Saint Louis, Missouri

STL is our home away from home. We have camped here, but before that we also lived here. Now that we have a family, we love going back to Saint Louis to experience the area again with our family. When you visit Saint Louis, you should certainly check out the Arch, see the Cardinals in action, tour the Budweiser Brewery, and visit the Saint Louis Zoo. These are staple attractions that everyone should see. We wanted to share places that we enjoy maybe more than the staples, and think you will too.
 
City Museum
citymuseum.org/
​City Museum is part museum, part playground, park amusement park, and wholly unique. It’s grown in size and popularity since we first started visiting, but City Musuem still gets frequent requests from our family. You’ll know you arrived when you see a bus teetering from the roof above a massive playset built out of a fire truck, two planes, and scrap metal, which form slides, passageways, and climbing tubes. Inside you will climb, slide, and wander through caves, museum exhibits, a circus, the world’s largest pencil, and a 10 story shoe factory chute that’s been converted into a slide.  
 
Climb So Ill
climbsoill.com/
In our real lives, we both work a lot with the public. As a result, we appreciate good customer service. The team at Climb So Ill is staffed with real good people. They put safety first. But they also want you to enjoy your experience on their indoor climbing and bouldering walls. We had never climbed, but the kids were interested, so we went to check it out on a Saturday with the kids.  We liked it so much that we signed up for a beginner climbing class on Tuesday for Jessica and I to learn how to belay, and went back with the kids on Saturday. Three visits in eight days, driving 100 miles each way, to experience something I don’t really enjoy – heights. If you climb, or have never climbed, you can really enjoy the people and the experience of Climb So Ill.  
 
The Magic House
magichouse.org/
It really is a magical place for the kids. Mitchell loves going here. Similar to a science center, there is a lot of hands on learning that can take place at the Magic House. Experimenting with big bubbles, a construction zone, the children’s village, and a play garden are some of the main exhibits. The Magic House is in Kirkwood, which is a great area just west of Saint Louis.
 
Grants Farm
http://www.grantsfarm.com/
This was the Busch family weekend estate back when it took half a day to travel 10 miles from downtown. Today, it’s a farm where you are first given a shuttle ride though a deer park and at the end of the shuttle ride, you get to see camels, elephants, and eagles up close. For the parents that behave well, two samples of cold beer await you before you take a quick shuttle ride back to the start. Before you leave, check out the stables to view a Budweiser Clydesdale up close. Admission is free but you must pay to park.
 
Mission Taco
missiontacojoint.com/
The Soulard location of Mission Taco is located next to Soulard Market, and near Climb So Ill, which would bundle into a nice way to spend four or five hours in Saint Louis. Mission Taco serves specialty tacos and features a taco of the month. You order the tacos you want, not a predetermined plate. We typically get salsa or guac and skip the side plates. You’ll want to try a Baja fish taco, a brisket taco, and probably the taco of the month – and I would encourage you to do so.
 
Soulard Market
soulardmarket.com/
To get a feel for the culture of city, you’ll want to check out this open air market. The Soulard Market is a massive farmers market. Many of the vendors have been attending for years and this is a great place to buy bulk spices and shop a huge selection of affordable produce.

If you are more interested in local, organic, or sustainable produce, head to the Tower Grove Farmers Market tgmarket.org/.
 
Rooster
roosterstl.com/
Rooster is part of a string of restaurants run by the Bailey Restaurants Group. In all of their restaurants, they tout the service of high quality foods. Rooster is known for their crepes and brunch. This is our go to stop for breakfast or for ‘brinner’. They have a full menu, but we stick to the breakfast foods when we visit.