St. Louis is home to such a wide array of museums, attractions, restaurants and shopping venues, there's something for everyone to enjoy. The St. Louis Front Page can help you navigate through all the "Gateway to the West" has to offer. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

 Take a tram ride to the top of the Gateway Arch located across from our hotel. Towering 630 feet over the Mississippi River, this magnificent stainless steel structure is our nation's tallest man-made monument. Visit the Museum of Westward Expansion located beneath the Arch, which preserves some of the rarest artifacts from the days of Lewis and Clark, and the world of the American Indians.

St. Louis also has over 25 of the best and unique museums in the country. Many of them are free, or charge a minimal admission. For a complete list Click Here.

If you enjoy the excitement of the Casino scene, check out the fabulous new Lumiere Place, with it's famous Burger Bar Restaurant, owned by celebrity Chef Hubert Keller. You can also ride the Metrolink across the Mississippi to try your luck at the Casino Queen, the only smoke free Casino in the St. Louis Metro area.

The St. Louis Zoo in Forest Park is always a popular destination for visitors. It is internationally recognized and FREE. With its impressive collection of about 18,000 animals, the Zoo has numerous areas designed to mimic the varied terrains of the world. Highlights include the Penguin & Puffin Coast, Fragile Forest, Big Cat Country and Stingrays & Sharks at Caribbean Cove.

For a culture blast, explore an area of St. Louis called The Hill. Just south of Forest Park, The Hill is a quaint neighborhood originally settled by Italian immigrants in the late 19th century. It is brimming with Italian bakeries, restaurants and shops, as well as very unique homes, churches and buildings. It's home to the famous Volpi salami that's sold around the globe.

If you love gardens, the Missouri Botanical Garden is a must see. It's our nation's oldest botanical garden in continuous operation, and a National Historic Landmark. It features almost 80 acres of landscaped displays, and contains several gardens within a garden. The Botanical Garden's Magnificent Greenhouses and Conservatories display native as well as rare collections of plants.

One highlight of the Botanical Garden is the Climatron conservatory, a fantastic geodesic dome covering half an acre. You'll feel as though you stepped into a gorgeous tropical rain forest. It is home to 1400 species of plants, with tropical birds and several pools and waterfalls.

Busch Stadium, home to the St. Louis Cardinals, offers daily tours at 11am and 1pm daily.

You may enjoy a tour of the Anheuser Busch Brewery, featuring century-old stables, stained glass windows, a massive chandelier house and of course, the famous Clydesdales team. Free tours are offered year round.

The St. Louis Science Center, which houses the OMNIMAX Theatre and Planatarium offers a unique look at all things science without all of the confusion. The Planetarium is one of the nations leading space education facilities. It features a central open area which projects more than 9,000 stars onto an 80-foot dome, creating a brilliant star field.

And for your Shopping pleasure, there are several places for you to visit:

St. Louis Galleria
The Boulevard
Plaza Frontenac
St. Louis Mills
West County Center
St. Louis Union Station




You may even want to extend your stay and visit some great attractions on the Illinois side of the river.

South Trip

Brooks Catsup Bottle www.catsupbottle.com – world's largest catsup bottle. Just a drive-by, nothing to see or do, but a landmark of sorts. Only in America.

Cahokia Mounds, www.cahokiamounds.org – believed to be the site of a large native American “city” in 1250 A.D. Visitor center provides insight into life at that time in middle America.

Belleville Main St., www.bellevillemainstreet.net – an eclectic collection of shops, bars and galleries in the heart of downtown Belleville, the largest city on the East Side.

Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows, www.snows.org – 200 beautifully landscaped acres thru which you can drive and enjoy or stop and visit the restaurant and gift shop.

Eckerts, www.eckerts.com – an expanded u-pick orchard and pumpkin patch that also has a Country Store, a Garden Center and a new Country Restaurant. (It will be Halloween time when the convention is in town).

Central Trip

Route 66 thru Edwardsville and beyond, - www.historic66.com – Known as the Mother Road, large stretches remain the same today once you get off the InterState. (A must for Corvette owners and Nelson Riddle fans).

SIUE, www.siue.com – a state University in Edwardsville that has grown to over 13,000 students and won many awards for it's outstanding undergrad curriculum, which attempts to insure it's degree holders can indeed read, write, think and communicate in today's job world. Beautiful campus on the bluffs. SIUE is also home to the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center. While this is not a drop-in to visit kind of place, it may be of great interest to some FEMA members and this website will allow more detailed exploration. www.ethanolresearch.com

Wildey Theatre - www.wildeytheater.com – a recently restored art-deco theatre that can present both stage shows and show movies using state-of-the-art technology while retaining the feel of what it was like in the 20's and 30's.

Stephenson House, www.stephensonhouse.org – built in 1820 by one of the founding fathers of this area and meticulously restored in this century, provides an excellent example of life in this area in the first half of the 19^th century. In October, will feature the macabre side of the Stephenson House history. Col. Stephenson died in the house on October 10, 1822 and visitors will get a glimpse of the mourning customs practiced by the family almost two hundred years ago.

Yanda Log Cabin, http://www.edglenfamilies.org/Story-Treasures/treasures-yanda-log-cabin.html - another example of early life in So. Illinois.

North Trip

Confluence Tower, http://www.confluencetower.com - recently completed tower gives spectacular view of the confluence of two major rives so vital to middle America, the Mississippi and the Missouri. You will overlook the spot where Lewis and Clark began their epic mission of discovery. At same location is Lewis and Clark State Historic Site, http://www.campdubois.com/

National Great River Museum and Melvin Price Lock and Dam, http://www.mvs.usace.army.mil/Rivers/museum.html - shares the site of Melvin Price Lock and Dam, the last great dam for southern bound grain barges, the museum provides a unique view of how our navigable river system is managed by the Army Corp. of Engineers.

Fast Eddies, http://fasteddiesbonair.com/fr_home.cfm - a nationally known dive famous for coldest beer, cheapest eats and entertainment most nights. Where sports nuts, bikers and rock music fans share good times with the rest of us common folk.

Wadlow Statue, http://www.altonweb.com/history/wadlow - At 8' 11.1”, Robert Wadlow is listed in Guiness as world's tallest man ever. Statue in Alton, IL shows just how tall this really is.

Great River Road, Grafton, Pere Marquette State Park, http://www.greatriverroad-illinois.org/ - scenic drive on the East Side of the Mississippi from Alton to Pere Marquette State Park. Town of Grafton boosts of unique shops and fish restraints. Also along this road is Principia College, which would be of interest to Christian Scientists.