I'm squeezing in a quick spring break trip to St. Louis for my 17 y.o. daughter and two or three of her friends.

We'll have both boys and girls. All of us like music (mainly rock/punk but we're interested in jazz/funk too). We enjoy checking out funky -but safe- neighborhoods. Bargain shopping and good, cheap eats would be a definite plus.

We'll be there 3 1/2 days. Our hotel is downtown. Parking seems expensive and I'm not sure we'll have in and out priveleges.

We're planning on the zoo, science and art museums, the Anheiser Busch tour which, I hear, are all free. The arch is a given, right? What about Blueberry Hill and it's much touted jukebox -- worth it? How about the city museum, cool for older teens and worth the $$? The bowling museum? That frozen custard place? Which of these are absolute musts?

We'd like to minimize car travel but St. Louis doesn't look like a very public transit friendly city. Can anyone suggest an itenarary that keeps us out of the car -- or a cheaper parking strategy within an easy walk of The Millenium?

You guys have pulled through for me before in Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, and Columbus. I have my fingers crossed that you'll do it again.

Thanks!

We did the frozen custard place - it was fun. Very old fashioned and they served it upside-down. I think it is called Ted Drews.

Grant's Farm is free but may not be a teen thing.

Actually - the Metro (public transport.) is very good in St. Louis.

Hello!
I took 15 teens, freshmen thru high school seniors, to St Louis last summer.We were on a Habitat trip and only had 1 day to explore.
Highlight of the trip was City Museum. Everyone groused that we were going to a museum on a Saturday night-then wanted to stay longer than the 2 hours I had planned. It's in a neat artsy looking area.
You probably have to go up in the Arch but it's not for the claustrophobic.
Bluberry Hill area was nice walk/shopping on a sunny Saturday afternoon. The sidewalks are the Walk of Fame with a surprising number of famous people from St Louis.Lots of people on the street and found free on-street parking.Funkier than downtown.
Ted Drewes Custard was very tasty but didn't get to site-it was delivered to us.
Have a good time.

Blueberry Hill is great; Chuck Berry still performs there on occasion, I'm told. However, it may be a 21-and-older place for this kind of thing. St. Louis is a driving city, I'm afraid to say. Your itinerary looks great but I would call to see if Ted Drewe's is open; it was always seasonal when I lived in St. Louis and may not open until later in the spring. Also, the Final Four is there this year. Does your spring break overlap? (Ours does!) Could make for some crowds, but also some great people-watching.

We went w/ our kids to STL to visit family a little over a year ago. The kids were at that time 16,14 and 6. The City Museum was a HUGE hit with all and they still talk about it. They thought the Arch was cool but be prepared for a LONG wait - which was not so cool. I really question if it was worth it. Meanwhile the City Museum seemed to have something for everyone from the kid to the "kid and heart" and even the sometimes jaded teens. They also enjoyed walking around some of the shops near the University and eating in an ethnic restaurant.

Thanks so much for your help so far.

How about parking strategies? Best times to do the arch? Restaurants near forest Park?

I'd appreciate anything else you can offer.

And no :^( we won't be in town for the Final Four.

Go Illini anyway!

I think neighborhoods worth checking out that the teens would like are University City (which you can get to on Metrolink) and South Grand (which you can't). Both are very "funky" with interesting stores and a cool "vibe."

Parking is always going to be a problem when you go to a big city. There may be private lots that are less expensive than your hotel's and there is always street parking.

Some restaurants downtown validate if you even order a drink at the bar. You could check this out.

I would go to u-city for sure, they have a lot of funky stores and vintage stores. you could do a lot of bargin shopping there. blueberry hill is in u-city and i would go there also. there is also a place call fitz's that is good and cheap that my teenage sisters like to go to. you could also go to union station, an old train station transformed into a mall. very interesting place to go. i think that you would really enjoy the city museum, i dont know anyone who doesnt. ted drewes is a good place to go also, depending on when you go. it might be cold outside to eat ice cream, but you could always eat in your car.

Fly in the ointment.

We'll be there on a Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. The City Museum is closed on Mon, Tues. That leaves us Sunday, but it closes at 5 that day. Apparently, every other St. Louis attraction closes early that day too. These kids have a lot of energy. What can I do with them on a Sunday night?

I think we have the rest of the trip planned out.

Monday - Up early, Metro to the zoo. Walk around u-city. Late lunch/early dinner at Blueberry Hill. Punk rock show at Creepy Crawl.

Tuesday - Arch, Cathedral, bargain shopping in Dillard's basement?Anheuser-Busch Tour. Head for home.

Looking for cheap breakfast and dinner spots with standard teen fare for Sunday night, Monday morning (near Forest Park?) and downtown on Tuesday.

Thanks again for all your help ;^)

How about doing City Museum til 5pm Sunday then going to the trains station (is it called Union Station there?) for dinner? It is all inside that way if the weather is bad... Can't remember the names of the restaurants but I think there is a Hard Rock which is usually a teen favorite and another place on the corner that has decent food.