I was thinking of taking my wife and 4.5 yr old son and 1.5 year old daughter to St Louis for a day away (maybe even 2) sometime this upcoming week.. Im sure the zoo would be a absolute, and probably the Arch.. With that said any other suggestions, good places to stay (with wife and young kids) family fun eatery's ? suggestions ? PLACES TO AVOID ?
And before anyone suggest's it, sorry.. we are not ball n stick fans..
A day in St Louis..tips ?
- Thread starter OtisBlkR1
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The zoo is free and one of the best in the nation. You pay to park on their lot or you can park for free in Forest Park if you don't mind the walk. The carousel and zoo train are modestly priced and well worth adding to your visit. Pack a lunch if you don't want to pay for eats and treats.
Don't go North of Delmar except to visit Crown Candy. It's an old time candy store soda shop that has amazing shakes and a massive, heartstopping BLT. If you go at paek times, you could have a wait.
Interesting places with unique shops and restaurants are Maplewood, Delmar Loop, and Central West End. Muny has free lawn seating if that sound interesting to you. Pappy Smokehouse or The Tap Room are great places for grub.
Saint Louis Science Center is another place the kids will love and it's near the Zoo. Besides the places to eat mormit mentioned, The Hill is an Italian neighborhood that offers great authentic Italian food. It's just about a half mile south of Forest Park, where the Zoo and Science Center is located.
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Don't forget about the Planetarium. Always cool and they have a good one.
Pi downtown is excellent if you fancy a Chicago deep dish style pizza.
Grant's farm is free and family friendly. The free beer helps too. Afterwards go to Ted Drew's for some great frozen custard. As mormit said, don't venture to the north side of town. Construction around the Arch will be going on so it might be hard getting around there. As far as where to stay, Fairview Heights Il. would be a good option. Nice view of city skyline, plenty of eaterys and shopping. Avoid East St. Louis as well. Enjoy!
I really enjoy the butterfly house and the botanical gardens. http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/visit/family-of-attractions/butterfly-house.aspx
Magic house https://www.magichouse.org/ More for kids than adults but its all good fun.
Science Center http://www.slsc.org/ also has the Omnimax which is fantastic!
Grants farm http://anheuser-busch.com/index.php/our-heritage/grants-farm/ Great for the family- petting zoo with goats and such.
City museum http://www.citymuseum.org/site/ Has a cool cave that kids can climb around in.
Six Flags amusement park- https://www.sixflags.com/stlouis They also have a waterpark.
Arch http://www.gatewayarch.com/ Gateway to the west!
Lol I think you need more than a day!! 
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Hello, Years ago my Dad told me there are limestone caves close to downtown. He mentioned the stable, low temperatures of these caves helped make St. Louis a beer making town.
I was working there but didn't have time (make time) to get to the caves. I like geological stuff.
If you don't, that's cool. Have a great visit. ALWAYS TRAVEL Kira
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtqfvZx6--Q
Too bad the St. Louis Centere is no longer a mall.
Welcome To St. Louis. Enjoy your stay. Instead of recommending places TO go. I recommend places you DO NOT go! East St. Louis is high crime. Watch that video and do not be surprised if you experience something similar..... 
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ive been told multiple times today to stay out of East ST Louis, However help me out guys, isnt East St Louis the down town side of things ? ive been there twice over the past 20 years or so, never spent the night.. Once i went to the zoo and got lost and ended up in a war zone (bad, bad neighborhood) and once i went just to the arch/river and that was a ok trip (15 years ago)
Originally Posted By: OtisBlkR1
ive been told multiple times today to stay out of East ST Louis, However help me out guys, isnt East St Louis the down town side of things ? ive been there twice over the past 20 years or so, never spent the night.. Once i went to the zoo and got lost and ended up in a war zone (bad, bad neighborhood) and once i went just to the arch/river and that was a ok trip (15 years ago)
East St. Louis is in Illinois, across the Mississippi. Stay on the side with the arch, and south of the zoo and you'll be fine.
Reconsider a cardinals game, it's one of the best baseball experiences on the planet.
Otherwise, arch, zoo and botanical gardens are great and will take a full day.
Carry.... Well loaded if you stop for any reason in E St Louis.
For older kids, I'd say do the game. Maybe a tour of Busch stadium as the kids are pre-K age.
ESL is not bad in the day time. I wouldn't suggest going at night.
The new "Stan Span" (Stan Musial Veterans Memorial) bridge makes it insanely easy to get to downtown. Just take the bridge from I70 across the river and get off on Tucker and you'll head south into downtown.
If you are going to the Zoo, etc, then take the Poplar Street Bridge following the I64 signs. There is construction on the PSB, so you might just as well take the "Stan Span" see some of the downtown sights and then head to the Zoo, the City Museum or Grants Farm.
There is also the Magic House in Kirkwood. I don't recall if anyone has mentioned that yet. That's some good times for pre-K kids. Maybe better than the SLSC for that age group.
Originally Posted By: JamesBond
East St. Louis is in Illinois, across the Mississippi. Stay on the side with the arch, and south of the zoo and you'll be fine.
Reconsider a cardinals game, it's one of the best baseball experiences on the planet.
Otherwise, arch, zoo and botanical gardens are great and will take a full day.
Originally Posted By: Propflux01
Carry.... Well loaded if you stop for any reason in E St Louis.
Blueberry Hill is on the Delmar Loop. Some intersting/quirky shops there if that floats your boat. Probably not much for Toddlers/preK kids.
I do recall once getting lost into E St Louis. I was excited that gas was so cheap and stopped at a gas station. ALL the drivers(African American) were coming up to us asking if you boys lost? Need help?
The oddest thing I have ever seen happened, 4 police in a cruiser(never seen that) who pull up to same station. 3 guys simply run as fast they can out of it in multiple diretions. I go inside to pay and cops are getting coffee shooting the breeze. One did ask if we needed directions out and said they'd lead us the way. This was 1992 two white college kids.
I like something called Strawberry or Blueberry Hill and the neat clubs/music there in St Louis.
Originally Posted By: rjundi
Originally Posted By: Propflux01
Carry.... Well loaded if you stop for any reason in E St Louis.
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