Visiting the Reimagined St. Louis Union Station

I’ve wanted to visit St. Louis Union Station since it was remodeled a few years ago and the attractions were added. I had heard nothing but good things about it. When I was invited to cover a Yellowcard concert in the Gateway city, I decided it was the perfect time.

Brittany and I went straight from the concert to the Hilton at St. Louis Union Station, a Curio Collection Hotel. I was impressed the moment we walked into the lobby, with the high ceilings and light show that magnified all the art. I could only compare it to the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago.

We were exhausted and went right to sleep. In the morning, we had breakfast at Station Grille, one of the hotel’s restaurants. It was quite a meal, starting with freshly made pastries. Brittany had Chicken & Waffles. I ordered the Egg, Avocado & Quinoa, which was covered lightly with a balsamic dressing, and I loved it.

After breakfast, we met up with our friend `Amanda and headed over to the other side of the hotel for the activities. Our first stop was at the St. Louis Aquarium. It’s better not to explain how it’s done and let you be surprised, but I can tell you the entrance is an experience in itself!

The Aquarium is filled with hands-on experiences and also has animal shows. We got to see the training of an armadillo.

We then went to check out the Mirror Maze and Union Station Selfie Express before heading outside to The Wheel. This Ferris wheel towers over the area and provides quite a view of the city, including the new soccer stadium.

We stopped at the Soda Fountain for some unique milkshakes and fries, before going to miniature golf and on the carousel. You can buy packages that include all of the attractions so it doesn't get too expensive. Amanda had to leave, and Brittany and I headed to lunch at the Train Shed.

 
We always like to get different things so we can get a better feel for restaurants, but the Grilled Chicken, with fresh mozzarella, pesto aioli, basil, roasted tomato, arugula, and balsamic on whole wheat caught both our eyes. Brittany ordered it and it was as good as it sounded. I enjoyed the Pulled Pork sandwich.

We went back to the room to rest for a while and to gain our appetites back before we went to dinner. We were going to the hotel’s newest restaurant, The Pitch. It is a sports bar that focuses mostly on soccer as the stadium is right across the street from it.

 

The Pitch does look like it belongs in an episode of Ted Lasso. Even the menu has a touch of British, with Fish & Chips, Fried Bologna, and Chicken Pot Pie, which I really enjoyed. Brittany had the Salmon BLT. We also ordered the huge pretzel (I took most of it home) and Fried Ravioli, which is a dish St. Louis is known for.

When we finished dinner, it was back to the hotel to check out. We watched one more light show. There were some families checking in as we checked out. The hotel has everything for all ages and is also dog friendly. I will definitely be back.

 

I was hosted on this trip for most of the activities, food, and accommodations, but views are my own.

Fun Day Trip to St. Louis

I always enjoy my trips to St. Louis. There is always so much to do there. I try to stay over, but sometimes a day trip is better than not going at all.

I headed west with my friend Brittany and her brother, Jacob.

We picked up Amanda on the way and we were
ready to have some fun.

The first stop was City Museum.

I was a City Museum once before and was extremely impressed.

It’s nearly impossible to see everything on one trip, plus they do change some of the exhibits, so I was more than ready to go back.

You know at the beginning your in someplace different because the ticket counter was actually a teller’s box from the St. Louis Title Company.

I think the Caves at City Museum is my favorite spot. The formations inside are fascinating. You just have to keep track of where you are – and watch your step. I wouldn’t let any small children wonder in there by themselves.

The artwork is also fascinating. A lot of it is just pieces of what was referred to as “junk,” reappointed into a unique design.

Climbing is a big theme at this museum and it’s something kids love to do.

It’s nice that there are places you can sit and take a break while you can still keep an eye on the climbers.

City Museum also offers places to get something to eat or drink, including the restaurant Samwhiches in the City, which continually has chocolate chip cookies coming from the oven to go with kid-friendly meals, and Cabin Inn for snacks.

When the Rooftop is open, you also have the options of Grill Master Tony’s Outdoor BBQ and the Roof Top Cantina.

The specialty restaurants aren’t the only things worth going to the Rooftop for.

It’s certainly the most unique outdoor space you’ll see for kids to play in, with a real Ferris wheel, a school bus, and slides.

As a kid, I would go to the St. Louis Zoo when I was in the city visiting family. I hadn’t returned as an adult before this trip.

Like many other attractions inn Forest Park, the Zoo is free so there’s no excuse not to visit.

You can easily fill a half day and it wouldn’t be hard to find things to do to spend the entire day there.

We did get the Adventure Pass. I think it’s well worth it.

For $12.95, you get admission to just about all the extras at the Zoo: Zooline Railroad, the Children’s Zoo, the Carousel, the 4D Theater, petting Stingrays at Caribbean Cove, and the Sea Lion Show.

Throughout the park we found interactive signs to keep us involved and informed about the creatures there.

The Zoo is very spread out so be ready for a lot of walking. We took a break by boarding the train.

Before we headed home, we stopped at the Peacock Diner.

It was my first time there and it’s a cool place to check out for a family-friendly meal.

It was a great day for any time of year. That’s the thing about St. Louis: you’ll always find plenty to do without having to spend a lot of money!

Check out some of my videos from the St. Louis Zoos on my You Tube Channel. 

King Tut and Dinner on the River in St. Louis

It was a beautiful summer day and my friend Betty and I were heading to St. Louis.

We were going to spend the afternoon at the St. Louis Science Center before taking off on a Gateway Arch River Cruise for dinner.

We decided to leave the car in the lot by the boat and take an Uber to the museum and back. 

The cruises left right below the Gateway Arch and we had quite a view from that spot.

The St. Louis Science Center is located within Forest Park. Like the other museums there, it is free to the public.

We didn’t realize that the museum closed at 5:00 pm so we couldn’t see it all, but we had enough time to go through the main thing we came for:

The King Tut Exhibit.

With our tickets we received our recorders for the guided audio tour. 

I really didn’t know what to expect since it had been many years since I had seen anything on King Tut. 

This exhibit was so much more than I ever expected.

It is set up so that you are walking in the steps of archaeologist Howard Carter when he discovers the King Tutankhamun site in 1922. Nothing else like it had ever been found.

The exhibit then takes you through the tomb and the artifacts, including the mummy cases and tomb treasures. 

It consists of lots of gold in every shape and form.

Betty and I were both amazed at all of this splendor, created thousands of years ago with minimal tools.

The King Tut Exhibit is open at the St. Louis Science Center through January 7, 2018. There is a charge for this exhibit, but it is definitely worth it.

We had some time before the river cruise and we had Uber driver take us around Forest Park. 

I had been to the Art Museum and the Zoo, but hadn’t spent any significant time in the park since I was a kid.

Our driver had us back at the boat in time for the cruise. We had not had any substantial food all day and couldn’t wait.

The tables were reserved and the buffet was set up when we boarded. There was a banjo player and Betty and I each order a glass of wine and began to relax.

Dinner on the Gateway River Cruise included a beef carving station, chicken, fish, vegetables, potatoes, fruit, and pasta salad.

We helped ourselves to full portions and the food was very good.

The dessert was a choice of Red Velvet and Chocolate Fudge cakes. I had a little of each and they were both delicious.

It was a beautiful night and the ride along the Mississippi River was wonderful. 

We went outside to catch the sunset and watch the boat get ready to dock.

Dinner cruises, which you can reserve on the website, run through October and start back up in April.

The one-hour sightseeing cruises go until November and start again in March.