For the perfect venue for a summer bash, venture no farther than your own backyard. “I adore backyard parties,” says Erin Schulte, president of Exclusive Events Inc. “I love organizing them. And I stay away from luau themes if I can help it—been done.”
Linda Pilcher, president of Something Elegant Catering, agrees: “It’s really fun to entertain in the backyard. It makes it very intimate, very casual, and you can focus on what I think is the most important part of the party—the food.”
Schulte insists that the gathering can be so much more than throwing sirloin on a pile of coal. “In St. Louis, people wait for months and months to use the grill and take advantage of the warm weather,” she says. “Your house doesn’t have to be elaborate or huge,” she notes. “Just dress up the backyard with a unique theme or make it very personal to the guests by showing photos or videos on an outdoor screen. You will have guests wanting you to do it again next year.”
Schulte’s other alternative to the fake leis and flowered shirts? A dinner-theater party. After an hour or so of cocktails and beer and while the briquettes glow in the barbecue, Schulte herds in thespians she has hired for the night. “The actors then have a murder-mystery dinner at the home of the host,” she explains. “They can bring the guests into it or let them just observe if they wish. This is so much fun.”
If budget isn’t a consideration, you can always open a one-night-only drive-in. You can actually rent a large drive-in screen and turn an amenable park (or voluminous backyard) into a place for movie watching. At Exclusive Events, price ranges from $5,000 to $20,000, depending on the size of the screen and the projection system.
Deborah Horn celebrated her 54th birthday with a drive-in movie. “It was so much fun,” she says. “My first car was a ’54 Chevy.” The invitations instructed guests to dress ’50s-style and to come in their cars—nothing more. About 70 arrived at a field in Jefferson County that Schulte had rented from a farmer. She had also rented a refreshment stand on wheels, the kind found at fairs. The movie? Grease.
Other party-givers prefer to entertain in their own backyards. But they do face potential snafus. With St. Louis’ inimitable weather wackiness, the night may be breezy or blistering, slightly humid or ungodly hot, divine or dire. Pilcher suggests having a contingency plan in place—for example, a tent, or ample room to roam inside.
Flying and biting insects pose another drawback to sending your guests outside. “Bugs are an issue for some people,” Pilcher says. Aside from setting your yard alight with citronella candles, she suggests you call the exterminator to get the area bombed the day before the party. Although not environmentally correct, she says, “it works.” And even if your patio is picture-perfect, Pilcher suggests serving the food inside: “It’s safer.”
Of course, you may have neither the space nor the inclination to host at your own address, so we’ve gone in search of alternatives. Our primary criterion? The site must offer the option of starry-night dining (or, at the very least, cocktails). Of course, the parks offer picnic spots, gazebos and rentable pavilions. But for these summer soirées, we’ve opted for slightly more upscale venues. We know about partying at Busch Stadium. We figured you do too.
Party...Then Spend the Night
Fleur-de-Lys Mansion (3500 Russell at Grand, 314-773-3500, www.thefleurdelys.com). “It’s perfect,” Pilcher says. “It has this wonderful patio, so the party can flow inside and out.” Want to literally make a night of it? This small inn offers four guest rooms. For dinner parties, 30 maximum; for cocktails, 60 to 65. If you rent a tent: 50 for a seated dinner, 100 for cocktails. Cost: $100 per hour with a four-hour minimum (tent not included). Caterer: Chef Eyulan Welch of Welch One Catering.
Living Large in a Limo
An alternative to partying in one spot is to party all over town in a limo scavenger hunt. For groups of as many as 20 (two teams of 10), the limo chauffeurs the partygoers around the city as they spend hours tracking down the items on the list. “Because no one is driving, you can bring the bar with you into the limo,” says Schulte, adding that limo scavenger hunts “really only work in the summer because the point of the game is to get in and out of the limo.” Cost: anywhere from $400 to $2,000, depending on the day of the week, how long you want to keep the limo, how many limos are involved, prizes and refreshments.
Float the Boat
Cruise up (and down) the Mississippi for at least three hours in a riverboat. Maximum capacity: 220, with no minimum number of guests. Cost: $1,500 for three hours and $200 for each additional half-hour. According to Schulte, the crew includes servers and the boat has a full bar complete with bartender. “They can have just hors d’oeuvres, or buffet, or a full sit-down dinner. They can provide music entertainment and tables, chairs, linens—the whole works. You can also hire your own entertainment for the night, if you have a band or disc jockey you would like to bring.” Another idea: Arrange for barges to be hooked up together at the mooring under the Arch.
Café, Anyone?
Head for the Hill and rent Shaw’s Coffee Ltd. (5147 Shaw, 314-771-6920) for a party all your own. The building accommodates a sit-down dinner for 50 and cocktails for 100. “You throw open the doors and people flow in and out,” Pilcher says. According to Gail Maher, the manager, Shaw’s Coffee Café is available for rent any evening after 7 p.m. and any Sunday. Cost: $325. Caterer: Something Elegant.
Straight Shot
Jacob Hawken and brother Samuel invented the Hawken rifle that has been credited with settling the West. In 1857, Jacob Hawken’s son, Christopher Hawken, built his redbrick house (with three porches) in Webster Groves (1155 S. Rock Hill, 314-968-1857, www.historicwebster.org/hawken_house.shtml). Today you can party next door in the not-so-old barn (circa 1989). The impressive gardens are a gift from—and maintained by—the Webster Groves Herb Society. Yet another plus: The barn faces a baseball diamond and playground. This spot is tailor-made for guests of all ages. Capacity: up to 125 guests. Cost: weekdays, ranging from $285 (50 guests or fewer) to $575 (86 to 125 guests); Friday through Sunday, flat $775. Caterer: choice of the host.
Mud in Your Eye
Mudd’s Grove (302 W. Argonne, 314-965-5151, www.kirkwoodarea.com/historic/main_frameset.htm). Originally built in 1859 for a real-estate magnate, the house was christened Mudd’s Grove after Henry T. Mudd bought the house and 100 adjoining acres in 1866. Now on the National Register of Historic Places, the redbrick house is home to the Kirkwood Historical Society and host to numerous parties, particularly in the summer, when guests can take advantage of the wraparound porch, gazebo and herb gardens tended by the local garden club. Cost: $300 for 50 guests or fewer, $500 for 50 to 200 guests. Tent rental is required. Caterer: Hanneke’s Westwood Catering, La Chef or Butler’s Pantry.
Set in St. Albans
A gorgeous spot in which to throw a party, the Gardens at Malmaison (3519 St. Albans in St. Albans, 636-458-0131, www.gardensmalmaison.com) are replete with a concrete patio and a permanent tent that can shelter 240 guests. There’s also the shade of a century-old magnolia tree in the renovated gardens (Malmaison just reopened a year ago). The owners suggest limiting the guest list to 200 to 225. Cost: $500 for the tent, $500 for the garden. Chef Larry Kilburn of Malmaison oversees the food.
An August Gathering
Mount Pleasant Winery (5634 High, Augusta, 636-482-9463 or 800-467-WINE, www.mountpleasant.com) dates back to 1859 and has the historic distinction of being located in America’s first designated wine district. For a mere $5 per person, you can reserve space on the patio. Of course, that doesn’t include food or wine. (If the weather is inclement, those with reservations are given priority for inside seating.) Rent the Tent of the Terrace Building (the tented deck) and sip, eat and catch a view of the Missouri River valley. The deck holds 100 people. “The cool thing about people renting on the weekends is, they don’t have to get a band,” says Stephanie Miller, operations manager. “If we have a band going that day, they get the band built in—and they don’t have to pay for it.” Cost: Mondays through Thursdays, $500; Friday through Sunday, $800. Caterer: Mount Pleasant Winery.
Up the Chimney
If you don’t mind crossing the city limits to the south, consider Kimmswick’s Chimney Rock (5800 Montebello in Kimmswick, 636-464-8784, www.chimneyrockhouse.com), a 6,800-square-foot home set on 45 acres overlooking the Mississippi. The view is breathtaking. “It makes for memories,” says Cora Katzen, manager. “Everyone who comes here always talks about it.” If you take over the entire house, the capacity is 200. Cost: For up to 30 guests, four hours: $1,200. For 31 to 60 guests, $1,800; for 61 to 100, $2,400; for 101 to 150, $3,050; for 151 to 200, $4,000. (Prices for 31 and beyond include private use of the house and designated areas on the grounds for a four-hour event, plus overnight accommodations for two in the Tree Top Suite and a gift certificate for the Old House Steak House or the Lt. Robert E. Lee Riverboat.) Caterer: LoRusso’s, Hendri’s, the Lt. Robert E. Lee Riverboat or the Old House Steak House.
Paddle Away
Yes, of course, there is the restaurant, the Boathouse in Forest Park (314-367-2224 x2, www.boathouseforestpark.com). You can’t take it over, but you can commandeer the annex behind, built just for parties. For cocktails and buffet, the place will hold 125 to 150 people. Cost: weeknights, $500; Friday through Sunday, $800. Caterer: Catering St. Louis.
More Traditional. Still Terrific.
Looking at the Lilies
For the summer season, head for the Spink Pavilion of the Missouri Botanical Garden (4344 Shaw, 314-961-7588, www.mobot.org). Originally built by Henry Shaw as the main gate into the garden, the building overlooks three large lily pools flanked by flower beds and the Milles Sculpture Garden. Inside, the seating capacity is 125 for cocktails, 90 for a seated dinner. Outside (with a tent rental): 175 for cocktails, 120 for dinner. Cost: weekday rental, $250; Monday through Thursday evenings, $650; Friday through Sunday evenings, $1,200. Caterer: Catering St. Louis.
Trolley Time
The Lindell Pavilion (Forest Park, 314-289-5300, stlouis.missouri.org/citygov/parks/forestpark/pavilion.html) was originally built in 1892 as a shelter for streetcar riders. In 1914, the building was renamed the Field House and remodeled to accommodate golf and tennis players. The Field House was nearly destroyed by a fire in 1925 but was brought back to life by the largesse of Dennis and Judy Jones, and Lindell Pavilion is now the Dennis and Judith Jones Visitor and Education Center. The trolley room is set aside for banquets, weddings and, say, a summer party. It hosts 500 for cocktails and seats 270 for dinner (but just 230 if you’re planning on a dance floor). Cost: weekdays, $450; Monday through Thursday evenings, $1,000; Friday through Sunday, $2,000. Caterer: Catering St. Louis and La Chef.
Palm to Palm
Vernon W. and Marion K. Piper Palm House in Tower Grove Park (4256 Magnolia, 314-771-2679, www.towergrovepark.org) is one of those spots where you’ll swear you were just beamed into another era. Reportedly the oldest standing greenhouse west of the Mississippi River, the building was constructed in 1878. Its original purpose was to house the ornamental tropical plants the park’s custodians placed around the park. Over the years, the building deteriorated, but it was resuscitated in 1996. Inside, the walls are lined with a variety of palm trees, as well as ferns, lilies and jasmine. Outside, the patio has been refurbished, renamed Stupp Plaza and reinvigorated by its view of the landscaped lily ponds. Cost: Saturday 10 a.m. to noon or 2 to 4 p.m., $700; Saturday evening, $2,100; Friday and Sunday evenings, $1,300. Caterer: Butler’s Pantry.
Artfully Yours
Once the Stix family, of the onetime Stix Baer & Fuller department stores, lived there. Then it was home to the first St. Louis Science Center. Now the mansion overlooking Oak Knoll Park is home to the St. Louis Artists’ Guild, and it remains a lovely place in which to throw a party (2 Oak Knoll Park, 314-727-9599, www.stlouisartistsguild.org). The terrace fronts one side of the building. Tented (and you are required to rent the tent), the site holds 200 for a seated dinner or 225 for cocktails. Cost: Monday through Thursday, $650; Friday through Sunday, $1,200. Caterer: Catering St. Louis.
