Things To Do
The Gateway Arch
If you have time on the day of the wedding or the day after, we recommend visiting the Gateway Arch National Park. Whether you want to have a picnic on the lawn, take a picture, ride the tram up to the top, or just walk through the FREE museum at the base, this National landmark is a great addition to your St. Louis To-Dos. We recommend making reservations ahead of time and purchasing tickets if you plan on riding the tram up to the top using the website listed. Note: this is a 40 minute drive from Festus, Missouri where the hotels are located.
Saint Louis Zoo
St. Louis has MANY free events and attractions (which is one of the reasons we live here), including the St. Louis Zoo. This zoo is making huge strides with animal and habitat conservation and is a great addition to your "Things to Do in St. Lou" while you are visiting. Located in Forest Park, you can see many different species of animals including polar bears, otters, tigers, lions, and walk through the Fragile Forest to see the newly constructed outdoors monkey exhibit. And did we mention that admission is free? Note: this is a 45 minute drive from Festus, Missouri where the hotels are located.
Forest Park
Forest Park is the largest urban park in the United States...yes, it is larger than Central Park in New York City! Forest Park has great biking and walking trails and houses the St. Louis Zoo, the St. Louis Art Museum, and the St. Louis History Museum (which all offer free admission). It also has an outdoor skating rink and a 27-hole golf course for the people that want to get a few swings in before the wedding. If the weather is nice, you can always go for a walk or run around the perimeter of the park and catch lunch and a drink at the Boathouse, located right next to the World Fair Pavilion. Note: this is a 45 minute drive from Festus, Missouri where the hotels are located.
Missouri Botanical Garden
If you are looking for a peaceful walk around gorgeous landscapes and flowers, you should check out the Missouri Botanical Garden in Tower Grove. This is not a free admission (unless you are a member), but it has beautiful gardens you can walk around and a massive indoors greenhouse called the Climatron with tropical plants. Note: this is a 40 minute drive from Festus, Missouri where the hotels are located.
Cliff Cave County Park
If you are on the adventurous side and want to go for a hike, we Recommend Cliff Cave Park (30 minutes north of Festus, Missouri) for a series of trails that weave through the woods, in streams, and on paved walkways. You can also fish here with a Missouri fishing license if you would like. There are other great hiking spots located around St. Louis, including Castlewood State Park in Ballwin (40 minutes away from Festus, Missouri where the hotels are located) or Queeny Park off of Manchester (40 minutes away from Festus, Missouri where the hotels are located). If you want something very adventurous, you can check out Lone Elk Park in Fenton, Missouri (2 minutes away from where Justin and Abigail live) to drive through or walk the trails to see elk, bison, turkeys, waterfowl, and deer. This park is a wildlife conservation that began by rescuing elk from Yellowstone National Park in 1966. Since then, the park added bison from the St. Louis Zoo and other wildlife.
City Foundry STL
If you are looking for a place to shop, eat, and have fun, you can check out the City Foundry located in Midtown. This place has local shops from small business owners that you can browse, a Puttshack to play putt putt golf with friends, and a variety of local restaurants in the Food Hall (almost like a food court in a mall) where you can try Korean Tacos, Middle Eastern curry, poke bowls, waffles, St. Louis sandwiches, crepes, and so much more!