The best of St. Louis, much of it free
World-class museums that don't charge admission, three pro teams downtown, a theater scene that punches above its weight, and wine country an hour west. Here's where to start.
Four big institutions, zero admission
Forest Park covers about 1,300 acres in the middle of the city, and its major institutions don't charge at the door. It's the rare place where "let's do something this weekend" doesn't come with a bill.
Saint Louis Zoo
Regularly ranked among the best zoos in the country. General admission is free; a few attractions inside are ticketed.
stlzoo.org
Saint Louis Art Museum
A 1904 World's Fair building on top of Art Hill, with a collection spanning five thousand years. Free every day it's open.
slam.orgMissouri History Museum
The 1904 World's Fair, Lindbergh, and the story of the city, plus free outdoor concerts on the lawn in season.
mohistory.org
Science Center & The Muny
Free general admission at the Saint Louis Science Center, and about 1,500 free seats at every Muny show all summer.
forestparkforever.orgThe ones on the postcards
Do these once as a visitor, then keep doing them every time someone comes to stay.
Gateway Arch National Park
At 630 feet it's the tallest monument in the country. Ride the tram to the top, tour the free museum underneath, then walk the riverfront park and the Old Courthouse.
City Museum
A former shoe factory rebuilt into a giant climbable sculpture: slides, tunnels, caves, and a school bus hanging off the roof. Adults love it as much as kids do.
Union Station
An 1894 train station with an aquarium, a 200-foot observation wheel, and a light show in the Grand Hall.
Missouri Botanical Garden
79 acres founded in 1859, with the Climatron dome, a 14-acre Japanese garden, and Garden Glow each winter.
Cherokee Street
Antique row on one end, taquerias and galleries on the other, and a big Cinco de Mayo street party every spring.
A baseball town, and then some
The Cardinals play at Busch Stadium with the Arch over the outfield wall, and Ballpark Village next door turns every home game into a block party. A few blocks west, the Blues skate at Enterprise Center, and St. Louis CITY SC fills Energizer Park, a soccer stadium built right into Downtown West.
All three are a short walk or MetroLink ride from each other, so pregame dinner and postgame drinks are easy.
Something on stage every night
Touring Broadway, one of the country's oldest symphony orchestras, and clubs where the band is ten feet away.
The Fabulous Fox
A 1929 movie palace in Grand Center that now hosts touring Broadway, concerts and comedy. Go early to look at the lobby.
fabulousfox.comThe Muny
The country's oldest and largest outdoor musical theater, in Forest Park. Seven shows each summer, with free seats at the back every night.
muny.org
The Delmar Loop
The Pageant and Delmar Hall for touring acts, Blueberry Hill for a burger afterward, and the St. Louis Walk of Fame underfoot.
visittheloop.comSt. Louis Symphony Orchestra
The second-oldest symphony orchestra in the United States, at home in Powell Hall in Grand Center.
slso.orgGrand Center Arts District
The Contemporary Art Museum, the Pulitzer, jazz clubs and theaters within a few blocks. First Fridays keep the galleries open late.
grandcenter.orgLive music tonight
From Enterprise Center tours to the Monday blues jam at Broadway Oyster Bar, with a guide to the rooms worth knowing.
Live music in St. LouisParks, gardens & trails
Four real seasons, and a good place to spend each one of them outside.
Tower Grove Park
A Victorian strolling park with painted pavilions, a Saturday farmers market, and food trucks on Friday nights in season.
towergrovepark.org
The Katy Trail
About 240 miles of flat crushed-limestone trail on an old rail line, starting near St. Charles and running through wine country.
mostateparks.comForest Park, the outside part
Paddle boats at the Boathouse, a loop path of about six miles, golf, tennis, and an ice rink in winter.
forestparkforever.orgLaumeier Sculpture Park
More than 100 acres of large-scale outdoor sculpture and wooded trails in Sunset Hills. Free, and open daily.
laumeiersculpturepark.orgCastlewood State Park
Bluff-top views over the Meramec River and some of the area's most popular hiking and mountain-bike trails.
mostateparks.comGreat Rivers Greenway
A growing network of paved greenways across the city and county, including the riverfront trail past the Arch.
greatriversgreenway.orgWear them out before dinner
Beyond the free Zoo and Science Center, these are the ones kids ask to go back to.
The Magic House
A hands-on children's museum in Kirkwood that has been a field-trip rite of passage for decades.
magichouse.orgGrant's Farm
Clydesdales, a tram through the deer park, and goats to feed. Admission is free; parking is not. Open seasonally.
grantsfarm.comSt. Louis Aquarium
Sharks, rays and otters inside Union Station, with the observation wheel, mini golf and a ropes course outside.
stlouisaquarium.comButterfly House
A glass conservatory full of tropical butterflies in Faust Park, Chesterfield, run by the Botanical Garden.
Butterfly HouseWhen you want a change of scenery
Everything here is roughly an hour or so from downtown, give or take a winery stop.
Augusta, Defiance & Hermann wine country
Augusta was the first federally recognized wine region in the country, and Defiance sits just down Highway 94 with its own vineyards and the Katy Trail. Farther west, Hermann pairs hillside wineries with German heritage and October festival weekends.
missouriwine.org
Historic St. Charles
A brick Main Street along the Missouri River, home to Missouri's first state capitol, with shops, patios and festivals in every season.
discoverstcharles.com
Alton, Grafton & the River Road
Limestone bluffs on one side, the Mississippi on the other. Riverfront wineries in Grafton, Pere Marquette State Park, and bald eagles in winter.
riversandroutes.comSte. Genevieve
Missouri's oldest permanent European settlement, about an hour south, with French colonial houses that are now part of a national historical park.
visitstegen.comCahokia Mounds
The remains of the largest pre-Columbian city north of Mexico, a UNESCO World Heritage Site just across the river in Collinsville, Illinois. Check ahead for visitor center hours.
cahokiamounds.orgWashington & Franklin County
A Missouri River town about an hour west, with Point Labaddie Brewery in nearby Labadie (Wednesday trivia, Friday acoustic jams) and Oak & Front's kitchen and bar on Front Street.
pointlabaddiebrewery.com
Visiting to see if you could live here?
I'm Jessica Swift, a REALTOR® with Keller Williams Saint Louis. Tell me what you liked on your trip and I'll point you to the neighborhoods that are close to it.