Okay, so maybe that title doesn’t have quite the same ring to it as Nelly’s version.
Anyway, the point of this blog is not to discuss our rapping skills (perhaps we will save that for a future post). Instead, we are here to talk about our trip to the Mound City. (Going to be honest, we had to look up the nickname for St. Louis and Mound City was not what we expected.)
In April 2023, we set off on another baseball related adventure. We had a couple of vacation days so decided to make the drive to St. Louis to watch the Braves play the Cardinals. We spent around two days, all told, in the city and had a chance to explore a bit. So if you’re curious about the Lou and what we did there, read on!
We decided to make the 8 1/2-9 hour drive for a couple of reasons. First, we planned the trip rather last minute so driving was easier. Second, we saved money and skipped the hassle of flying. Was it a long drive? Yes. Did we have to drive almost all the way home in stormy weather? Also, yes. But overall, we’re not sorry we decided to drive. Along the way, we crossed many a river and got to see some of the landscapes Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri had to offer.
What We Did
Watched Some Great Baseball
Of course, our main reason for visiting St. Louis was to watch the Braves play the Cards. We went to two games at Busch Stadium and really enjoyed ourselves. It didn’t hurt that the Braves won both games, but the stadium itself was really nice. It was one of the cleanest stadiums we have ever been to and the seats are cushioned, which really helps your rear end. There is an excellent view of the skyline, complete with the Arch, in the outfield and the fans were very congenial and welcoming as were the ticket takers. There are several restaurants around the stadium that are open late so we were able to grab food after the games.
Got Injured at the City Museum
We found out about the City Museum while researching things to do in St. Louis. When we discovered there was a 10 story slide, we knew we had to check it out. And y’all, this place is crazy. While it was marketed to us, by whichever blog we found it on, as a museum for adults that is also good for kids, we did not expect so much nonsense. We would contend that this is a museum for kids that can be good for adults. Someone had also recommended knee pads. We thought that was a bit over the top. Turns out it wasn’t. It’s good advice. Bring knee pads.
The typical museum bit (with art and architecture exhibits) was on one of the floors and there wasn’t much to it. We’re not sure about the floors exactly because it was easy to get lost in this place. As far as we could tell, the only things on the upper floors were the slides. Most of the museum was filled with things to climb on or in and they spanned several floors. Nooks and crannies galore! On our first slide into total darkness, we landed in a mysterious puddle and spent the rest of the day with wet spots on our derrieres. Courtney ripped a hole in her shirt somehow and injured her knee on the 10 story slide while Mallory knocked her head more times than is probably healthy trying to fit into small spaces that were maybe not meant for people in their mid-thirties. Despite the minor injuries, we did have fun. A place like this would be a lot of fun if it were only for adults (kids have no respect for boundaries or lines) and had larger holes to crawl through. Also, the 10 story slide is kind of fun but maybe not quite worth the long line (on a spiraling staircase) we had to wait in to do it.
They do have lockers you can rent to store your bags because you can’t have them on most of the attractions and slides. It was $8 to rent one locker for the day. Your wrist band allows you access to the museum all day and you are allowed to leave and come back. We got here before they opened and there was already a long line of people waiting to get in. This is a popular attraction for families so be prepared to be around 800 small children and teens. Also, there is seemingly no line system to be found at all anywhere, including outside to enter. There were lines streaming off in both directions and it ended up being a merger situation. Inside, there is little directional flow so you may or may not get stuck at some point waiting to crawl in or out of a space.
Cost: $20 per ticket plus tax (roof access is $8 extra)
Went to the Top of the Gateway Arch
Prior to planning this trip, we did not know you could go inside the famous Gateway Arch. We really thought it was just something to look at. Turns out, you have been able to take a tram to the top of the arch since its construction in the 1960’s. Who knew? The tram is actually a little pod that you get in and ride to the top. Once you’re close, you exit the pod and climb a few stairs to the very top. From here, you can look out the small windows at the city below. This was pretty cool. We did have to wait a while because of technical issues, but usually the tours run every 10-15 minutes. Make sure to book your tickets in advance because they sell out quickly. You can also just visit the arch museum for free to learn about the history of the arch and also a bit of history on St. Louis. And, of course, they have a gift shop, which is where we bought most of our souvenirs. Also, since this is a national park, you can pick up stamps for your national park passport (if you have one).
Cost: $18.50 per ticket for the tram ride
Drank Beer Fresh Out of the Tank
Since Bud Light is Courtney’s jam (recent controversies aside), we had to visit the Budweiser factory while we were in town. We decided to go on the Beermaster Tour, which takes you through the brewing process from start to finish. We also got to visit the Clydesdales which was really neat. They are very beautiful and very large. Towards the end of the tour, we got to sample beer straight from one of the large tanks and it was the best beer in the history of time. Mal- I am not a beer person and this is probably one of the better tastes of beer I have ever had. I even finished my 16 oz glass, which is saying something.
We also got another sample of our choice of beer in the Beermaster Suite. Mal- I chose a cider that mainly tasted of apples. It was very good. Court- I got Michelob Golden Light because we don’t have that in Georgia, to my knowledge. It was a fairly typical light beer, which is alright, mighty fine with me.
Cost: $44 per ticket for the Beermaster Tour
What We Ate
Pickles Deli
In classic McTravels fashion, we decided to split two sandwiches at Pickles. We got the Italian Sub and the French Dip and each got a bag of chips to go with it. Both sandwiches were very good though it was probably not the best move to get two sandwiches with very salty components such as cured meats and au jus. The au jus was a little too salty, but overall, everything was tasty and seemed very fresh.
Brewhouse Historical Sports Bar was part of the hotel, so it was an easy pick for our first night after the game. Mallory got the seasonal salad and Courtney got the Turkey Club. We also shared these dishes. The salad was huge with lots of chicken and toppings. The turkey club was seasoned well and had a lot of meat on it. A lot of hotel restaurants are overpriced for what you get and we did not think that was this case with Brewhouse. It was priced on par with other area places and we certainly got our money’s worth.
We found UKRAFT on Yelp and were sold when we saw they had smoothies and Avo toast. We both love Avo toast since we are millenials and it is a requirement of our generation, and Mallory is a sucker for a good smoothie. UKRAFT did not disappoint. We shared the AVOBLTE and each got our own smoothie, though they were very similar as both had peanut butter and banana as primary components (The Good Morning and the Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana). You only get one piece of Avo toast, but with the smoothies we each got, it was plenty and fueled us up for our trip to the City Museum.
The number one question we have been asked about the trip is “Did you eat St. Louis barbecue?” Honestly, we are not sure, but we did eat barbecue in St. Louis at Sugarfire BBQ. We tried to research to determine what is St. Louis barbecue, but it seemed like the primary answer was ribs. When we looked at the top places to get barbecue in St. Louis though, most indicated that they were Memphis-style barbecue places, so we are just not sure. That being said, Sugarfire was on a lot of lists and we stumbled upon it with a line out the door, so we decided to go there. A quick search of it indicated that the chef had been on Beat Bobby Flay and that he was seemingly known for his brisket. Courtney got the brisket plate with macaroni and cheese and brussels sprouts. Mallory got the pulled pork sandwich with cheesy potatoes. There was a variety of sauces on the table from Carolina white to coffee based. One was labeled STL, and it was a sweet sauce that tasted a lot like the sauces at our local barbecue spots, so maybe we are really eating St. Louis barbecue more often than we thought, or maybe there is no such thing. Either way, everything was delicious.
If you have ever been to Truist Park, you know about The Battery, which is a set of shops and restaurants around the stadium that make it more of a destination and experience than just having a ballpark with nothing. Busch Stadium has a similar concept and Sports & Social is part of that… as it is at Truist Park as both of these locales have one of these restaurants. We went there after the second game primarily because it was raining and this place was close. The restaurant is huge with a bajillion televisions, games to play, and a large bar area. Courtney got the southwest cobb salad and it was also huge (are huge salads a thing in St. Louis?) but delicious. Mallory got the crispy fish tacos which were very tasty.
RED Kitchen was another restaurant on site at the hotel and we went there for breakfast on our final day. It had a decent sized menu, but unlike Brewhouse, it was priced like a typical hotel restaurant. The best value seemed to be the buffet as it had a number of options and included beverages. There was both hot and cold food options on the buffet, a yogurt bar, a charcuterie station, and various pastries and cereals. It was likely not worth what we paid for it, but the food was good.
Where We Stayed
We stayed at the Hyatt Regency at the Arch. It was, in fact, at the Arch, which made it very convenient for a number of things, most conveniently in visiting the Arch. It was literally next door. It was also within walking distance of the stadium and the City Museum so it made our time in St. Louis very easy to navigate as we only had to take Lyft to and from the Budweiser tour. There were three restaurants on site as well as a full Starbucks. We mentioned the Brewhouse and RED above, but there was also a Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse (who is the Chris that belongs to Ruth… another day). The hotel itself was very nice and our room was spacious. We paid a few dollars extra per night for an Arch view room. The hotel seems to host a lot of meetings and it was a large hotel with a lot of rooms which meant we got our steps in going to and from our room. As with most city hotels, you have to pay for parking, but we had in and out privileges if we needed them and constant access to our car. The hotel staff was friendly and helpful and we would not hesitate to stay there again.
Check out our vlogs from this trip here.
Our McTravels 