We had our last free summer weekend two weeks ago before football training camp started, and decided to have a first-time visit to St. Louis. Neither Ryan or I had ever been to St. Louis couldn't wait to explore a new city. Our goal was to fill 24 hours with as many authentic St. Louis sights, sounds, and tastes as we could. Below are my top picks for spending 24 hours in St. Louis!
Accommodations:
As current Air B&B hosts, we decided to go this route for our accommodations in St. Louis. We've found that staying at an Air B&B often times gets us within close proximity to "hot spots" we want to visit, with a much more affordable price than a hotel. We stayed at a lovely home near the Italian "The Hill" neighborhood, and were more than satisfied with the lovely room and open space this listing provided.
Activities:
Our first day in St. Louis was filled with exploring the vast and expansive grounds of Forest Park. This park boasts over 1300 acres and holds a sacred history of being host to the 1904 World's Fair. The main attractions here include the St. Louis Art Museum {free admission}, the St. Louis Science Center, the Missouri History Museum {free admission}, the Muny Amphitheater {limited free admission}, and the St. Louis Zoo {free general admission}, but there is so much more to explore!
After a long day exploring the park, we left for an early dinner with plans to return for the evening's theater production at The Muny. Beauty and the Beast was playing that night, and we arrived 2 hours before show time to get access to the free seats offered each night. There are over 1000 free seats that The Muny offers on a first-come, first-served basis, making it a great option for experience St. Louis on a budget!
Day 2 of our visit involved a trip to the St. Louis Arch, which is a must-see for a first-time visit to this city. We opted not to pay for the elevator ride to the top, but had just as much fun seeing it from the base and taking advantage of the many photo opps. Make sure you touch the base of the country's largest stainless steel structure!
Dining:
Adam's Smokehouse - this BBQ shack was recommended by our Air B&B host and had stellar online reviews. I knew I'd like the BBQ upon learning about their cooking method from their website: "low and slow is the way to go!" Ryan and I split a 2-meat platter with ½ a rack of ribs, ¼ pound brisket, and 2 sides. I loved how the ribs were sticky sweet on the outside due to an apple butter glaze that is brushed on towards the end of cooking.
Ryan and I were both fans of the potato-chip thin sliced brisket - tender and full of flavor! We chose homemade applesauce and maple baked beans as a side. I'd definitely recommend the applesauce if you like a chunky-fruit texture and lots of cinnamon flavor. The beans had a great texture but were a little too sweet for my taste.
Ted Drewes Frozen Custard - this frozen custard stand is an obligatory stop for anyone passing through St. Louis. It's a historic stop on the famous Route 66 highway and always has a line around the building! Ryan and I both agreed that this was the best frozen custard we had ever had! I got a mini concrete that had Oreos swirled into the custard. We wanted to go back for a second round the next day but unfortunately ran out of time!
Anthonino's Taverna on The Hill - prior to our visit to St. Louis, I knew that the city was famous for the invention of toasted ravioli. This was on the top of my list as a tried and true St. Louis experience, and we chose to try it at Anthonino's because we had read the restaurant had been visited by Guy Fieri from the show "Diners, Drive Ins and Dives." The toasted ravioli served here had a savory ground beef filling and crispy exterior. We loved the fresh tomato sauce they served with it for dipping. This dish was my favorite savory food that we tried in St. Louis!
After splitting the ravioli appetizer and a small salad we were pretty full, so we decided to split a small pasta entrée to round off the meal. I fell in love with pasta carbonara during our recent trip to Italy, so I wanted to try an American version. It did not disappoint! The pasta was silky and smooth from the egg-based sauce. I'm a huge fan of the salty, nutty flavor of this dish from the parmigiana reggiano cheese and the crispy bits of pancetta.
Soulard Coffee Garden - we spent our Saturday morning tooling around the historic Soulard neighborhood area of St. Louis - complete with cobblestone streets, vine-covered porches, and a bustling indoor farmer's market! But before our explorations began, we filled up on a hearty breakfast from the Soulard Coffee Garden - the hottest breakfast spot in the neighborhood! This eatery is always busy and bustling - you can order to go from the coffee bar or wait to be seated so you can take advantage of the "all you can drink" coffee - there's always 2 flavors to choose from!
Ryan got the black bean migas with house made salsa - these were served with some of the creamiest scrambled eggs I've ever had at a restaurant and were very filling for a vegetarian dish! I chose the blueberry cornmeal pancakes, which I quickly determined made my "top 5" list of the best pancakes I've eaten. They had a very distinct corn and buttermilk flavor with the juiciest summer blueberries studded throughout. And most importantly in my book, were crispy on the outside with a light and fluffy interior.
Gooey Louie - to close out our trip, we picked up gooey butter cakes to go fro Gooey Louie. This little bakery was the #1 recommendation on Trip Advisor for this iconic St. Louis sweet treat. It did not disappoint! When I walked into the shop to pick up the cakes, my nostrils were filled with the scent of hot buttery cakes fresh out of the oven. Some of the cakes being sold were still warm, and everything you buy is always made fresh that day. I loved that you could purchase a single-serving cake - complete with a mini to-go spoon! The cakes have a light crispy crust and a soft, "gooey" interior that reminded me of chess pie filling. So yummy!
Well, that's a wrap folks! Our 24 hours was full but I felt like we got a thorough taste of what St. Louis is all about!
