| Tips and photos for Saint Louis vacations and tourism, posted by real travelers and Saint Louis locals. Saint Louis Map |
 | Saint Louis General Tips | Tips 1 - 10 of 117 |  |
 Lewis & Clark Exhibit at
Missouri History Museum by deecat
The new Lewis & Clark Exhibition at the Missouri Historical Museum costs $12.00 and is worth it. This exhibition celebrates 200 years since the Lewis & Clark expedition.
Outside the exhibit, the experience began as a staff member used a fur-covered box to demonstrate the Indians' skill at using materials in their environment, showing the use of buffalo sinew, porcupine guill, a feather, etc. After purchasing tickets, we viewed a video with background information to prepare us for the exhibit itself.
Jill's impressions on the Special Exhibition of Lewis & Clark:
Today's style of interactive material is very evident. Extremely thorough signs at the exhibit are supplemented by material given through earphones like those at the Art Museum which are computer regulated and easily used. Visitors had a choice in the order that they moved through the exhibit; thus, the crowd moved quite smoothly, not crowding at one spot. I was impressed by the quality of the background information given by the curator and other experts.
The Historical Society's exhibit had several interactive choices that were fun and challenging such as matching plants with descriptions and scents; playing a game to see how Clark communicated with Indians through many interpreters.
When the visitor successfully matched the order of interpretation, he/she could listen to a message being transmitted in 4 languages (English, French, Shoshone, and Hidatsu). Another game let visitors match fur or paw prints with animals.
The exhibit featured good signs that were visible in the low light. The signs told the owner of each artifact and also indicated which were reproductions. As a worker in a little museum, I was astonished at the artifacts gathered from many sources, including private collectors; though, many came from the Smithsonian and Harvard's Peabody Museum.
I especially liked the thoroughness of attribution. For example, a beautiful tanned hide dress was thought to be Sacajawea's but not authenticated. It would have been tempting to just say that it was hers.
The exhibit was thorough, but very visitor-friendly and understandable by children. I loved it all and have never seen a better presentation, and I am a museum-goer. Leave a Comment
|
 | |  |
Visiting Saint Louis?
Read reviews about Saint Louis Hotels
Real Reviews from Real VirtualTourist Members.
 The Cathedral Basilica of
Saint Louis by deecat
What a glorious place. The architecture of the exterior is Romanesque with granite walls, two massive towers, and rose windows. The main dome is on an elevated drum that is pierced by Romanesque windows. It's the first roof that I've seen that is covered in brilliant green tiles which can be seen for miles.
The architecture of the inside is of Byzantine tradition. It has soaring domes, soffits, pendentive, arches, and the lunettes are paved with incredible mosaics. The literature indicates that there are "83,000 square feet of mosaic art created by twenty artists and installed over a period of seventy-five years"
These are Italian style mosaic mostly and were installed by either the Gorham Comapny or the Tiffany and Company.
This Cathedral Basilica has the largest mosaic collection in the world, "created by 20 different artists and covering 83,000 square feet." Can you imagine 41.5 MILLION pieces of glass and 7,000 colors. This was started in 1912 and not completed until 1988. It is the reason the Cathedral is designated a Basilica. I thought that the Mosaics of Ravenna, Italy, were great, but this is spectacular.
There is a Cathedral Shop on the west side of the vestibule that is open Mon.-Sunday from noon until 4 :00 pm. The proceeds are used for maintenance of the building.
When Jill and I arrived at theCathedral Basilica, Mass was in session, so we visited the Mosaics Museum located on the lower level. I would suggest to everyone to visit this museum FIRST.
It shows the construction of the building and the creation and installation of its mosaics. In addition, the burial crypt of John Cardinal Glennon (he initiated the construction of the Cathedral) is located in this museum.
It is open from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Leave a Comment
|
| | |
 Ticket from Osage Art Exhibit by deecat
This text was written by Jill Martin after we visited the Saint Louis Art Museum.
The St. Louis Art Museum featured an exhibit on the Art of the Osage Indians. In this exhibit, "art" is meant as any artifact made by the Osage, for utility or decoration. Items were loaned from the Smithsonian and other museums, but much of the 20th century material came from a family of Osage artisans, one of whom was featured on an accompanying video.
The exhibit offered audio headsets, with much background information provided by the curator and by Osage Indians. The audio was programed to correspond with numbers on signs so that the exhibit could be viewed in any order.
Traditional glass cases contained several examples of an item, such as clothing, headdresses, quilts. A neutral background emphasized the brilliant colors of the objects.
In the video, the current Principal Chief of the Osage nation told the history of their removal from the area of Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas to Osage and other counties in Oklahoma.
He said the Osage kept title to the mineral rights of their land; so, when oil was discovered in the 1920's, they became rich. Unfortunately, they lost most of their money during the Depression. The original 20,000 declined to 1000, but today they have rebounded to 20,00 again.
The beautiful handwork of the women was shown, including quilts commemorating Osage soldiers in World War I and II.
Other hand made items include "wedding jackets" with a history. Colonial soldiers gave Osage Indian chiefs military jackets. Too small for the men, the jackets were appropriated by women, and a tradition grew of using the jackets in place of wedding gowns. Osage women sewed and decorated new jackets; traditionalists still wear them today at their weddings.
I found the story of their attempts to join modern society while retaining their historic attitudes very moving. The Native American churches of the Osage served as an example of their retention of their own values. Leave a Comment
|
| | |
 Private Train:RailCruise
America by deecat
While Jill and I were going back and forth to our hotel, The Hyatt Regency at Union Station, we noticed a beautiful green train on the tracks.
Now, that was rather curious since the Union Station has been closed as a railroad terminal since 1978. We looked into this mystery and discovered that the green train is a private train that is used for dinner cruises and private events.
Rail Cruise America offers romantic dinner cruises most Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings. Each dinner cruise lasts two to three hours. It is advertised as an "elegant dining experience."
he executive chef, Michael Slay, says that he makes sure the meal is a memorable one.
If you decide to take a Rail Cruise through RailCruise America, you will be seated in one of the luxuriously appointed rail cars that feature "rich mahogany, black walnut, polished brass, and hunter green and gold accents." This Rail Cruise is noted for its impeccable service and exquisite cuisine.
The train departs from St. Louis Union Station, but the literature does not say what the destination will be.
How exciting it would be to be able to afford to book a longer excursion for a private event such as an anniversary party, retirement party, or birthday party.
For prices, reservations, and more information, see the telephone number and website listed below:
Telephone: (314)231-9500
Website: www.railcruiseamerica.com
Address: #400 Union Station, St. Louis, MO
63103
This certainly represents a one-of-a-kind dining experience. Leave a Comment
|
| | |
 A brochure of the
Missouri Botanical Garden by deecat
Because we love nature so much, we were eager to see this famous Botanical Garden which is known throughout the nation as the best in the United States!
The Missouri Botanical Garden opened in 1859 and has been designated as a National Historic Landmark.
It covers 79 acres and is a center for botanical research, education, and horticultural display.
This year because of the Lewis and Clark Expedition celebration, be sure to see an exhibit of plants encountered by Lewis and Clark.
There are narrated tram Tours, a Garden Cafe, a Garden Gate Shop.
Parking is FREE
Information needed:
Open:
9 a.m.-5 p.m. seven days a week
(Closed Christmas)
Memorial Day to Labor Day: Open Wednesday evenings until 9 p.m.
Morning walking hours: Wed.-Sat. 7-9 a.m.
Accessibility:
Accessible to people of all abilities
Location:
Known as "an oasis in the city"
4344 Shaw Boulevard
A short drive southeast of Forest Park.
Admission:
$7.00 for ages 13-64
$5 for age 65 and over
St. Louis City/County Residents:
$3 for ages 13-64
$1.50 for age 65 and older
FREE for members & children 12 & under
SPECIAL ADMISSION CHARGE FOR SOME
EVENTS
Things to see:
Climatron conservatory
a geodesic dome greenhouse of tropical rain forest, waterfalls, and birds.
Seiwa-en:
An authentic 14 acre Japanese garden (The largest in North America)
Kemper Center for Home Gardening:
Nation's most comprehensive resource center for gardening information with 23 demonstration gardens over 8 acres.
Victorian area:
A formal Victorian-style garden with an observatory overlooking a maze of 8-foot hedges.
Shoenberg Temperate House:
A tiled Moorish garden, carnivorous plant bog, and "Plants of the Bible" area.
In addition, there are areas for Roses, English Woodlands, and Orchids to name a few.
I regret missing this outstanding Botanical Garden. Guess I will have to return to St. Louis.
(Note: This is not my photograph. I scanned it from a brochure.) Leave a Comment
|
| | |
Visiting Saint Louis?
Read reviews about Saint Louis Hotels
Real Reviews from Real VirtualTourist Members.
A great starting point is the famous Gateway Arch, downtown near the Mississippi River. This huge, amazing architectural marvel, completed in the 1965, has an excellent museum inside & a very good gift shop. A National Historic monument guarantees that is is impressive. The ride up to the viewing windows at the top is worth the price, but try to go on a weekday to avoid a long line.
We had an incredible, free concert/ fireworks series outside there this last summer; I went 4 times! The Fourth of July weekend has a big event with music, food & fireworks. I've enjoyed that, too, sitting right under the Arch! You can count on this event happening again in 2008.
The first time I saw the Arch was in 1966. I was visiting the city for a youth conference. My host made a point of driving us by the Arch. It still impresses after all these years! Leave a Comment
|
If you do anything while traveling do this. Stop at all the visitor centers you can. There are always coupons for hotels, restaurants, events, and they usually have some kind of information on stuff going on while your passing through. You also get free maps. If you have any questions about how to get to places they are usually good at giving great directions and they can tell you what highways to avoid because of construction. We have a lot of that going on here.
I love to go to Cardinal baseball games. The way the fans are and the way the players are is fantastic. The food is great but can be a little pricey. Blues games are always fun to go to also. But if you can go to a night game at Busch Stadium it is a great experience, expecially for the little ones. Leave a Comment
|
On the St. Louis tourism web portal I was pleased to see the addresses for several tourist information centres listed. I made it part of my plan to visit the one at the airport as soon as we arrived in the city, hoping to get a bit more information to flesh out our sightseeing plans. It ended up being rather comical. The information centres are staffed by volunteers, and when we were there it was a couple in (I'm guessing) their late 70's, who are EXTREMELY hard of hearing, and somewhat confused as well. It turned out to be almost painful just to get a map and a tourist pamphlet out of them. They seemed totally baffled why I was asking them these questions. Clearly any more complex queries were not possible. Anyway, my point is don't count on getting a lot of information, other than the publications put out by the tourist board, from the information centre, as the volunteers may not be well trained and/or selected. Leave a Comment
|
| | |
 by SLLiew
Walkabout and/or use the Metrolink/Metrobus to get around the major landmarks of St. Louis.
Do not miss the St. Louis riverfront and the famous Busch Stadium which is the homebase of St Louis Cardinals basketball team as well as the Old St. Louis Union Station for shopping and dining.
|
 by kylock
Imagine me drunk and stumbling around every place mentioned here. . . Leave a Comment
|
|
| Best Saint Louis Travel Deals |
Seven Gables Inn
Unique hotel located in Clayton Book online or call 314-863-8400 Hotels in St Louis
Spacious Suites w/ a Full Kitchen. Lowest Web Rates. Official Site! Hotel in St. Louis
Luxury Hotel Near Top Attractions & Airport. Weekend Rates from $79! Saint Louis Missouri Hotels
Get Our Best Price Guarantee on All Hotels in Saint Louis at Expedia. Missouri Travel
Visiting Missouri? Enjoy the Best of the Show-Me-State! Plan Online. Sponsored Links
- The Parkway Hotel
4550 Forest Park Boulevard, Saint Louis, MO - Days Inn St Louis At Airport
4545 Woodson Road I-70 & Airport Exit 236, Saint Louis, MO - Chase Park Plaza
212 - 232 N. Kingshighway Blvd., Saint Louis, MO - Drury Inn & Suites Convention Center
711 North Broadway, Saint Louis, MO - Hampton Inn St. Louis-Airport
10820 Peartree Lane, Saint Louis, MO - La Quinta Inn St. Louis - Maryland Heights
12330 Dorsett Road (Formerly "Baymont Inn & Suites"), Saint Louis, MO - Crowne Plaza Hotel St. Louis - Clayton
7750 Carondelet Avenue (formerly Radisson Hotel Clayton), Saint Louis, MO - Super 8 St Louis North
2790 Target Drive I-270 Exit 30N, Saint Louis, MO - Hilton St. Louis At The Ballpark
1 South Broadway (formerly Marriott St. Louis Downtown), Saint Louis, MO - Sheraton Plaza West Port
900 Westport Plaza, Saint Louis, MO - Westin St. Louis
811 Spruce St, Saint Louis, MO - Renaissance St Louis Grand Hotel
800 Washington Ave, Saint Louis, MO - Days Inn St. Louis
3654 South Lindbergh Boulevard, Saint Louis, MO - Residence Inn By Marriott St Louis Downtown
525 S Jefferson Ave, Saint Louis, MO - Best Western Kirkwood Inn
1200 South Kirkwood Road, Saint Louis, MO
Local Merchants in Saint Louis
|
