The Explore All 50 States Project
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I can hear the commercial playing in my head ... Budweiser Beer, St. Louis, Missouri ... well guess what, St. Louis really IS the home of the Budweiser beer factory and not only can you take a tour of the factory, but you can even see those famous Clydesdales in person! This factory tour played right into our theme of The Immigrant Expreience, after all Budweiser Beer was started by a German immigrant named … [Read more...]
I am not sure I even have words to describe The City Museum, but my kids could not get enough of this place. Imagine a junkyard on steroids that you can play in. It's the playground of your wildest imagination come to life. The "museum" encompasses 4 floors and a rooftop deck where my kids and I spent hours. The kids climbed, slid, hung from ropes, crawled and rolled and that was just the tip of the iceberg of all … [Read more...]
If you love root beer (and even if you don’t), Fitz’s American Grill and Bottling Works is a fun place for dinner that everyone will enjoy. I found this place in a couple of my guidebooks and it sounded great-high end burgers and sandwiches, which to me read kid friendly sports bar cuisine. Located off the beaten path near the Washington University Campus, driving there we got a great view of the real St. … [Read more...]
The Gateway Arch is the iconic symbol of St. Louis, and you’ll see it right as you drive into the city. We saw it driving on the highway and then went to visit it while checking out the Museum of Western Expansion which is located underground below the arch. Apparently, you can take an elevator ride up the arch to a tiny viewing portal up at the top (not for the faint of heart). I don’t know about you, but you … [Read more...]
I wish the kids and I had actually gotten a chance to check out International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame, instead we were killing time in the St. Louis Cardinals team shop across the street....Ugh—I can’t stress enough the importance of checking hours of operation before you set out each day-this is a great example of missing something truly great because I wasn't on top of my info. By the time we … [Read more...]
The Magic House Children’s Museum is an interesting place for younger kids, and great if you need to fill some time in between some historical stuff with some fun as well as thought provoking activities. Most of the hands on displays are very science oriented and my kids had a blast running around and checking everything out. Some of the more memorable things to do included playing with magnets-check out what … [Read more...]
Located under the Gateway Arch is the Museum of Westward Expansion which houses some of the rarest artifacts from the days of Louis and Clark. This is a fitting place for this museum as the arch is on the banks of the Mississippi River, the gateway to the west over which many explorers and pioneers headed out to settle the Louisiana Purchase and seek their fortune. In all honesty, the kids started to moan when I … [Read more...]
If you are a St. Louis Cardinals fan or you just like like baseball, you can do what we did and check out Busch Stadium. We're not huge baseball fans but we thought it would be really fun to walk around and check out this historic stadium. Sadly just as we arrived it had closed, there was no game, so we headed to the team shop and perused the goods. We didn't buy anything but it was fun to look around. To … [Read more...]
Every guidebook we read said that Ted Drewes Frozen Custard was a St. Louis original not to be missed so we were really excited and intrigued to try this unique dessert treat. When we arrived there was a line which we found out is a constant thing here. When we finally approached the window we were given the choice of a frozen custard or a concrete. The custard is a lot like ice cream only creamier and richer. I … [Read more...]
Louisiana definitely has it's own distinct charm. Most folks only get to see New Orleans but we were fortunate to explore from Shreveport all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. The Pelican State in my opinion is the most unique is so many ways-from it's ecosystems and the folks who live within them along the bayou and along the coast to it's distinctive cajun and creole cuisine. Couple that with it's lively music and … [Read more...]
