Around Town: 24 Hours in St. Louis

What do you first think of when someone mentions St. Louis? Most likely you picture the Gateway Arch or maybe some mouth watering BBQ? Or maybe it’s jazz music? Whatever it may be, St. Louis is a city filled with a wide variety of unique attractions, entertainment, and food! I spent the last 24 hours in town exploring what I could with two of my best friends. Below you’ll see some of the unique experiences we came across. Unfortunately one day/night in town is not much time so this is just a snippet of what one could do if spending the day in town. I’ve also listed a few additional things at the bottom which were highly recommended after talking to friends, family, and locals around the city.

We started our journey to St. Louis from Indianapolis. We hit a bit of traffic on the way but thankfully we left Indianapolis a little earlier than anticipated allowing us to get into St. Louis around 4:30 PM local time.

Our first stop was a brewery, because why not? We heard good things about Schlafly’s so we swung by there first. Schlafly’s is a good size brewery with ample outdoor seating and spacious indoor dining areas with ample room at the bars. The food looked good but we passed on dinner here as we were saving our appetite for later in St. Louis’s Little Italy neighborhood (more on that later.) The beer was good but there weren’t too many that really ignited my taste buds. I went with the flight option and would highly recommend it as well so you can sample their moderate variety of offerings. My favorites were their “Pale Ale” and a shout out to their “Berry Brunch Stout” which was probably my favorite sampling.

After leaving Schlafly’s we realized that we still had some time to spare before our 6:00 PM dinner reservations so we headed over to Rockwell Brewing Co. This was our favorite brewery by far between our time both in Indianapolis the day prior and during our time in St. Louis. The vibe here was unbelievable. Very modern look and feel, both inside and outside. The shipping containers that help make up the exterior and surround the patio provide for an unique experience that you won’t find at most any other brewery. More impressive than the environment was the beer! We sat outside on their spacious patio and on this particular day it was unseasonably hot and humid (even by St. Louis standards); therefore, I tried to stick with some light and refreshing beers such as their “So, Here’s the Thing” Lager which was a fairly easy drinker in the heat. If you have time while in St. Louis I would highly recommend stopping by for some beers and enjoying the atmosphere!

From Rockwell we then made our way to “The Hill” neighborhood of St. Louis. This cozy area of town is a long-established Italian American neighborhood with ample, little family owned delis, pizzerias, diners, bakeries, and bars. Whether you’re coming down for a pastry, some gelato, maybe a little bocce, or dinner and a glass of wine, there is something for everyone here. We also noticed they are in the process of building the new St. Louis MLS stadium within walking distance which will only add to this vibrant and bustling little neighborhood. We had reservations at Mama’s on the Hill which did not let us down. The service was fantastic and the wait for our food was almost non-existent with bread arriving at the table as soon as we sat down and our drinks coming shortly after. No lie, I’m pretty sure our dinners all came out in 10 minutes or less which was amazing! I went with the chicken parmesan which was prepared perfectly, probably the best chicken parm I have ever had (our waiter recommended it.) The rest of the table went with the baked lasagna which is one of their most popular dishes as well as the standard spaghetti and meatballs (the meatballs were to die for!) We also shared a plate of the fried ravioli which also did not disappoint. All around the food here was unbelievable and the service was outstanding. I would go back in a heartbeat next time in St. Louis and would highly recommend it.

After finishing dinner our next goal was to make our way over to Busch Stadium as our beloved and hometown Cleveland Indians just so happen to be playing game two of a two game series in St. Louis (what are the odds of that?) On the way over to the stadium district we stopped at one last local brewery for one more quick beer before walking over to the game. 4 Hands is a surprisingly large place with two floors inside and plenty of room. Again due to the heat of the day I stuck with a simple Pale Ale, but it was refreshing and just what I needed before heading over to the ballpark. 4 Hands is an easy walk over to Busch Stadium (less than ¾ mile) so we walked from here. We lucked out and found one of the last on-street parking spots left by the brewery; otherwise, expect to pay 5 bucks at the brewery and 10-20 bucks around the general area on game days.

Once we made it over to Busch Stadium we were all amazed by the beautiful architecture, pure size, and the character of the stadium. As the third largest stadium in all of the MLB there are plenty of dining options, multiple bars, and amazing views throughout the entire ballpark. The atmosphere was great, especially on a late Spring day at the start of June like this was! Capacity was still capped due to covid but it actually made for a more enjoyable experience as it was not overly crowded which also helped us stay comfortable on such a hot, humid day. Although Cleveland did lose, we had a great time enjoying the atmosphere and experience of Busch Stadium which is probably in my top 3 of best MLB stadiums I’ve been to.

After the game we slowly made our way to our hotel. We didn’t stay anywhere fancy and just got a room at the Holiday Inn Airport West which met our basic needs for a comfy place to sleep for the night and was a good price.

The next morning we woke up rather early (as we had a long day of traveling to Colby, Kansas ahead of us) and made our way down to Gateway Arch National Park. We all have probably seen the Arch in pictures or on TV, but seeing this behemoth in person is a jaw dropping moment for anyone. The park itself is a massive, well maintained 91 acre park full of arch inspired designs and elements. The area more recently became America’s 60th National Park under the direction and supervision of the National Parks Service. We took a good amount of time to wander around and take in all the sights (check out the gallery for more photos.) The arch itself is a massive 630 ft tall monument that catches your eye from every angle within the park and outside the park throughout the entire city. It is a symbol that represents St. Louis’s role in the westward expansion of America during the 19th century. If you’re going to visit on a hot day I would recommend some sunscreen and remember to hydrate as a lot of the park around the Arch itself is open to the sun. Masks are currently required, but just for the tram ride. To get to the top you must ride in one of the eight very small pod-like trams. They each seat five people but it is definitely a tight fit to say the least. The ride up takes four minutes and the ride down takes only three. Once at the top you have approximately 10 minutes to get your sight seeing in before you are then escorted back down so the next group can arrive up.

The process runs pretty smoothly and we were in and out in less than 30 minutes. After exiting the Arch we spent a little more time wandering down along the riverwalk and exploring the nearby area. The park is an unbelievably great spot for photography and a nature lovers paradise. You will not leave disappointed.

The Arch was our final stop in the city before venturing out to Kansas City for the afternoon. I would definitely travel back to the city as we did not have time for a lot of the other places that we would have liked to have gone to. A few places I would like to check out next time in town are the Anheuser-Busch Brewery, Ted Drewes Frozen Custard, Carl’s Drive-In, and Bogart’s Smokehouse, all of which were highly recommended by multiple family members, friends, and coworkers.

Check out the St. Louis Gallery for more photos of our adventures through the city.