If you’ve never been to the “Gateway City”, you’re missing out! I feel like St. Louis is seriously underrated. It has so much to offer!
Living in the Midwest, last than two hours away, it’s a city that I would say I visit several times a year for multiple reasons. It has my favorite airport that I almost always fly out of, it has great restaurants, bars, fun activities, and things to see.
Obviously since I’ve been so many times, you’d think that I’ve done everything, right? Nope!
My fiancé and I’s 7-year anniversary was coming up in May, and since we had a weekend without any plans in March, we decided to go celebrate a little early. Since he’s using most of his vacation days this year to make sure I get to go on my dream honeymoon (thanks dear!) I knew we would only have one night to spend somewhere and it needed to be close by.
We left early afternoon and headed to our hotel. I booked the Hyatt by the Gateway Arch because I wanted to be downtown and I knew we wanted to go see the Arch the next day.
After checking in, we grabbed an uber and headed to the Union Station! Neither of us had ever been and I wanted to go someplace new. Dalton likes playing mini-golf and I wanted to go up in the Wheel and see the sunset! I highly recommend you book tickets in advance for everything, especially due to covid. You can do that here!
The Union Station is a great place especially for families and even has a hotel attached. They have a brand-new aquarium, restaurants, carnival games, the ferris wheel, mini golf, a mirror maze, and a carousel. There’s a man-made pond in the middle with koi fish that also had a fire show every so often. There’s a large police presence so to me it felt very safe for kids, and almost everything is outdoors so most activities can be done without a mask. Dalton and I both agreed this was a place we would like to come back to someday after starting a family! During Christmas they even have a “Polar Express” experience!
After this we got an uber back to the hotel and changed for supper. We had several restaurants suggested to us but ended up going with Carmine’s Steakhouse since it was a short walk from where we were staying, and it was delicious! Pretty pricey but Dalton says it’s one of the best steaks he’s ever had. Worth it if you’re looking for something fancy! Remember that many places in cities require reservations. A few other places recommended to us were 1111 Mississippi, Peacemaker’s Crab and Lobster Company, Lucas Park Grill, Maggiano’s, and Citizen Kane’s.
The next day we slept in a bit and then headed out for a late breakfast/brunch at Chris’ at the Docket, which is near the law school. Absolutely recommend this place!! I had French toast and scrambled eggs and Dalton had a burger and fries. We also had beers, mimosas, and their lemonade is to die for. I love the atmosphere in there, it’s very industrial feeling!
I had arranged for a late checkout, so when we got back, we packed up our stuff and then walked to the Arch for some quick pics. I’ve been up in it twice before but Dalton hasn’t. However, it was already booked up and we both agreed we didn’t want to be in a confined space like that with other people. So, we grabbed some coffee and just strolled around and enjoyed the beautiful day! If you ever get a chance though, go up in it because the view is phenomenal. Also, this ribbed dress is one of my fav Amazon finds!
We were going to go to the Botanical Gardens afterwards but the more I thought about it, I realized that this early in the year it wouldn’t be very “green” so we decided to skip it and maybe try again in a couple months.
That’s our quick trip to the Lou! We had a lot of fun and it’s nice to escape reality for a bit and enjoy each other’s company. My love language has always been quality time and just exploring together! People think that you need to go far away from home and that’s not always the case, most of the time there’s something fun to do close by. If you’re interested in visiting St. Louis, a few other fun things to do/see are…
- St. Louis Zoo. Ranked #3 in the US! Been multiple times and it’s always great. Suggest coming around Christmas and seeing their light display too!
- City Museum. This place is so cool and can entertain kids OR adults!
- Science Center! The nerd in me loved this place.
- Go to a baseball game or hockey game (go cards!)
- Botanical Gardens (hope I get to go this year!)
- Anheuser-Busch Factory (Dalton would love this!)
- Cahokia Mounds. Technically in IL but very neat and worth the drive!
- Cathedral Basilica
- Grant’s Farm
- Saint Louis Art Museum
- Play Top Golf (We actually came back the following weekend with a group of friends and did this!)
- Gamble at the Casino
- Six Flags (They have the besssttt rollercoasters!
I think that sums up our quick little weekend getaway! Have you ever been to St. Louis? If so, let me know in the comments. Thanks for reading!!Also, please remember to follow me in the LIKEtoKNOW.it app, I link all my travel outfits there!