Gateway Arch
 

Can't decide whether to see the Arch in the morning or the evening. Which would be the better choice? Also, is there more to do at night in that area. Has anyone taken the riverboat cruises and which one would you suggest, again night or day. While at the arch, what other attractions should be seen at that time. Thanks.

I would do the Arch later in the day only to avoid all of the camp field trippers.

Is it more beautiful to see at night with all the lights or is the day just as nice.

I would absolutely do this first thing in the morning. In the afternoon and evenings the Arch interior gets HOT. Not one person ever warned us before, 100's warned us after.

One of my sons got sick and needed to get out of there, it was that hot. And the process to do so was not fast either. We asked questions, and it is almost impossible to air cond. and circulate air because of the engineering and spacial realities.

The Courthouse where the Dred Scott Case was tried is only a couple of blocks away.

Keith

Don't get in the arch if you have even a tiny bit of claustrophobia. It's really not that much fun!

It's hotter than Hades, so if you must go, do it in the early morning. Or don't go <i>in</i> it, but go <i>see</i> it at night.

There are a lot of things to do in STL, but it will help to know your interests and ages of those travelling. Many visitors go to Laclede's Landing which is near the Arch and it's somewhere we never went when we lived in downtown STL (i.e., it's where the tourists go.)

STL has a great (free) zoo at Forest Park not far from downtown, and within that area is the art museum and science center. You can also visit the pond house at Forest Park and take a small boat out for a ride.

If you have kids, there's a great children's museum about 15 minutes from downtown in Kirkwood, MO.

At night, if you like music you can head down to University City, an eclectic/college area with dining, bars, and music. There's also music and dining just south of downtown in Soulard, where they also have a big Farmer's Market you can visit during the day.

You can try and get tickets to a Cardinal's game at their new stadium.

The city has a lot to offer...what do you want to do?

Yes, if you have kids, the Magic House in Kirkwood is fantastic!

Great shopping just past Ladue in Plaza Frontenac, and the Women's Exchange on Clayton Road (if it is still there) is wonderful.

I too would go in the morning or late in the afternoon/evening. If you can, do it later in the evening when you get views of the city lit up at night...you may even be able to catch a Cards game in action! I think many people head to the arch first thing in the morning so you may have to deal with lines.

I have taken several riverboat cruises, although they have all been dinner cruises that I did through work functions. If you want to take one of the sightseeing cruises, probably the Becky Thatcher or Tom Sawyer would be fine. They are both pretty similar, so I would just go with whichever one has the times available that you want. The dinner cruise was okay, but the food was lackluster at best so I would probably skip it.

The City Museum is on Washington, not too far from the Arch, and its really cool. Although sometimes considered a children's museum, I don't have any children and I love it.

For nightlife I would head to the Loop or the Central West End. Many tourists like the Landing but there isn't much there besides bars and its not really my thing.

Cards games are fun but its nearly impossible to get tickets, especially on the weekends. Everyone wants to see the new stadium and there aren't as many seats as their used to be so they are difficult to come by. The new stadium is really nice though, so if you can find tickets definitely do so. St. Louisans are baseball fanatics and its fun to watch us in action even if you aren't a fan.

Tracy