A very very long time ago, like when my now 7-year-old daughter was about 7 months old, we traveled. We traveled all over with my husband’s travel hockey team. He coached a highly competitive team and we traveled all over the midwest. He even went as far as Denver one time, but I missed that trip! But since it’s National Travel & Tourism Week – yes, I saw it somewhere – I figured now is the perfect time to share some of the travels I’ve taken over the years that I haven’t shared prior! So let’s travel back to St. Louis.
VISIT MISSOURI
Have you been there?! It’s beautiful. You should go. And if you are from Indy, it’s only a 4ish hour drive! It’s the perfect weekend trip! Grab a hotel, pick a few places to check out, and then head on home!
Three favorites from our trip to St. Louis were The Anheuser Busch Brewery, The St. Louis Cathedral, and of course, the Arch.
Walking up to the Anheuser-Busch Brewery you will be amazed at the gorgeous almost antique-looking buildings. The grounds are pristine and the details are to die for. Walking through the brewery you won’t be sure where to look and what to take in because there’s so much! You will learn about their 7-Step Brewing Process that was perfected more than 100 years ago! The history alone will amaze you, but the quality beer definitely entices your senses too.
BUDWEISER
Founded in St. Louis in 1852 {CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?!}, Anheuser-Busch has honored its historic brewing methods by maintaining the tradition. Located in the historic Soulard neighborhood of St. Louis, this is the largest and oldest brewery site and was chosen based on it’s access to the Mighty Mississippi, presence of German immigrants in the 1800’s, and natural cave formations that were used to store beer before refrigeration was a thing.
Also, The Clydesdales! On the complimentary tour, you will also visit the historic stables built in 1885 for these majestic horses. It’s beautiful, ornate, intricate, and everything you didn’t think a stable could be.
ST LOUIS
*Tours are complimentary, and tickets are given out on a first-come, first-served basis. To secure your spot, you can purchase tickets online for $5. There are also a few other types of tours you can check out if you are wanting something different.
ST. LOUIS CATHEDRAL
The next pick would be the St. Louis Cathedral. I grew up Catholic, but I am not the most traditionally religious person these days. However, there is something magical about old, ornate, churches set in a longstanding tradition. After watching Notre Dame in Paris burn a few weeks ago, it made me realize that these types of buildings are not only rare but in the same category as museums. They showcase history, art, and tradition. All necessities for progress in this crazy world if you ask me.
So many beautiful nooks in this church. Completed in 1914, it’s the mother church of the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Named for Saint Louis and designated a basilica {the name given to certain churches granted special privileges by the Pope.} by Pope John Paul II in 1997.
Full of mosaics, the interior collectively contains 41.5 million glass pieces in more than 7000 colors. It’s actually the largest mosaic collection outside of Russia! A beautiful treasure to this country and a must-visit for even those who are not religious! If you appreciate tradition and old-world things, you will thoroughly enjoy a visit here. Just take a self-guided tour and walk around at your own pace to take it all in!
OTHER MIDWEST FUN
Lastly, The Arch. How can you not visit the Gateway Arch while in St. Louis?! When we went, we just walked around and went down under the arch, but the museums were closed. And that was before the park was all redone. But we had such a good time exploring and taking photos of the arch. And can’t wait to go back when they are open!
THE ARCH
And while that was our favorites from our trip, there are a few other highly recommended places like Fitz’s Root Beer where kids meals come with free bottomless sodas, The St. Louis Science Center, and Ted Drewes! Do you have any favorites in the city of St Louis?
Happy Travels!
Leave a Reply