Location: St. Loius
Day 1 - 1 May 2019
Gateway Arch National Park
Content: Visiting Gateway Arch National Park sounds a little different. One of the newest addition to the National Park Service, many people may not even realize the Gateway Arch became a National Park in February of 2018.
Location: Gateway Arch National Park
Day 1 - 1 May 2019
Visitor Center
Content: We arrived at the Visitor Center. The official website recommends that you arrive at least 30 minutes early to give yourself enough time to get through security. In order to enter the Visitor Center, we had to go through a security checkpoint that is very similar to airport security. All bags, coats, and belongings will be scanned and you will walk through a metal detector.
Monument of the Dream Documentary.
Content: This 35-minute film documents the design and construction of Gateway Arch. If you want a better understanding of what it took to build this Arch, watching this film is well worth the time.It cost $7 per ticket.
Tram Ride
Content: The main reason for a visit to Gateway Arch National Park is to ride the tram to the top of the Arch. Trams run roughly every 10 minutes up both legs of the arch. It takes 4 minutes to ride up to the top and just 3 minutes to ride the tram back down to ground level. Once on top of the Arch, you can look out through small viewing windows. The view west is over St. Louis and the view to the east is over the mighty Mississippi River and Illinois. You can stay as long as you like, although 10 minutes is average length of stay on top of the Arch.
The New Gateway Arch Museum
Content: A brand new, very informative and wonderfully laid out museum tells the history of the early pioneer days as well as the construction of the Arch. It’s well worth a visit. The museum is located inside the Visitor Center and you will walk through the museum in order to get to the tram rides.
Arch Café
Content: Arch Café, located in the Gateway Arch visitor center, offers farm-to-table menu staples such as burgers, chicken sandwiches, paninis, wings and subs as well as St. Louis specialties like toasted ravioli and barbecued ribs.
Old Courthouse
Content: The Old Courthouse was the site of the Dred Scott case, one of the most significant cases involving slavery in the United States. You can tour the building at your own pace. The original courtroom no longer exists but you can see several other, smaller courtrooms that have been renovated.
Old Cathedral
Content: While not part of the Gateway Arch National Park, the oldest building in St. Louis is nearby. The Basilica of Saint Louis, King – or more commonly known as the Old Cathedral, dates back to 1834
St. Louis Riverfront Cruise
Content: This is a great way to see the Arch from the river. Narrated by the captain this one-hour cruise that lets us explore everything that makes the Mississippi so mighty. Everywhere you look, there’s a sight to see and history to discover.
Sugarfire Smoke House
Content: Sugarfire, another very popular spot in St. Louis that serves barbecue. Everything we ate was delicious. If you have a hankering for something sweet, the chocolate peanut butter bourbon milk shake was our favorite thing we tried.
Illinois
Content: We had great fun at Gateway Arch National Park beautiful one day trip.