Meet me in Saint Louis - Travel

If Memphis is the home of the blues, St Louis is where it grew up. This city is packed with clubs and bars that fill the air of summer night with the strains of old favorites and new offerings, and strolling through the streets to find the next watering hole is a big local pastime.
Places to See
This is not to say that St. Louis is bereft of more traditional tourist attractions – it's not. Most common stops on visitor itineraries are the Gateway Arch, also known as the arch of the midwest. This historic landmark was built over a century ago and if your fitness levels allow, is climbable. The view of the arch from the ground is impressive, but the view from the top is even better – across the city and out towards the horizon; The St. Louis Cathedral (or more correctly, the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis) was built over three years from 1907, although the real attraction is the tile mosaic inside, which took over eighty years and more than forty million tile pieces; the Museum of Westward Expansion is a loving monument to the 'landgrab' days of covered wagons, as well as an interesting and well-presented examination of the development of the US.
Things to Do
Lastly, on a completely different note, is the Anheuser-Busch factory tour. This is a brew house, and visitors are in for a treat – the original stables (complete with Clydesdale horses) are still part of the production site, and the entire plant is like a living museum, right up to the modern brewing methods that provide the free samples at the end of the tour. The tour guides are pretty generous with these samples, to it's advisable to leave the car keys at home.
Activities for Kids
St Louis has plenty for  kids as well, not least of which are the Zoo (a world-class installation that is heavily involved in conservation and breeding programs) and the Magic House, which is a little reminiscent of something out of a turn-of-the-century carnival. Forest Park is a good place for a dinner-picnic. Home of the World's Fair a hundred years ago, it is now a public space of green lawns, very climbable trees and walking trails. Take extra bread for the birds – these guys own the park and  aren't afraid to let you know it.
Off the Beaten Path
Heading off the beaten track in St Louis is easy, as the city's slightly bohemian air lends itself well to the quirky characters that make their home here. This quirkiness is even enshrined in the public facilities, as the City Museum shows: Completely made of recycled materials, the Museum is part Found-Art installation, part homage to ecologically sound attitudes and part surrealist playground. It's in downtown St Louis, just off Washington Ave – look for the flowers and planes out front and the schoolbus on the roof.
If modern art is your thing, make a special trip to Sunset Hills, where Laumeier Sculpture Park is located. As well as a tranquil oasis of walking trails and trees, this park features all kinds of sculptures from some really good 20th century artists – some are more than 40 feet tall.
For antique lovers, do as the locals do and get away from the well-todden downtown areas. South-east of the Anheuser Brewery is Cherokee St, a strip of cafes, boutiques and antique stores holding a huge collection of true antiques and aging curios. You won't find many tourists here, despite its proximity to the city, so its a good spot to take a breather from the madding crowds.
Similarly, Kirkwood is an undiscovered gem of a neighborhood. Take the Lindbergh Boulevard exit off the Interstate 44 to get to this bohemian area. The food is good, thanks to a culturally rich mix of nationalities, and the prices in the cute little boutiques are far more reasonable than those found on the beaten track.
Hotels
Hotel prices in St Louis tend to stay low, especially with the competition provided by online specials. Family-friendly chain hotels average around $80 per night, with more luxurious suites selling for between $150 and $200 per night.
Use the Hotelsio Rate Finder on the left to find cheap hotels in Saint Louis.