Local Information

Activities

On Campus

Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum: free entry

Campus tour: https://pathway.wustl.edu/portal/campus_visit

Happenings at WashU: https://happenings.washu.edu/

Forest Park (right next to campus, mostly free!)

St. Louis Zoo is home to more than 12,000 animals from around the world. Located in Forest Park, it offers free admission and is a great destination for families, animal lovers, and visitors of all ages.

St. Louis Art Museum features an impressive collection spanning thousands of years and cultures. Admission is free, making it an excellent place to explore everything from ancient artifacts to modern masterpieces.

Missouri History Museum showcases the rich history of St. Louis and Missouri through engaging exhibits on topics such as the 1904 World's Fair, westward expansion, and local culture. Admission is free and provides a great introduction to the region.

St. Louis Science Center features hands-on exhibits, interactive displays, and a planetarium. Free general admission makes it a fun and educational stop for visitors of all ages.

Shakespeare in the Park is an annual summer tradition in Forest Park that presents free outdoor performances of Shakespeare's plays in a beautiful natural setting. Performances begin at 8:15 PM every night except Mondays. Arrive early, bring a picnic, and enjoy an evening under the stars.

The Muny is the nation's oldest and largest outdoor musical theater, hosting Broadway-style productions each summer in Forest Park. Known for its spectacular performances and unique open-air setting, it is one of St. Louis's most beloved cultural attractions. Single-performance tickets start at $20.

Downtown

Museum under the Gateway Arch is a free, universally-designed museum with six interactive galleries, offering a world-class experience for all. Delve into over 200 years of shared St. Louis and American history within this award-winning Midwest institution. We will come here for the excursion on Thursday.

Busch Stadium, also referred to informally as ``New Busch Stadium'' or ``Busch Stadium III'' is a baseball stadium located in downtown St. Louis. It is the home of Major League Baseball's St. Louis Cardinals and holds a capacity of 44,383 fans. A commercial area dubbed Ballpark Village was built adjacent to the stadium over the remainder of the former stadium's footprint.
Ticket: https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/tickets/single-game-tickets

City Museum in St. Louis is a massive, eclectic, and interactive art installation that serves as an all-ages adventure playground. Built inside a former 600,000-square-foot shoe warehouse in downtown St. Louis, it is constructed largely from repurposed architectural and industrial objects. Unlike traditional museums, visitors are encouraged to climb and play throughout the exhibits. Note that despite the name, it is not really a museum about St. Louis. It’s more like a giant crazy playground. Very unique! Fun for kids, but interesting for all ages.

Anheuser-Busch St. Louis Brewery

Anheuser-Busch St. Louis Brewery is the historic flagship headquarters and largest brewing facility of Anheuser-Busch, the American brewing giant known for Budweiser, Michelob, and Bud Light. Located at 1200 Lynch St, the massive 142-acre campus operates as an active brewery and a popular tourist destination. They give tours of the factory!

More interestingly, the Budweiser trademark dispute is an ongoing series of legal disputes between two beer companies (the Czech Budweiser Budvar Brewery, and the Belgian-American AB InBev) who claim trademark and geographic indication rights to the name ``Budweiser''. The dispute has been ongoing since 1907, and has involved more than 100 court cases around the world. As a result, Budweiser Budvar has the rights to the name Budweiser in most of Europe and AB InBev has this right in North America. Consequently, AB InBev uses the name ``Bud'' in most of Europe and Budvar sells its beer in North America under the name ``Czechvar''. In other territories, one or the other or even both may use the name, depending on local trademark law.

Missouri Botanical Garden

Missouri Botanical Garden is a botanical garden located at 4344 Shaw Blvd. It is also known informally as Shaw's Garden for founder and philanthropist Henry Shaw. Its herbarium, with more than 7.5 million specimens, is the second largest in North America, behind that of the New York Botanical Garden. Its Peter H. Raven Library contains 85% coverage of all literature ever published on systematic botany and plant taxonomy.

Theater and Shows

Fox Theater, a former movie palace, is a performing arts center located at 527 N. Grand Blvd. Also known as ``The Fabulous Fox'', it is situated in the arts district of the Grand Center area in Midtown St. Louis, one block north of Saint Louis University. It opened in 1929 and was completely restored in 1982.

Jazz St. Louis is a not-for-profit arts organization located at 3536 Washington Ave. It is dedicated to preserving the city's rich jazz legacy through live performances at the Ferring Jazz Bistro and through educational programs like JazzU.

Blue Strawberry is a popular live music, cabaret, and dinner theater venue located at 364 N Boyle Ave. It offers an intimate ``listening room'' experience where guests can enjoy live entertainment such as jazz, blues, cabaret, comedy, and tribute acts alongside a food and drink menu. In addition, the venue hosts a free open mic night every Wednesday.

Others near Campus

Hi Pointe Theatre is a historic, single-screen arthouse cinema located at 1005 McCausland Ave. Built in 1922 and currently owned by the arts non-profit Cinema St. Louis, it is the oldest continuously operating single-screen movie theater in the St. Louis metropolitan area.

Pin-Up Bowl is a renowned, retro-themed bowling alley and martini lounge located at 6191 Delmar Blvd. Established as St. Louis's original bowling lounge, it offers an intimate experience that combines a classic night out with vintage 1940s aesthetics.

Local Information

Activities

On Campus

Forest Park (right next to campus, mostly free!)

Downtown

Anheuser-Busch St. Louis Brewery

Missouri Botanical Garden

Theater and Shows

Others near Campus

Food

On campus

Parkside Cafe - Map

Danforth University Center, a.k.a. DUC - Map

Mallinckrodt Center - Map

Adjacent to Campus

Delmar Loop (10-minute walk from campus)

Restaurants are ordered from west to east

Drinks (all on Delmar)

Cafes (all on Delmar)

Grocery (they also sell prepared food)

St. Louis Delicacies

Gooey Butter Cake

Gooey butter cake is a rich St. Louis dessert known for its soft, gooey center. Legend has it that it was invented in the 1930s when a local German-American baker accidentally reversed the proportions of butter and flour in a cake recipe.

St Louis-style BBQ

St. Louis-style ribs are pork spare ribs trimmed into a rectangular shape and served with a sweet, tangy barbecue sauce. The cut was popularized by St. Louis meatpackers after World War II, who discovered they could charge a premium for the meatier, more uniform ribs.

Toasted Ravioli

Toasted ravioli (T-ravs) are breaded, deep-fried ravioli served with marinara sauce. According to local legend, the dish was created when a ravioli was accidentally dropped into a fryer in St. Louis's Italian neighborhood, The Hill.