St Louis Travel Guide
Travel guide to St Louis, USA with comprehensive information about events, shopping, and major St Louis sporting events to help you enjoy your visit more.
St Louis Overview
St Louis, located on the banks of the Mississippi in Missouri, has a population of approximately 350,000 people and, when looking at the whole metropolitan area, is the 18th largest in the USA.
As with most American cities, St Louis' history is a colourful one, probably most well known for the Mississippi steamboats. Bringing great wealth to the city with passengers coming in from all around the south it was also a great opportunity for the gamblers and chancers of the time to make their own fortunes - playing cards and generally taking advantage of the innocents who made their way here.
For anyone visiting St Louis the first thing they will see is the Gateway Arch, a totally fantastic looking stainless steel curved structure standing some 630 feet high with the same span at ground level. Designed in the 1940's and built in the 60's it is an awesome piece of modern architecture.
Music has long been a fundamental part of St Louis culture, with Jazz and Blues being particularly important here due to the cultural background of the area. There are literally hundreds of clubs offering live performances every night of the week. Chuck Berry is a native of St Louis and makes regular appearances here.
Sport is another key part of St Louis, with top rank professional teams in all the main US sports, especially Baseball, where the St Louis Cardinals are one of the key teams, with 9 World Series wins to their name, second only to the New York Yankees.
Top St Louis Attractions
The city has over 100 parks where locals and visitors alike can enjoy a little break from city life. One of the most well known is Forest Park, one of the largest urban parks in the world. A number of St Louis' main attractions can be found here, including the city zoo, municipal theatre, art museum and planetarium.
Shopping in St Louis
America is the home of the Mall, and St Louis has these in spades. For every possible shopping need try visiting the Plaza Frontenac or Saint Louis Galleria. Alternatively go to the St Louis Mills where around 200 cut price outlet shops can be found.
There are also lots of smaller stores, offering a more specialised shopping experience, with antiques and jewellery being particularly well catered for.
St Louis Sporting Events
In the USA American Football and Baseball are the major sports enjoyed by all. St Louis is home to the Rams gridiron team and the Cardinals baseball team, both of which are major professional sides. A visit to a game is a wonderful way to take in American culture, offering as it does the chance to see real Americans living their lives.