Food and fun in St Louis MO

[dbminn]

HI - I will be traveling to St Louis MO August 3-9 and would like peoples suggestions about places that shouldn't missed as far as dining and things to do and see.

Thanks...

[clsmit]

Fitz' Rootbeer in University City
Rich & Charlies (various locations) -- real St Louis salad, toasted ravioli, St Louis style pizza
Blueberry Hill (home of Chuck Berry when he's performing in STL)

There are fancy places, too, but these are real food places.

Oh, and the Arch and the Zoo are must-see locations.

[Enrico]

Originally Posted by dbminn

HI - I will be traveling to St Louis MO August 3-9 and would like peoples suggestions about places that shouldn't missed as far as dining and things to do and see.

Thanks...

What particular types in places do you enjoy? What types of food eateries? Expensive, cheap?

Too bad the Cardinals will be out of town that week. Zoo (free) and the Gateway Arch are two really good places, especially with kids. AB (now InBev) Brewery tour is always a good.

[ace2000]

If you have a family then definitely visit the Forrest Park area. Lot's of FREE activities - Zoo, Art Museum, History Museum, Science Museum. On second thought, even if you don't bring family it's worth checking out.

Here's a web site:

http://stlouis.missouri.org/citygov/parks/forestpark/

My favorite city! Used to work there and I'm a die-hard Cardinal fan!

[ace2000]

If you're in the neighborhood (click Locations on the left side of the web link), then make a visit to Ted Drewes Frozen Custard...

http://www.teddrewes.com/Drewes.asp

[riverdees05]

If you like gardens - Shaws Gardens

http://www.mobot.org/

Brewery Tour

http://www.budweisertours.com/

Soulard Market

http://stlouis.missouri.org/citygov/soulardmarket/

St. Louis Union Station

http://www.stlouisunionstation.com/

Six Flags

http://www.sixflags.com/stLouis/

Museum of Transportation

http://transportmuseumassociation.org/

Cahokia Mounds

http://www.cahokiamounds.com/

Do you want to take any day trips or just stay in the St. Louis Metro Area?

[John Cummings]

We did a bus tour of Saint Louis which was pretty good. We also went up in the arch which we didn't care for too much.

There was one attraction in Saint Louis that we thought was awesome and nobody has mentioned it. That is the "Cathedral Basilica: A local wonder to behold". It was an awesome sight.

"The world’s largest collection of mosaic art isn’t found in Rome, or Paris, or even Europe. Housed in the heart of St. Louis in the soaring Cathedral Basilica, this incredible collection includes two soaring domes and several galleries of detailed religious images made from colored glass."

http://www.hellosaintlouis.com/Artic..._to_behold.Cfm

We also went to see the Cardinals which was great.

[nonutrix]

I don't know how far you are interested in going, but if you are interested in historic districts St. Charles has a wonderful colonial French historic town. St. Charles is just to the west of St. Louis, and is the place where Lewis and Clark started their expedition on 1804.

Hope this helps!

nonutrix

[M. Henley]

For the best Italian food around go over to "Italian Hill".

[Enrico]

Originally Posted by M. Henley

For the best Italian food around go over to "Italian Hill".

No doubt. Quite simply, the best Italian food in St. Louis is found at what is locally (and fondly) known as "The Hill".

The OP did not respond to preferences for restaurants, activities, etc. Great restaurant selections are too numerous to name. Activities can be varied and VERY spread out from the STL downtown epicenter.

[ngmaui]

Ameristar Casino - nice sports bar and some nights have crablegs and prime rib at the buffet

http://www.ameristar.com/St_Charles.aspx

Trailhead Brewery and Louis and Clarks

http://www.trailheadbrewing.com/

Both are in St. Charles just outside of St. Louis.

Visited both on a recent business trip. The trailhead nachos with smoked chicken were amazing at Trailhead.

Enjoy...

[dbminn]

Thanks for all the info.

I have been doing some searching of my own and there seems to be a lot of options. For food, I lean towards food that I can't make at home so that would be different cuisines. I like Italian food so thanks for the suggestions there.

Is St Louis a very bicycle friendly place? I will be staying near the Galleria area, not to far from U City, west of downtown.

[Enrico]

You are in a nice area, city of Clayton. Clayton is a high power business section of the STL region. Very clean, safe, great shops & restaurants. Residential neighborhoods around Clayton are top tier; huge homes, old trees, quiet surrounds. Bike friendly, but traffic is heavy around the Galleria Mall and the business district during the day. You are also close to Forest Park which is a GREAT place for biking, hiking & hanging out.

Restaurants in Clayton and nearby areas:

Clayton:
Cafe Napoli
Cafe de France
Portabella
Oceano Bistro

University City:
Cicero's Restaurant
Fitz's Root Beer Bottling Company (interesting place, good for lunch with kids)

Central West End: (cool area, great area to just hang & people watch & eat)
Chez Leon
Herbies (the old Cafe Balaban)
Scape
Dressel's (a bar with good food)

The Hill:
Charlie Gitto's on The Hill
Zia's
Trattoria Marcella (awesome)
Gian-Tony's on the Hill

Addresses, phone numbers, & other info here: http://www.diningstl.com/
More STL info here: http://www.stlmag.com/media/St-Louis-Magazine/
And here: http://www.explorestlouis.com/visitors/see.asp

Enjoy your trip.