Hi Tracy! I'm gonna be going to St Louis soon and I was wondering if you have any recommendations of places to visit? Already planning to go to the city museum and arch and all that tourist-y stuff, but I'd love some lesser known recommendations! Thanks!
(Bonus points if they are somehow Lackadaisy relevant 😂 though of course they don't have to be!)
Ah, yeah. City Museum is a must. It's a whimsical, bonkers, art project mystery playground in an old shoe factory. With museum exhibits. There's nothing else like it anywhere. Hope you enjoy it!
Everyone is likely to tell you to hit the Zoo if the weather's nice (it is indeed a very excellent zoo) but the Art Museum is right there in Forest Park as well, and both of those things are free to enter. (Though you might have to pay to park.)
...But I would also recommend the Missouri Botanical Garden. It's a pretty enchanting place to spend an afternoon, from the sprawling Japanese garden to the English garden hedge maze to the tropical Climatron.
If you like history tours, try any of the 'haunted' tours that visit the Lemp Brewery/Cherokee St. neighborhood. They take you into some truly spooky, interesting spots you can't otherwise access. The Lemp Mansion tours tend to be more popular, and you can eat there too but...eh, personally, the old brewing compound is more compelling.
For restaurants, Sister Cities Cajun and McGurk's are great. There are some amazing Italian places on the Hill too. The Foundry has a wide variety of culturally diverse/international foods alongside some entertaining things to do, including a Museum of Illusions.
If you're the kind of person who considers cemeteries to be tourist destinations, Bellefontaine is huge, pretty, and full of historical figures.
If you can hit Soulard Market on a day when it's fully open, it's worth it.
For sweet stuff like malts or frozen custard, try Crown Candy or Ted Drewes.
There's a fun speakeasy in the basement of the Thaxton building. Depending on the day of the week, they may have a live jazz band. Their entrance is in an authentically sketchy alleyway, and you'll need to get the password from their Instagram.
I haven't personally visited yet, but I keep hearing about the Venice Café.
Historic Main Street in St. Charles (about a 25 minute drive from downtown STL) is a very charming, brick-paved place to stroll, shop, and eat. There are a lot of festivals, live music, and other seasonal events going on there during the fall-winter holidays too.
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