14 Things To Do In St. Louis: How To Have An Amazing Weekend

Our Amazing Weekend In St. Louis

I have been wanting to take my family for a fun-filled weekend in St. Louis for a long time. Why St. Louis you ask? First of all, there are so many fun things to do in St. Louis. It’s also a much bigger city than where we live, AND it’s only a 2.5 hour drive from us.

Grant and I both have awesome memories of going to St. Louis when we were younger. I was so excited when the country finally started to return back to normal(ish), so that we could make new memories with our kids.

If you have been contemplating a weekend getaway to St. Louis, you are in luck. I am here to tell you that we had an amazing weekend. It was everything I hoped it would be. Keep reading because I am going to tell you, in detail, everything we did, where we stayed, and what we would have done if we had more time. There are so many fun things to do in St. Louis that you can’t help but have a good time.

Where We Stayed

For our weekend away we chose to stay at the Union Station Hotel located in downtown St. Louis. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I mean, any hotel with a marketing team looks great online, but is the online experience the same as the in-person experience?

I am here to say, we thoroughly enjoyed our time at the Union Station hotel. I highly recommend it. We stayed in a standard room with 2 queen beds. It was just as you would expect, nice and clean, but the real draw to staying here is all the amenities the hotel has to offer. I absolutely loved having so many restuarants and activities on the hotel grounds.

I can’t tell you how much stress and headache it eliminated to not have to worry about driving, traffic, parking, etc. Other than just being an absolutely gorgeous hotel, the proximity to so many fun things is one of the biggest selling points for this mom!

What We Did

We managed to cram A TON of things into our weekend. In addition to all of the activities at our hotel, we also did a lot of stuff outside of Union Station as well. Keep in mind, we were only in St. Louis for 3 days.

Friday: We arrived in St. Louis around 11am and headed straight to the City Museum. I can’t recommend this place enough. It was fun for all 4 of us, which is a relatively rare occurence. Usually a place is fun for adults OR fun for kids, but rarely fun for both. We climbed around for hours and still didn’t see the entire place. It was so much fun, we can’t wait to go back. We checked into our hotel after the City Museum, ate dinner at the Soda Fountain, watched the Fire & Light Show, then hit up the Rope Course. The Rope Course was another hit. Last, but not least, we stopped by the Grand Hall for the Light Show.

Saturday: We started the day at the Aquarium and the Mirror Maze, both located at our hotel. Then we headed out to the Magic House Children’s Museum. After the museum we grabbed dinner at the Train Shed, took a ride on the carousel, then a ride on The Wheel.

Sunday: Sunday was dedicated to the zoo and the drive home. We ended up spending WAY more time at the zoo than I thought and got home around 7pm.

Things To Do In St. Louis

City Museum

A definite “must-see” in St. Louis. This was hands-down our favorite place to visit. I doubt we will ever return to St. Louis without making sure to stop at the City Museum. Check out more here.

Tips For Your Trip:

Wear gym shoes, not sandals. There is a lot of climbing, crawling, and sliding.
Along that same line, don’t wear a dress or skirt. You want comfortable clothing that you can move around in.
Make sure you are bringing adequate supervision. It is easy to get lost in the City Museum. With young kids (under 6 or 7) you will definitely want 1 adult per child.

St. Louis Aquarium

Another one of our favorite things to do in St. Louis is visit the St. Louis Aquarium located inside the Union Station hotel. Find out more here!

Tips For Your Trip:

Arrive early. The later in the day, the longer the lines seemed to be.
Make sure to stop at the exhibit with the suckerfish. It was my favorite experience at the Aquarium.
Don’t plan on spending an entire day here. The aquarium is fun, but it isn’t very big. It takes a little over an hour to see everything, so just make sure you have more on your itinerary.

Ropes Course

Also inside Union Station is an indoor ropes course. It is a sight to see, to say the least! There are 30 different obstacles that go 3-stories up. It’s pretty incredible. Check it out here.

Tips For Your Trip:

If you have little ones, try the Tykes first. We didn’t do that and we should have.
Reservations are required and they are usually booked up, so schedule in advance.

St. Louis Zoo

St. Louis has a gorgeous zoo that is FREE! We spent several hours there and didn’t even see everything. You may need to pay parking depending on where you decide to park. Also, during these times of COVID, as with most things, you will need to make a reservation online. Check it out here.

Tips For Your Trip:

You can bring your own food & drinks, so load up a cooler with a bunch of water & snacks.
Even if your child doesn’t NEED a stroller or wagon, bring one anyway. Trust me! Also, you will want it for that cooler you pack.
Sign up for the shows early (the Sea Lion specifically).
We really enjoyed the 4D movie. It was cute, it is a nice break from walking, and my kids really enjoyed it.
Don’t forget to make a reservation.

The Magic House, St. Louis Children's Museum

We spent a few hours at the Magic House Children’s Museum and had a nice time. I will say, I think my kids were actually a bit too young for the museum. They both said they had fun, however, I think they would have enjoyed it more if they were a little older. I think kids who are able to read would enjoy it a bit more as they would have a little more independence. Check it out here.

Tips For Your Trip:

The macaroni & cheese at the little cafe inside the Children’t Museum is really good.
Be sure to make a reservation.
Admittance is FREE with a Military ID.

The Wheel

Take a ride on The Wheel. A giant Ferris wheel with fully enclosed gondolas that go 200ft high. Check out hours of operation and reserve your tickets here.

Mirror Maze/Mini Golf/Carousel

If you are interested in the Aquarium (mentioned above) and The Wheel (mentioned above) you should consider buying an Aquarium Fantastic Five Combo ticket. This gives you access to the Aquarium, The Wheel, Mirror Maze, Mini Golf, and the Carousel for a discounted price. Each of these events are all right there on the same grounds, so super easy to hit them all in one afternoon. On top of that, there are several restaurants located here as well!

Things To Do in St. Louis
That We Didn't Have Time To Do

Grant's Farm

Grant’s Farm is one I was super bummed to miss. Unfortunately, during COVID, they are only open to private tours, which are a little to expensive for my blood.

Hopefully they are back to their regular business schedule (and prices) by the time we are ready to make another trip to St. Louis.

Click here for more info about Grant’s Farm.

Saint Louis Science Center

Grant and I both have awesome memories of visiting the St. Louis Science Center as kids. We were hoping to make new memories with Wyatt & Reese, unfortunately, we weren’t able to get reservations.

Check here for hours and to make reservations.

The Gateway Arch

Grant and I have both been to The Arch and up to the top of The Arch before, but unfortunately, we weren’t able to make it this trip.

Details for the Arch are here.

Six Flags St. Louis

We are waiting for our kids to be a bit older before we tackle a visit to Six Flags, however, I am super excited for when that day arrives!

Read more about a visit to Six Flags St. Louis here.

Sporting Events

St. Louis is home to several professional and collegiate sports teams. Check out one of their Major League teams and reserve tickets to catch a game: