Fun Day Trip to St. Louis

I always enjoy my trips to St. Louis. There is always so much to do there. I try to stay over, but sometimes a day trip is better than not going at all.

I headed west with my friend Brittany and her brother, Jacob.

We picked up Amanda on the way and we were
ready to have some fun.

The first stop was City Museum.

I was a City Museum once before and was extremely impressed.

It’s nearly impossible to see everything on one trip, plus they do change some of the exhibits, so I was more than ready to go back.

You know at the beginning your in someplace different because the ticket counter was actually a teller’s box from the St. Louis Title Company.

I think the Caves at City Museum is my favorite spot. The formations inside are fascinating. You just have to keep track of where you are – and watch your step. I wouldn’t let any small children wonder in there by themselves.

The artwork is also fascinating. A lot of it is just pieces of what was referred to as “junk,” reappointed into a unique design.

Climbing is a big theme at this museum and it’s something kids love to do.

It’s nice that there are places you can sit and take a break while you can still keep an eye on the climbers.

City Museum also offers places to get something to eat or drink, including the restaurant Samwhiches in the City, which continually has chocolate chip cookies coming from the oven to go with kid-friendly meals, and Cabin Inn for snacks.

When the Rooftop is open, you also have the options of Grill Master Tony’s Outdoor BBQ and the Roof Top Cantina.

The specialty restaurants aren’t the only things worth going to the Rooftop for.

It’s certainly the most unique outdoor space you’ll see for kids to play in, with a real Ferris wheel, a school bus, and slides.

As a kid, I would go to the St. Louis Zoo when I was in the city visiting family. I hadn’t returned as an adult before this trip.

Like many other attractions inn Forest Park, the Zoo is free so there’s no excuse not to visit.

You can easily fill a half day and it wouldn’t be hard to find things to do to spend the entire day there.

We did get the Adventure Pass. I think it’s well worth it.

For $12.95, you get admission to just about all the extras at the Zoo: Zooline Railroad, the Children’s Zoo, the Carousel, the 4D Theater, petting Stingrays at Caribbean Cove, and the Sea Lion Show.

Throughout the park we found interactive signs to keep us involved and informed about the creatures there.

The Zoo is very spread out so be ready for a lot of walking. We took a break by boarding the train.

Before we headed home, we stopped at the Peacock Diner.

It was my first time there and it’s a cool place to check out for a family-friendly meal.

It was a great day for any time of year. That’s the thing about St. Louis: you’ll always find plenty to do without having to spend a lot of money!

Check out some of my videos from the St. Louis Zoos on my You Tube Channel. 

King Tut and Dinner on the River in St. Louis

It was a beautiful summer day and my friend Betty and I were heading to St. Louis.

We were going to spend the afternoon at the St. Louis Science Center before taking off on a Gateway Arch River Cruise for dinner.

We decided to leave the car in the lot by the boat and take an Uber to the museum and back. 

The cruises left right below the Gateway Arch and we had quite a view from that spot.

The St. Louis Science Center is located within Forest Park. Like the other museums there, it is free to the public.

We didn’t realize that the museum closed at 5:00 pm so we couldn’t see it all, but we had enough time to go through the main thing we came for:

The King Tut Exhibit.

With our tickets we received our recorders for the guided audio tour. 

I really didn’t know what to expect since it had been many years since I had seen anything on King Tut. 

This exhibit was so much more than I ever expected.

It is set up so that you are walking in the steps of archaeologist Howard Carter when he discovers the King Tutankhamun site in 1922. Nothing else like it had ever been found.

The exhibit then takes you through the tomb and the artifacts, including the mummy cases and tomb treasures. 

It consists of lots of gold in every shape and form.

Betty and I were both amazed at all of this splendor, created thousands of years ago with minimal tools.

The King Tut Exhibit is open at the St. Louis Science Center through January 7, 2018. There is a charge for this exhibit, but it is definitely worth it.

We had some time before the river cruise and we had Uber driver take us around Forest Park. 

I had been to the Art Museum and the Zoo, but hadn’t spent any significant time in the park since I was a kid.

Our driver had us back at the boat in time for the cruise. We had not had any substantial food all day and couldn’t wait.

The tables were reserved and the buffet was set up when we boarded. There was a banjo player and Betty and I each order a glass of wine and began to relax.

Dinner on the Gateway River Cruise included a beef carving station, chicken, fish, vegetables, potatoes, fruit, and pasta salad.

We helped ourselves to full portions and the food was very good.

The dessert was a choice of Red Velvet and Chocolate Fudge cakes. I had a little of each and they were both delicious.

It was a beautiful night and the ride along the Mississippi River was wonderful. 

We went outside to catch the sunset and watch the boat get ready to dock.

Dinner cruises, which you can reserve on the website, run through October and start back up in April.

The one-hour sightseeing cruises go until November and start again in March.