lost in exploration | saint louis
an 11-day road trip starting in Indianapolis, visiting 10 cities in five days
end of day ten:
4 | 30 | 2023 (Sunday)
We arrived to our downtown Saint Louis Airbnb around 6PM on Sunday evening. By this time we were both so tired and hungry from our travels that we had to unload the car and grab a bite to eat sooner rather than later. The Airbnb was super cute and at a great price point!
The hosts own the entire building, and it’s filled with 11 more Airbnbs from one to two bedrooms. Would definitely stay in one of the other rooms next time!
Mural downtown STL
Once we were done unloading the car, we walked a block over to Bridge Tap House & Wine Bar for dinner. Loved walking by the colorful mural on the way, too.
Bridge was a great, moody vibe with a ton of different beer and wine options. However, neither of us enjoyed our dinner: grilled cheese, mac n’ cheese, and the duck salad. We also tried the tipsy cheese spread as an appetizer, but the waitress wasn’t sure what type of cheese it was. It tasted like goat cheese, which I don’t enjoy, and Tabs wasn’t very excited about it either.
Overall, we’d give the restaurant another try. Definitely recommend it for drinks, plus they have a cheese and charcuterie a la carte menu if you’re into those!
After dinner we walked back to the room and hunkered down for the night. We had a full day planned for our 11th and final day!
day eleven:
5 | 01 | 2023 (Monday)
We woke up early to start the day, our last day before heading home. After a somewhat disappointing dinner, we were hopeful that breakfast would make up for it. We walked to Rooster only two blocks away and enjoyed another beautiful morning. We both loved the quirky design, and it was not busy at 8:30AM on a Monday.
Tabs ordered the Pork Slinger and really enjoyed it. I, however, tried the Farmer’s Platter and was disappointed… again. During this trip, I learned the lesson of only ordering scrambled eggs when I go out because if I try to order fried eggs, they’re never cooked longer than easy; I don’t like runny eggs (or whites). I wouldn’t mind trying something else from Rooster; maybe I was just ready to be home and not constantly eating out. :)
Once we were done with breakfast, we walked back to the Airbnb to load-up the car and check out. Added time on the parking meter and left the car parked while we walked through two sculpture parks on the way to the Gateway Arch.
2 Arcs x 4 230.5 Degree Arc x 5 Sculpture
We walked through Gateway Park and then Citygarden. The names of each sculpture in order of photos:
Untitled (two bunnies)
Untitled (red ringed figurine)
Big White Gloves, Big Four Wheels (Pinocchio sculpture)
We both really enjoyed walking through, soaking up the gardens and sculptures. It’s such a great space in the middle of downtown STL! I fell in love with all of the beautiful Iris flowers.
Beautiful Iris garden
Eventually, we made it to The Gateway Arch, just under a mile from our Airbnb. We purchased tickets ahead of time for the 10:30AM time-slot: $18.50/person including fees.
View looking west from the top of the Arch
We arrived early in order to snap some photos before heading in for the tour. I’ve been in the Arch before - when I was in fourth grade - but of course don’t remember much. This was a first for Tabs; she was a little nervous in the beginning but felt it was a fun experience.
Thankfully, it wasn’t as windy in the morning when we were up there as it was in the afternoon; the wind in the afternoon was bananas! You could feel the Arch move a little when leaning to look out the small windows. Since it was a clear day without too much haze, we could see far, about 30 miles! It was also cool seeing the shadow of the Arch from 630 feet in the air. Definitely recommend the tour if you’ve never been to STL and/or in the Arch.
On our walk back to the car, the wind picked up even more. At times it would catch me off guard, blowing my hair every which direction, and cause me to stumble. It. Was. Wild! We made a quick stop at Pharaoh’s Donuts, but I don’t have any photos. The signage was lacking as well as the interior. But, the donuts were still decent! :)
Before heading west to grab coffee and check out the zoo, we drove by the City Museum, which we definitely want to visit next time. It looks like so much fun with indoor and outdoor playgrounds for kids of all ages to explore!
Kaldi’s Coffee has a few locations within the STL area, and we visited The Euclid location. It took us a while to figure out where we were going and then walk there, but we managed to find it. It was a busy place for a Monday afternoon and completely understand why: a great coffee shop to do some individual work, meet with friends or just chill.
Outside view of City Museum
The Euclid location - Kaldi’s Coffee
After our caffeine break to help us get through the rest of the day, we made it to the Saint Louis Zoo! I don’t remember the last time I was at the zoo, but Tabs had her must-see list: flamingos and zebras!
The zoo is always free, but it’s $15 to park. Not a bad deal at all! We parked in the south lot, which isn’t too far a walk from the entrance. Grabbed a couple of maps and made our way to see the flamingos! Stopped to say hi to the polar bear that was chillin’ and eventually made it to the flamingos walking around in the pond. Tabs was in heaven! From there we walked to Red Rocks to see the zebras (check out a photo of the map), which happened to be right next door to camels! It was a win-win! Super cool to see so many zebras up close as well as the camels. We only stayed/walked around for about an hour before heading to our last stop. We wanted to get on the road home around 3:30-4:00PM, especially since we had to switch back to eastern time.
Our final stop for the entire trip: Maypop Coffee & Garden Shop… because of course plants and coffee! Technically, it’s just outside of Saint Louis. We got there just before 3PM and had to grab a cold brew while we shopped. Cute place to work, drink coffee, and be surrounded by plants! We both purchased a plant or two as well as shopped their sweet merch. It was a great place to end such a great adventure and experience!
Maypop exterior
Maypop exterior garden area
About four hours later, due to a couple of stops for gas and food, we made it back to my house just before 9:00PM. It was bittersweet to be home with the Pup-dog and Stu but also ending the 11-day trip with Tabs. We are both excited to continue small adventures near home but also ready to plan the next cross-country road trip! So, where to next?!?
Have suggestions for Saint Louis that you don’t see listed below? Drop them in the comments so I can add them to my list!
mapping the details:
For reference, pink pin is our Airbnb. Otherwise, all locations listed left to right.
Maypop Coffee & Garden Shop - 803 Marshall Ave, Webster Groves
Saint Louis Zoo - 1 Government Dr
Kaldi’s Coffee (multiple locations) - The Euclid, 52 N Euclid Ave
City Museum - 750 N 16th St
Rooster - 1025 Washington Ave
Pharaohs Donuts - 202 N 9th St
Gateway Park & Citygarden Sculpture Park - 801 Market St
on our list for next time:
Donuts Drive-In
John’s Donuts
Blueprint Coffee
St. Louis Art Museum
Missouri Botanical Garden
Thaxton Speakeasy