Travel Guide: St. Louis, MO

Brian and I traveled to St. Louis for the first time last week. My best friend from college was getting married and I couldn’t miss her big day. Since we both had never been to St. Louis we wanted to make a long weekend out of it. My friend’s wedding was actually about an hour outside of St. Louis on a vineyard (Chaumette Vineyard and Winery). But, we stayed in Downtown St. Louis the whole time to be able to do the whole touristy thing while we were there. Today, I wanted to share with you where we stayed, what we did and where to eat.

Thank you so much for reading! xo, Nataly

WHERE WE STAYED

OUTFIT DETAILS: Tee || Sunglasses

Hotel Lumiere at the Arch 

Like I said above, we opted to stay in downtown St. Louis even though the wedding was about an hour away. Brian chose the hotel for us. I am not one for negative reviews, but I would NOT recommend this hotel to anyone. While, the location is ideal…the rooms, while super nice are not cleaned very well. We stayed there 3 nights and not once did they change the sheets or even refill our toiletries. And when we alerted the front desk they simply apologized and moved on. I would say skip this place and try another hotel in the downtown area.

WHAT WE DID

Louis & Clark Historical Site 

We arrived to St. Louis early on Friday morning, so that we could make the most of our trip. We went to go see a bridge that Brian was interested in and wound up in Illinois…much to our surprise. Then, we stumbled upon this Louis & Clark Historical Site. Brian really wanted to stop and I thought it would be interesting too! It was a free museum and in my opinion worth the stop.

St. Louis Cardinals Ballpark 

After our random trip to Illinios, we decided to stop at the Cardinals Ballpark to walk around. This stadium is truly amazing and a sight to see! There are some places to shop, a museum and restaurants too! Of course, I had to get a Cardinals tee. I am a collector of t-shirts and magnets on vacation. I always pick up a city or state magnet everywhere we visit. Our fridge is full of magnets from places we go. It is a fun little reminder of each trip!

The Arch & Museum

The arch was at the top of my list of things to see. It was really close to our hotel, so we walked to see it. There is a underground museum, as well as an elevator that goes up to the top of the arch. I chickened out of the elevator ride to the top. I have a huge fear of elevators and I just couldn’t see myself making it up there without an anxiety attack. The museum is relativity new and shows all the history on the arch, how it was built, etc. After, the museum we just decided to hang out on the arch steps for a while and people watch. It would be a great spot for a picnic too!

St. Louis Galleria Mall

I can’t seem to go to a new state or city without going to the mall. We really only went into Nordstrom to find a top for me. I didn’t pack enough (surprisingly) and needed an extra one! The mall was really nice though and the Nordstrom was one of the nicest I had been into in a long time.

Casino

Our hotel was a part of a casino, so Brian and I went down there a couple of times to try the slot machines. I hadn’t gambled in quite some time, so it was a lot of fun! The only problem I have with this casino is that people are allowed to smoke and the smell did get to me a couple of times. Also, you come out of there smelling of smoke too. We still enjoyed it though and I even won $40!

St. Louis Union Station

This was another fun experience. I had never been inside an actual Union Station before, so this was a first for me. They converted this one into a hotel and it was stunning. The architecture was beautiful both on the outside and inside. If we ever find ourselves back in St. Louis…this is where I want to stay. They also have a light/fire show each night. We didn’t get a chance to see it since we visited during the day, but I’ve heard it is pretty cool.

Bird Scooters

File this under things I never thought I would do…Brian has been begging me to try these scooters ever since we saw them in Dallas. I am terribly clumsy, so I thought there is no way I could ride one without hurting myself. But, since we were on vacation and found a relatively safe spot to try them (bike path), I gave it a shot. It was a lot of fun and didn’t hurt myself at all! It wasn’t as hard to balance either! I definitely wouldn’t do these on a busy street, but felt really confident on the bike path.

WHAT WE ATE

The Clover & The Bee

This restaurant was recommended to me by a St. Louis blogger, Hillary Cripps. I was so happy when we walked into this place. It was a bloggers Instagram dream. It was so cute and everything was so photograph-able. We ate breakfast here…I went for the a latte and egg sandwich while Brian tried the biscuits and gravy. Both of which we recommend. The area around this restaurant is super cute too — perfect for an afternoon stroll.

Adriana’s in Little Italy

I found this recommendation on Trip Advisor (which DID NOT steer me wrong this trip). Boy am I glad we picked this spot! It is located in the Italian District called “The Hill”. The food is so good too! They offer a ton of different Italian style sandwiches and salads. I would recommend choosing the half/half lunch combo…because the sandwiches are so large. Brian ordered a full sandwich and couldn’t finish it all.

Mission Taco Joint

This was my favorite restaurant of the trip! I couldn’t not try a taco place while on our trip. This one did not disappoint either! I just wish we had this restaurant in Dallas. I would be there probably once a week!

Rooster

This was another great breakfast spot. I would make sure to arrive early as there tends to be a long wait here. We arrived around 9:00am and only had to wait about 5-10 minutes before being seated. They are known for their crepes, but I decided to go for another egg sandwich. I just really wanted something savory as opposed to something sweet. The egg sandwich did not disappoint either.

Hendel’s

This was about 30 minutes from our hotel, but totally worth the drive. I would definitely recommend calling ahead to reserve a table. We didn’t and had to wait about 45 minutes…which wasn’t that bad, but if you are in more of a time crunch reservations are probably a good idea. This restaurant was originally a general store and butcher shop. In 1994, it was transformed into the restaurant that it is today. There is a gorgeous outside patio as well as inside dining. The food was also really good!

Uncle Bill’s Pancake House

On Sunday, before the wedding, we opted to try a pancaked house. We were both in the mood for pancakes. The first restaurant we tried was too packed, so we decided to try Uncle Bill’s. It was so yummy and I’m glad we ended up here. Also, another spot to arrive a little earlier rather than later. We waited a little while before getting seated.

WHAT I WORE

The weather while we were there was cooler than here in Dallas. So, I came prepared with items that could easily be layered together. I went for a couple light weight sweaters and cardigans that I could easily pair with both dresses and tanks. The weather warmed up a bit during the day, so it was perfect!

OUTFIT DETAILS: Thermal Button-Down || Leggings || Distressed Denim Jacket || Shoes || Bag || Suitcase

OUTFIT DETAILS: Tank || Cardigan || Jeans || Bag

OUTFIT DETAILS: Dress {comes in several different colors} || Clutch || Heels

OUTFIT DETAILS: Tank || Leggings || Shoes || Bag

OUTFIT DETAILS: Tee || Cardigan || Jeans || Shoes || Bag