Best Tourist Attractions in St. Louis

St. Louis is the largest city in Missouri and has long been known as the “Gateway to the West” because it was from here that the Europeans set out to conquer the Wild West. It is a home to St. Louis University, the oldest university west of the Mississippi, which was founded in 1818. The city’s connection with Scott Joplin, “the father of Ragtime,” ensures its fame as a music city. So lets check some of the Best Tourist Attractions in St. Louis.

 

1. Old Courthouse

The Old Courthouse is a part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Park, built in the mid 1800s and has been the scene of several important trials, including the suit by Dred Scott for freedom from slavery and Suffragist Virginia Louisa Minor for the right to vote. The courthouse now showcases exhibits from the Museum of Westward Expansion.

 

2. Gateway Arch

In the center of Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Park is the Gateway Arch, a symbol of the city’s role as the “Gateway to the West.” This parabolic arch of stainless steel, 625 feet high, was erected from 1959 to 1965 to the design of Eero Saarinen, based on an unexecuted project by Adalberto Libera for the entrance to the Esposizione Universale di Roma of 1942. Eight elevators run up to the observation platform on the highest point of the arch.

 

3. Missouri Botanical Garden

The beautiful Missouri Botanical Garden, also known as the Shaw Garden, which is laid out by businessman and botanist Henry Shaw. The gardens comprise of a lovely rose garden, the rather unusual Climatron, built in 1960 for tropical plants, a Japanese Garden, an “aqua-tunnel” under a water-lily pool, and a herbarium.

 

4. City Museum

The City Museum enclosed in a former shoe factory, is delightfully an entertaining facility that both children and adults will admire. Exhibits include a giant aquarium, architectural museum, art activities, participatory circus, and oddities, among many others. The museum’s major structures and installations were made entirely of materials found within the St. Louis municipal area.

 

5. Market Street

Market Street is the city’s main street, lined by important buildings and halfway along and opens out into St. Louis Memorial Plaza. Along Market Street, on the left, is City Hall, which was modeled on the Hotel de Ville in Paris. There are some interesting buildings in the streets running north from Market Street.

 

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