48 Hours in St. Louis

 

Downtown’s City Museum. (©Cuty Museum)

The first time I visited St. Louis, it surprised me. I don’t know what I was expecting—beer and baseball, maybe, but I enjoy those both. As I walked through the city’s streets, I could feel them abuzz with excitement, people genuinely happy to be there. The trip made me realize just how fun-loving a city it is.

Take City Museum, for example. This multi-level fun zone is a modern-day Pee Wee’s Playhouse, full of curiosities and color. There’s a Ferris wheel on the roof, a five-story spiral slide and a series of manmade caves to get lost in. Plus the world’s largest pencil. And pinball aficionados like yours truly can play for hours in Pinball Hall.

City Museum is a quick drive or rideshare from Union Station, a spot where you could easily spend your entire visit. Westward expansion played a major role here when the first train pulled into the station in 1894. It soon became one of the busiest passenger terminals in the world, connecting people between our country’s coasts.

Today, the terminal’s Grand Hall is the lobby of the St. Louis Union Station Hotel, and you’ll see it’s grand history everywhere—the original terrazzo floor, stained glass windows and wooden décor. Every night at 5 p.m., look upwards to see a 3D light show projected on the 65-foot vaulted ceiling. While here, speak a message to your friend (standing on the opposite side) of the the Whispering Arch, just down from the lobby.

A step beyond, food and fun await. The 120,000-square-foot St. Louis Aquarium contains several one-of-a-kind exhibits, including Lord Stanley, a rare blue lobster. The St. Louis Wheel offers incomparable panoramic views of the city from its 42 climate-controlled gondolas.

Union Station’s newest restaurant, The Pitch, is a place for all things soccer, with tons of TVs, soccer displays and delicious cuisine; plus, it’s a stone throw from St. Louis City SC’s home, Energizer Park. Head to Train Shed for burgers, sandwiches and flatbreads. Then, visit the Soda Fountain for dessert to try an over-the-top Freak Shake.

St. Louis is nirvana for sports lovers, so trips to Busch Stadium and Enterprise Center are musts when the Cardinals and Blues are in town. You can get away from the parking congestion and have a great meal at the same time by visiting Molly’s or the 1860s Saloon in Soulard—this neighborhood is on the edge of downtown, and these restaurants offer free shuttle service to and from the games. By the time you’re back to your car, gametime traffic will have dissipated. Be sure the arrive early, however, as the parking lots are small and fill up fast.

Another Soulard must is a tour at the Anheuser-Busch Brewery. For an insider’s look at the campus with stops at the bottling plant, to visit the Clydesdales and to sample some freshly-brewed product, take the Beermaster Tour.

Next up, take a trip to Lafayette Square for tree-lined streets, Victorian buildings and more food and drink. Sqwires, once a wire factory, is now a charming eatery with a great wine list. Are spirits more your style? Square One Brewery and Distillery is for you.

Of course, you can’t leave St. Louis without visiting its most iconic attraction, the Gateway Arch National Park. In addition to taking a ride up the arch, the attached museum gives an in-depth look at The Gateway City and those who’ve helped to make it flourish. Afterwards, feel the wind in your hair on Riverboat Cruise.

Finally, you won’t want to miss the recently renovated Old Courthouse, which reopened to the public in May 2025. The structure, which first opened in 1864, was home to some of the most pivotal cases in American history, including the case of Dred and Harriet Scott, who fought for freedom against their enslaver here.