This was a fun, interesting and worthwhile place to visit while in the area. The museum was very interesting - we could have spent another hour there. The movie about the making of the arch was incredible! Loved it! Brought me back to the '60s when the NY World's Fair was built - right about the same time. And the trip up and down the Arch was fun - squeezed in and met some interesting people on both trips. The view was great. Loved everything about this!
Poorly marked entrances made locating the way to get into this attraction difficult. First we walked to one end of the arch. No, that was just an exit. Then we trudged to the other end of the arch. No, that was also an exit. We made a long walk to the entrance hidden in between the arches, at a good distance from there.
We were asked briefly if we were claustrophobic before buying our tickets to the ride to the top of the arch. Who knew we would be cramped in a tiny car seating 5 on top of several strangers? The windows at the top are small slits, not the large windows I had hoped for. Coming down it was 3 minutes instead of 4 on top of strangers. Didn't have time to view the interesting exhibits.
Went on a Sunday night when there was no lines. The museum is fantastic and the ride to the top is smoother than I remember with a bigger window to see the ride. Still small at the top but it was cool seeing St Louis at night. It’s one of those iconic things you just stand at look at, and there aren’t that many man-made items like that in my book.
This is a must-see while in St Louis. Buy tickets for early in the day to avoid crowds and long lines, and allow plenty of time to find your way in and get through security. I highly recommend watching the 30 minute movie on how the arch was built, just incredible and really makes you appreciate the ride to the top even more.
There is a full museum inside so you can wander around until time for your ride to the top. Also a small snack bar, which is convenient since there are no restaurants right next door.
The cable car ride takes 4 minutes to the top. They are small cars that cram five adults into a space for two lol. I would not recommend this if you are claustrophobic. There is a sample car in the museum that you can check out first if you want.
The view from the top was great! You can stay up there as long as you want and then catch any cable car going back down.
The cable cars are not for anyone with physical disabilities. There are lots of stairs in and out, and we had to stand for 20 minutes or so waiting our turns.
Enjoy!
We did one of the earliest tours and had plenty of time to go through the museum after we went up in the arch. It’s really an experience that everyone should do! The view is great.
