Surprising facts and tips learned while traveling in St. Louis, Missouri
The Gateway Arch is the tallest arch in the world at 630ft tall. There’s a tram thatcarries visitors to the top of the arch in 4 minutes. But there’s more in St. Louis than the arch…
The French influence is telling in many parts of St. Louis. Lafayette Square is the oldest historic district and the park may be the oldest public park west of the Mississippi River. This is a great area to see the French style houses.
The city also claims to have the biggest Mardi Gras event outside of New Orleans. It takes place in the historic Soulard neighborhood.
The 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair put the city on the map. Forest Park served as the main fairgrounds for the great fair. 1,500 buildings were constructed, though most were just temporary. The St. Louis Art Museum, the Zoo’s Flight Cage and smaller structures scatter the city as reminders.
The Hill is the Italian neighborhood and they have fully embraced the area. This is where to go for Italian markets and restaurants.
St. Louis is a very Catholic city. Anyone of the older generation will ask what parish you belong to instead of what neighborhood.
63% of the land in Missouri is farms. The only state with more is Texas. Because of this farmers markets are very popular!
St. Louis residents take a lot of pride in the architecture of the city.
The homes in the areas are beautiful. For a peak at some of the best, drive along Lindell Blvd, or Brentmoor Park and Westmoreland Pl.
STL ranked in the top spot for housing affordability.
St. Louis has a lot of free attractions: museums, the zoo, the Science Center and the Anheuser-Busch Brewery.
Speaking of, St. Louis is the headquarters of Anheuser-Busch and the Home of Budweiser. The brewery is actually a beautiful building and you can visit Clydesdales, in addition to all the beer-related activities.
St. Louis has a history of being very philanthropic. One of the most obvious donations to visitors are the enormous parks and gardens that can be found throughout the city.
Though STL has a history of being crime-ridden, most criminal activity occurs in a handful of block segments. Stats are often taken from just the city, as opposed to both the city and county as they are in most metropolitan areas. If they did, St. Louis is much more comparable to other cities.
Most people choose to live and visit the county. Staying near Wash U is the perfect home base.
St. Louis has a network of natural caves, once used for the lagering of beer because they were much cooler. Though most caves are not accessible, a few are. Meramec Caverns is an example of one you can tour. Jesse James hid men and horses in the dark passages in the 1870s. Legend also says the cave was a stop on the Underground Railroad for escaping slaves.
At the request of Thomas Jefferson, Lewis and Clark began their expedition to the Pacific Ocean. St. Louis then became the gateway to the west. The “gateway” term is used all over the state.
On Halloween, it is widely accepted that kids have to share a joke before receiving candy. What’s a ghost’s favorite dessert? I-Scream!
STL is known for a few foods:
The gooey butter cake is (allegedly) best eaten for breakfast and without a fork.
Toasted raviolis, or “t-ravs” as they say, are meat wrapped in square ravioli, breaded and deep fried. Served with marinara.
Provel cheese is a combination of cheddar, Swiss, and provolone cheese. Originally made for a pizza topping but now can be found on anything and everything.
Pork steak is a popular cut in St. Louis barbecue, typically marinated, grilled on an open flame then dredged in barbecue sauce
Ted Drews is a frozen custard, similar to ice cream but with eggs, creating a creamier consistency.
The International Chess Hall of Fame is in St. Louis. It collaborates with the Chess Club and Scholastic Center to provide programming, instruction, and outreach to an international audience of novices and experts alike. Its collection includes pieces such as a 500-year-old piece from an Egyptian game called senet, the oldest board game ever discovered.
Panera was founded in St. Louis but was called the St. Louis Bread Company prior to being bought by Au Bon Pain Co. It is still called the St. Louis Bread Co in Missouri – don’t even think about calling it Panera when you are visiting.
