Spending a Day in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri has never been on my bucket list per say. I do want to visit many cities all around the USA as I feel many people underrate all there is to see here. Of course the first and only thing I really think of when St. Louis comes to mind is the Gateway Arch. Luckily, my friend and I got a chance to spend the day there and get a better idea of what St. Louis is all about.
We didn’t get to do much research before visiting St. Louis. It was a bit of a last-minute decision to go. My friend was more into watching television and I was very tired, but trying to look up as much as possible. I knew for sure we had to see the Gateway Arch. A friend of mine resides in St. Louis and recommend a restaurant, Fitz’s Root Beer to us, so those were the only two concrete things on our itinerary.
Upon arrival we got an Adventure Pass for $7.50 each to be able to ride the trains and buses all day. The train, which is more like a light rail is connected to the airport. We were able to take that to the stop for the Gateway Arch. There were no actual maps to grab, so I took a photo of the train map that was on the platform before boarding.
Train Map ©2017 HollyDayz 
Arch Directional Signs ©2017 HollyDayz
It was a good 30-40 minute ride before we reached the stop for the Arch. Once we were outside we noticed there were signs on the ground to lead you right to it. We thought that was pretty awesome. It was really hot outside, but we were excited by the beauty of the fountain with the Arch in the distance. We were also hungry so we stopped at a little diner called Chilli Mac nearby.
The diner was cute, we love that the menu said the attitude was free. We ordered some food, drank a ton of water, and prepared ourselves to go back out in the heat. We walked over to the Old Courthouse to get tickets to go inside the Arch and to the top. We found out we could also take a boat sight seeing tour, and access to some other things for $30 each. So we bought that.
There is some construction going on and the lady who sold us the tickets was pretty terrible. She couldn’t really give us directions on how to get to the boat, asked us if we were going to make it in time, which we had no clue if we were or not. She also couldn’t even tell us what we were going to see while on the boat tour. At this point it was probably around 102 degrees outside and a bunch of people were all walking around trying to find out where to go. Luckily we made it to the boat on time.
The boat ride was nice. We sat outside so we could get a good view. We purchased water and lemonade on board. They also had popcorn and other things. Of course we tried sitting in the shade because the heat we no joke. We learned a lot of history about St. Louis on the half hour ride. It was really nice. Once we got back to the dock we raced to the Gateway Arch as they have timed entrances. Little did we know you don’t exactly have to be there on time. They will let you in if you are late.
Tram to the top ©2017 HollyDayz 
Great View ©2017 HollyDayz
We got into a very small car that holds 5 people. It takes about 4 minutes to get to the top. Once at the top there are small windows you can look out of on both sides to get some really nice views. It was pretty crowded and I only had a limited time to look out of a couple of the windows because more people were coming up and we were all asked to move. 630 feet up you get some nice views, but otherwise it was a bit underwhelming. So we went back down on the other side.
Many things were under construction so we got ourselves together and inquired at the information desk on where to go and how to get there. We were told to check out the City Museum and given bus directions. It was way too hot to wait so we ended up taking an Uber. We weren’t sure what we were getting into, but we got our bracelets. The bracelets to get to the roof were a separate fee.
Part of the outside area ©2017 HollyDayz 
Part of the outside area ©2017 HollyDayz
We started up on the roof. There was a school bus, a ferris wheel, a giant praying mantis, some great views, and all types of things to do and see. We hung out there for a while until we could no longer take the 104 degree heat and went to check out inside. Inside was nice and air-conditioned. We saw many adults hiding out in the cave areas while the kids ran around. There was a huge slide that was about 10 stories up.
We came upon a human sized hamster wheel that my friend gave a good try to. We soon headed back into the heat were there was a giant ball bit, an airplane, and all type of things to get into. Many of the things looked like it was made out of scraped metal. It was pretty awesome. There was so much to do there we honestly didn’t even know where to start or what to do. I would suggest getting there when it opens and staying all day to get the most out of it.
Once we were done there we took an Uber to Fitz’s Root Beer. No disappointment there. The place has all types of soda on tap. We ended up splitting a BBQ Sampler Plate. Good thing we did since there was so much food. The best part of it all was the ice cream floats. They were huge and it was fun getting a glimpse of how they make it. Highly recommend going there to eat. It is located on the Delmar Loop. There are tons of places to eat there and they even have their own Walk of Fame.
It was so hot I had to make a wardrobe change so I was glad I brought extra clothes. We had planned to take the train back to the airport, but upon walking to the train station closest to the Delmar Loop we noticed the area changed. It seemed a bit sketchy. Once we got to the station both trains came, but seeing as we weren’t close enough we missed both. There were a lot of people there and a girl was screaming to some men about us in a not so nice manner.
My friend and I were the only two left at the train station and we felt a bit unsafe. We ended up calling an Uber to take us to the airport. The driver told us that was not a good train station area and at night it gets even worse. He was happy he didn’t have to go in towards the parking lot to get us. So if you plan to wait at that station later in the day please be mindful, especially if there is no other people waiting for the train.
Other than that St. Louis was really nice despite the heat. There is plenty to see and do. I would happily go back to check out other places to eat we were recommended and see their zoo. There were also some other places that locals kept mentioning to us. See more of the adventure in the vlog below!
Have you ever been to St. Louis, Missouri?
Agness of eTramping
St. Louis seems like a great place to visit, Holly. Is one day enough for experiencing this place?
Holly Dayz
Nah, I think you need some more time to see all the attractions they have to offer. One day is a great start to a smattering of things. Kind of depends what you want to do. It was perfect for us.
Carol
Haven’t been to Missouri, but this post just made me want to go!
Holly Dayz
It is a nice place to go. Just don’t go in the dead of summer.
Kate
I can see how the arch might be underwhelming. I feel like that happens to me a lot when I go to the tourist attractions in cities! But…I still always want to go! Now, that root beer ice cream concoction – THAT does not seem underwhelming! Worth a trip to St. Louis just for that! Glad you and your friend made it out safely too!
Holly Dayz
Yea, but it is a must to see though. That is what they are known for. We didn’t get root beer floats, I don’t even like root beer, but the float was really good.
Chanel | Cultural Xplorer
I have yet to make it to St. Louis, but I do hope to get there soon. That BBQ sample platter looks amazing, I would go for that alone!
Holly Dayz
It was very flavorful. The floats were even better.
Carola
I’ve never been to St Louis (other than a layover on a cross-country flight 🙂 ). But it looks like there is not only plenty to do but that they have a good infrastructure for tourist. I’ll earmark this for later.
Happy continued travels!
C
Holly Dayz
Yea next time if you have a long layover maybe you can go out and explore.
Red Nomad OZ
All I know of St Louis I learned from the song!! So I’ve never heard of the Gateway Arch – although looks like a killer view from the top, I don’t know if it’s a good plan to go up there if you’re afraid of heights??!! But if I could have an ice cream float when I came down, I’m sure that’d make me forget my troubles, haha!
Holly Dayz
The views are nice out of the very small windows. My friend is afraid of heights, but she was having a great time!
London-Unattached.com
St Louis looks like such a quintessentially American experience. It’s great when you go to places and are unexpectedly pleased! Would you go back again?
Holly Dayz
Yea I would go back to check out some other places there.
Jody Robbins
OMG that S’mores float is reason enough to visit. I had no idea about their food scene and that’s my main impetus to travel. Appreciate your honesty about not feeling safe. You gotta go with your gut.
Holly Dayz
It was so good. I would go back again just to get another. Yea, we didn’t feel safe at the station, we were glad we left.
Nina Danielle
The Adventure Pass is a great tip! Not somewhere that I would have thoughts of visiting but it looks like a lot of fun.
Holly Dayz
It was really cool. We had fun. Yea the adventure pass is great to get all around.
diningtraveler
Never been to St Louis and this peaks my interest. The views from the arch are amazing and the human hamster wheel sounds like an experience!
Holly Dayz
Human hamster wheel was too funny. We had a lot of fun in St. Louis.
Chloe Liying Lin
The city looks like an amazing place to visit. And the weather is so sunny. Glad you had a good time.
Holly Dayz
It was fun. The weather was way too hot, but we survived.
Patricia Steffy (@PLSteffy)
I’ve only been to St. Louis on pleasure once when I was a kid. We loved going up in the arch (I still remember how small that capsule car felt) and going out on the riverboat. As an adult, I’ve been there for work, and that is my only excuse for not visiting Fitz’s Root Beer. OMG! That float! It’s on the list for next time, for sure, as is a visit to City Museum. Thanks for sharing!
Holly Dayz
Next time you go, even for business, see if you can make it over and get a float. You won’t regret it! I would go back for another lol.
WanderingCarol
Haha. A human-sized hamster wheel. I think that would be hilarious … until I went flying. It sounds as if you made the most of your day in St Louis, even in the heat.
Holly Dayz
It was hilarious. I don’t think you would go flying lol.
Sara Broers (@TravelWithSara)
I love St.Louis and I had no idea they had a ferris wheel on the roof of a museum. It’s been almost two years since I was there. A lot of things were under construction when I was there. The arch is always fun to go up in and aren’t those windows fun to peek out of?
Holly Dayz
It is over at the City Museum. They still have stuff under construction.
Paige Wunder
I love St. Louis and there’s a surprising amount of fun things to do there. My favorite thing to there is go to Forest Park to explore the free art museum and free zoo! My best friend lives there, so I’m up there frequently! I’ll have to try Fitz’s Root Beer! I’ve never heard of it!
Holly Dayz
There really is. I heard the zoo is amazing and I wanted to go explore the art museum and a few other things. It was just way too hot outside.
Tami
I’ve always wondered what there is to do in St. Louis besides seeing the arch…Now I know! But I think I’ll wait till a cooler time of the year after reading about how bad the heat was. Maybe in October?
Holly Dayz
Yes, definitely wait till its cooler. I am sure October is much better.
Chetan Jadhav
Hey Holly! Missouri seems to be a fantastic place to visit. Hope you had a great time out there. BBQ platter seems quite yummy with that ice cream floats. Hope to visit here soon.
Sophia Grace
Hi Holly Dayz,
Your this post about Missouri is such amazing, You did a great Job with this post & I’m really impress by your this post. Just hear about Missouri so many times that Missouri is best for travel but never get change to visit Missouri.
But your this post made more crazy about Missouri 🙂
Mackenzie
I’m so glad you got the chance to visit St. Louis and that you had a great experience! STL is my hometown, and I believe way too many people don’t give it a chance. My personal favorite spots in the city are the 1. delmar loop for its quirky restaurants (Fitzs is a must for visitors, and mission tacos and the peacock cafe are both excellent as well) and 2. Art hill in forest park. Forest park is such a gem and happens to be the largest city park in the country. It also happens to have a ton of free things to do – the art museum, the zoo and even the Muny offers free seats if you’re willing to wait in line before the show. One of my favorite memories growing up is when my family and I would pack a picnic and go watch Shakespeare in the Park in the summers in forest park as well as catch a cardinals game (stl baseball fans are truly the best and most loyal fans in the country).
There’s my local’s contribution.
One more thing — do Saint Louis some justice and pick photos that are actually in St. Louis please! That last picture on the bottom left is in Louisiana. C’mon, St. Louis may be beautiful but it definitely does not have palm trees.