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Lewis and Clark 200 >> Missouri >> St. Louis >> Community Interest >> Museums >> Jefferson National Expansion Memorial

Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
St. Louis, Missouri

Location:

11 North Fourth Street
St. Louis, MO 63102
(314) 655-1700
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Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Website

National Monument

Description:
Any visit to St. Louis should begin at the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, best known for its graceful stainless-steel centerpiece, the 630-foot Gateway Arch. The Arch is America’s tallest monument, topping the 555-foot Washington Monument and the 305-foot Statue of Liberty. It is a marvel of engineering and design.

The Museum of Westward Expansion beneath the Arch celebrates the vision of Thomas Jefferson and offers one of the nation’s best overviews of why the Lewis and Clark Expedition took place. Exhibits are arranged in a wagon-wheel fashion, with each decade radiating off a hub. In the center stands a life-size statue of Jefferson, who stood 6-foot-3. He is seen gazing out toward an ocean mural on the far wall, and strategic lighting ensures Jefferson’s shadow is cast in all directions, just as his influence looms formidably even today.

Central to the museum’s Lewis and Clark interpretation are the large, floor-to-ceiling photographs of sites along the expedition route. These beautiful images serve as a backdrop for everything else on display. Smaller photos show plants and animals seen by the corps, and a map of the Louisiana Purchase illustrates how that event nearly doubled the size of the United States.

Other exhibits pay tribute to later great American explorers, from the Oregon Trail pioneers to Charles Lindbergh and the Apollo astronauts. A newer feature of the museum features an “animatronic” representation of Captain Clark as he appeared in 1832, by then Superintendent of Indian Affairs, explaining why early explorers gave peace medals to the Native Americans they met. The museum also offers fine interpretive programs, including talks by rangers who sometimes discuss the Lewis and Clark Expedition. And no visit would be complete without a ride to the top of the Arch. After a four-minute ride up the monument’s innards in a pod-like tram car, the visitor is treated to outstanding views reaching 30 miles both east and west on a clear day.

The museum is open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Memorial Day through Labor Day and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. the rest of the year. Admission to the Arch tram and museum is $6 per person age 17 and up, $4 for students ages 13 through 16, and $2.50 for children ages 3 through 12. Also worthwhile are movies in the Arch Odyssey Theatre, with its four-story screen, and another theater showcasing the “Monument to the Dream” documentary, which describes the building of the Arch. (Each showing carries an additional charge.) There may be a wait of an hour or more to take the tram, so buy your tickets as soon as you arrive, and then enjoy the museum and other activities. All facilities are closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. For more information, call (314) 425-4465 or see the Gateway Arch website at www.nps.gov/jeff/arch-home. The Jefferson National Expansion Memorial also includes an expansive park surrounding the Arch and the Old Courthouse. The latter features exhibits on early St. Louis, including a diorama showing the transfer of the Louisiana Territory.

Content courtesy of: Falcon Guides: Traveling the Lewis and Clark Trail

Directions and/or Additional Information:
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial is located in the heart of downtown St. Louis on the Mississippi River. Interstate Routes 44, 55, 64 and 70 converge near the park. Parking is available in the Arch Parking Garage on the north end of the park grounds on Washington Street, or at privately run surface lots and garages nearby. The Arch Parking Garage has a seven foot height restriction. A passenger drop-off area is available for visitors with mobility impairments near the Old Cathedral on Memorial Drive.