Last Updated on August 21, 2024 by Tori’s VA
Looking for a fun weekend getaway in between busy work weeks? You’ll love a weekend in St. Louis since it’s loaded with history, sports and delicious food.
Planning a perfect trip is important, and with a busy life, you need to make the best use of your weekends! Keep reading to plan the perfect weekend getaway to St. Louis.
Interested in my other US city destinations? Read all about some of my favorite places in America.
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Why Visit St. Louis on a Weekend
St. Louis is a very centrally located city that is easy to get to for many Americans, and is not one that everyone is talking about. A weekend in St. Louis will allow you to explore a new city that has played a huge role in the history of the United States.
You’ll love the city’s food that was invented here. From ribs to custard, you won’t leave hungry. The city is also super dog-friendly, so for those driving here, feel free to bring your pup for an extra special weekend away!
How to get to St. Louis
Driving to St. Louis
Getting to St. Louis by car is extremely easy for many as it is a very centrally located city. A 5-hour drive or less is very do-able for a weekend trip. St. Louis is under a 5-hour drive from the following major cities:
Kansas City, Missouri
Springfield, Missouri
Columbia, Missouri
Nashville, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Louisville, Kentucky
Topeka, Kansas
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Springfield, Illinois
Chicago, Illinois
Indianapolis, Indiana
Evansville, Indiana
Flying to St. Louis
The St. Louis Lambert International Airport is located just 20 minutes outside of downtown and is a large airport. The airport offers over 260 departures each day to 78 nonstop destinations. You’ll have plenty of options for flying into St. Louis. Once you arrive, just take an Uber or lift to your hotel; you won’t be needing a car!
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Where to Stay for a Weekend in St. Louis
My favorite hotel in St. Louis is the Hyatt Regency at the Gateway Arch. It’s the closest hotel to the arch and offers extremely competitive nightly prices. We found the price of an arch view room to be cheaper than a lot of the hotels in the area. And man, the view of the arch from the giant hotel room was…amazing and so worth the money!
The hotel was super clean, up-to-date and pet-friendly!! But the best part was definitely the proximity to everything. You walk ten steps across the street and you’re on the grounds of the Gateway Arch National Park. The park is also dog-friendly, which made it even more perfect for us since we had our two pups with us. We took them for early morning walks around the arch and the beautiful grounds.
The hotel was also within walking distance to restaurants, activities and Busch Field, where we saw a Cardinals baseball game.
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What to Do on a Weekend in St. Louis
There are many great things to do in St. Louis and sadly you won’t be able to fit them all in during one weekend. So, pick the ones that sound the most interesting to you and your group.
Gateway Arch National Park and Museum
The Gateway Arch became a national park in 2018 and is the most important thing to visit in St. Louis! Not only is it the symbol of the city, and probably the whole state honestly, but it is also a fun and educational stop during your trip.
The park itself is free to visit; there’s tons of green space in the middle of downtown. You’ll catch lots of dogs here and people working out! Explore the grounds and take in the beautiful views of the arch. Visit at night too…it’s gorgeous lit up!
Next you’ll want to enter the museum located below the arch. The museum is completely free to visit and shows the incredible history of St. Louis. We were given an incredible tour of the museum by Ranger Chris. The tour was over an hour long and taught us so much about the city and the arch. We loved our tour and the backstory that we learned before going up the arch. Thanks so much for having us Ranger Chris!
The museum is great for kids too, there’s tons of interactive parts that kids can have a lot of fun with.
Afterwards, you’ll have to ride the tram up to the top of the arch! As of 2022, tickets are $19 per adult and you should buy them in advance to reserve a timeslot.
When it’s time to head up, you’ll be grouped with others, up to five people total per tram. The drams are definitely small, but they have glass doors which make them not feel claustrophobic. You can see the emergency stairs the whole time and it makes the whole ride actually fun and not scary at all! So if you’re nervous about it, don’t be… it only takes 4 minutes to get to the top!
Once you arrive at the top you’ll get about ten minutes to look out the tiny windows to the city. The windows are on both sides, so you can see the city of St. Louis on one side, and Illinois on the other side. The views are beautiful and worth every penny! You must ride the arch to the top!
Before you leave, stop in the gift shop to buy a national park passport and get it stamped! You can carry this around with you to all of the national parks that you visit.
Busch Stadium Cardinals Game
Sitting in the middle of downtown, just a few blocks from the arch, is Busch Stadium, home to the St. Louis Cardinals. We are big baseball fans so we might be biased, but this is one of the most fun things to do during your weekend in St. Louis.
Before the game, or if they’re out of town that weekend, then consider booking a tour of the stadium and tickets to the museum. You can learn all about the stadium, team and their history before sitting down to root them on!
The stadium is beautiful and has the best backdrop of the arch over center field. The stadium seats 46,000 people, and they sell out almost every night. It’s an extremely fun vibe and a great way to spend a few hours in St. Louis.
You can buy tickets in advance, or find them super cheap on the day of (we even saw GA tickets for $2 day of…whaaat?!) Either way, get your tickets and hangout in Ballpark Village for drinks and snacks before the game. While you’re at the stadium, you should get St. Louis BBQ, a bacon-wrapped hot dog, or Kohn’s, a local sandwich shop!
Anheuser Busch Brewery
While you’re enjoying a weekend in St. Louis, you cannot miss the one and only Anheuser Busch Brewery! The company started here in St. Louis, has a massive brewery, tasting room, and yes, a stable for the famous Clydesdale horses!
Book a tour in advance to learn all about the history, beer-making process and meet the sweet horses! You’ll get to sip beer along the way as you explore the massive property.
After the tour (or if you don’t book it in advance and then they’re sold out), hang out for a while in the tasting room. They serve all of their beers on tap, but also have a great food menu. Order a few appetizers to share (we loved the buffalo chicken dip) or order full meals like salads and sandwiches.
Oh and bonus: if you don’t like beer, they do have one cider on tap! I was excited about this.
The gift shop is huge and has some really cute stuff for beer lovers. And, don’t forget to grab an ornament for your Christmas tree!
City Museum
When I was a little girl my best friend moved to St. Louis and I flew out there to see her. I have the BEST memory of spending the day at the City Museum. And you’ll definitely understand why.
The City Museum is a 10-story, 600,000 square foot warehouse turned museum. It is filled to the brim with fun and wild things to do at every turn. Each area is themed and offers something new and exciting. The best part? The 10-story slide. Or maybe the school bus that hangs off the top of the roof that you can actually sit in? Possibly the dark cave room that you can crawl through. It’s all amazing and you have to check it out.
If you have kids, this place is a no-brainer and should be a priority for your weekend in St. Louis. If you don’t have kids but love to have fun? Should definitely still be a priority. Spend a few hours here running around and feeling like a kid again.
St. Louis Zoo
A fun thing to do during your weekend in St. Louis for adults and kids alike, is a visit to the St. Louis Zoo. Believe it or not, this zoo is free to the public every day of the week! There is a $15 charge per car to park, and optional upgrades throughout the park that you can buy if you want.
But the zoo itself is great! It is large with several “lands” to explore and some of the most active animals I have seen at a zoo. Almost every single place we visited had animals out and about. We got to see the zookeepers playing with the animals and practicing their tricks.
Since the zoo is so large, they have a train you can ride around to reach other areas of the park. They have many food spots and activities for kids to enjoy. We were so glad we went!
Enterprise Center for a Blues Game
For hockey fans visiting in the winter, try to catch a St. Louis Blues game while you’re in town! The arena is located directly in downtown St. Louis and it is easy to walk to from most hotels.
We are huge hockey fans (Go Bolts!!) So we can’t wait to return to St. Louis during hockey season to catch a game.
The Enterprise Center also hosts many concerts, so be sure to check the schedule before your trip in case there’s a fun event you want to attend!
Free Museums
The city of St. Louis rivals Washington D.C. with its number of amazing free museums to visit! Fill as much time as you have left at one or many of these free spots.
The free museums in St. Louis include: St. Louis Art Museum, Missouri History Museum, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Saint Louis Science Center, World Chess Hall Of Fame and the Old Courthouse. Unfortunately, as of 2022, the Old Courthouse is closed for updates and they said it might be a few years until it’s opened. But check back before your weekend getaway to St. Louis to be sure!
And remember, the museum at the Gateway Arch is free too!
What to Eat in St. Louis
Toasted Ravioli
Invented in “The Hill” in St. Louis, toasted ravioli is a staple in this city. They’re typically filled with meat, but you can find cheese-filled ones as well. Dip them in tomato sauce for a crispy saucy snack.
There’s not much to say about these little gems, but they were actually our favorite thing we had in St. Louis! They’re a St. Louis original and you can find them on basically any menu, so try them out somewhere you go! And, toasted ravioli is a great appetizer for the next item on the list…
Where to eat toasted ravioli in St. Louis?
The best place to try toasted ravioli in St. Louis is in the area of town called The Hill. This is the area where all of the best Italian restaurants are located. The best restaurant to try them is called Charlie Gitto’s and is believed by many to be where this snack was invented. If you want to find a place closer to downtown try them at Imo’s instead.
St. Louis Style Pizza
We love trying pizza styles from all over the world and St. Louis is no exception! St. Louis Style pizza is actually pretty unique and has some serious differences from other cities.
The pizza is made with Provel cheese instead of mozzarella. Provel is a processed cheese that is a combination of Swiss, Cheddar and Provolone and has a low melting point. This makes it super creamy and buttery when melted on the pizza.
St. Louis style pizza is made with a super thin “cracker-like” crust so it’s super crunchy. Then, they cut it into super small square shaped slices. This makes it easy to eat, perfect for sharing and just pretty unique!
It wasn’t our favorite style of pizza ever, but it was surprisingly delicious! Worth trying while you’re in town and we will definitely be getting some any time we return!
Where to eat pizza in St. Louis?
The best place to try St. Louis style pizza is at Imo’s. With locations all over St. Louis, it will be convenient no matter where you are staying! They have four sizes and tons of toppings. And, they have toasted ravioli, so it’s a win-win!
St. Louis Style Ribs
Now St. Louis might not be the first place you think of when you think of BBQ, but they are definitely known for having their own style of ribs. So you’re probably asking, what makes St. Louis style ribs different from Baby Back ribs? Well, they’re more uniform in shape, like a perfect rectangle. They’re thinner, which means less meat on them, but they also brown better for the crispy texture. And they’re fattier than the original kind, which means more flavor.
Where to eat ribs in St. Louis?
You can find St. Louis style ribs at Salt + Smoke at their locations all over St. Louis. They are definitely the best place to find St. Louis cut ribs! However, the two places that locals love for BBQ are Pappy’s and Sugarfire. But unfortunately, both serve baby back ribs instead of St. Louis cut. So maybe visit all three?
Gooey Butter Cake
Another famous St. Louis original is gooey butter cake. Invented by accident, a local baker added double the amount of butter unintentionally. He served it anyway to his guests and they loved it. From then on it’s been a St. Louis favorite. The locals eat it for breakfast and dessert, so make sure to grab a slice with your morning coffee!
Where to eat Gooey Butter Cake in St. Louis?
One of the best and easiest places to try gooey butter cake in St. Louis is at Park Avenue Coffee. They also offer 70 different varieties of gooey butter cake and won the “best in town” by the Food Network. Swing by for coffee and cake and be on your way to exploring the city. But beware, the location right in downtown is closed on Saturday and Sunday. So, visit the original Lafayette Square location instead!
Ted Drewes Frozen Custard
Once you’ve enjoyed all of your BBQ and pizza throughout the day, end it on a sweeter note with the famous Ted Drewes Frozen Custard. Custard itself is not from St. Louis or famous here, but Ted Drewes is a staple and a must try on any weekend in St. Louis.
St. Louis is the perfect weekend destination, but you’ll probably find yourself eager to return for another few days! With all of the fun (and free) activities and delicious food, you might need even more time here.
Enjoy your weekend in St. Louis!
