Around St. Charles

Old Town St. Charles - Cobblestone streets that have been around for 200 years are home to unique shops and restaurants along the Missouri River.

Frankie Martins Garden - An outdoor entertainment complex in Cottleville with a HUGE screen to catch a game or listen to live music. Chill outside and order from several on-site food trucks. Also have a choice of hundreds of wines, whiskeys, and brews.

Sugar Creek Winery - Head 20 minutes south on Hwy 94 to wine country! This one is a favorite, and allows you to bring in picnic food. They have live music on weekends and a great view! More wineries can be found further down the road in Augusta.

Dogwood Social - A great place to grab a bite, get a drink, and play a variety of games like mega Jenga or cornhole while kids can run around. There's always a game on, too.

Art Foundry - Located on the north end of Main Street, this converted train car factory now houses an art gallery and studios for a dozen artists with an open door policy, inviting you in to watch them create works of art from pottery to sculpture to painting.

Odds and Ends

Walking - If walking is your thing, take a 3.2 mile stroll around nearby Creve Coeur Lake. Here in St. Charles we also recommend walking in Wapelhorst Park, Veterans Park, or on the Katy Trail.

Restaurants

Here’s a few good ones in the St. Charles area:

Mexican - LaCarrata, Session Taco, El Guatal

BarBQ - Heavy Smoke, Sugarfire

Best Value - Hobo’s, Steak’nShake

American - Twisted Tavern, Mad Dog & Cats

Italian - Massa’s, Pasta House

Pizza - Salvatores, Mellow Mushroom, Deweys

Chinese - China King (carry out)

Mediterranean - Spiro’s, Jafra's

Chicken ‘N Pickle - Grab a bite and watch all the action on the pickleball courts - or play a game!

Around St. Louis

St. Louis is about 20 minutes from St. Charles, depending where you are going.

St Louis Zoo - Our zoo is one of the top 10 rated in the country and it is free!

St. Louis Science Center - Lots of fun for both adults and kids. Explore and discover. Also free, charges for movies and exhibits.

City Museum - Kids love this place. Full of the most unique and adventurous areas to explore - room after room and lots of tunnels. (You might want to AirTag your kid!) $20 admission if purchased online.

Anheuser Busch Tour - A tour of the brewery ends in the sample room for a tasting of AB products.

St. Louis Arch - Located under the Arch is a new museum and where you buy tickets to take a tram to the top. Museum is free. Ride to top $16-20.

Forest Park - Explore this 1300-acre park in St. Louis that houses the History Museum, Zoo, Art Museum, and Jewel House. Grab a bite at the Boathouse or rent a paddle boat to explore the lake area.

Magic House - This huge “house” is filled with all kinds of things for kids to do. They love it. From 3-5 daily admission is only $3 for area residents.

Grant’s Farm - Home to Grants cabin, and the Busch estate, now home to over 900 animals, including some of the Clydesdales. A tram ride through the farm ends at a German-inspired Tier Garten where you get to sample AB products and visit the petting zoo. Free but parking is $18.

WestPort Social - a great place to grab a bite, get a drink and watch a game and play a variety of games like bocce ball, shoot some hoops, or shuffle board.

Missouri Botanical Gardens - A large 79-acre outdoor area with beautiful walking grounds and tram tours to explore the many plants, flowers and gardens. Noted for its 14 acre Japanese garden and a variety of events and displays.

Restaurants

Here’s a few of our favorites when we get to the city.

Courtesy Diner - a real dive across from Forest Park

The neighborhood known as 'The Hill' has lots of Italian restaurants, all are good (Zias, Favazzas)

Ted Drewes - known for its delicious concrete ice cream

The Grove Area - home to several restaurants, would recommend Gramaphone and Sauce on The Side