It is worth making a trip to The Loop in University City to have dinner at Blueberry Hill. It’s known among locals for its eclectic collection of various vintage odds and ends displayed around the restaurant, everything from lunchboxes to action figures. It’s also known for its great jukebox. They serve burgers and other specialty sandwiches, and they host live music performances on the weekends.
A trip to Lone Elk Park is worth the 40-minute drive from downtown, west on Interstate 44. In addition to being a peaceful setting for a picnic or bird watching, it also provides driving trails through wooded areas where wild bison, elk and other animals live.
A little further along Interstate 44 is Route 66 state park , in the former area of Times Beach. The park main road is part of what was old Rte 66. The visitor center was a well known inn along old Rte 66, now nicely renovated with a museum of Rte 66 memorabilia and a gift shop with a lot of Rte 66 items, including postcards, tshirts, books and the kind of items one used to buy along the old highway. The museum is right next to the old bridge across the Meramec river ( the Hwy 44 bridge is just south).
For dessert, head to Ted Drewes, a local favorite serving frozen custard in unique, flavorful concoctions. With two locations, on S. Grand Blvd and Chippewa, wherever you are coming from, you will be glad you made the drive. It’s the perfect way to end a day in the hot summer of St. Louis.
For the kids and more adventerous adults, The City Museum, a wild jungle gym of recycled materials, is a great place to visit. It is located right off of Washington Avenue in downtown St. Louis and is immedietly recognizable by the schoolbus balanced on the roof, and the assortment of tunnels, towers, and planes (!) in front of the building.
Laumeier Sculpture Park in Sunset Hills is not a place you would stumble upon, but its array of huge sculptures - some over 40 feet tall - makes it a one-of-a-kind destination. The park features a walking trail and plenty of greenery and solitude.
About 20 miles west of St. Louis in Chesterfield's Faust Park, you find one of the most remarkable spaces in the area: The Butterfly House. You'll be amazed at the variety and sheer number of butterflies in a relatively condensed area. It's also a great place to warm up if the weather is chilly. While you're visiting Faust park, take a stroll through the historic village, consisting of buildings relocated from throughout the area. There's also the 1921 Denzel Carousel.
South of St. Louis, in Imperial, MO, you'll find the Mastodon State Historic Site, which conatins an important archaelogical site - the Kimmswick Bone Bed. It is one of the most extensive Pleistocene ice age deposits in the country. There is an interpretive museum with exhibits that include a full-size Mastodon skeleton.
If you are interested in antiques, you'll need to wander away from the tradtional downtown tourist sites. Two highly recommended areas are Cherokee Street, just south and east of the Anheuser-Busch Brewery, and Main Street St. Charles, a tremendous tourist attraction in its own right.
A very charming and fun area that most tourists never find is downtown Kirkwood, with its many shops and restaurants. You'll feel like you've stumbled into a very cool small town. To get there, head west/south on Interstate 44 and exit on Lindbergh Blvd. Head a couple miles north. Look for the old town hall and train station on the left, find a meter and explore! You'll also find different versions of downtown fun in Maplewood, Clayton, Webster Groves and Ladue. If you haven't had enough, head east to Belleville and Edwardsville.