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Touring St. Louis

By: Falcon Guides

Touring St. Louis

As the largest city along the Lewis and Clark route, St. Louis offers a full menu of urban attractions. Once you’ve seen the Arch, take time to explore the bustling riverfront area. Visitors can choose from a scenic riverboat cruise, casino gambling, a Cardinals game at Busch Stadium, or explorations of the shops, restaurants, and nightlife of Laclede’s Landing, the restored historic area just north of the Arch.

South of the Arch, the Soulard area thrives on live musical entertainment, with more than 30 restaurants and pubs, many offering jazz and blues. Soulard is also home to the Anheuser-Busch Brewery, where free tours (complete with product samples) are offered Monday through Saturday. Union Station, west of the riverfront along Market Street, has been transformed from a train station to a major shopping, dining, and entertainment destination.

The Grand Center area west of downtown is home to many cultural and architectural landmarks, including Powell Symphony Hall and the Fox Theatre; the EarthWays Home, an 1893 Victorian structure that now serves as a showcase for environmentally sustainable living; and the Samuel Cupples House, with its Romanesque design and Trusheim Art Glass Collection. Ask at area businesses for a copy of the neighborhood walking tour brochure.

The Missouri Historical Society in Forest Park plans a major Lewis and Clark exhibition to commemorate the bicen-tennnial. Billed as a reunion of expedition artifacts and documents not seen together since 1806, the exhibition will be on view here for several months in 2004 before traveling around the nation. Call (314) 746-4599 for more information. Other Forest Park attractions include the St. Louis Zoo, with more than 3,400 animals; the Muny, an outdoor performing arts center; and the St. Louis Art Museum. The St. Louis Science Center, in an impressive building straddling Interstate 64 adjacent to the park, has great shows in its Omnimax Theater and McDonnell Planetarium. Forest Park also offers bicycle rentals, bike/jog/walk paths, fishing, boating, skating, golf courses, and tennis courts.

Six Flags Over Mid-America, one of the nation’s biggest amusement parks, is located about 30 miles southwest of downtown, near the Allenton exit off Interstate 44. Raging Rivers, a water park, is in Grafton, Illinois. For more information about St. Louis–area attractions, call the convention and visitors commission at (800) 247-9791 or write to 10 South Broadway, Suite 1000, St. Louis, Missouri 63102.

Traveling the Lewis and Clark Trail

Links:

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