The historical heart of St. Louis, the Downtown district continues to reinvent itself as the place to “see and be seen” in this iconic Midwestern city. Locals passionately embrace baseball, with the St. Louis Cardinals swinging bats just blocks from the city’s Anheuser-Busch brewery and dozens of local craft-beer taverns, taphouses and beer gardens. The Loft District boasts boutique shopping, eclectic eateries and contemporary art, and the city’s blues and jazz roots dig deep in music clubs throughout Downtown.
Even visitors who don’t snag a home-game ticket to a game at Busch Stadium can dive deep into Cardinals territory at Ballpark Village, home to sports-related memorabilia, apparel, dining and entertainment, and can stop by Cardinals Authentic for official game-used, autographed and one-of-a-kind collectables from the baseball club. Filling the St. Louis horizon over downtown, the Gateway Arch at Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Park marks the city’s history as a gateway for pioneers heading West to build new lives in an ever-expanding America.
Downtown St. Louis is pedestrian-friendly, complemented by accessible public transportation via light-rail lines, commuter buses and dedicated tourist shuttles. The Metro Downtown Trolley focuses on main tourist attractions in downtown and surrounding districts, including Busch Stadium, the Gateway Arch and Forest Park. Car rentals are available from the airport and major hotels, and taxi drivers operate from dedicated stands.
Native American mound-builder tribes populated the St. Louis area as far back as the 9th century, living what is known as the “Mississippian culture” along the Mississippi River. Later French and Spanish explorers established trading posts on the river, building a lucrative fur-trading settlement. St. Louis earned its nickname “Gateway to the West” in the early 1800s, making its mark as a resting point and supply station for western-bound homesteaders, gold diggers and adventurers following the footsteps of renowned explorers Lewis and Clark into the western frontier.