St. Louis, MO: Five Things You Will Love & Hate about Visiting St. Louis, Missouri, USA 

As a native St. Louisan, I'd say this is a nice, fair video. I'd expand on two points. If you're planning a trip to STL as a tourist, the heat and humidity, as mentioned in the video, can be tough. July and August are the worst. June and September are much more tolerable. Earlier in the spring is good; later in the fall is great. The other thing I wanted to talk about is being downtown. There are things to do downtown. City Garden, mentioned in the video, is a cool outdoor sculpture park, but you're not going to spend a ton of time there. It definitely isn't an all afternoon sort of place. Visit it in conjunction with another downtown activity like the Arch or City Museum. The Arch is a STL cliche, but it's also a beautiful piece of sculpture in its own right. Make sure you watch the movie about the Arch's construction. City Museum, on the other hand, is a place where you can spend hours -- if you have a kid or if you're a kid at heart. There are some other things to do downtown, but STL attractions are really spread out. The zoo, art museum, science center, Magic House, historic St. Charles . . . all well worth visiting, but none are within walking distance of downtown. Figure out what you want to do, where you want to go, and choose a hotel accordingly. It very well could be that there are better places for you to stay than downtown which, as the video said, can be dead at nights. One last thing to mention, while technically not in St. Louis, if you don't mind driving 1.5 to 2 hours, you can get to the Arcadia area of Missouri that has a number of beautiful and fun outdoor activities. Check out Johnson Shut Ins, Pickle Springs, Elephant Rock, and Taum Sauk Mountain. They're all pretty close together.

Come review our city again! It has gotten much better in the past seven years, although the heat is definitely still with us

Born n raised here,still here.we have alot the arch,the ferris wheel now. The aquarium great pizza.

Having grown up in St Louis and having traveled throughout the world I'm very surprised he didn't mention the main thing most visitors to St Louis rave about. The zoo, the history museum, the art museum, the Anheuser Busch tour, and the science center are all free. Even the Muny has free seats in the back. Also he said that there is nothing to do downtown but Washington Ave is a nice bar/restaurant district.

i am from Brazil and last year i spend two days in STL, with four brazilian friends. We liked the city! It's quiet calm at night, ok, but we were in some bars and we had fun! We ate in good restaurants e ate delicious brakfast in a famous local place (dont remember the name). We stayed at Sheraton. The Arch is amazing! So easy to go across the city, we want to come back! (sorry for my english!)

Not a problem. I have always enjoyed visiting the city. I usually head down there 3 or 4 times a year. 4th of july time is usually a blast. Going to watch a game. Free Zoo, tons of good stuff. Thanks for watchign and commenting! hope you will subscribe!

Thank you, Mark. I am a long time St. Louis resident, and I think your description is pretty accurate. St. Louis is a motorist’s town, And there are indeed some crazy drivers. On the other hand, one can travel almost anywhere in the metropolitan area within about 45 minutes, which you cannot say for places like Chicago. And you are correct that there are some significant cultural institutions, but they’re further away from downtown St. Louis. The epicenter for the St. Louis region is in the Midtown/Forest Park area, which contains the art museum, the zoo, the history Museum, the Science Center, St. Louis Symphony, Fox Theatre, area universities and lots of fine restaurants. (Forest Park was the site of the 1904 World’s Fair.) So a visitor might want to stay in Clayton, a suburb directly to the west of Forest Park and the St. Louis city limits. An historical note: over a century ago, Saint Louis city and St. Louis County were two separate political entities, and residents voted to keep it that way, at a time when the city was prosperous. Now the tables have turned, and unfortunately, there is not a shared tax base. So the city still contains a lot of significant institutions, but the majority of the wealth is in Saint Louis County, which is still a separate political entity. There have been initiatives to merge the two units, but so far, they’ve been unsuccessful. The best thing to say about St. Louis is that, While it is not an ideal tourist attraction, it really is a great place to live and raise a family. We have gotten some bad press, but in reality, this is a good place to call home.

Pretty much spot on, I visited between 12-20th September and I got lucky it wasnt too hot but it was still nice. He is right about not many places opening at night and after baseball games most places around the stadium are packed out. The local people are unbelievably friendly and I cannot wait to come back, hopefully take in Chicago and Pittsburgh too. I recomment the Tigin Irish Pub, Hardees and Bamboo Bistro.

The luxurious part of St Louis is called West County. It features places like Kirkwood, Des Peres, Ladue, Chesterfield, Sunset Hills and Crestwood. The hotels are beautiful and the crime is lower.

thanks! I appreciate the support!

The hidden zinger when visiting the St Louis Zoo is that the all day parking price is quite high. You can get in free but not your car.

And, Mr. Wolter. you are spot on about all the like/hate comments about St. Louis. Your honesty is refreshing.

I love st.Louis

Great heads up on the best and worst of boston. very cool. thanks for the info. we are going to hopefully be visiting boston and the northeast for a couple weeks next spring and boston is definitely on the list :) thanks so much!

I agree with you mostly on the top 5 except for the night life. You haven't been to the Delmar Loop or city museum, that is a must for everyone!!!!

If you come to Saint Louis there is a lot to see... I am being real when I tell you this!!! Visit Crown Candy in North Saint Louis but make sure you have a GPS... Because a lot of the North Side is a shell of it's former self... Just South of Downtown hit Soulard Market on a Saturday morning... Then right around the corner you have A.B. brewery.. Take 55 north to 44 west hop off on Hampton go south to Columbia Ave. and then left... Check out the Hill neighborhood a lot of great food and markets... Like Urzi's for some Italian Ice, Cunetto's, Riggazzi's to name a few... At the bottom of the Hill you will find Manchester.. Take it west to Tamm Ave.. As you make your right on Tamm it will bring you up toward's Forest Park... You can spend a day there alone... It is home to the Zoo, 2 golf courses, The Boat House, Museum's, The Jewell Box, and all around great scenery... Like anywhere you visit do your research ask the local's... This guy is a highway driver... If you want to see the City of Saint Louis there is a lot... Not to mention all the stuff in the surrounding counties... Be Safe Have Fun

Maybe summer 2014 on a USA roadtrip filming across the US. looks like a really nice town. and with all the films being made there people are starting to recognize some of the architecture and such.

My favorite weather is in October. As a lifelong St. Louisan, my favorite weather has always has been the edge between summer and fall. The edge occurs in October. The bitter cold is between December and March. The painfully hot season is mid-May to the end of September. Be aware that St. Louis is famous and infamous for extreme humidity in the summer. It is one of the three most humid cities in the U S.

We just visited there and the one thing I didn't like was the conditions of the roads. One of the many things that I liked was how affordable everything was. You can spend the weekend there without breaking the bank.

There are 4 B's in St. Louis Baseball, BBQ, Blues and Bullets. The first 3 are great the 4th I would avoid.

you are awesome thank u .. I change my plan to travel there

Twelve years later, the downtown area is still completely dead at night. However, you might want to check out the Central West End, Delmar Loop, or Midtown for evening places and events.

Things I loved in St. Louis: Staying at the old Union Station was terrific, although it was a bit of a work in progress - it will be better once the Aquarium is open - even though I'm not an aquarium person. Bootleggin' BBQ was awesome and also has the gooey butter cake and local brews. City Museum - children's museum meets action park - and its all ages. The new museum under the arch and the new pedestrian traffic pattern makes the St. Louis Arch a much better experience. Angard Arts Hotel on the return leg of the trip was colorful and fun in the Arts District. Sadly, the neighborhood was mostly closed when we were there - it was a Saturday and there was a show Powell Hall - it was a year before Covid, so that wasn't it. Downtown also was too quiet, but that's ususally the case in most Downtowns. We also enjoyed the Art Museum. Terrific city overall.

@Gogreenfor2010 No, didn't get there. Usually when i am heading south out of st louis i am just thinking... i need to get to sikeston for Lamberts cafe and the home of the throwed rolls :) glad i could hit yourneck of the woods! thanks for watching and commenting!

@Flaheat It has a few nice museums. The arch is always cool to go up. A brewery tour is always an enlightening experience :) Zoo is free and quite nice (thank you busch beer family). I enjoy visiting it (though as its getting close to winter dont go when its snowy as the driving gets a bit nuts). But glad you may stop by. I need to head back there myself. Good Monet exhibit at the Art Museum. All the best and thanks for watching and commenting. Please subscribe :)

@DCussen I dont really consider forest park and magic house downtown so that is why i did not say the whole downtown thing. I did not know the metrolink had split into two lines now. thanks for the helpful tip (i filmed this video over a year ago and it only got uploaded recently so some of the info is off) i do appreciate your help. Thanks for watching and commenting!

@cndoorack9 Thank you cndoorack :) I have visited quite a few times and really enjoy the city. and the cardinals :) Thanks for commenting and watching! Please subscribe!

I loved Tower Grove Park when I visited St. Louis. Compton Heights water tower is pretty neat as well.

Being from St. Louis....I must disagree on a few things. 1) Check out Washington Ave. Every things is open until 1am. Try Benton Park, Cherokee, Soulard Neighborhoods...easy to find....and all open until at least 2am. Lots of party options. 2) Our public transportation is easily accessible. We have Downtown Trollys, the Metrolink, and Metro Bus. Very affordable, and will even taken you into Illinois...so...you get anywhere without driving. We also have cabs. So, I would try again.... We have lots of Urban Areas that you don't even mention here..

i have lived in St Louis for a long time. The drivers here are no worse than any other city, and better than most. Yes the murder rate is high, but they shoot each other, not tourists. And.. it's confined to a relatively small part of the area. As is any other place, don't leave valuables on your car seat, they will be missing when you return. And Please,, don't call it the LOU, the loo is a British toilet,St Louis is a beautiful city, possibly the northernmost of the Southern Citys, with architecture to rival Natchez, Vicksburg, Savannah, or Charleston.

@woltersworld : No Problem! Love your videos, keep them coming!

public transportation is actually pretty good, the metro link goes more places than just forest park and the art museum. The Metro bus can take you just about anywhere in the city, and St. Louis county.

You failed to mention Bi-State Transit bus service which goes every were in St Louis and connects well with the Metro link light rail , plenty of cab services and limousines

The pattern for residents of St Louis is to leave the downtown business district AS SOON AS POSSIBLE after work to get back home to their home in West County or South County. No one socializes downtown after work. I know this because I have lived in St Louis all my life.

I was born in St. Louis MO! :) Its amazing here! St. Louis is amazing! I love St. Louis! :) i miss my friends there but hey! I always FaceTime them! St. Louis MO is an amazing place all people who never went to Missouri, you should really go to St. Louis! :) 💕😍

I know these are not the same love/hate things that locals would say. Because this is not for locals. it is for tourists coming to visit the city that do not have time to explore the whole city to get to know the ins and outs. But I do love when people comment and give viewers ideas about where they should go, like the south part of the town to see the brick buildings. Thanks for the heads.

So true... so true :)

Every time I left St.Louis I could not wait to come back home. Everyone I know that has moved out of st.louis wants to come back no matter how much shit they talked about it while they lived here, and most do make there way back home. I love St.Louis.

Literally everywhere you described to visit can be visited within a ten minute drive or cab ride. The metro link goes to way more places then you described. And downtown is a blast if you know where to go

you're spot on about the south side...very architectural...my favorite parts of St. Louis (being a native myself) are South St. Louis, Laclede's Landing, Maryland Plaza, Forest Park (especially), University City (the good part :) ) aaaaand any part of town that has a Rally's, Steak n Shake, or (my personal fave) IMO'S!!! Yay Imo's! Also i highly recommend the Zoo, the Planetarium, and the Art Museum with the statue of St. Louis in front

I am hoping to get to the North East US sometime in the next year. We are booked full with travel and filming until literally March 2013, BUT I promise we will get there and make videos! so please subscribe so you can catch up on some other great locations! thanks for watching and commenting!

@tompaultompaul Wonderfully round... love it :) Thanks for the comment and watching. Its worth a short stop if you have time (and its summer ;) But it is fun for a weekend if you can get in a cardinal game, maybe hit "The Hill" for some decent eating. Its not Chicago or New York or London but hey, it has its goods and bads. Hope you stop by. I have a top ten sights in st louis video on here for some ideas.

I live here, and I think you did a great job talking about the "Lou"!

One thing most people do not understand about St Louis and much of Missouri is is as much apart of the upper South as the "Midwest"(we are not little Chicago) . St Louis fuses German and southern culture and cuisine as well as Italian,Bosnian and Vietnamese neighborhoods.

Sure, the zoo is "free" but parking will GET you as it's 15 bucks.

great vid. I am thinking of traveling to st louis

@FuneralDust666 Thanks FD666 always good to have more tips on here. Always appreciated and thanks for watching and commenting as usual :)

I don't think you will have any big issues. the people are pretty accepting in st Louis. I believe there is a decent size muslim community as well. have a great move!

I live in missouri and have been to saint louis and i love the arch and its the biggest man mad monument in the u.s

The Hill is a great place to visit. Wish I could live in south St. Louis.

I love the city I lve in the county and look foward to going to Forest Park with all it attractions, Then Fox heater, Powel Sympony Hall, Soulard's Market, the oldest outdoor market, site of the French market and still active, and just sight seeing in the old city. Buildings are so beautiful built with the deep red brick from The Hill workers, The Hill is a grand place to eat and roam into the Italian shops, and the German finishing around the roof lines. I would not drive alone to the north sde, but folks do, and they are safe. St. Louid is an old , refined city, come and visit.

It'd be nice if the guy doing the travelogue knew what he was talking about. First thing out of his mouth is how dead downtown is at night--I used to drive a half hour any given night west county just to go party on Laclede's Landing downtown, the bar & nightclub district on the levee that hops till 2 or 3 am--then a quick jump across the bridge to Illy to party on at Pop's, etc. One of the things you'll LOVE about St. Louis--downtown.

Yes, St. Louis City is a very small city at around 320,000. Our Metro area is nearly 3 million people though, which ranked 18th out of 32 NFL cities before the a.hole went for the money in LA - bigger than Denver, San Diego, Nashville, Indianapolis, Charlotte, Jacksonville, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Green Bay, Buffalo, New Orleans.

& if you time, take the chance to drive west on 46. Get Off At Crystal Rd. There you can walk around the Edmore State Game Forests "Wear Orange For Safety!" Or Continue Down To 66 Junction & Visit Six Lakes... Many Great Places To Enjoy The Outdoors, Fish & Kick Back...

I would like to hear the list about kansas city!

Check out union station and the city museum

He said that the Down town area pretty much dies at night - any tips on where to stay close to the nightlife (bars - live music)?

Do a video for Boston! I live near there and I have some loves/hates: HATES 1. MBTA Green Line (very slow compared to most metro lines) 2. Nowhere to park your car in some neighborhoods 3. The aggressive drivers 4. Weather can change very quickly 5. Bad Traffic in many places LIKES 1. Decent public transit for the most part 2. Historic Sites 3. Diverse patchwork of neighborhoods 4. Sports teams/fenway park. Everyone seems to be an expert on Boston's sports teams 5. Seafood and ethnic food

Will you visit Cincinnati Anytime Soon? I Think You'll Like It.

Thanks for making this. Like all places, it has it's bad points but it's REALLY nice to hear someone actually say good things about it too. In the media Missouri (Saint Louis) is constantly looked down upon and called a terrible place. So thank you for doing it some justice while still being fair.

I've lived in the area all my life. I mostly will agree with his lists. He was fair and his criticisms are valid. (Though having driven in St. Louis all my years, I'm used to it and don't fully agree with him.) One comment of minor correction in his narrative. There is no old state capitol in Downtown. I suspect he was referring to the Old Courthouse. The old state capitol is in St. Charles, just outside of St. Louis. All in all though, a very fair and nice statement on St. Louis.

I will live there with my husband next year. Is it safe living in Stl for Muslims?

Lack of Transit? The Metrolink goes from Illinois all the way to the airport. On top of that, the MetroBus system will take you just about every where. St. Louis is the best city I've ever lived in, and that's saying a lot, because I have lived in San Francisco and Miami.

St.Louis is off the chain! I'm not from the lou,but I've been there a whole lot,but I still don't know my way around there,I'll get lost out there,but it's cool and I like St.Louis. :-)

We go to St.Louis all the time to visit Harrah's and Ameristar. Nice big casinos in St.Louis.

Not everybody is going to think A.B. Brewery and Soulard Market as exciting tourist attractions. It has a few gems such as a free zoo and arts museum. However, having traveled to every city in the United states and through most of Canada I'd rate St. Louis as a 2 out of five. Yes it's dead at night. Most importantly as in most old cities, it was poorly designed. I personally enjoy the old market on soulard and love the few remaining Blues clubs and BBQ. The Loop is a fun walk and filled with eateries and shops. There is also Grants Farm. As far as drivers go, average with rush hour traffic. There are things to do here, just wouldn't want this to be my winning prize give away on the price is right. You want to see the most gorgeous city with unlimited activities, then visit San Diego CA.

O seu ingles e mil vezes melhor que o meu portugues :) obrigado pelo comentario! mark

I think you meant the Old Courthouse, not the old state capitol. The old state capitol is in St. Charles.

P.S. if you can drive here you can drive anywhere. Vegas, L.A., New York, parts of Florida all have equally aggressive drivers... A lot of folks think cause our population is small we are a cow town... With the ohh you first attitude this is not the case...

I've been to Maplewood but I lived in St. Charles County. I've been to Chicago, Orlando, Tampa, Atlanta, Madison, Minneapolis, Seattle and Indy. No interest at ALL in LA. Would like to visit New York and New Orleans, but I'm STL all the way. It doesn't get any better

I'm from Houston, TX, and I love St. Louis, but I have to correct that guy that their isn't any bad drivers their, if any, we have the worst drivers here in Houston, you'd probably be like, who gave them their licence 2. It's actually better at night in St. Louis, and a bit cooler than Houston would be at night 3. The people are very friendly, I wish I made friends their 4. I went to this Irish Restaurant I forgot what it was called, but they make the best food, I love it, can't wait to go back!

Also, Saint Louis has extremely high violent crime rates, far surpassing those of many other major cities, even including Miami, West Palm Beach, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Chicago in it's rates of homicide, rape, robbery, and assault.

thx

Yeah baby yeah

This video is old apparently, so he is incorrect in saying that downtown STL is dead. There are lots of restaurants and night clubs now that stay open late at night. You just need to be cautious like you would in any city.

You mention the old state capitol, but that is probably the old federal courthouse.

The Arch is also VERRY cool. you can go up in it...which is even cooler unless you're AFRAID OF HEIGHTS! arrgh!

I don't know how often the people commenting actually visit or have stayed at one time in St. Louis but these negative comments are complete crap. St. Louis is NOT a city full of racism. It's very culturally diverse. There's people from TONS of different creeds and colors walking the streets continuously. I'm originally from this city. And I still visit all the time and not ONCE have I ever even seen a FIGHT break out. It's the most mellow laid back big city in the country!

Six Flags St. Louis is about 35-40 mins southwest of downtown. Just get on I-44 and it will take you right there. Its in Eureka Mo.

it's definitely a place where you gotta pay attention to where you are!

I lived in St. Louis for 5 years. Now, i live in Virginia. I would take Virginia anyday. I love the fast pace. St. Louis is really slow.

Just finished visiting the STL! Come check out the Vlog I put up with some of the cities highlights!

Local advice here. Stay away from the MetroLink if you can. Especially at night.

Really? No mention of the CWE, Soulard, Lafayette Square, The Grove, Cherokee Street, The Loop, etc.? Or the Botanical Garden for that matter? The small towns in the suburbs are great and all, but there's almost no mention of the great diversity of neighborhoods within the city itself.

So what if it's "dead" at night (which in my opinion isn't completely true). At least it's not overcrowded. Sure, Chicago has a 8-line transportation system and lots of busses and taxis, but it's always SO CROWDED! Being the 19th largest city in the US is good enough. There are rarely outbreaks here, and the city always comes together during sports (particularly Blues games). I love St. Louis, and will do my best to never leave.

Pretty accurate review for a non local guy! Add this to the annoying list: "where did you go to school" means high school not college here- you won't catch me asking that but don't be surprised if someone in their own little world here tries to size you up with that question . You are right downtown closes up early during the week, but when you know the city there's always great places to go :). But the driving everywhere is great to me, much prefer it to public transport. I go to Chicago or London it takes much longer to get around compared to here. Any city I return from, I always feel thankful to be back with my car in stl zipping around not wasting time.

why is that? if U dont mind explainng to me

Omg i know it is so hot here in st louis during the hot times

@gabriellelouise TRUE AND TRUE :)

While new fashion does take eons to trickle into St. Louis, we are certainly not uncultured or boring. Many of our museums are free, offering a chance at "culture" to many people who would not otherwise be able to experience it. As for the racism, I haven't noticed any, excluding some older folks. The city is segregated, but not intentionally--it dates back to racism from the 1960s, when there was high unemployment for blacks in East St. Louis. The humidity thing is accurate.

the best part about STL is that most of the cool shit is free lol

According to whom?

there is a bus company u don't have to drive I see the buses every day

the people are nice... Midwest hospitality baby. Im from St. Louis now in Biloxi, MS. They dont know what hospitality is down here.

I'm moving to St. Louis

Come to St. Louis--we're friendly and funny-looking!!!

My favorite parts of St.Louis are Forest Park, Union Station cause of my son :)

i LIVE in STL not in suburb but not downtown i live by Tower Grove Park i walk my dog there

I guess you never stopped in north county or broadway or martin luther king and sarah streets downtown? You would have really had some bad things to say then.

You don't have to drive, you can take the metrolink