28 Oct Best Things to Do in St. Louis, MO: One Day Itinerary

St. Louis goes by many names: Gateway to the West, the STL, Home of the Cards, the Lou, and more. My partner and I had never been to the state of Missouri before, and we decided that the STL would be the perfect city for our first visit. However, we only had one day to experience the city. Therefore, we made sure we visited only the best things to do in St. Louis, MO to make the most of our limited time. Want a sneak peak of those best things? I will give you a hint – the list includes Forest Park and Gateway Arch National Park.

Contents: 

A) Best Things to Do in St. Louis – One Day Itinerary

1) Forest Park

2) Lunch: City Foundry STL

3) Dessert: Ted Drewes Frozen Custard

4) City Museum

5) Gateway Arch National Park

6) OPTIONAL: Additional Attractions

B) General Information on St. Louis

1) Location + Nearby Airports

2) Best Season to Visit

3) How to Get Around St. Louis

4) Where to Stay in St. Louis

5) Recommended Items to Bring

A) Best Things to Do in St. Louis – One Day Itinerary

One day does not sound like a lot, but it is just enough time to check off all of the best things to do in St. Louis, MO.

8am – 11am: Forest Park

11am – 12:30pm: City Foundry STL

12:30pm – 1:30pm: Ted Drewes Frozen Custard

1:30pm – 4:30pm: City Museum

4:30pm – 6:30pm: Gateway Arch National Park

6:30pm and on: grab dinner, “taste test” the frozen custard again, and possibly squeeze in one final attraction

The frozen custard is so good, you might have to get it twice!

1) Forest Park

Here we go! The first attraction on the list of the best things to do in St. Louis, MO for a one day itinerary: Forest Park. First, it is important to know that you could easily spend anywhere from 30 minutes to an entire day here. If you are only in St. Louis for one day, then I recommend visiting for about three hours.

Forest Park boasts three museums, the St. Louis Zoo, athletic fields, golf courses, ponds, walking trails, and more. I know – how in the world can you see all of that in just a few hours? In order to fully enjoy the park, you need to take your time. That being said, it is best to prioritize the attractions you want to visit. For example, you can walk around the park, visit the St. Louis Zoo, and maybe pop into one of the museums in about three hours. However, it depends on how fast you move through attractions. It is better (in my opinion) to initially plan to visit fewer things in the park so you do not feel as though you are on a time crunch. Then if you have some extra time, it is like a fun surprise that you can visit another attraction!

Forest Park is 1,300 acres, and they receive over 15 million visitors per year. In addition to all of the attractions mentioned above, the park also offers venue rentals and hosts events throughout the year. Check their calendar to see if there are any events for when you plan to visit.

One last note – Art Hill in Forest Park is beautiful! It is arguably one of the most picturesque spots in the park.

Parking

There are plenty of parking lots available at Forest Park. My partner and I were able to find a spot in the first parking area we passed. If one parking area is full, I recommend you keep looking. Worst case scenario, you have to park in a lot further away from your main attraction. Nevertheless, you can then enjoy a nice stroll through the park.

While most parking lots within Forest Park are free, there are a few paid lots. For example, there are paid lots at the zoo, art museum, and science center. Signs indicate if a parking lot requires payment and the cost.

View from the top of Art Hill in Forest Park

2) Lunch: City Foundry STL 

Food halls for the win! There were a few restaurants we were eyeing for our trip (shout out to STL Soup Dumplings and Mai Lee). However, we ultimately decided to eat at City Foundry STL due to the variety of options since it is a food hall. My partner and I like food halls as we can get food from two or three different stalls and then share between the two of us. City Foundry STL had around 20 food stall options during our visit.

Apparently toasted raviolis are a St. Louis specialty. When looking up food, I saw those pop up over and over again, and they were always referred to as a “must-try” food when visiting. We (of course) then had to order some from STL Toasted; they really loaded us up on the sauces (which we loved). We also got a bowl from Kalbi Taco Shack and a street-style bowl from Turmeric Street Style. Overall, our favorite was the bowl from Turmeric Street Style as it had a myriad of delicious flavors with every bite.

If you need some time to digest after all of that good food, there are shops in the area. Moreover, City Foundry STL hosts events on certain nights of the week. For example, they have previously done trivia on Thursday nights as well as live music on Friday and Saturday nights.

For a fun fact, City Foundry STL is located in a building that was previously used for manufacturing motors and generators.

Parking

There is a parking garage right by the City Foundry STL. Great news – it is free! My partner and I found a spot fairly easily, and then it was just a short walk to the food hall entrance.

Toasted ravioli from the food hall City Foundry STL

3) Dessert: Ted Drewes Frozen Custard

One thing to know about me – I love to find a sweet treat while traveling. Moreover, I try to find sweet treats that are unique to a location. For example, I tried whoopie pies in Maine (shout out to Kindred Farms and Bakery), mochi as well as candied strawberries in Japan, Del’s Lemonade in Newport, RI, and more.

As soon as I googled “desserts in St. Louis”, Ted Drewes Frozen Custard appeared at the top of the page. Moreover, whether you are normally a dessert person or not, Ted Drewes Frozen Custard is considered one of the best things to do in St. Louis, MO. The company has been around for more than 80 years, and they serve custard milkshakes so thick that you can hold them upside down without any disaster. They are admiringly referred to as “concrete”.

Unfortunately Ted Drewes Frozen Custard was closed on the day we visited St. Louis, so we visited another custard shop not too far away. Next time I am in the St. Louis area, Ted Drewes will be one of my first stops! (Though Fritz’s Frozen Custard – the custard shop we visited –  was insanely delicious, and I would go back there in a heartbeat. I ordered a blue raspberry concrete, and my mouth is watering just thinking about it.)

For a fun fact, they opened the first Ted Drewes Frozen Custard Stand in Florida in 1929. The first store in St. Louis was then opened one year later in 1930 with two additional stores being built in 1931 and 1941. However, only two of the St. Louis locations remain today. Moreover, Ted Drewes also sells Christmas trees that they grow in Nova Scotia and bring back to St. Louis.

Parking

Ted Drewes Frozen Custard has a designated parking lot, and parking is offered at no cost.

Getting frozen custard from Fritz’s

4) City Museum

Next up on this one day itinerary of the best things to do in St. Louis, MO is the City Museum. Where do I even begin? The City Museum is not your typical museum. You are not going to be leisurely walking around reading historical information or staring at artwork. Instead, you are going to be running, crawling, sliding, climbing, and more. People often refer to it as an interactive art installation more than a museum. I would agree with that!

Head to their website to purchase tickets in advance, though you can also purchase tickets in person. Tickets cost around $20 per person. Moreover, there is a rooftop that charges an additional fee for access. The museum opens around 10am and closes anytime from 5pm to 9pm. Be sure to check their hours for the day you plan to visit.

While you might hear about kids visiting the museum, let me clarify that the museum can also be just as enjoyable for adults. Some of the main attractions include a five-story spiral slide, a circus ring, a “skateless” skatepark, axolotls in the aquarium, a cave system, and two aircraft fuselages. You can crawl through the cave system to find little crevices as well as through the welded tubes outside to make your way to the airplanes. Moreover, there are a bunch of hidden passageways, so make sure to take your time and look around every corner. All in all, visit the museum and let your child-like wonder take over.

One last note – bring knee pads and wear athletic clothing as well as close-toed shoes for maximum enjoyment!

Parking

There is a parking lot specific to the City Museum. Other nearby parking lots might say they are “City Museum parking”, but keep in mind there is only one official lot associated with the museum. The official lot is located just outside the City Museum building and right across the street. Parking in the official lot costs around $15.

My partner and I visited on a Saturday and figured we would take our chance with street parking. We found a spot less than one block from the museum. Street parking generally costs $2 per hour, though it is free on Sundays.

Interactive part of the City Museum located outdoors

5) Gateway Arch National Park

The Gateway Arch National Park (in my opinion) is not just one of the best things but THE best thing to do in St. Louis, MO. Sure, it does not have any spectacular hiking trails like Glacier National Park. Nor does it have coastal views like Acadia National Park. Nevertheless, it is a unique experience to stand under the arch and just about fall over as you look up and up to see it towering above you. Moreover, the Arch has the river on one side of it and the Old Courthouse on the other. It is quite a picturesque location.

In addition to the Arch itself, there are a few other attractions at the national park. There is a gift shop where you can pick up souvenirs. For example, my partner and I collect postcards of national parks and have a “postcard wall” in our apartment. Additionally, there is a museum with over five galleries. Each gallery details a time period from all the way back to colonial St. Louis in the 1700s to the creation of the Arch in the 1900s. Lastly, there is a virtual reality movie theater (for an additional fee) that immerses you in the St. Louis Riverfront of the 1850s. Oh – and of course there is a tram that travels to the top of the arch!

For a few fun facts, the Gateway Arch is 630 feet tall (~192 meters). “Gateway Arch” was not always its name, for it was previously known as the “Jefferson National Expansion Memorial”. Moreover, there was a competition among architects nationwide for the monument design in the late 1940s. Once they settled on a design, construction began in 1963 and was completed in 1965.

Looking up to the top of Gateway Arch

Hours + Ticket Information

Entrance to Gateway Arch National Park is free – you can enter the grounds at no cost. There are not too many free national parks, so take advantage! Other free national parks include Cuyahoga National Park in Ohio as well as North Cascades National Park in Washington state, for example. The Gateway Arch park grounds are open from 5am to 11pm. The museum and the store are open from 9am to 6pm.

However, you do have to pay a pretty penny (just under $20 per person) to ride the tram that travels to the top of the arch. The tram runs every 10 minutes from around 9am to 5pm daily. This is important – you should buy tram tickets in advance. They sell out almost every day. If you wait to buy them in person, you might only be able to get tickets for a later time. For example, if you arrive at 2pm, the next available tickets could be for a tram ride at 4pm or later (or not available at all).

Parking

Similar to the City Museum mentioned above, you can park in a paid lot or take your chance with finding parking along the street. My partner and I looked for parking on the street, and we easily found a spot. During our visit on a Saturday in September, the streets near Gateway Arch had plenty of parking available.

On the other hand, you can opt to park in a paid lot. For example, you can even buy pre-paid parking for Stadium East Parking Garage. This is the preferred (aka recommended) lot from the Gateway Arch National Park website. Discounts are usually available if you purchase a parking ticket online in advance from the website.

Exploring Gateway Arch National Park

6) OPTIONAL: Additional Attractions

I recommend you cross off all of the best things to do in St. Louis, MO mentioned above first! Nevertheless, here are a few additional options if you have some extra time at the end of your day in St. Louis or if you plan to stay an entire weekend.

First, you can take a relaxing riverfront cruise along the Mississippi River. Not only can you enjoy views of downtown St. Louis, but you can also marvel at the Gateway Arch from the water. Second, head to The Magic House, St. Louis Children’s Museum for a fun place to take the kids. The museum is full of interactive and learning experiences of all sorts.

Third, attend a sporting event for the St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Blues, or St. Louis City SC. Cheer on their baseball, hockey, and/or soccer teams. Fourth, transport yourself to an oasis in the midst of the city at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Stroll around the 79-acre property as you appreciate one of the country’s oldest botanical gardens. Fifth, spend time at Union Station to compete in mini golf, attempt the ropes course, visit the aquarium, ride the ferris wheel, and/or make yourself dizzy on the carousel. Union Station has a little bit of everything, so I am sure everyone in your group will be satisfied with a stop there.

Walking along one of the many trails in Forest Park

B) General Information on St. Louis

Now that you have read about all of the best things to do in St. Louis, MO and are excited for your trip, it is time to talk about some logistics. Keep reading below to find out information on nearby airports, the best season to visit, how to get around the city, where to stay, and recommended items to bring.

One more thing I feel as though I have to mention. Unfortunately St. Louis, MO has a fairly high crime rate when compared to other cities in the USA. While my partner and I did not feel unsafe at any point during our time in St. Louis, I want to flag this for you so that you are aware. Nevertheless, people have varied opinions concerning the crime in St. Louis. Some locals say that only certain areas experience high crime rates, and the risk of you being the victim of a random violent crime is pretty low. Others say that the way the statistics are run makes St. Louis seem less safe than it is. All in all, just stay aware when visiting St. Louis just as you should when visiting any new city.

1) Location + Nearby Airports

I can always work on improving my geographical skills, and I did just that when planning my trip to St. Louis for a weekend. I knew the city of St. Louis is located in Missouri. However, I did not know (or realize) that it is right on the border of Missouri and Illinois. Therefore, you can easily make a side trip into Illinois if you need to cross that state off of your list! To help put it into perspective a bit more, Kansas City is located on the western edge of Missouri that borders Kansas. St. Louis is located on the eastern edge of Missouri that borders Illinois. The cities are almost directly across from each other, though Kansas City is just a bit more north.

Thankfully St. Louis has a nearby airport – St. Louis Lambert International Airport. It is thus easy to accomplish all of the best things to do in St Louis, MO within one day. You do not have to travel too long from the airport to the parts of the city that have all of the action. For reference, the airport is approximately a 20-minute drive or 45-minute metro from downtown. Furthermore, the airport is a 20-minute drive or 35-minute metro from the first attraction mentioned in this article: Forest Park.

Cheesing in front of the Gateway Arch

2) Best Season to Visit

When you think of St. Louis weather, you can think of the stereotypical midwest weather. The city is hot and humid during the summers and then switches to cold and snowy during the winters. Unless you want to roast or indulge in some winter activities, it is best to visit in the shoulder seasons. More specifically, plan a visit in the months of April, May, September, or October for the best weather.

My partner and I visited St. Louis in mid-September, and it was still a bit toasty even then. The average temperature for September is a high of 81 degrees Fahrenheit (~27 Celsius), though it was a couple degrees hotter during our visit. While I know what it is like to live in hot and humid weather (shout out to the Washington DC area), that is not my preferred travel weather. Nevertheless, sometimes you can find the best deals during months with non-ideal weather if you need to travel on a budget. Just make sure the weather does not inhibit you from completing all of the best things to do in St. Louis, MO.

View of the Old Courthouse from Gateway Arch National Park

3) How to Get Around St. Louis

Let’s dive into four different methods for getting around St. Louis: (1) driving (2) public transportation (3) ride share service (4) biking + walking.

First, you can easily drive around the city. When we visited in mid-September, we had a rental car. We did not run into any traffic, and we also found a parking spot fairly easily at all of the attractions mentioned above. The rental car was just over $250 for a rental period from Friday at 10pm to Sunday at 5:30pm. (However, we also dropped the car off at a different airport since we traveled elsewhere on Sunday. That likely caused the price to be a bit higher than normal.)

Second, you can take public transportation around the city. St. Louis’ public metro system is called MetroLink, and their public bus system is called MetroBus. St. Louis might not be on the list of the best public transportation systems in the country, However, it will do its job to get you around to the main attractions within the city.

Third, you can use a ride share service such as Uber or Lyft. It is true that the costs of Uber or Lyft will rival a rental car as the most expensive option. However, it can be extremely convenient if you are short on time.

Fourth, you can bike + walk around the city. For example, the bike ride between Forest Park and City Foundry STL is only 10 minutes. Moreover, the walk between City Museum and Gateway Arch National Park is only 30 minutes. If you get tired / need to save time at any point, you can always call an Uber for a break.

Looking tiny next to the Gateway Arch

4) Where to Stay in St. Louis

The majority of people appear to agree that the Central West End is the best place to stay when visiting St. Louis. The Central West End borders the eastern edge of Forest Park. It is a walkable neighborhood with plenty of shops and restaurants to keep you busy. Moreover, I have heard countless people boast about The Royal Sonesta Chase Park Plaza. It is a bit pricier than other lodging options, so keep that in mind if you need to stick to a budget. Nevertheless, you could easily wake up in the morning and walk to your first destination of Forest Park from the hotel.

Another great place to stay in St. Louis is Midtown, which is home to the Grand Center Arts District. It is just to the east of the Central West End. You are thus still somewhat close to Forest Park. Moreover, the City Foundry STL food hall is located in Midtown.

Last but not least, we have to talk about downtown. People seem to have mixed feelings about downtown (but is that not true for every city?). Some say it is depressing, there is not much going on, and it can feel unsafe at night. Others say it is lively and there are plenty of things to do. This is even more true during sporting events and conventions. All in all, downtown seems like a good place to stay if you are in town specifically for sporting events or if you want a view of the Arch from your hotel room.

Straight-on view of the Gateway Arch

5) Recommended Items to Bring

While I am not a professional at many things, I do like to consider myself a pro-packer. After packing for three cross-country road trips, two study abroad semesters, countless weekend getaways, and various international trips, I would say I have earned the title of a professional packer. Do not believe me? I have even been able to pack just a backpack for countless weekend getaways as well as a long weekend spent in Tulum for a wedding.

If you need further assistance with upcoming trips, check out my cross-country road trip packing list and my winter road trip packing list.

1. Reusable water bottle: Whether I am on the road for one day or multiple months, I always carry a reusable water bottle with me.  Stay hydrated, folks!

2. Sunscreen: Wearing sunscreen can save you from getting burnt and can also protect your skin from sun damage. Opt for travel-sized bottles or sunscreen sticks to save space.

3. Sunglasses: You do not want to visit the best things to do in St. Louis, MO and then not be able to appreciate them because you cannot see anything. Trust me, looking up at the Gateway Arch even with sunglasses can have your eyes squinting.

4. Fanny pack: Sometimes I need that extra little bit of space to carry my portable phone charger, sunglasses, sunscreen, etc. Otherwise, it is just my phone and I taking on the world.

5: Knee pads + athletic clothing: In order to take full advantage of the City Museum, it is best to be prepared with a set of knee pads and athletic clothing. There are so many caves, crevices, bridges, tubes, etc. in which you can crawl around. Your knees will be thanking you later.

PIN IT to save it for later!

Looking for other day trips?: Harpers Ferry Day Trip: The Best Things to See and Do.

And another one: Seattle Itinerary: How to Spend One Day in the City.