St Louis in 3 Days (with kids)
Last year for Spring Break we did it big.
Disney.
So naturally, this year… we’re broke. I kid, I kid! Haha.
But really, we were looking for a spot not too far from Nashville to take the kiddos that wouldn’t break the bank, and I happened upon a post in a local moms Facebook group where multiple people suggested St Louis, Missouri.
I read through the comments.
And, boom. Decided.
Here’s a short video reel of our trip .. check out our trip on Instagram!
Not gonna lie to you.
Any trip, or vacation, that doesn’t involve the beach is not really my thing.
We reserve those adventures, going-new-places-we’ve-never-been type trips for date weekends away.
With my husband’s busy schedule, we were limited to 3 nights.
And all comments in that Facebook group saying ‘perfect for kids’ ‘so much to do for kids’ - sold it to me.
All the places we visited and their links are clickable so you can easily check them out!
The Stay
At first I was looking into Airbnb type rentals in St Louis, and there are some REALLY cool lofts there (so check them out)! But, we decided to stay at the Hilton downtown mainly for…. the indoor swimming pool.
We had a nice view of the Cardinals Stadium! Also, the Hilton is right across from The Gateway Arch, which was on our ‘Must-Do!’ List.
Spring Break for Tennessee is always in early March, so the weather isn’t exactly warm.
So we thought, perfect! We can tire them out at the pool, and it just added that ‘extra fun’ to their experience!
The girls have really only stayed in a hotel one other time (at Disney), and by the end of this trip, they were saying they wished they always lived in a hotel!
I do love that someone makes/changes my bed every day - especially after Henley wiped her pizza hands on the white bedspread 😅
I think the morning cake pops while mom got Starbucks in the hotel lobby was a huge selling point too (;
The Trip
We left home, in Nashville, around noon. Perfect! Because waking up super early to catch a flight or get on the road for a long drive sucks.
The drive was about 4.5 hours.
Not bad at all.
We got to the hotel around 430pm, looking like pack rats with 4 blankies each, per child. Snacks falling out of the car, a giant baby Jack Jack stuffed animal Henley insisted on bringing, and multiple reusable shopping bags filled with all the things.
By the time we got checked in and up to the room, unpacked-ish and the kiddos watched a little tv… dinner was top of the list.
There was a rooftop bar/restaurant that had about 10 tables, and didn’t look like a place for kids. So, down to the lobby we went for pizza.
It was closed.
Cool.
So, we went up to the room to change for the pool and my husband ordered pizza to go from the rooftop place.
I always create the girls a ‘spot’ wherever we stay…
So they can play with toys, eat at a table etc
Even if it means rearranging the room a little.
This is when the pizza accident happened.
Oops.
Then we headed down to the pool and closed it down at 9pm.
Big day tomorrow!!
Day 1
Breakfast at The Egg
There are a couple locations in town, but we visited the one on Gravois Ave. It was in an old factory-looking building so that was cool!
We came early so we could make it to our first stop on time!
I shared pancakes and a traditional eggs & bacon meal with the girls.
My husband had the breakfast tacos!
One yummy (freshly squeezed orange juice) mimosa and one Bloody Mary for dad, and we were ready for the day!
def recommend.
This place was the highly recommend attraction for kids on the mom Facebook group.
And it did not disappoint.
By the name, you think is it a house full of magic tricks?! But, it was a giant multi-story kids wonderland.
It had sensory stations, arts and crafts, science, a huge play world - this was the best part in my opinion - and a giant beanstalk to climb!
Super hands-on learning here.
Okay, what do I mean by play world?
It started with the 3 branches of government - your kiddo can sit at the president's desk in a mock oval office or pretend to be a Senator!
There was a huge outdoor area to learn about contracting and architecture, laying wood floors and bricks. Electrical currents, plumbing. Hard hats. Levels.
Blew my mind.
Didn’t know my mind could be blown any more than it was… And then we walked into a small town.
There was a grocery store with real shopping bags and organized grocery items to choose and check out at the register.
A hospital nursery with babies and pretend to be a nurse.
A veterinarian office, with all sorts of animals to care for and X-ray.
A post office.
A small apartment with working appliances and a baby crib that was so life-like.
A forest ranger office.
And so much more.
Would recommend spending maybe 4 hours here.
We were doing a lot in a short amount of time! And our kids ping around, we were out in about 2.5 hours and headed to our next stop!
Okay. I saw another blog that mentioned this place and it sounded cool!
Old school soda fountain shop, with awesome black and white floor tiles and original fixtures.
It really felt cool to be in there…
We sat in a cozy wooden booth.
I had their famous Dill Pickle soup (I know, doesn’t sound great but TRUST ME on this) and grilled cheese!
We had some delicious cocktails, one being an Oreo martini. Yep. Hands down recommend.
10/10, service and food and vibe.
Everyone I told about our trip said the zoo is a must.
So we finished our day here.
The zoo has free admission.
We rented a stroller at the front and covered the girls up with a blanket because it was in the mid 40s that day!
At first, we weren’t seeing a lot of animals…
But we went back around after it warmed up a little later in the afternoon, and ended up seeing most everything!
Probably our most fav was the polar bear.
I’ve only seen a polar bear on TV so that was cool!
Finished up with a trip to the zoo store to get the girls their trip souvenirs - an orange and white tiger, one for each kiddo!
I’d really like to experience the zoo during warmer weather!
Yummy tacos and queso, but chicken tenders for the youngest.
Nicely priced cocktails here, about $9 a pop.
The girls snapped a quick pic of mom and dad!
I had the Carne Molida tacos and they did not disappoint!
The queso tasted like velvetta rotel - we got the chorizo on the side!
I’d go here again if I lived local.
Finished our night at the indoor swimming pool!!! Of course 😆
Day 2
Mauki’s Bakery & Country Store and Protagonist Cafe
My husband was sure The Protagonist had breakfast burritos… my oldest’s only request for breakfast!
We show up and their brunch is only on weekends! Booo.
We asked them where the closest and best brunch spot was, luckily just a short walk around the corner!
They recommended Mauki’s.
And….
Now we do too.
The biscuits are GINORMOUS. Check them out.
Actually, everything was huge portions. And it tasted great too! We got a breakfast burrito and marked that off the list.
This restaurant straight up reminds me of something you’d see on TV in the city. Old building, old diner. It was also a country store with things to buy!
We did stop back by The Protagonist for coffee. And it was delish! This place is like a library, used books for sale or read them while you’re having coffee.
The girls had just found the big chess game, but we had to roll.
Okay.
I’m actually not sure I have the right words for this place.
I would drive us back to St Louis for a long weekend and spend two days just going here.
I tried to talk my husband into going back the last day and just being late home!
It’s incredible.
In all my 35 years, even a trip to Disney, this place is hands down the best and coolest place I’ve ever been.
You pull up and immediately… jaw drop.
This is Harper and me climbing up to a plane.
And Henley climbing down a wire tunnel. She’s 5 years old, and super impressed with her trying these outdoor tunnels!
There are metal cage tunnels you can crawl through a hundred feet in the air, giant airplanes to climb up to, a big castle and slides.
But the inside….
We asked for a map of the place right when we walked in.
‘There are none,’ she says. ‘We encourage you to just get lost.’
And we did.
Every nook and cranny, was a tunnel. A hiding spot. A maze.
A skate-less skate park. A slide that just went straight through to the next floor.
10 story slide, and a 5 story. The 10 story legit made us dizzy, worth it.
Aquariums and underwater tunnels.
I could not rave about this place more.
Honestly, we didn’t get a ton of pics or video inside because we were having SO MUCH FUN.
Not just the kids.
My husband and I too.
They had a retro section with old TVs and tributes to the past, like Zoltar the fortune teller.
The best adult beverage I think we had on the whole trip.
Oh, and a circus act, straight out of The Greatest Showman.
We were BLOWN AWAY and sad to leave.
If I hadn’t bought tickets to the aquarium online already, we would’ve stayed.
*** MY BIGGEST PIECE OF ADVICE - 1) allot a day just for this place or at the very least 4-5 hours and 2) stick together because kiddos can easily get lost ***
Lunch
Not even lying, we skipped lunch because we had so much fun at The City Museum, we forgot.
It’s new.
And actually reminded me a lot of Disney.
As far as the technology that they had. The aquarium is inside Union Station, which is a huge complex that offers restaurants and many other attractions - mini golf, a huge ferris wheel, rope courses, a carousel and mirror maze etc.
Look at these fish! Doctor fish. They come up and eat your dead skin. Super cool. Like a fish pedicure!
Huge ceiling light show when you walk in and an interactive otter!
I think we were in and out of the aquarium in like 1 hour, or 1.5 give or take.
We liked it. Really wanted to see some bigger animals! Especially dolphins.
My youngest still says that’s her favorite animal she saw there. There weren’t any haha!
Also read this one on another blog.
I was hooked at boozy ice cream lol
So after the aquarium and a little meltdown because she wasn’t tall enough to do the sky rope course at the aquarium… We were back in Harper’s good graces after she chose lemon poppyseed ice cream on a waffle cone! Yum!
I had a chocolate Cabernet ice cream waffle cone, and my husband had a Manhattan flavored ice cream waffle cone! Boozy ice cream for the win!
It had rained, pretty much the whole trip, so there wasn’t any where to sit! We sat on a stoop inside the creamery and the service was wonderful!
We almost didn’t go here.
I thought… oysters… For kids? Nah.
But my husband wanted to go, so we did.
They had chicken tenders and a burger for the girls.
I had the best shrimp and grits I’ve ever had.
I would rate this dinner as #2 in my life. 10/10 recommend.
The drinks were also really yummy and priced right.
This place has a New Orleans style vibe.
We shared some oysters, 3 different styles.
And really, I think this place has the most reviews on Yelp, boasting 5 stars. And they earned it.
We ended the night at the indoor pool… surprised? 😆
Day 3 (last day)
This was another one of dad’s ideas.
Right downtown, a family owned city donut shop.
A lot of the donuts were sold out already but we walked into a warm welcome, and some amazing donuts!
Harper said ‘Excuse me!’ and asked for a sample of the apple fritter. Everyone in the restaurant laughed… I guess she thought it was like the ice cream shop - because in her defense we did try almost every flavor at the creamery, and they had glass cases that were very similar!
He gave her one for free, said she made his day. The sweetest.
On to our last ‘Must Do!’, then home.
Okay.
I don’t know what I was expecting here.
But, this was cool.
We rode to the top of the arch.
In these tiny, older-than-me tram things!
620 feet off the ground to the top, and Harper swore she could see our house from there!
The museum was really cool, though with two kiddos, we didn’t get to really dive into it. A lot of interactive history type things.
There was a cafe there! But we had one last stop and needed to show up hungry.
Dad’s idea.
Think Zaxbys. But better.
I had the chicken sandwich meal, and the sauce they serve…. WOW.
The chicken was cooked to perfection, the right amount of crispy and tender.
And we were satisfied.
I realize this may be a chain, but I had never been there, nor the girls. And we’re adding it to our list because we LOVED IT!
So that concludes our 3 night stay in St Louis.
For a must-be-a-beach-or-I’m-not-going girl, I’d say that I can see our family visiting ‘ol St Louis again. Maybe in warmer months, so we can see the zoo in full swing!
On to our next family adventure!