I had never been to Missouri. As Thing 2 and I planned out our mother-daughter trip, I said I wanted to visit one of the handful of states I’d never seen. Missouri was one of those states.
Forest Park
After leaving Louisville, we drove across the farmlands of Indiana and Illinois to St. Louis – “Gateway to the West.” A friend of mine who grew up in Louisville said that literally anytime they did a trip out west, they would drive through St. Louis.
The first place we headed was Forest Park, home of the 1904 World’s Fair. Larger than Central Park, it boasts several museums, playing fields for various sports and two lakes. We dashed quickly into the Missouri History Museum. Although Thing 2 wasn’t into it, I learned that during the Civil War, both the North and the South wanted Missouri. It was considered a border state and had residents fighting on both sides.
We then went over to the St. Louis Zoo at a bargain price – free admission except for parking. The day was sunny and warm. Everyone was outside and the zoo was spectacular. Divided into six sections, the zoo was easy to navigate. Afterwards we drove through Washington University, home of 15,000 co-ed students.
Gateway Arch
After checking into the hotel, we walked across the street to the Gateway Arch. They had sold out of tickets, but were still open to answer questions. I hadn’t planned on going up to the top since I have three aversions: I don’t like elevators, I’m slightly claustrophobic and sometimes I’m afraid of heights.
The people at the information desk showed me a model of what the elevator would be like if we returned the following day for tickets. “There is no way I’m going in that thing,” I immediately said when I peered into a rickety pre-1970’s Ferris wheel car. Instead of a view outside, it was dark – a view of the interior of the arch. Thing 2 was adamant. “We can’t come all the way here and not do this.” She was too young to ride it by herself at age 10, so I said I’d think about it.
We walked a bit around downtown and ate dinner at our hotel. Sure enough, the next morning we got in line and purchased tickets to the top of the Arch. The 4-minute ride seemed to take much longer. We sat across from two college boys from Nebraska. At the top, there were tiny little windows to peer outside.
Despite not wanting to stay at the top too long, we did look outside for outstanding views of the city. Below, we could see the Old Courthouse and decided to visit it as well.
Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis
According to my AAA Travel Guide, the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis has one of the largest mosaic collections. We decided to see it before leaving the city.
Amazing! We couldn’t get over the detailed mosaics totaling 83,000 square feet. Later I learned it took over 70 years to complete. As we looked up at the domes, the rose window and the side chapel in awe, we took pictures. The camera couldn’t do it justice and unfortunately, those were the pictures that I accidentally deleted. I recommend you go to their website to see pictures and a video.