world’s busiest rail terminals, the gorgeously maintained structure (read: polished terrazzo flooring, avocado-hued terracotta bricks, dramatic vaulted ceilings, Tiffany glass) now houses a bounty of attractions including the state-of-the-art St. Louis Aquarium and its 13,000+ animal collection. Inside, kids of all ages spy on prehistoric paddlefish, get up close and personal with Zebra sharks, and graze the backs of smooth-skinned stingrays as they roam illuminated hallways surrounded by 250,00 gallons of water. The fun continues over at the Saint Louis Science Center, where a four-story Omnimax Theater transports museum-goers to the bear-laden wilds of Western Canada, the Planetarium launches guests into the far reaches of the solar system, and exhibits on everything from the towering Tyrannosaurus rex to ancient mummies pull visitors deep into history.
Anyone with half an imagination wouldn’t want to miss the City Museum. Internationally celebrated sculptor Bob Cassilly’s kooky hodgepodge of experimental art, urban architecture, and carnival-esque whimsy is stationed inside a century-old, 600,000-square-foot warehouse that once belonged to the International Shoe Company. Expect an all-ages playground complete with a giant rooftop slide, a working Ferris wheel, and ball pits plus underground caves and tunnels, a treehouse, taxidermied animals, a mini shoelace factory, and more, all constructed out of found and repurposed materials. Honestly, you have to see it to believe it.
Speaking of art, there’s plenty on the (slightly) more traditional side at esteemed institutions like the St. Louis Art Museum, the Contemporary Art Museum of St. Louis, Wash U.’s standout Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, and the Pulitzer Arts Foundation. Music fans can pay their respect to the greats and even compose an inspired tune of their own at the tech-driven National Blues Museum before rounding out the day with a tour of ragtime legend Scott Joplin’s Delmar Boulevard home at the richly preserved Scott Joplin House State Historic Site.
The Gateway Arch and other ways to get a bird’s eye view of St. Louis
The Gateway Arch is an obvious choice, sure, but where else can you ascend 630 feet into the air in a slowly seesawing vintage tram to gaze out over Busch Stadium’s beckoning cardinal red stands and the Mississippi river’s muddy expanse? Designed in 1947 by architectural virtuoso Eero Saarinen and completed in 1965, the curving stainless steel monument remains a sight to behold, both from the tippy-top as well as from the freshly-remodeled Gateway Arch National Park grounds and Museum at the Gateway Arch below.
There’s also the 200-foot-tall St. Louis Wheel, which opened in September 2020. The original Ferris wheel, designed by George Ferris in the late 19th century, was transported from Chicago to St. Louis for the 1904 World’s Fair.
Eat, drink, and sleep:
Restaurants and Bars in St. Louis
Brothers Alex Jeff Henry recently opened El Molino del Sureste, a multi-concept restaurant on the southwest side of St. Louis. It is inspired by their childhood in Merida, Yucatan. By day it operates as a traditional molino, a mill and fresh masa shop, selling corn products like tamales, tortillas, masa. and chips. At night, it turns into a dining room with a menu featuring traditional and regional ingredients from their hometown.
Head over to Madrina, a new Italian-American restaurant with an exceptional wine program developed by Advanced Sommelier Alisha Blackwell-Calvert, the 2023 James Beard House Iconoclast Wine Honoree recipient. Half of the wines at Madrina’s are domestic and the other half are imported from Italy. Expect an upscale take on traditional dishes such as pizza, pasta and seafood.
None of the Above has been open for a month now and a line to get consistently snakes out the door. The speakeasy-inspired bar is hidden beneath the historic tunnels of City Foundry STL, the 17-restaurant food hall, retail space and entertainment center (that includes an Alamo Drafthouse, Sandbox VR, and Puttshack). Gerard Craft, the James Beard Award winning chef, is the mastermind behind one of St. Louis’ most anticipated openings. Guests enter through a nondescript door and an electrical panel that leads them through twists and turns of original graffiti-lined tunnels that ends in a space with moody lighting, rich wood tables, jewel-toned accents and an air of sophistication. The old electrical hub was abandoned and underwater for decades until its recent renovation into an upscale cocktail bar took place.
Add Sado to your list for sushi. The restaurant stands as the first (and only) Asian restaurant in “The Hill,” St. Louis’ historic Italian neighborhood and comes to you from James Beard nominated Chef Nick Bognar. Bognar learned his craft working more for more than 10 years in his mother’s sushi restaurant. For way more casual fare, head to Lion’s Choice, a Midwest staple known for its roast beef sandwiches.
Where to try St. Louis custard
St. Louis’s signature creamy treat might be old news now thanks to Shake Shack founder and hometown hero Danny Meyer’s world domination, but somehow that fully loaded Reese’s concrete just hits different when you’re sucking it down at the source. Ted Drewes is the OG bucketlister here, with its notoriously long lines, plump scoops, monstrous array of toppings, and shakes spun as thick as quicksand, but lesser-known joints like Andy’s, Fritz’s, Silky’s, and St. Louis Frozen Custard Factory can equally hold their own. If you prefer the frozen treat without the egg yolks (the difference between custard and ice cream) then head to Clementine’s Naughty and Nice Creamery (Oprah is a fan) whose smokey Italian fig flavor won “Flavor of the Year” at the North American Ice Cream Association Conference, and includes vegan options like the lemon poppyseed (another award winner).
Where to stay in St. Louis
The Angad Arts Hotel in St. Louis might be the only hotel in the world where you can book a room based on the powerful feeling associated with a color. There’s the Red room for empowerment, Yellow is for the curious, Blue is tied to freedom here, and Green represents rejuvenation. Guests can choose from double bunk bed rooms or lounge in luxury in a grand suite (which includes a clawfoot tub, full kitchen, and living room). The St. Louis hotel is filled with the work of artists who reside within a 200 mile radius. ART Bar is the hotel’s popular rooftop bar with an Art Deco design offering sweeping views of the city skyline, including the iconic Gateway Arch. The hotel is located in the Grand Center Arts District which is in within walking distance of The Fabulous Fox Theatre, the St. Louis Art Museum, and Forest Park.
21c Museum Hotel is a unique, boutique hotel in St. Louis that blends art, luxury, and cultural experiences at an affordable price. Housed in the former site of a YMCA, the restored historic building features a tapas-style restaurant with a Spanish influence and Good Press Cafe highlighting local products. The hotel offers contemporary design and historic charm with rotating art exhibitions. Additional options include Le Meridien St. Louis Clayton, a European-inspired lodge highlighting St. Louis French roots and the Ritz-Carlton Hotel for those looking to splurge.
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