Kathy

I am going to St. Louis in late October for a convention. I am taking along my husband and our 3 girls, ages 6, 5 and 4. I will have some time between meetings and would like to know if there is anything interesting to see and do. What about places to eat? Anywhere special? Appreciate any information or advice. We will only be there 3 or 4 days. Kathy

George

I imagine your girls (and you) would enjoy the St. Louis Science Center -- no admission, unless you go to the IMAX Theatre there. Depending on the weather in October, the St. Louis Zoo is terrific. It's in Forest Park, like Science Center, easily accessed by Metro-Link (very clean, safe subway/train public transportation that goes from E. St. Louis, IL to airport in St. Louis County).

Union Station, also a Metro-Link stop, has a diversified food court. Everything from a Hooters to O.T. Hodge Chili Parlor. Didn't say what kind of food, but there is place called Crowne Candy Co., like a soda fountain/grill out of the 40's/50's the girls would probably love. St. Louis has an area called "the Hill" with many great Italian restaurants.

If you're into shopping -- be sure to go to Dillards Department Store downtown. Clearance for women/girls is on 1st floor. Men on 2nd floor. Shoes are on 4th floor.

Soulard in French area of St. Louis has a great market on Saturdays.

If you have access to automobile, there is a place called "The Magic House" in Kirkwood. All kids love that place.

Donna

We enjoyed the trip to the top of the arch and a boat ride on the river. Went to a convention several years ago and would like to warn you that there were problems with purse snatching right outside the hotels. We were warned to remove our name tags and walk in groups but try to take shuttle buses to convention center. I've gone to conventions for over 10 years but it wasn't until then that we were told not to wear name tags in public. Hope you have a safe trip and that St. Louis is doing a better job of policing the area around the convention center.

Doris

The Magic House is great! We also enjoyed Grant's Farm, out near Webster Groves. St. Louis has a lot to do. Have fun.

Frank

To Kathy,
The Zoo and the Science Center are indeed two of the big draws here in St. Louis. The MetroLink indeed is a good and CLEAN mode of transportation, although it does have its limitations: it does not go directly to the Zoo nor directly to the Science Center. In those instances a rental car is your best bet (I wouldn't recommend the Bi-State Bus system).
I would be amiss if I didn't suggest going to "The Arch" (aka Jefferson National Expansion Memorial). There is a splendid museum underneath the arch depicting life in this region circa 1800's.
Currently the highway artery running right through downtown (Highway 70) is under major construction. Be cautious if renting a car at the airport, for example, and heading downtown. It may take a while depending on the time of day.
Have a good time!

steph

Agree the Zoo is great! The botanical gardens are really pretty too. If you try to eat Italian on "the hill", figure out exactly how to get there. It's easy to get lost and you DON'T want to get lost around there - scary neighborhoods.

Wendy

Kathy, as a St. Louis resident and parent of a 5 and 10 year old, I can tell you that there is lots to do with kids in St. Louis but you'll need a car. Mass transit is not useful here. Starting downtown where the convention center is, the Arch is a major landmark. The kids might not be interested in the museum under the Arch (though you and your husband might) but my kids love going up to the top of the Arch in the unique egg shaped elevators. Also downtown is a fairly new childrens museum that your kids would love. It is called the City Museum ( 701 N. 15th St., 314-231-2489). It opened about a year ago in a huge group of buildings that used to be warehouses. There is a giant whale to walk through, live circus performances, a shoelace factory, lots of hands on stuff, glass blowing demonstrations, and many unusual architectural features. Fun kid places to eat downtown include the riverboat McDonalds on the Mississippi, or the Spaghetti Factory and Planet Hollywood both in the Lacledes Landing area near the Arch. As mentioned in the above posts, our zoo is great! Admission to the zoo is free and there is plenty to do even if its raining. The zoo train, always a favorite with kids, will still be running in October. The Children's Zoo just re-opened in May after a year of major renovation and includes a pair of koala bears. The Science Museum is fun but with your kids being so young, I don't think this would be as much fun for them as The Magic House (516 S. Kirkwood Road, 314-822-8900). The Magic House is a children's museum and has activities for infants through adults. It is often on lists of the top 10 children's museums in the country and is in the top 5 for attendance. A large addition was added to the museum a little over a year ago that is perfect for your age girls. There is a little post office, bank, pizza restaurant,building site, fishing hole, and supermarket for hands-on play. It is less than 30 minutes from downtown and worth the trip. One last museum favorite of ours is the Worldways Children's Museum (100 West County Center, 314-909-0408). At first glance you might not think this little museum with one interactive room about China and one about Mexico, could keep you busy for long, but I can never drag my kids away in less than two hours. Your girls will love playing dress up in the costumes from each country, making crafts, playing in the tortilla making center, and "cooking" in the Chinese kitchen.Kid friendly restaurants we like include Friday's, Houlihan's, KC Masterpiece (great BBQ),and the Pasta House.Enjoy your trip and please let me know if I can help further.

WENDY

Kathy,
Forest Park is a great choice,
you have the zoo, science center and the art museum all in one spot. General admission is free to all and you could easily spend several hours at each. If you dont have a car you can take the metro ($1.00 for adults and I think kids are free) to the Forest Park stop then go across the street and catch the Forest Park Shuttle Bug(I think it is free with a metro ticket, if not just a dollar or two), the shuttle, paited red with black spots to look like a lady bug, will take you to all of the above attractions. I live in St Louis and do this myself with my 6yr old daughter for a treat and to avoid traffic. Also, the metro is clean and I feel very safe even when it is just the two of us. Please email me if you want more details.

Amy

Just wanted to agree with all of the above advice. I lived in St. Louis for about 5 years and my greatest memories and most suggested place to go is Forest Park! If it is a nice day you can plan to stay from morning til' night! The zoo is fabulous, art museum, science center & planetarium are great. Plus, just walking around the park is beautiful and is perfect for a picnic lunch and a frisbee! There is also an outdoor theater in Forest Park (well, there was - I'm surprised no one mentioned it) called the Muny - they have musicals and etc. in the summer/fall months.
Have a great time in St. Louis.

StLouis

We visited St.Louis last year and did a city tour. I can NOT believe that everybody has failed to mention what was the most spectacular sight on the whole tour. That is the Cathedral with the mosaic work. I don't remember the name but everybody knows about it. It was the highlight of the tour which included the arch, zoo, botanical gardens etc.