Every city has its expertise. Nashville has country music. Chicago has deep-dish pizza. Louisville? It’s all about the bourbon. Experiencing the best of St. Louis is as simple as figuring out what the Gateway City does well—and leaning into that. Our list draws on more than a decade of research, and while it’s by no means exhaustive, you could use it as a cheat sheet to take pride in the region—or as a bucket list for visitors. Here are 10 areas where St. Louis truly excels.
Read More: 101 things to do in St. Louis
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1. Parks.
Stop by Forest Park to check out its brand-new amenity: basketball courts. Locals brag that the 1,300-acre park is bigger than Central Park, and it uses those nearly 500 additional acres well, with an astonishing array of attractions, including the Saint Louis Zoo, the Saint Louis Art Museum, the Missouri History Museum, golf courses, children’s playscapes, everything from handball to archery, and more. While it’s widely considered the area’s crown jewel, it’s not alone in terms of parks that are worth bragging about. Lafayette Park is the oldest urban park west of the Mississippi, and its wrought-iron gates enclose 30 acres of rolling grounds, a pond, and a charming grotto that’s been the site of many of an engagement photo shoot. In South City, Tower Grove Park has a more recent claim to fame than its famous historic pavilions: It opened basketball courts of its own last fall, nine months ahead of Forest Park.
Read More: The best parks in St. Louis
2. The zoo.
Anyone can visit the Saint Louis Zoo for free—a major point of pride for locals. But it’s not just the low, low cost that has made this 114-year-old institution a point of pride. The zoo also boasts one of the most intimate penguin experiences you can find in the United States, a robust breeding program that recently resulted in new Amur tiger triplets, and exciting new residents including a pair of extroverted grizzly bears. Animal lovers should prepare for the zoo’s biggest expansion in, likely, forever: the 425-acre safari park and conservation center, WildCare Park, set to open in North County in 2027.
Read More: Your guide to visiting the Saint Louis Zoo
3. Generous funding for civic and artistic institutions.
There’s good reason that both the zoo and the Saint Louis Art Museum can offer free admission to all: Both are funded by property taxes. Along with the Missouri Botanical Garden and St. Louis Science Center, they’re part of the taxpayer-supported Zoo Museum District, designed to maintain top-notch local institutions. But it’s not just those organizations that receive significant public support. The Regional Arts Commission distributes more than $1 million in hotel taxes every year to arts organizations and individuals, ensuring that everything from theater to opera to visual arts thrives in St. Louis. Arts lovers should also pay a visit to two neighboring museums in Grand Center, the Pulitzer Arts Foundation and the Contemporary Art Museum, as well as nearby arts institutions that are generously funded by the Kranzberg Arts Foundation.
Read More: St. Louis summer arts guide
4. Devoted fandom.
Yes, St. Louis famously has the best fans in baseball—but it’s not just baseball. In 2023, the town got a new MLS team, CITY SC, and immediately sold out the season. Fans who couldn’t get tickets filled soccer pubs old and new, such as Amsterdam Tavern and The Pitch. Even the upstart UFL has found its style of professional football embraced in St. Louis; the Battlehawks routinely fill The Dome where the Rams once played, setting attendance records for the league. Check out a tailgate party downtown before kickoff; the joyous celebrations put other cities to shame.
Read More: Subscribe to SLM’s soccer newsletter
5. Embracing the weird.
Yes, St. Louis proudly supports institutions doing important artistic, cultural, and scientific work. But where the area really differs from other Midwestern cities is its unflagging support for quirkier aspects of life. St. Louis’ World Naked Bike Ride is one of the five biggest anywhere. The city also boasts Moonlight Rambles through its streets and clubs such as BICI (a self-proclaimed “casual cycling club for social deviants”). The quirkiness extends far beyond the cycling community, though. Cherokee Street’s roster of antique shops and galleries are a great place to see what the town’s most creative people are making or collecting. Tooling around town on any given day, you may bump into a man playing Keytar on the sidewalk, a gas station attendant driving a hearse to work, a car with a Chucky doll protruding from its top, or any number of the benevolent weirdos rounding out our fair city. When night falls, one of the best places in St. Louis to hear live music in the past decade has been Joe’s Cafe, a BYOB bar that’s open only on Thursdays. A BYOB bar? You have to see it to believe it. (Follow Joe’s Cafe on Facebook to plan your own visit.) That’s, of course, not to mention other quirky and beloved destinations, such as City Museum and Venice Café.
Read More: A look at the story behind Venice Café
6. Local quirks.
One of St. Louis’ most charming qualities is the way that it resists the mass-produced and focus-grouped in favor of its own traditions. Just witness the way that we stubbornly cling to the name of Saint Louis Bread Co. while the rest of the world eats at Panera (yes, the chain began here, and no, we don’t all “bread-slice” our bagels). We also have our own unique iteration of Arby’s (except Lion’s Choice is better), our own style of pizza (jury’s still out on that one), and our own way of mangling French (GRAA-voyz, GRAATCH-it, KREEV-KOHR)? It’s just how we—and apparently only we—roll.
Read More: A guide to St. Louis pronunciations
7. Bosnian food.
Yes, locals talk up the city’s frozen custard, penchant for deep-frying pasta (a.k.a. “toasted ravioli”), and pork steaks, a delicious cut of meat that’s all but unheard of outside St. Louis supermarkets. But true foodies know St. Louis as the best place outside of Bosnia and Herzegovina to try Bosnian food. After all, more Bosnians live here than anywhere else in the U.S., and today you can sample their cuisine not only at the traditional bakeries and coffee shops in South City’s Bevo Mill neighborhood but also at restaurants offering culinary riffs on the traditional menu items. Try Telva at the Ridge, a wonderful Bosnian-inflected breakfast and lunch spot nestled inside a garden shop in Webster Groves, or Balkan Treat Box, a counter-service spot that began as a food truck and has since seen chef-owner Loryn Nalic named a James Beard semifinalist.
Arch Eats Podcast: Affordable international cuisine in St. Louis
8. Distinct neighborhoods
In many St. Louis enclaves, gorgeous historic homes are much more affordable than you’ll find in other cities—leading to vibrant neighborhoods that both retain their historic charm and their hardwood floors and crown molding. Architecture buffs will want to schedule tours of the Central West End, Lafayette Square, Compton Heights, or Soulard; all feature wonderful mansions well over a century old and lovingly maintained (or restored). But don’t overlook The Hill for a true taste of Italian-American success in the Midwest, with a host of Old World bakeries, sandwich shops, and eateries; two terrific spots for bocce; and crosswalks painted with the Italian tricolore. Start your journey at Piazza Imo, which boasts a fountain to rival the ones in Rome; pay your respects at St. Ambrose on the Hill, where they still conduct an occasional mass in Italian; and then head to Milo’s for cheap drinks and a game of bocce.
Read More: Exploring the metro area
9. Street parties.
St. Louis loves a good time, and municipal permissibility with open containers means that to-go cups are common and street festivals take place seemingly every month. St. Louisans know to save the date for Mardi Gras (purportedly the second largest Mardi Gras in the U.S.), St. Patrick’s Day (there are actually two full-blown celebrations, one downtown and one in the city’s historic Irish neighborhood, Dogtown), the Gateway Cup bicycle races (which fill four city neighborhoods over Labor Day weekend), and much, much more. Don’t miss Porchfest, which fills the porches of the Skinker-DeBaliviere neighborhood with local bands giving free concerts every September.
Read More: Mark your calendars for these summer fairs and festivals
10. Live music.
Speaking of local bands, St. Louis has a host of good ones, and you can find live music every night of the week—often with no cover. Whether you’re catching a trio playing classic rock in Soulard, listening to a jazz combo in Midtown or jamming inside the mosaic-filled Venice Cafe, there’s something to suit your fancy. Party people swear by Broadway Oyster Bar, where the musicians are singing the blues yet somehow everyone’s in a good mood. St. Louis helped shape Tina Turner, Chuck Berry, Michael McDonald and Nelly; could the next big thing be playing a seemingly low-key bar near you? Don’t risk missing out.
