Meet Me in St. Louis

On our quest to visit all 50 states, my daughter and I (often along with my sister-in-law and niece) are taking some off the beaten path vacations. Over Memorial Day, the four of us took our annual Mamas & Daughters trip and visited St. Louis. The girls both got to check two new states off their lists – Missouri and Illinois, and we all got to collect our National Park stamps at the Gateway Arch National Park and the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site. What can I say, I’m a nerd who loves a good list. For those who aren’t into these bizarre destinations, don’t worry, I have some more traditional destinations (e.g., New York City, Montana, Lake Tahoe) coming this summer.  

When people heard we were visiting St. Louis, almost everyone assumed it was to visit family (nope). Only after explaining our 50-state project did people seem to understand (a bit), but St. Louis was once the nation’s fourth largest city and the cite of the 1904 World’s Fair and Summer Olympics. It was a transportation hub, connecting the country with the West. Notable literary giants such as T.S. Eliot, Tennessee Williams, Mark Twain, William S. Burroughs, and more recently, Jonathan Franzen all spent formative years in St. Louis. The city is rich with history, and we had a fantastic time. It’s a perfect destination for a weekend getaway or an overnight stop on a cross country trip.  

Where to Stay…

We stayed at the Union Station St. Louis Hotel (hilton.com), which I highly recommend. The hotel first opened as a railway station in 1894 and was the largest American railroad terminal for some years, with 100,000 passengers crossing through the station per day in the 1940s. The architecture, stained-glass windows and gold-leafed detailing in the Grand Hall are beautiful. The girls loved the outdoor pool, and the room was very spacious (though fairly dated). The location was also terrific.

What to Do…

Union Station was attached to our hotel, and we spent every evening there eating dinner and enjoying the different activities – the St. Louis Wheel Ferris Wheel was probably our favorite, but the girls also enjoyed the carousel and the fountain show each night. My daughter and I also had fun doing the ropes course with two indoor ziplines one morning. Dinner was nothing special but serviceable.  

City Museum is incredible with craft projects, 10 story slides, lots of things to climb on, ropes to swing from, and all kinds of things to see. We would turn a corner and find a slide or a secret passageway. This is fun for everyone, and this was my daughter’s absolute favorite thing we did. Knee pads and headlamps may amplify the fun, and make sure to stick together and write your phone number on your child’s wrist band. There’s lots of nooks and crannies to get separated in. I suggest 4 hours for this attraction and the rooftop add on to your ticket, but you still won’t be able to do it all.  

The Gateway Arch offers trips to the top of the Arch, but book ahead of time to get your spot. Time slots filled up well in advance. The park also has a little wading pool out front that the girls enjoyed running around in, and there is lots of open lawn space on the waterfront for cartwheels, racing, and playing. Don’t forget to grab a Junior Ranger’s free book at the check-in desk for the kids. They enjoyed completing the activities before we went up in the Arch. The view from the top of the Arch is incredible. The building front in center in my picture here is the courthouse where the famous Dred Scott case was heard and decided.

Finally, don’t miss a stop at Grant’s Farm to see the Clydesdale horses and the other 900 or so other animals. Upon entry, you hop on a little tram that takes you through the grounds to see a lot of the animals up close. Once you hop off the tram, you can ride the carousel, see the animal show, feed the canaries, ride a camel, and feed baby goats from a bottle. Adults can also get free beer if they like (we skipped that part, so I can’t comment on portions or selection, just don’t ask for a Miller Lite, this is Anheuser-Busch property). When you exit the farm, the Clydesdales are through a separate gate off the parking lot. Across the road from Grant’s Farm is the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site maintained by the National Park Service. We didn’t do a tour, but we did walk the grounds and talk about some of the history with the girls. I thought it was worth a quick 20-minute stop if you’re at Grant’s Farm.    

What to Read…

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain seems the obvious choice, but I also presume that most people reading this blog have already read it. If you haven’t read it, then you need no further recommendations and should immediately read this great American novel. For the rest of you, I offer four wildly different suggestions.  

Stoner by John Williams is the story of a young man who enters the University of Missouri with the goal of learning some new farming techniques and returning to the family farm, but he falls in love with literature and learning and never leaves the University. This is a beautifully written character study spanning the life of William Stoner, following him through two world wars, a marriage and a love affair, parenthood, and a conflict with a colleague. This is not a novel with a lot of dramatic action, but it’s packed with dramatic feeling. If you like quiet character studies, this book is for you. If you need more action, then keep reading.   

A Good American by Alex George is the story of one immigrant family’s multi-generational search for home and a place to fit in. In 1904, Frederick and Jette escape from disapproving parents in Germany for the new world where they eventually find their way to Beatrice, Missouri and plant their family roots. Told from the perspective of grandson, James, this is a love story, a survival story, a heartbreaking story, and a redemptive story. It’s full of quirky and endearing characters, and it follows the family and the town through World War II, the Great Depression, and Prohibition tackling issues of racial tensions and prejudices along the way. I loved this story.   

If you need a bit more dysfunction in your family dramas, The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen is a family drama told from shifting perspectives over various points in time throughout the late 20^th century. The novel is both comic and tragic with each character perhaps more dysfunctional than the next. Franzen, a St. Louis native, sets the early and final parts of the book in the small midwestern town of St. Jude where Alfred and Enid Lambert have raised their three children. The children, now grown, are living in New York and Philadelphia, but Enid maneuvers to get the entire family together for Christmas in St. Jude as Alfred’s health deteriorates. The Corrections won the National Book Award for Fiction in 2001 and was an Oprah book selection.

Finally, if you just want some fun, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn is a fast-paced thriller if you missed it. The movie adaptation is set in a fictional town in Missouri, so an attenuated connection to St. Louis, but this is definitely a fun read.