St. Louis offers so many options for things to do for people of all ages. From museums to sporting events to parks, you can find wonderful entertainment options all year long.
Whether you are relocating to St. Louis, new to the area or a lifelong resident, I hope that this list helps you find some new places to explore.
52 Things to Do in St. Louis:
One of my New Year’s resolutions every year is that I’m going to get out more and explore the city…returning to places that I’ve enjoyed in the past and discovering new settings to have fun.
While it was hard to whittle the list down to 52 venues, I decided to put together a list of places that every St. Louisan should go to at least once. All of the attractions below are located in St. Louis City, St. Louis County or St. Charles County.
I know I left off some great options that are just over the county lines (such as Fast Eddie’s and Mount Pleasant Winery). One of these days I’ll put together a follow up list for fun day trip options from St. Louis focusing on neighboring counties.
Pick a place to go each week and discover the city in a year.
Art:
1. Art Museum
Location: Forest Park (map)
Cost: Free
2. Contemporary Art Museum
Location: Midtown (map)
Cost: $5 for adults, $3 for seniors and military, children are free (everyone is free Wednesdays & Saturdays)
3. Laumeier Sculpture Park
Location: South County (map)
Cost: Free
4. Citygarden
Location: Downtown (map)
Cost: Free
More Museums:
5. Missouri History Museum
Location: Forest Park (map)
Cost: Free
6. Museum of Transportation
Location: St. Louis County, just west of Kirkwood (map)
Cost: $6, children 5-12, seniors and military $4
7. Wax Museum
Location: Downtown (map)
Cost: $10 adults, $7 ages 12-17, $3 ages 3-11, $5 ages 55+
Music:
8. Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Location: Maryland Heights (map)
Cost: Varies by concert & reserved seats or open lawn seating
9. The Pageant
Location: The Loop (map)
Cost: Varies by concert & seating
10. St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
Location: Midtown (map)
Cost: Varies plus 50 free tickets given out per concert
11. Sheldon Concert Hall
Location: Midtown (map)
Cost: Varies
Animals:
12. Saint Louis Zoo
Location: Forest Park (map)
Cost: Free
13. World Bird Sanctuary
Location: Valley Park (map)
Cost: Free
14. Wild Canid Survival and Research Center (formerly Wolf Sanctuary)
Location: Eureka (map)
Cost: $8 (1 hour tour) or $10 (2 hour tour)
15. Grant’s Farm
Location: South County (map)
Cost: Free admission, parking $11 per vehicle
16. Butterfly House
Location: Chesterfield (map)
Cost: $6 Adults, $4 ages 4-12, $4.50 ages 65+, free for children 3 & under and MO Botanical Garden members
Family Fun:
17. Science Center
Location: South of Forest Park plus bridge over highway connects to Planetarium inside Forest Park (map)
Cost: General admission is free, exhibits range from $3-9 for adults, all day parking in lot $9
18. Magic House
Location: Kirkwood (map)
Cost: $8.75 for ages 1 & above
19. City Museum
Location: Downtown (map)
Cost: $12 (ages 3 & above), World Aquarium is additional fee of $6 & Rooftop is additional fee of $5, Friday & Saturdays after 5 pm $10
20. Boathouse Forest Park
Location: Forest Park (map)
Cost: Paddle boats & kayaks $15/hour, rowboats $20/hour (paddle boats & rowboats seat 4 adults)
21. Steinberg Skating Rink
Location: Forest Park (map)
Cost: Adults $6.50, $5.50 ages 12 & under, $3 for optional skate rental
22. Six Flags
Location: Eureka (map)
Cost: $31 online purchase, $39.99 adults, $31 children under 48″ tall, ages 2 & under free, parking $15
Parks & Nature:
23. Faust Park
Location: Chesterfield (map)
Cost: Free except for admission to Butterfly House or carousel rides
24. Forest Park
Location: between Central West End and University City/Clayton (map)
Cost: Free
25. Tower Grove Park
Location: South City (map)
Cost: Free
26. Missouri Botanical Garden
Location: Tower Grove area/South City (map)
Cost: $8 adults, $4 for St. Louis City/County residents & $3 for St. Louis City/County residents aged 65+, ages 12 & under are free
27. Creve Coeur Park & Lake
Location: Creve Coeur (map)
Cost: Free
Buildings & Architecture:
28. St. Louis Arch
Location: Downtown (map)
Cost: Tram tickets $10 for adults, $5 ages 3-15, museum exhibits are free
29. Old Courthouse
Location: Downtown (map)
Cost: Free
30. Cathedral Basilica (New Cathedral)
Location: Central West End (map)
Cost: Free
31. Lafayette Square Neighborhood
Location: South City (map)
Cost: Free
Sporting Events:
32. St. Louis Cardinals
Location: Downtown (map)
Cost: $19 & up, kids tickets available in limited sections for $7-9
33. St. Louis Blues
Location: Downtown (map)
Cost: $16 & up
34. St. Louis Rams
Location: Downtown (map)
Cost: Varies
Showtime:
35. The Muny
Location: Forest Park (map)
Cost: $9 & up, 1500 free seats available for each performance
36. Fox Theatre
Location: Midtown (map)
Cost: Varies
37. Moolah Theater
Location: Midtown (map)
Cost: Adults $9, Students/Seniors/Matinee $7, Child $6
38. Tivoli Theatre
Location: The Loop (map)
Cost: $9 adults, $7 – ages 12 & under, seniors 65+ and adults during bargain show times
39. Funnybone Comedy Club
Location: Westport Plaza in Maryland Heights (map)
Cost: Varies
Tours:
40. Anheuser Busch
Location: Soulard (map)
Cost: Free
41. Lemp Mansion
Location: Benton Park, south of Soulard (map)
Cost: Call for information
Shopping:
42. St. Louis Union Station
Location: Downtown (map)
Cost: Free, attached parking lot costs $1 per 1/2 hour or $12 for 6-10 hours
43. Soulard Market
Location: Soulard (map)
Cost: Free
Food:
44. Crown Candy Kitchen
Location: Old North St. Louis (map)
Cost: Just your food
45. Gus’ Pretzels
Location: Benton Park near Soulard (map)
Cost: Just your food
46. Ted Drewes Frozen Custard
Location: South City on S. Grand (map) and Chippewa (map)
Cost: Just your food
Walkable Entertainment & Shopping Areas:
47. Central West End strip
Location: Euclid in the Central West End (map)
48. Delmar Loop
Location: University City and St. Louis City (map)
49. Historic St. Charles
Location: Main Street in St. Charles (map)
50. Westport Plaza
Location: Maryland Heights (map)
Adult Zone:
51. Casinos
Location: Downtown, Maryland Heights and St. Charles (map)
52. Laclede’s Landing
Location: Downtown (map)
What makes your Must-See List?
Count up the places you’ve been from this list and share how many you’ve seen in the comments below.
What places that I left off would you have included if you were putting together this list?
Karen Goodman
Karen Goodman is Founder of Arch City Homes and leads a team of top real estate agents in St. Louis, MO.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Great share!
St. Louis has become my home. I learn more about it every day.
At the most recent tweetup at SgtHotPant’s house, much of the conversation was about St. Louis, its history, and direction.
Cheers to a great post.
The Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum in Creve Coeur is pretty interesting. And, America’s Incredible Pizza Company and the go-karts and activities at St. Louis Mills Mall are a lot of fun. Third Degree Glass Factory is fascinating too. Oh, and if you’re going to drive a bit, you can’t miss Meramec Caverns! Great article though – lots of fun places in St. Louis. For more, keep my events page in mind. Thanks, Jaelyn
The winery would also make a nice addition to your adult zone.
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