What to Do in St. Louis with Kids {Day 1}

What to Do In St. Louis With Kids

 

We had THE BEST time in St. Louis last week {thanks to all your incredible input}We got a ton accomplished during our overnight stay in the city, but we can’t wait to go back and check more must-sees off our list!

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We started our first day at the FREE St. Louis Zoo.  There’s a reason it has been recognized as “America’s Favorite Zoo”.  With 90 acres and over 19,000 animals, it’s a first class zoo experience.

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The exhibits are large, and easy for even little ones to get an up-close look at the animals.

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The Herpetarium, which houses a tons of amphibians and reptiles, was a crowd favorite, of course.

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As were the cats.

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But the Sea Lion Sound was our absolute favorite.  It was amazing to closely watch these animals swim, interact with them, and watch them perform.

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By far the St. Louis Zoo is the best zoo we’ve visited.

After our long day walking around the zoo, we were ready to check into our hotel for the night.  We stayed at the Drury Plaza Hotel at the Arch, which I can’t say enough great things about it!  The location was amazing – we could see the arch from the indoor pool and it was just a couple blocks walk away!  The staff was super helpful, genuine, friendly, and accommodating.  The room was super spacious, clean, and quiet (well minus MY BOYS). AND The extras aren’t extra at Drury Hotels – which means you benefit from a ton of FREE perks.

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  • Free Wireless (YES, PLEASE, Say the Internet Geeks!)
  • Free Soft Drinks and Popcorn in the Afternoons – night hours (Hit the spot after our day at the zoo)
  • Free Kickback Hour with Hot Food + Beverages (a buffet with plenty of options to feed our family for the night – hot dogs, mac n’ cheese, chips, veggies, soup, baked potatoes, meatballs, etc.)
  • Free Long Distance
  • Free Hot Breakfast (Again, they out did themselves – pancakes, sausage, yogurt, bagels, toast, cereals, fruit, biscuits and gravy, potatoes, etc)

How could we possibly go wrong?  Oh and did I fail to mention the enormous Kohler jet tub?  Best 40 minute soak of my life!

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After our feast we took the five minute walk to the Gateway Arch to experience it at night.  The full moon beautifully reflected off the  stainless steel and the boys reactions to this massive architecture were priceless! {Grainy picture, but breathtaking in person.}

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It was amazing to just look up at it in the night sky and experience it together. It’s one of those sights that you can’t take your eyes off.  You keep looking back when you’re leaving, just to get one more last look at it.

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We didn’t let a silly government shutdown spoil our fun.  After all, you can’t exactly “close”  an Arch that’s over 600 feet tall!

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We sure didn’t let it spoil our experience, and the beauty of the city at night.  It was an unforgettable day with our kids in St. Louis, and we had another full day ahead of us.

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{Stay Tuned to See How We Spent Day 2 in St. Louis with Kids!}

What about YOU?  Have you ever taken YOUR kids to St. Louis?  Have YOU been to the St. Louis Zoo – what’s your favorite exhibit?  Have you been to the Arch?  Have you stayed at a Drury Hotel? I’d love to hear about YOUR experience too!  

*A special thanks to Drury Hotels for hosting our family overnight at the Drury Plaza at the Arch.  We were uber-impressed and can’t wait to return!