We just got home from a 2 week road trip from the East coast to St. Louis. I see this destination mentioned frequently when people are planning a road trip. St. Louis is, “The Gateway to the West!” so it makes sense that lots of road trippers pass through this exciting city.
Now, we have the benefit of my husband’s family living right outside the city. When we visit, we live like locals.
I will give you the best tips I found traveling with my four young children to St. Louis.
Places to Stay in St. Louis with a Family
Jellystone In Eureka
Eureka is very accessible to the city and suburbs of St. Louis, there was a Dollar Tree, Walmart and a Culvers. Everything we needed right outside the campground.
We spent 4 nights at Jellystone in a cottage.
The cottage was a great fit for our family. It sleeps 6, so we only needed one cottage and the price was very reasonable.
We chose this based on a recommendation and it was a really nice change from a hotel room.
It was a really comfortable place to stay, and we didn’t have to pack anything extra. They provided bedding, towels, and small appliances. They had lots of fun things for the kids to do.
We chose to buy the “Boo-boo bracelet” which gave us unlimited mini golf, a few tokens for the arcade and a discount on food. I would recommend this only if you plan to spend some time at the campground. It was affordable and we enjoyed it.
| Pros | Cons |
| Included Linens | No Breakfast |
| Arcade, mini golf, playground | Very small second bedroom |
| Fire Pit | Difficult checkout checklist |
| Stand alone cabin | Rowdy neighbors |
| Daily train ride and Yogi appearance |
They have 2 bedrooms and a fold out sofa. I found the kid bunk bedroom frighteningly small. So much so that I did not allow my kids to sleep in there. If you children are old enough to use fire escape windows you may be more comfortable using this room.
My kids played in the second bedroom during the day, but slept on the futon at night.
The last thing I want to mention about Jellystone, is the checkout process. There are posted instructions about what steps you need to take when you are leaving.
- Putting dirty towels in the bathtub
- Washing all dishes
- Putting trash bags at the street etc…
This was all very doable, but it was more work than checking out of a hotel.
Fairfield Inn and Suites By Marriott Fenton Mo
When looking for a hotel with kids, you gotta have the indoor pool! This hotel fit the bill, we even splurged and spent one night in the suites to have the extra room and the kitchen.
This was an affordable option, close to a Walmart, which we visited to buy swim diapers!
The pool was very small and dated. The kids could not have cared less. The strong smell and poorly maintained pool meant that we did not visit too often during our visit.
The breakfast during our stay was also a low point. The kids were happy to eat Honey Nut Cheerios every morning, but the adults ended up buying breakfast off site for a few days.
Things to Do in St. Louis
St. Louis Aquarium
The aquarium in St. Louis is pretty new.
St. Louis was the only major city without an aquarium and when Lodging Hospitality Management bought the historic train depot, they knew they wanted to include one.
It was breathtaking.
I was impressed by the number of interactive exhibits. The kids could play with boats, bridges and landforms to see how water moves, touch starfish, rays and other marine life. There were crafts to do, books to read and tunnels to crawl through.
This was a great experience.
When you enter the aquarium, you have the option to begin with a train experience. The building used to be an enormous train depot. Skip the train experience if you are prone to motion sickness, it was a cool way to start the trip, but I left a bit green.
When you are done with the aquarium, there are lots of other things you can do in the renovated space.
- Displays describing the history of the building
- Koi pond with a fire show
- Climate controlled Ferris Wheel
- Carousel
- Playground
- Carnival Games
- Restaurants
You can easily spend a whole day there. My kids loved it.
Wild Bird Sanctuary/ Bison Reserve
My father in law brought us to the Wild Bird Sanctuary and it was such an amazing trip.
Our trip cost a suggested donation of $8 per vehicle. This is a new charge and until now has been free.
When we parked there was a really beautiful playground area with picnic tables. This would be a great place for a picnic lunch as it was very shaded.
Once we were ready to go see the birds, you walk down a gentle hill and there is one long paved walkway that is lined with bird enclosures.
Each enclosure includes information about the species of bird and their population around the world and the stories of the individual birds and how they came to the sanctuary.
The owls stole our hearts. The hawks were amazing too.
It was moving y’all. The stories were beautiful and really made the experience so much cooler.
Once you have walked the path you turn around and see the enclosures on the other side of the path.
On the way out I recommend you stop by the porch of the rehabilitation building and read the stories of the work they are doing. Super cool group of people.
When you leave the Wild Bird Sanctuary, you will find Lone Elk Park. This is a drive through reserve where you can see Bison!
Places to Eat in St. Louis
Iron Barley
This was totally a local find. My brother in law recommended this restaurant, which is a bit outside the city.
This is a hole in the wall with great, creative menu items.
We got big plates of food, pork loin, mashed potatoes, green beans, pulled pork ravioli and a very neat special that was a grilled cheddar wrapped in bacon covered in sauteed mushrooms.
We also loved their mixed drinks.
You’ll like it here.
Landry’s Seafood
When we were visiting the St. Louis Aquarium, we ate at Landry’s for lunch.
I was nervous to be there with 4 young kids, because it was FANCY! They were great and gave us a large table and were very gracious with the kids.
The food was incredible. This was one of those meals you remember!
We had local salmon, shrimp po boys and fried fish. It was all delicious and my kids loved it.
I thought the salad was delicious. It was a simple $3 side salad, but if I ever go back that is on my list to eat again! Spend the money, get the salad!
This was an upscale meal and I think your family will love it.
Culvers
Culvers is a regional chain restaurant in St. Louis, and if you have never been, it is a fun one to check off the list.
Culvers is known for its ‘butter burgers’ which reminded me a lot of a Stake n Shake, think crispy burger.
The service was very good and the kids were happy!
Imo’s Pizza
A Missouri classic, Imo is a regional Pizza chain.
The pizza at Imo’s is a very thin crust pizza that is cut into squares. The cheese mix includes provolone and it creates a really unique pizza.
Be warned, locals say that no one outside of Missouri can appreciate it.
Raising Cane’s
Another regional chain, Raising Cane makes one thing, chicken tenders. I loved the simple menu, your choices are just the number of tenders! You can also get tenders between two buns.
The chicken tenders come with Cane Sauce, which was a complex creamy sauce that was unlike any other condiment I have ever had.
We grabbed two Caniac boxes and that was plenty for our family of 6.
I am adding these two restaurants because these were great experiences because they are local favorites. If you talk to someone from the area they will ask if you tried the food here. Plus Post Malone loves Cane’s so we had to give it a try!
