St. Louis Trip Plan with Kids (any suggestions)?
 

Here is my tentative St. Louis trip plan. Any suggestions?

I will be travelling with a 3 and 5 year old.

6/4 - depart from Chicagoland
Botanical Garden
Cunetto House of Pasta (dinner)
Hotel: Drury Inn (Fenton)

6/5
Zoo
Nap at Hotel
St. Louis Science Center (time permitting)
Fitz's American Grill

6/6
Magic House
Drewes' Custard (snack)
lunch = McDonald's
Nap at Hotel
Grant's Farm
Dinner at Cracker Barrel (next to hotel)

6/7
Meramec Caverns
Nap
Six Flags/Hurricane Harbor (time permitting). Use reciprocal pass.

6/8
St. Louis Arch
Old Spaghetti Factory (lunch)
Drive back to Chicago

Everything sounds doable except 6/7 - Meramec CAverns is a significant drive from STl. I am not sure I would fit both of these in one day. I would chose one or the other - Personally I would chose the cave - it is awesome!

How old are your kids? To do both sounds exhausting. You would have to start very early. I really do not think time will permit.
You will all love Grant's Farm. It is a treasure.
Start early so you can fit all these events in if the kids need naps!!
I think you have researched well and I hope you and your children have a Fabulous time in Saint Louis!!!

I will definitely visit the cave. We don't have caves in the Chicagoland area. I already have easy access to Six Flags/Hurrican Harbor (Gurnee, IL). I would think that I would not miss much by skipping the Six Flags in the St. Louis area.

Does I-44 get very congested going towards the city in the late afternoon?

I think it's a good plan.

One warning: We've had to wait over an hour for a table at Cunetto, so make a back-up plan. With little ones, Zia's on Wilson Ave. might be a good choice - it's loud, tables are crowded and it's overpriced a tad, but the food is good (some folks love it), it's an interesting Hill experience and a good casual place for little ones. Another place with a good following that I'd bring two little ones to is Guido's on Shaw. Other options with better food and slightly less casual are LoRusso's Cucina or Trattoria Marcella. The ambiance is comparable to Cunetto, food as good or better. Call for reservations.

If you have an hour or so in the evening, drive through Lone Elk Park - it's VERY close to your hotel. Lots of elk throughout the park. The kids will enjoy it, it's quick, free and convenient.

With such young children, I think trying to do the Magic House and Grant's Farm in the same day is really pushing it (and them). They are both great venues for that age group, but deserve more time than you have alloted, especially if you need to get a nap in there too.

And the Science Center, IMO, is geared for older children. I don't think mine enjoyed it until 4th grade or so. There are lots of exhibits that require reading, and are not interactive enough for that age group. I do think there is a toddler room, but I haven't been in a long time. I'm sure the web site can help. There is always a interesting IMAX but don't know if that will scare your kids or not. http://www.slsc.org/

I'm not a big fan of Cunetto's, it's overpriced for not very interesting food, with long waits. If you want Italian, TTTStLou has some suggestions above. The Botanical Garden itself has some decent dining. Close (or close-ish) to the Garden are O'Connells, Uncle Bill's Pancakes, The City Diner, Mangia Italiano or some ethnics which include Pho Grand, Cafe Natasha and the King and I. Best place on the web to look up St. Louis Restaurants is http://www.saucemagazine.com/

I also agree with Anne that you can't possibly do Meramac Caverns and Six Flags in one day. Even if it's hot outside, the Caverns are quite cool...bring sweatshirts or something for the kids.

I assume 44 backs up at rush hour, especially because a big chunk of our other major highway I64/Hwy 40 is closed, but maybe someone else can be more specific.

Grant's Farm and the Magic House are each wonderful for your kids - but I would give them each a day. You could do an entire day at Grant's Farm - with late afternoon naps and gain a second wind for dinner out. At Grant's Farm - I remember our kids were mesmerized by the Clydesdales and their, ugh, "equipment." The Magic House is also it's own day....very fun! The Zoo is also a full day - and Forrest Park is a gem unto itself. The kids might have fun running around the huge fountains, and there is also some nice play equipment near the Visitor's Center they might like. You'll have plenty to see and do. We like Fitz', too.

We just got back from a trip to St Louis to visit friends in May 2009. The kids ranged in age from 7-14 years old. The highlight was our trip to THE CITY MUSEUM downtown. I have been to famous museums in Paris, LA, NY, and Boston and have seen nothing like it. It's a beautiful sculptural playground made from reclaimed city architecture and industrial supplies built by a team led by a renowned artist from St Louis who got all the materials from within the city limits.

If your kids are old enough to enjoy a thrilling ride down an eight story spiral slide or a climb through a slinky-like tube suspended a few stories off the ground by a steel cable up to an old airplane and back down a 60 foot slide to a bus then you will not want to miss this place.

The highlight of our trip to St Louis last year was our visit to the St Louis Zoo which is free to the public. The facilities don't compare to the realistic habitats created at the San Diego Zoo or the Omaha Zoo, but the charm and stately beauty of the wide tree lined paths and turn of the century architecture make it unique and worth visiting. The monkey house reminded us of a small Library of Congress buildings. In the indoor penguin exhibit the penguins are so close to the public that they are able to climb out and roam around when the zoo is closed. At least that's what a zoo staffer at the exhibit told us!

I agree- City Museum is awesome! I just don't know if I'd want to tackle that with 3 & 5 year olds when they have other age-appropriate options. I think it would be a challenge to keep track of little ones in there - and could be scary? I just remember the catacombs, tunnels, and lots of hard surfaces/climbing bars. If the parents are playful and have good knees for crawling and climbing - it would be good. Personally - I would wait til they're in grade school. I agree though - that's something not to be missed if you have kids in grade school and above!

I too would skip Cunetto. Overhyped and always long lines. The food is just as good at other restaurants in the Hill. My favorites are Zia's and Favazzas.

I too would choose either Six Flags or Meremac Caverns. Meremac Caverns is quite a drive.

Tracy

My first thought was the City Museum, but then I checked the ages of your children.
I took a group of 30 high school students there and they loved it.I think it's too big and intense for a three year old.