St Louis Travel Guide

St Louis serves up Midwestern charm with a dash of cosmopolitan flair, and is an essential experience for anyone who's interested in the US's regions. Birthplace of the blues and the ice-cream cone, the city captivates visitors with its history, culture and modern attractions.

Fur trader Pierre Laclede established St Louis as a French trading post in 1764, settling at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. It proved an ideal location, subsequently becoming a major port as well as a main departure point for explorers travelling the westbound wagon trails.

St Louis became a manufacturing centre for everything a pioneer would need on his journeys, such as saddles and guns, and it was here that explorers Lewis and Clark stocked up with provisions for their now famous expedition.

These days, St Louis is the biggest city in Missouri and one of the largest inland ports in the country. Reminders of St Louis's frontier history are evident most visibly in the shining steel Gateway Arch monument, the famous landmark dedicated to the pioneers of the Western Frontier.

The city's numerous personalities offer a mix of authentic America with a vaguely European air. Music from the country's past floats from famous jazz and blues clubs, while paddle steamers dock along a riverfront filled with antique shops and restaurants now part of the revitalised Laclede's Landing Historic District.

With 79 distinct neighbourhoods to tour, including tranquil Forest Park and historic Soulard, distinctive barbeque and local Italian cuisine, as well as many events and free attractions, there's plenty to see, eat and do in this Midwestern metropolis.