St Louis is a major city in Missouri. St. Louis was the site of the 1904 World's Fair.

Activities

 • St. Louis Cardinals baseball
 • Forest Park including the St. Louis science center, the art museum, the zoo, and a history museum. All are free! Forest Park is really the heart of St. Louis, an emerald that radiates throughout the city. Near Forest Park are some of St. Louis's most interesting neighborhoods, including Dogtown, the Loop (not technically in St. Louis proper, but just across the border in University City), and the Central West End.
 • The University City Loop Delmar Blvd. straddling the city limits and University City. A good place to visit if you are in St. Louis is the area known as the Loop. You can shop, listen to live music, enjoy a good restaurant, or watch a movie.
 • City Museum 701 North 15th Street. For the young or young at heart. Don't let the name fool you - this place is a blast! The City Museum is a huge playground built in an old warehouse made largely out of architectural artifacts from around St. Louis collected by an eccentric millionaire.

Attractions

 • The Gateway Arch. Built to be a symbolic gateway to the west, the arch is the centerpiece of the riverfront Jefferson National Expansion Memorial park. Ride up to the top. There is also an innovative historical museum under the Arch. Don't miss the movie, "Monument to the Dream," about the building of the Arch--it is an exceptionally well-made and memorable tribute to how a vision was made tangible.
 • Soulard Market. Although strangely named (un soulard means "a drunk" in French.) the Soulard neighborhood, covering the waterfront for several miles south of the Arch, is the oldest in St. Louis. The Georgian (or should that be Louis 16th) style houses surround a central farmer's market which supplies the city's supermarkets and restaurants with local produce. Individuals are welcome to stop in and shop as well. There are a number of bars and restaurants in the neighborhood as well.
 • Laclede's Landing. Just north of the Arch, and the second oldest neighborhood after Soulard, "the Landing" is what amounts to St. Louis' old town. During the 1980's the area was renewed, judge for yourself if this is an improvement, still you are likely to enjoy the cobblestone streets and the shops and bars.
 • Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis. On Lindell Blvd. at Newstead Ave. in the Central West End neighborhood, this Roman Catholic church contains the most mosaic art in one site in the world -- 83,000 square feet, installed by a family of artists who used more than 41 million tiles with more than 7,000 colors. Open 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
 • Missouri Botanical Garden. A place of serenity, beauty, and fun amid the bustle of the city, the Missouri Botanical Garden is open every day except December 25. Stroll the grounds, explore the home gardening resources, or enjoy one of the many events throughout the year. To find out more about what's going on during your visit, visit the online Calendar of Events and Plants in Bloom, or call the 24-hour Information Line at (314) 577-9400 (toll free 1-800-642-8842).

Dining

One warning: Sunday night is not a good time to look for a restaurant in St. Louis. Until recently one couldn't even order a pizza on Sunday nights thanks to a legacy of Blue Laws or laws against operating a business on Sundays in this very Catholic city.
 • Talaynas. 310 De Baliviere Ave. (314) 367-7788. The all stained glass interior seems to have been lifted from a church, and possibly was. The pizzas and salads are fantastic.
 • Riddles, A great place to eat, drink, and listen to music, .

If you are a fan of Italian, head over to a neighborhood known as "the Hill". Home of Yogi Berra, the Hill has more Italian restaurants than is healthy. Cunetto's and Zia's are two well known options. The best Italian restaurant in the city, however, is probably Bar Italia in the Central West End--this is the place to go for Italian food that is closest to what you would eat if you were actually in Italy.
 • Zia's Restaurant. 5256 Wilson Ave. (314) 776-0020.
 • Cunetto's House of Pasta. 5453 Magnolia Ave. (314) 781-1135.
 • Bar Italia, 13 Maryland Plz. (314) 361-7010.

Drink

 • Cicero's. 6691 Delmar. University City. 314.862.0009. Cicero's probably derives the bulk of its income from the pizza joint upstairs, which is fair, because the pizza is good. That said the main interest for the traveler is the bar and venue downstairs, which hosts touring indie and rock bands.
 • Mississippi Nights. 914 North First St. 314 421 3853. The venue in St. Louis for touring bands. If you are going to be in town for more than a couple of days it's definitely worth the time to check the calendar, who knows you might be able to check out something cool like LA's rock-in-espanol Ozomatli, or who knows what..