Vacation in StL

We just got back from a great vacation in the St Louis area.  Our excuse to take time off was a wedding on Saturday of Ben's step-sister but we turned it into time for us to explore a new city.  According to an acquaintance from high school, we managed to hit all the major sites and she had no advice for us for the last day we were there.  

Thursday afternoon, we arrived and promptly cursed the GPS, as it does not have live traffic updates and the major interstate, 64,  that it kept telling us to stay on and it was frustrating to figure out where we were going when the brewery closed in 1 hour!  We finally chucked the GPS and used it as an expensive map and reached our destination just in time for the 3:30 tour.  Very neat, old brewery and samples at the end!  Can't get any better than that!

Friday, we were out and about early and made our way to Forest Park, where the Zoo, Art and History Museums are located, as well as a Boat House to rent canoes and paddleboats.  With the exception of the boat rental, all of these were free.  The Zoo was AMAZING, although, initially no animals were visible in their cages.  It was about 4 times the size of the Des Moines Zoo and we didn't have to pay a thing!  A definite stop for families on a budget with kids or without!  We then took the MetroLink to the Arch and explored the flooded river area.  We wanted to take a riverboat tour but the ramps were flooded and we were unable to do so.  Then we hit up the City Museum.  A gigantic jungle gym for kids and adults alike.  This "museum" is considered as such, since each piece of art has been made of recycled or reused materials or something turned into something else.  It also had a 7 story slide, which we of course took advantage of.  Outside were planes and a fire truck suspended in the air with stairs and tubes to crawl through to explore!  Ben was  grinning the entire time.  After the long day, we made our way back to the hotel and discovered Westport Plaza, a little shopping and eating area outside St Louis and enjoyed dinner and ice cream, as well as the beautiful weather and some people watching.  

Saturday we were out bright and early, headed to Grant's Farm.  This is a wildlife preserve of sorts, where acre upon acre are home to many different animals, including buffalo, zebras, elk, elephants and foxes!  We took a tour around the park and then saw the famous Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales for a second time.  Then, headed out to the wedding.  Very laid back wedding and very unorganized but it was fun to see family and enjoy the night.  WAY too many bugs, however and I am still dealing with 30+ extremely itchy bites on my ankles and legs.  

Sunday, we headed home and stopped at the Mark Twain Cave and Hannibal, IL, both featured in the Mark Twain story, Tom Sawyer.  The cave was neat and pizza in the town was yummy.  Then headed back to DSM, 4 hours away.