I moved to St. Louis almost eight years ago to attend college with the intentions to leave after graduation. Well, a funny thing happens when you meet a native St. Louis boy the summer before your senior year, whom then asks you to marry him a couple years later. You stay put. I’ve really started embracing St. Louis and while it will never be my “home home” (that will always be Nebraska), it is starting to feel more like…well, home. So as part of me embracing where I now live, there’s a lot of stuff the city and county have to offer and tons of events year-round that I would like to experience and take advantage of.
I’ve been inspired by this list of 101 things every St. Louisan must do to create my own St. Louis bucket list. Several of the things included in the 101 list I’ve done, but there’s also things not listed on there that I would like to do. I’m sure this list will constantly be growing and never complete, but in a way I hope it stays that way so I’m never finished exploring this city I now call my home. I am including some completed items because they would be on my list no matter what.
1. Attend Cardinal’s opening day
2. Attend a game for each pro sports team (Rams, Blues & Cardinals)
2. Have a beer from every micro-brew in the metro area (this may be a never ending list itself!)
Completed breweries: Schlafly (both locations), Six Row, Urban Chestnut, 4Hands, Civil Life, Square One, Kirkwood Brewing Station
3. Attend the Great Forest Park Balloon Race (hot air balloon festival)
4. Ride the ferris wheel on the City Museum‘s roof
5. Get a treat from Crown Candy Kitchen
6. Attend a food truck festival
7. Attend Mardi Gras in Soulard
8. See Chuck Berry perform in the Duck Room at Blueberry Hill
9. Run the major half marathon races
Races: GO! St. Louis, Rock ‘n Roll, GO! St. Louis Halloween, MO Cowbell
10. Attend a symphony performance at the Powell
11. Take a tour of Fox Theater
12. See a show at the Muny
13. See a movie at the Tivoli
14. Attend a Shakespeare play in Forest Park
15. Explore the newly renovated Central Library downtown
16. Go sledding on Art Hill
17. Watch 4th of July fireworks above the arch
18. Take the AmTrack train to Hermann for a day
18. Go to Hidden Valley
19. Attend one of the festivals at the Botanical Gardens
20. Go floating down the Meramec River
21. Go explore the caves south of the city
22. View the city from the top of the Compton Hill Water Tower
23. Attend a service at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis
24. Attend a fish fry during lent (they’re huge here!)
25. Bike part of the Katy Trail
26. Spend a day at Elephant Rocks State Park and Johnson’s Shut-Ins Sate Park
27. Watch for eagles at the Chain of Rocks bridge
28. Take a tour of the Frank Lloyd Wright House in Ebsworth Park
29. Explore the Museum of Transportation
30. Carriage ride through Tilles Park to look at the Christmas lights
31. Have a drink at 360 Rooftop Bar
32. Drive through Lone Elk Park
33. Watch a concert at the Botanical Gardens as part of their Whitaker Music Festival
I’m sure I’m forgetting several items, but I’m sure this list will constantly be added to!
—m.