At the risk of sounding like an ad for the Trourism Board of St. Louis, MO, there is something in St. Louis for everyone! Good BBQ, check. Cool architecture, we got you. Museums and art, yup-yup.
I was drawn to the animal sanctuaries that St. Louis offers. I would have liked to visit the St. Louis Zoo if I had planned better.
We visited St. Louis, MO, in late September. It was still very hot, but the crowds were at a minimum. It turned out that our timing was perfect.
Our 2-Day St. Louis, MO Itinerary
If I hadn’t met a friend on Friday, I would have visited the bird and wolf sanctuary on the same day because those 2 sanctuaries are about a 10-minute drive from one another. Had I done that, I would have had time to visit the St. Louis Zoo. Next time.
I was surprised at how much sightseeing there is to do in St. Louis, and many of the sights are free. I added resources at the bottom of this page to help you make the most of your visit to St. Louis, MO. Plan well, and you can see quite a bit with minimal driving.
Here is what we did with 2 full days in St. Louis, MO.
- Thursday
- Midday 3.5-hour flight from SAN to STL.
- Picked up the rental car and arrived at the hotel at 6:30 PM CST.
- Friday
- Grabbed lunch with a friend at Red Chili Indian Cuisine & Bar.
- Toured World Bird Sanctuary.
- Saturday
- Toured Endangered Wolf Center.
- Visited the Gateway Arch & took the tram tour.
- Riverboat cruise on the Mississippi
- Sunday
- Flyout from STL to SAN at 11:45 AM
4 Fun Things We Did in St. Louis, MO in 2 Days
The Gateway Arch
The Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri: What You Need To Know
- Cost:
- Free to see and walk around the monument
- The tram ride to the top starts at $15
- Estimated Time: 1 hour.
- Our Highlight: Spending time at the top of the Gateway Arch.
- Gateway Arch Random Facts:
- It’s the tallest human-made monument in the Western Hemisphere
- The Arch is 630 feet high and 630 feet wide.
Pictures of The Gateway Arch
Our Experience with The Gateway Arch
My wife wanted to see the Gateway Arch. I was lukewarm about it at first. I didn’t find the Arch at all interesting. My perspective changed when I saw it.
It’s really a very impressive piece of architecture. It’s the only thing on a very large plot of land and deserves its own space just to be.
From my perspective, the coolest thing about the Arch is that it creates a destination that brings people together and allows them to imagine being part of or building something much bigger than themselves. At least, that is how I thought about it.
Reportedly, a St. Louis civic leader named Luther Ely Smith saw the Arch as more than just a monument. He saw it as something spiritual. According to the Oct. 27, 1985 edition of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (you can see hard copies of the paper here and here):
“… some members of the St. Louis Business community were very much opposed to the idea of spending money for this type of project. Smith’s daughter, Sa-Lees (later Mrs. John W. Seddon), recalled later that “people would tell him we needed more practical things.” But Smith would simply reply that we must think of spiritual things, too.”
You can read more about the history of the Gateway Arch on Wikipedia.
We took the 4-minute tram ride to the top of the Gateway Arch to view St. Louis from 630 feet in the air for about 10 minutes. It was worth it.
St. Louis Riverfront Cruise on the Mississippi River
St. Louis Riverfront Cruise: What You Need To Know
- Cost: $24 for adults, $14 for children.
- Estimated Time: 1 hour.
- Our Highlight: It’s a steamboat!
Pictures of St. Louis Riverfront Cruise
Our Experience with St. Louis Riverfront Cruise
We figured that we wouldn’t have many chances to take a riverboat cruise on the Mississippi any time soon, so we jumped at the chance to take the riverboat cruise.
We spent 60 minutes going upstream on the Mississippi and back to the dock.
We cruised under a couple of bridges and received a tour over the loudspeakers about the flood that almost breached the wall that protects the city, factories that once or currently function, and other St. Louis, MO history tidbits.
The weather was great. The temperature was about 80 degrees when we took the riverboard cruise, which made being on the water a pleasant and mildly cooling experience, given the heat we experienced during the day.
For me, the cruise was mostly about enjoying the ride on the Mississippi River and enjoying the company.
The Endangered Wolf Center (A Wolf Sanctuary)
The Endangered Wolf Center: What You Need To Know
- Endangered Species Tour Cost: $18 for adults, $15 for children
- Website: https://www.endangeredwolfcenter.org/
- Other tours: Too many to name. You can find them on the website.
- Address: 6750 Tyson Valley Road Eureka, MO 63025
- Estimated Time: 1 hour.
- Our Highlight: Watching the African Painted Dogs
Pictures of The Endangered Wolf Center
Our Experience at The Endangered Wolf Center
It was hot during the day when we went to the Endangered Wolf Center. Some wolves and foxes chose to stay in their dens, and others, like the African Painted Dogs, lay in the grass as a respite from the heat.
We saw about 5 types of wolves in total. We spent a good amount of time at the beginning of the tour watching the pack of Mexican wolves run around with each other while our tour guide gave us an education on the wolves at the sanctuary.
Some Mexican wolves got fairly close to us, albeit on the other side of the fence.
Adjacent to the Mexican wolf enclosure were Artie and Cooper, an Arctic fox and red fox, who came out of their dens and played with each other.
There aren’t too many animal sanctuaries where you can stand feet away from keystone species and observe them in their semi-natural habitat.
World Bird Sanctuary
World Bird Sanctuary: What You Need To Know
- Cost: $12 per car
- Website: https://www.worldbirdsanctuary.org/
- Address: 25 Bald Eagle Ridge Rd, Valley Park, MO 63088
- Estimated Time: Plan to spend about 1.5 hours there.
- Optional: There are a couple of hiking trails that are less than a mile long that will extend your time.
- There was a trailhead at the beginning of the Sanctuary and one at the end.
- My Highlight: Seeing a vulture spread its wings to absorb heat from the sun.
Pictures of World Bird Sanctuary
My Experience at World Bird Sanctuary
My wife was busy, so I took the bird sanctuary tour solo.
I spent about an hour and a half walking up and back on the asphalt path that is about the width of a single-lane road. This is where you will find the bigger birds, including bald eagles, various types of hawks, falcons, owls, ravens, crows, and condors.
There were 5 people total the entire time, including me and an employee. I walked leisurely and spent as much time as I wanted standing outside the birds’ enclosures.
More birds are on the adjacent property where you will park your car. Look for the enclosures. I almost missed them. Most of the birds at this location are smaller and still worth the visit.
The website says there are about 270 species at the World Bird Sanctuary. I didn’t count, but I bet I saw up to 50 birds in 1.5 hours.
The sanctuary has special and daily events you can sign up for, including one-on-one time with a parrot, emu, and raptor (3 separate events). Alternatively, you can show up like I did, pay for parking, and walk around.
Visiting the World Bird Sanctuary is a perfect time for anyone who appreciates birds big and small.
Resources To Help Plan Your Trip To St. Louis, MO
- 23 Best Things To Do in St Louis
- 25 Things to Do in St. Louis
- 64 Fun & Unusual Things to Do in St. Louis, Missouri
Summary
St. Louis, MO has a ton to explore. Who knew?
Plan accordingly to take in as much as you can. Enjoy.
