I am the tourist, and this is my guide to St. Louis, MO. I don’t live in St. Louis, so it will never be a local’s guide, but many of the things on my tourist lists are recommendations from locals. If I’m missing anything, please drop it in the comments and I’ll add it to the guide.
Food and Drinks
- Pappy’s Smokehouse– The most recommended BBQ in St. Louis (but note the only vegetarian options are sides)
- Sugarfire BBQ– located throughout MO, we went to the location in downtown St. Louis (they have an amazing vegetarian fried green tomato sandwich and salmon options)
- Bogart’s Smokehouse– Limited hours (only vegetarian options are sides)
- Salt + Smoke BBQ– Full-service chain BBQ restaurant (vegetarian and pescetarian options)
- Grace Meat + Three-claims to be the best fried chicken in MO (also have vegetarian/pescetarian options)
- Broadway Oyster Bar– restaurant and music venue, they get their pork from Pappy’s
- Imo’s Pizza– the place to get St. Louis style pizza, served on a thin, crispy crust topped with Provel cheese
- Lombardo’s Trattoria– known for their toasted ravioli
- Adriana’s on the Hill– lunch spot known for their sandwiches
- Gioia’s Deli– Italian deli on The Hill
- Urzi’s Italian Market– Market on The Hill, they have the best chocolate covered pecans
- Cunetto House of Pasta– family owned Italian restaurant on The Hill, dinner only
- Ted Drewe’s Frozen Custard– some of the best frozen custard we’ve ever had
- Serendipity Ice Cream– homemade ice cream sandwiches
- Budweiser Brewery– tours, experiences, and a biergarten
- Fitz’s Root Beer– family-friendly restaurant and craft soda microbrewery
- Crown Candy Kitchen– old timey soda fountain and restaurant
Things to Do
- Gateway Arch– walk around the park and if you’re not claustrophobic, head up in the elevator to the top
- Citygarden– sculpture park downtown
- Old Courthouse– courthouse where Dred and Harriet Scott filed their initial lawsuit for their freedom
- Forest Park– huge, beautiful park
- Zoo– a free zoo located in Forest Park
- St. Louis Art Museum– free art museum in Forest Park
- Missouri Botanical Garden– one of the nicest botanical gardens we’ve ever seen
- Field House Museum– home of Dred Scott’s lawyer Roswell Field
- Cathedral Basilica– stunning cathedral. If you love European churches you need to see this one
- City Museum– an adventure park/museum in an old shoe factory, great for kids
- St. Louis Cardinal’s Game– cheap tickets and quintessential baseball stadium
- Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site– East of St. Louis in Collinsville, IL, it’s the largest pre-Columbian site north of Mexico. At its peak, around 1100, this metropolis stretched over 4,000 acres, encompassed about 120 earthen mounds, and hosted a population of nearly 20,000 individuals – larger than London at that time
Stay
- St. Louis Union Station Hotel-a Hilton Curio Collection with an incredible light show in the ceiling in the Grand Hall every night
- 21c Museum Hotel– came highly recommended
- The Cheshire– a boutique hotel near Forest Park
I highly recommend renting a car when visiting St. Louis. The city is spread out and the public transportation is lacking.
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