Explorations of a bunch of places in St. Louis and its suburbs.
I have been living south of St. Louis now for over a year. I haven’t already written a Wandering St. Louis post but haven’t added any new posts on the St. Louis area since. (Except Cahokia, but that’s in Illinois.) I’ve been collecting my recent explorations of the St. Louis area and I’m finally sharing them. (Mostly because I’ve gotten behind on updates because I keep going on obscene trips.) Every place listed here is less than an hour from the Gateway Arch in downtown St. Louis.
Jana Irving Can’t start a post on St. Louis without a close up of the Gateway Arch.
Jana Irving The grounds are much greener than the last time I was here.
Jana Irving The Eads Bridge, completed in 1874, it was the first bridge over the Mississippi River south of the Missouri River. The Mississippi gets really wide after St. Louis and there are few bridges even today.
Jana Irving Speaking of the Missouri River. Just north of St. Louis is the Confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. There’s not much to it. The Missouri is on the right and the Mississippi is in the distance.
Jana Irving Forest Park is a giant park in St. Louis. It once was the host to the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Expedition (St. Louis World Fair) and the insane 1904 Summer Olympics. It is also home to a lovely greenhouse known as the Jewel Box, constructed in 1936.
Jana Irving There’s a couple of lily ponds in front.
Jana Irving There is an event space inside.
Jana Irving And some pretty flowers.
Jana Irving Before leaving Forest Park, I must share a couple of photos from the St. Louis Zoo. This bear is very photogenic.
Jana Irving This lemur looks like he is contemplating his life choices.
Jana Irving The campus of St. Louis University is not that far from Forest Park. There you can find the Samuel Cupples House, a mansion completely surrounded by university buildings.
Jana Irving The mansion is now a free mansion museum and art gallery.
Jana Irving A small entryway leads to an enormous main hall in the center of the house. It’s like this on all three floors.
Jana Irving Gorgeous staircase that loops up to the third floor.
Jana Irving Gorgeous woodwork in every room.
Jana Irving The second floor hall is bigger than my apartment.
Jana Irving Every room had a giant fireplace.
Jana Irving This one even has a pot stove.
Jana Irving Also on the St. Louis University campus is St. Francis Xavier.
Jana Irving Pretty fancy church for a university campus.
Thirty minutes from downtown St. Louis is St. Charles, which as founded by French people in 1769, then called Les Petites Côtes (Little Hills). It’s Missouri’s third oldest city, following Ste. Genevieve and St. Louis. It went by the name San Carlos (Missouri was Spanish territory from 1763-1804), until it was anglicized to Saint Charles. St. Charles served as Missouri’s first state capitol from 1821-1826.
Jana Irving Missouri’s first capitol building was the second floor of this multi-use building.
Jana Irving The downtown of St. Charles is adorable. They really need to pedestrian-only this area. There is plenty of parking behind all these buildings.
Jana Irving Old advertisements.
Jana Irving I love all the old buildings.
Jana Irving Reminds me a bit of Harpers Ferry.
Jana Irving Very cute.
Jana Irving I was not expecting such a nice downtown.
That’s all for this post, but there is even more in the next post! I’ve been busy. There will be more nature in the next one.
Check out my next update where I explore even more of the St. Louis area!
or
Check out more of St. Louis with my travel guide!
