St. Louis

Adriana's

Sicilian. Not open for dinner but can boast one of the best Italian veggie sandwiches out there. Lines are long but move quickly.

America's Convention Center

Over 500,000 square feet of exhibit space, also featuring formal reception rooms, presentation-style rooms, a theatre, and the Edward Jones Dome next door.

Anheuser-Busch Brewery

The place where all Anheuser-Busch beers are made for the mid-west U.S. Free tour, with free beer samples for those 21+, of one of the world's largest breweries and bottling factories, housed in beautiful red-brick buildings. The Clydesdale horses and their historic truck and stables are one of the biggest attractions on the tour, as are the brew house and packaging facility. The adjacent beer garden serves really good food and offers cheap samples of most Anheuser-Busch branded beer, from Goose Island to Hoegaarden.

Arkadin Cinema & Bar

A small theater specializing in showing cult classics and off beat films, next to numerous dining options. Seating is limited, so purchasing tickets online ahead of time is recommended. See website for showtimes and prices.

BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups

After closing in 2024, BB's is set to re-open in September 2026.

Bar Italia

Italian. Delightful venue for parties, drinking, picking up lovely ladies and happytimes. Refreshingly, ID's are rarely checked, although this tends to be a bit of a secret, so the crowd is actually happily devoid of drunken teenyboppers.

Blueberry Hill

A true landmark restaurant and bar, open till 3AM. Chuck Berry used to play here frequently. Absolutely filled with pop-culture memorabilia spanning decades, including lunchboxes, concert posters, toys, sports trading cards, and other Americana. This place is definitely not one to miss.

Blues City Deli

Some of the best Po-Boys from cities on the "Blues Highway", St. Louis, New Orleans, Memphis, and Chicago. Add in some Love with a little taste from Italy. Set it in a turn of the century store front in one of St. Louis' great historic neighborhoods (Benton Park. Drench your ears with some of the best Blues from the 1920s to the 50s.

Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis

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.

7AM-5PM, daily. Mosaic Museum: M-Sa 10AM-4PM, Su noon-4PM

Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Company

Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Company is an award-winning chocolatier founded in St. Louis, Missouri. The company was founded in 1981 after the founding chocolatier spend over a decade training with the finest chocolatiers in the world. They specialize in fresh, chocolate covered Strawberries, Premium Truffles, Gourmet Boxed Chocolates, holiday chocolates and chocolate molded novelties all made fresh daily.

City Museum

For the young, the young at heart, or anyone who thinks a five-story playground made of salvaged materials sounds awesome. Don't let the name fool you; this place is a blast! The City Museum is a huge playground built in an old 11-story warehouse made largely out of architectural artifacts from around St. Louis collected by an eccentric millionaire. There are concessions inside the museum as well as bar service by local brewery Schlafy. While there are plenty of artifacts on display, it's not so much a museum as it is a collection of mazes, obstacle courses, tunnels, airplanes suspended in midair, and chutes and ladders. There's a Ferris wheel on the roof, a ten-story spiral slide, an enormous pipe organ, and lots of ways to get lost. Take care when parking; lots of nearby lots tout the "City Museum" on their signs, but only the one on the east side of 16th street (guarded by huge snake sculptures) is officially associated with the museum. Expect to stay here for 3-4 hours.

Mon-Thu 9AM-5PM, Fri Sat 9AM-midnight, Sun 11AM-5PM; closed Mon Tue in winter·$12+tax ($10+tax F-Sa after 5PM), under 2 free; roof access +$5 (weather permitting)

Citygarden

Citygarden gives kids fountains to play in and sculptures they can related to (Pinocchio, big heads, etc.); art lovers the chance to experience 24 sculptures by some of modern art's great masters (Leger, Herring, etc.); and everyone an award-winning garden in the midst of the city where you can relax and beat the heat. If you'd like to eat in the gardens, there is a cafe that is open for lunch or you can pick up something from the many takeout places nearby.

Sunrise to 10PM·Free

Contemporary Art Museum

Shares a courtyard with the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts.

Wed Sat Sun 10AM-5PM, Thu Fri 10AM-8PM, Mon Tue closed·Free

Das Bevo

The Bevo Mill

August Busch, of the Busch family and brewery, built this giant windmill as his private dining room in the early 1900s. Today it serves traditional German cuisine and amazing breakfast. Look for the giant windmill—you can't miss it if you're in South City. This restaurant closed abruptly in March 2009, reopening in early 2016 in time for Mother’s Day. Don’t miss the your chance to join the Beir-choir the First Thursday of each month.

Eads Bridge

This bridge was the first to cross the Mississippi at St. Louis, the first primarily steel structure in the world, and the longest bridge in the world at completion in 1874. This overlooked landmark is worth checking out for the Eiffel Tower-like steel lattice that still holds up cars and the MetroLink. It connects to Washington Avenue, and is directly adjacent to Laclede's Landing, both are centers of St. Louis nightlife. The easiest way to access Eads Bridge is via the Laclede's Landing MetroLink stop. Well worth a walk across as one of the best places to see the sun setting with the Gateway Arch and city providing a very artistic view of the area.

Eleven Eleven Mississippi

Consistently on critic's Best Of list (if not at the top), Eleven Eleven features an interesting fusion of American and Mediterranean/Tuscan cuisine and the city's finest wine selection. Exposed brick walls, an open kitchen, and a busy dining room has made this place a St. Louis favorite for the past several years.

Fabulous Fox Theater

Built in 1929 and restored to its glory, this rare gem seats 4,500. A performance at the Fabulous Fox Theater is a "must see." Only two of this design exist, the Detroit Fox Theater built in 1928 has also been restored and seats 5,000. Probably the two most ornate theaters ever built in the US, they were the first to have live sound. They were built for William Fox, the founder of Fox Film Corporation, the forerunner of Twentieth Century-Fox studios. These two original Fox Theaters are still among the largest in the US in terms of total seats and the size of the stage.

Fitz's Rootbeer

American Bar and Grill, Family friendly, watch the bottle factory go to work as you dine.

Forest Park

One of the nation's largest city parks, with 1,293 acres, is open to the public for golf, tennis, baseball, bicycling, boating, fishing, handball, ice skating, in-line skating, jogging, cricket, rugby and more. The park is also home to the St. Louis Science Center, the art museum, the zoo, and a history museum, all with free admission. Forest Park is really at the heart of St. Louis. It was also the site of the 1904 Louisiana Purchase World's Fair, which lays claim to serving the first hot dogs, hamburgers, and ice cream cones. You cannot visit St. Louis without hearing about, driving by, or exploring Forest Park.

Gateway Arch

Designed by Eero Saarinen and built in 1965, this is the world's tallest national monument, built to be a symbolic gateway to the West. The icon of the city, the Arch is right on the bank of the Mississippi and offers an inspiring sight to travelers coming in from Illinois. There's a gift shop and a confectionery, as well as an inspiring film called "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. But the main attraction is the Journey to the Top; you'll ride a unique tram/elevator—essentially a cross between a cable railway and a Ferris wheel—up either the north or south leg to the top of the arch, where you can see for dozens of miles into Illinois and Missouri. The cars are very small; they hold five very close friends or relatives each, and are not suitable for the claustrophobic. Tickets sell out during peak season; expect a long wait on major summer holidays to go to the top.

Summer: 8AM-10PM daily; fall, winter, spring: 9AM-6PM daily (last tram 1 hr before closing)·Entry only (incl film): adults $3, under 16 free; Journey to the Top (incl entry and film): adults $10, ages 3-15 $5

Gateway Arch National Park

A large park with plenty of big lawns, wooded areas, and a few ponds. The park and the nearby parking garage are closed for renovation; however, the arch remains open.

Guido's Pizzeria and Tapas

Guido's blends the traditional Italian-American fare of the Hill District with distinctly Spanish-flavored tapas plates.

Sun-Thu 11AM-11PM, Fri Sat 11AM-midnight

Gus's Pretzels

great hot large pretzels about 1 ft long and 1 inch diameter!

Hair of the Dog

Washington's only dive bar; great atmosphere and cheap drink prices. Cheers-type environment, where everybody knows each other's name, and strangers are warmly welcomed. Service is a strong point, and this place is perhaps St. Louis' best watering hole.

Heavy Anchor

Bevo Mills favorite with the friendliest bar staff and huge selection of bottled beer and liquor. Featuring one of St Louis's greatest venues in the back where local bands can be seen every weekend and free movies are featured on Wednesdays

Hi-Pointe Theater

Originally opened in 1922, Hi-Pointe is one of the oldest movie theaters in St. Louis. This one screen theater specializes in showing classic films and new independent releases. See website for showtimes and prices.

Hodak's

Hodak's has been St. Louis' premier stop for fried chicken lovers since 1962! Hodak's has been featured on Rachael Ray's "$40 a Day" on the Food Network. If you like chicken and a lot of food for a small price, this is the place to go. (If you are meeting a group, you will not be seated until all members of your party arrive.) ~$5-10 per person.

Jazz St. Louis

No visit to the Gateway City is complete without experiencing its rich jazz and blues heritage.

Laclede's Landing

Just north of the Arch and part of Downtown St Louis, and the second oldest neighborhood after Soulard, "the Landing" is what amounts to St. Louis' old town. You are likely to enjoy the cobblestone streets and the shops, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and a bizarre wax museum. Next to the Landing is a $400 million casino complex called Lumiere Place, featuring a Four Seasons hotel, nightclubs, 75,000 square feet of casino gaming, and an innovative multi-colored light feature spanning 24 vertical floors on the exterior of the building that lights up St. Louis' skyline. Not many original buildings on the Landing remain, as the area is constantly undergoing new developments and rehabilatation of older buildings. Nightly horse-drawn carriage rides take you around the Landing and much of Downtown.

Lafayette Square and Park

A fashionable area with tree-lined streets, Victorian and Second Empire townhomes, and shopping and cafés surrounds the city's oldest park, chartered in 1836. In the warmer months, the park features small concerts, picnic locations, art fairs, and a team that recreates old-style baseball, but it is walkable all year round. Twice yearly are walking tours of the area that will take you inside some of the more remarkable Victorian mansions.