St. Louis, Missouri

Pull over here for a minute. You're about to see the childhood home of a famous children's author, but more importantly, you're near the former home of Dred Scott's lawyer. Roswell Field, a prominent attorney, lived…

The Gateway Arch rises 630 feet over the Mississippi riverfront in St. Louis, the centerpiece of Gateway Arch National Park. It is exactly as wide as it is tall, 630 feet each way, clad in stainless steel and shaped as…

The 630-foot stainless steel catenary arch on the St. Louis riverfront, designed by Eero Saarinen, commemorates the city's role as the gateway to the West.

You're approaching the spot that symbolizes a pivotal moment in American history: the westward expansion. This park, originally established in 1935, commemorates the Louisiana Purchase and the explorations that…

Ever wondered where St. Louis began? You're driving through it right now, on the very ground where a bustling river town was born! Walk these cobblestone streets and imagine life on the Mississippi River in the 18th…

The St. Louis apartment where Scott Joplin composed several of his ragtime masterpieces, including The Entertainer, during the height of the ragtime era.

Right here, on Delmar Boulevard, the King of Ragtime once lived! Scott Joplin, the composer who brought syncopated rhythms to the world, called this house home from 1901 to 1903. Joplin was already famous when he moved…

Pull over for a moment, because you're about to pass a building that was a beacon of hope and opportunity for countless African American women in St. Louis. This is the Phillis Wheatley YWCA, established in 1911, and it…

Ever wondered what it was like to clear deadly mines from the ocean? You're about to explore a genuine WWII minesweeper, the USS Inaugural! This ship was part of the Admirable class, the largest and most successful…

Hold on tight, because right here you're looking at a game-changer! The Eads Bridge, stretching across the Mississippi, was a true feat of engineering. Completed in 1874, the bridge was named for its designer and…

Prepare to be dazzled! The Fox Theatre isn't just a building; it's a time capsule of roaring twenties extravagance. Built by William Fox, the theater opened in 1929 as a movie palace. It was designed to showcase Fox…

Once a glamorous hub in East St. Louis, the Broadview Hotel hosted countless travelers during its heyday. Constructed in 1927, the Broadview quickly became one of the finest hotels in the city. It was built in the…

Ever wonder what it takes to save a masterpiece? You're about to find out! This magnificent building, now Powell Hall, started life as the St. Louis Theatre in 1925. Imagine packed houses for live vaudeville acts and…

The historic St. Louis brewery campus where Adolphus Busch pioneered pasteurized beer, refrigerated railcars, and built America's largest brewing company.

Ever wonder what secrets a seemingly ordinary building might hold? Up ahead, you're approaching a place that was once a cornerstone of African American Freemasonry in St. Louis. Originally built in 1886 as a commercial…

Founded by a German immigrant in 1852, this brewery complex is a National Historic Landmark and a testament to American brewing history. Adolphus Busch, a German immigrant, joined Eberhard Anheuser's brewery in 1860.…

The St. Louis home at the center of the 1948 Supreme Court case Shelley v. Kraemer, which struck down racially restrictive housing covenants nationwide.

Look up! You're about to pass one of St. Louis's most distinctive historic landmarks, a silent sentinel to the city's growth. This is the Bissell Street Water Tower, completed in 1886, also known as the "New Red" tower.…

Ever wondered where a literary firebrand penned her most controversial work? You're driving right past it! This unassuming house on McPherson Avenue was once home to Kate Chopin, the audacious author who dared to…

Right here, at 3137 Whittier Street, rock and roll history was written. This unassuming house was home to the legendary Chuck Berry during the peak of his creative output. From the mid-1950s to the early 1960s, Berry…

Marvel at this towering structure, the oldest extant water tower in St. Louis, a symbol of the city's industrial past. It's the Grand Avenue Water Tower. Back in 1871, St. Louis was growing rapidly, and needed a better…

Pull over here! You're looking at a beacon of hope for Black children in St. Louis for over a century. Born from the struggles of the post-Civil War era, the St. Louis Colored Orphans Home opened its doors in 1888. It…

Pull over here and take a moment to consider the profound impact this unassuming building had on generations. This school provided education to African American children during segregation, offering a crucial glimpse…

Pull over for a minute and imagine a time when St. Louis was a bustling frontier town and one man dreamed of creating a green oasis. That man was Henry Shaw, and this is his legacy, the Missouri Botanical Garden. Shaw,…

Henry Shaw arrived in St. Louis from England in 1819 at age nineteen and made a fortune selling hardware to settlers heading west. He retired at forty and decided to build a botanical garden. He consulted with the…

Pull over, you're about to discover a true urban oasis: Tower Grove Park, a 289-acre green masterpiece right in the heart of St. Louis! This incredible park, along with the nearby Missouri Botanical Garden, was once…

Imagine a city once dotted with 40 Native American mounds, now only this one remains. Sugarloaf Mound is the last survivor of a culture that thrived here between 600 and 1300 AD. These people, part of the Mississippian…

Pull over for a second; you're looking at what's said to be the oldest continuously active Catholic parish in the entire United States. Back in 1699, French-Canadian missionaries established a mission here among the…

Ever wondered how we understand every tingle and twitch in our bodies? You're driving past the home of a man who helped unlock that mystery! This house, at 5127 Waterman Boulevard, was where Nobel Prize winner Joseph…

Pull over for a moment, because right here you're passing a place that offered a lifeline to forgotten women in 19th-century St. Louis. This building, the Home of the Friendless, was acquired in 1853 by Charlotte…

Ever wished you could step into a giant, sparkling jewel? Well, get ready, because you're about to! This isn't just any greenhouse; it's an Art Deco masterpiece, glowing with floral beauty. Back in the 1930s, St. Louis…

This isn't just a tomb; it's a profound statement on love, loss, and the eternal. You're approaching the Wainwright Tomb, a masterpiece of funerary art designed by the legendary architect Louis Sullivan. It was built in…

Forest Park hosted the 1904 World's Fair, which introduced ice cream cones, hot dogs, and iced tea to mainstream America and drew nearly 20 million visitors.

Step inside a Victorian-era vision of beauty and eternal rest. Bellefontaine Cemetery, founded in 1849, wasn't just a place to bury the dead; it was designed as a peaceful, park-like setting, a 'rural cemetery' intended…

St. Louis frozen custard so thick they serve it upside down since 1929.

Ever wonder how a world-renowned university got its start in the heart of Missouri? You're approaching Washington University in St. Louis, affectionately known as WashU, a place that started with an idea to educate a…

In the Delmar Loop at 6555 Delmar Boulevard stands an eight-foot bronze of Chuck Berry, guitar slung high, frozen mid duck-walk. Sculpted by Harry Weber and dedicated on July 29, 2011, it sits across the street from…

Pull over! You're about to drive past a place that hosted a truly unique double feature in history: both the 1904 World's Fair AND the 1904 Summer Olympics! Talk about a busy campus. This is the historic Hilltop Campus…

Pull over, history buffs! You're approaching a place where St. Louis’s Black history is literally etched in stone. Greenwood Cemetery isn't just a burial ground; it's a testament to resilience and community. Established…

This is where the magic happened: the original Coca-Cola syrup was made here, fueling a global phenomenon. Look to your left! This unassuming building was once the beating heart of Coca-Cola’s early production. Starting…

Imagine a city bigger than London, right here in Illinois, centuries before European settlers arrived. That was Cahokia, a thriving metropolis built by Native Americans.Around 1050 CE, Cahokia rose to prominence. It…

A thousand years ago, this was the largest city in North America. Cahokia, located just across the Mississippi from modern-day St. Louis, was home to as many as twenty thousand people around 1100 AD, a population…

Around 1050 AD, on the Mississippi floodplain across the river from modern St. Louis, a settlement exploded, almost overnight, into a planned city of perhaps 20,000 people. Bigger than London at the time. We call it…

Imagine a place where travelers sought discreet getaways along Route 66. That was the Coral Court Motel. Built in 1941, this motel in what's now Marlborough, Missouri, stood out with its Art Deco and Streamline Moderne…

Imagine a bustling village here, centuries before European settlers. This is the Mitchell Archaeological Site, once the second-largest settlement in the Cahokia settlement system. Around 1150 to 1200, Mississippian…

Imagine a bustling village here, centuries before any European set foot in Illinois. This is the Horseshoe Lake Mound and Village Site, once home to Mississippian peoples. Between roughly 600 and 1050 A.D., this village…

John Burroughs School in the St. Louis area (Ladue, Missouri) is where Ezekiel Elliott was a record-setting running back and a four-time state track champion. He starred at Ohio State, winning a national title, and…

Stand on this land and you're walking where a future president wrestled with profound moral contradictions. This is White Haven, the home of Julia Dent Grant, and where Ulysses S. Grant lived and farmed before the Civil…

This unassuming spot along the Mississippi River was once a crucial launchpad for America's westward expansion. From 1826 to 1946, Jefferson Barracks served as a primary training and deployment center for the U.S. Army.…

Stand on this hallowed ground and remember generations of service. Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery began as a military post cemetery in 1826. After the Civil War, in 1866, the United States government formalized a…

Imagine Belleville's bustling commercial heart, shaped by one man's generosity. This is the Blair Historic District. Back in 1813, George Blair donated land that became the foundation of Belleville. Over the next…

Step back in time at this historic house, built in 1800 as a fur trading post and log cabin. You’re approaching Taille de Noyer, one of the oldest houses in Missouri. Imagine a time before St. Louis was a bustling city,…

Behold the World's Largest Catsup Bottle, a quirky roadside attraction that's been delighting visitors since 1949! It all started when the Brooks Foods plant needed a new water tower. Instead of a plain one, they…

Pull over for a moment and imagine a time when the color of your skin dictated where you could learn. This unassuming building, the J. Milton Turner School, stands as a quiet testament to the fierce struggle for…

A 170-foot water tower shaped like a Brooks ketchup bottle in Collinsville IL.

Step back in time as you explore a neighborhood that whispers stories of Belleville's early days. This isn't just a collection of old houses; it's a window into the lives of the German immigrants who shaped this town.…

Ever wonder what it's like to live inside a work of art? Here, you can get a glimpse. This is the Kraus House, a unique home designed by the legendary Frank Lloyd Wright for Russell and Ruth Kraus. The initial design…

Before Lewis and Clark, this was a bustling military outpost and trading hub on the edge of the American frontier. Fort Belle Fontaine, established in 1805, became the first U.S. military installation west of the…

Ever wondered what one of the oldest Catholic establishments west of the Mississippi looks like? You're about to find out! This isn't just a church; it's a window into the earliest days of European settlement in…

Ever wondered what it took to build a railroad across a wild continent? You're about to pass the very first railroad tunnels west of the Mississippi River, a true marvel of 19th-century engineering right here in…

Just a couple of miles from here stands a testament to Frank Lloyd Wright's vision of affordable, uniquely American housing: the Theodore A. Pappas House. The Pappas family commissioned Wright to design their home in…

Ever heard of a factory town designed with worker happiness in mind? That's Leclaire, right here in Edwardsville. N. O. Nelson, owner of the Nelson Manufacturing Company, founded Leclaire between 1890 and 1895. He…

On October 15, 1858, Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas held the last of their seven debates right here in Alton, on a platform near the old city hall. The debates had drawn national attention as the two candidates for…

Pull over here for a peek into the life of a man who helped shape Illinois! This is the Benjamin Stephenson House, built around 1820 for a prominent local figure. Benjamin Stephenson was a key player in early Illinois…

Imagine this peaceful area as a scene of immense suffering. During the Civil War, this was the site of the Alton Military Prison, notorious for its horrific conditions and high mortality rate. Originally built in 1833…

Imagine life in the late 1800s as you stand before the oldest remaining sheriff's house and jail in Madison County. This building at 210 N. Main St. in Edwardsville housed both the sheriff and the county's prisoners.…

Ever wonder where Alton got its taste for local brew? You’re near the spot where it all started. Philip Yakel, a German immigrant, arrived here in 1836 and quickly established the Union Brewery. It was the first brewery…

Imagine Alton's elite of the 19th century building their dream homes on this very bluff overlooking the Mississippi. Construction in the Christian Hill Historic District really took off in the 1830s, and it quickly…

Pull over here and take a look around – you're standing in a place that helped shape the entire American West.St. Charles served as the last civilized stop for pioneers heading west. In 1804, Lewis and Clark began their…

For five years in the 1820s, this unassuming building was the center of Missouri's government. When Missouri officially joined the Union as the 24th state in 1821, it needed a temporary home for its new state…

Imagine living in a nation tearing itself apart over slavery. This house, the Lyman Trumbull House in Alton, Illinois, was once home to a man who helped change the course of American history. Lyman Trumbull lived here…

Pull over for a moment! You're approaching a quiet brick building that holds incredible stories of resilience and community. This is the African Church, a vital cornerstone of Black life in St. Charles. Imagine St.…

Pull over here for a minute, and imagine the bustling riverfront of Alton in the 1830s. This spot matters because it's where William Post, a steamboat captain, built his impressive home. William Post constructed this…

Dare to visit the McPike Mansion, rumored to be haunted and surrounded by wine cellars and terraced gardens. Built in 1869 by Henry Guest McPike, this mansion, also known as Mount Lookout, occupies one of the highest…

Imagine a town so focused on education, its identity was practically defined by its college. That was Upper Alton. Platted in 1817, Upper Alton didn't really take off until Shurtleff College opened its doors in the…