Welcome to the Very Best of St. Louis 2023 (2024)

• Best Of St. Louis
• 2020
• Staff Pick

• Best Of St. Louis
• 2020
• Staff Pick

With international and even regional travel suddenly stopped, many people have been keeping themselves busy by exploring closer to home. The Katy Trail is one of the best places in Missouri to explore, and a trip down the trail can show you much of the state. As the longest recreational rail trail in the country, the Katy Trail runs for 240 miles across the state, from the St. Louis area all the way past Jefferson City to Clinton. With a hard, flat surface made of crushed limestone, the path is enjoyed by both runners and cyclists as they curve through the countryside and enjoy the sights. Beginning at mile marker 27 on the Missouri River, most of the trail runs alongside the water which provides gorgeous views and lots of opportunities to glimpse some of our state’s wildlife. — Jaime Lees

• Best Of St. Louis
• 2016
• Things to See and Do

Napa Valley may have the better wine, but if you're seeking a trip to rolling countryside and gorgeous vineyards, there's no need to fly to San Francisco first. A trip to the heart of Missouri wine country is only a short drive away in Hermann, a German settlement-turned-wine-haven located off Missouri 94 in the Missouri River Valley. Here you'll find the Hermann Wine Trail (312 Market Street, Hermann; 573-486-2744), a network of seven family-owned wineries, each with its own unique qualities, specialties and history. The group collectively sells about 200,000 gallons of wine each year, about one-third of all sales of Missouri wine. Despite those achievements, Hermann is a far cry from a tourist trap. Blissfully free from kitschy commercialism, Hermann will make you feel like you've stepped into the past, with locally owned shops and quaint bed and breakfasts lining the pedestrian-friendly streets and a trolley providing transportation around town. You can also enjoy traditional festivities such as Hermann's month-long Oktoberfest and the themed wine trail events that mark the calendar all year long (the "Wild Bacon Wine Trail," anyone?). Be sure to pause in the midst of the good times and look up from your wine glass to enjoy the view. This may not be California, but that's just fine by us — this place is beautiful all on its own, and it's a much shorter drive, too.

• Best Of St. Louis
• 2015
• Staff Pick

Jefferson Barracks' 4.2 miles of paved bike trails carve a figure eight through the center of the park, with no shortage of scenery along the way: The Dennis A. Shick Trail is flanked by native woods, meadows, a Frisbee golf course, ballparks, an archery range and historical markers from the Civil War. The path has moderate rolling hills that keep your body and mind alternately challenged and rewarded as each incline is conquered. The main trail filters into the Mississippi River Greenway, which runs parallel to the river, cuts between a flower-filled meadow and ends behind River City Casino. The breeze from the water is a welcome relief on a hot day, and the flat surface — save for the hill on the way down — makes it easy for a family of cyclists with varying skill levels to enjoy the beautiful Missouri landscape. 533 Grant Road, St. Louis, 63125. 314-615-5000, www.stlouisco.com/ParksandRecreation/Trails/JeffersonBarracksTrails.

• Best Of St. Louis
• 2014

Float trips in Missouri just wouldn't be the same without Steelville. The outfitters there, such as Bass' River Resort and Huzzah Valley, have mastered the craft of river floating. The staffs are friendly, and they'll work to find you the best campsites available — whether that's a primitive site with nothing but a fire pit and picnic table, or a cabin hooked up with all the amenities of home. Canoes, kayaks and rafts are all offered at affordable prices, and a variety of trips along the spring-fed Courtois and Huzzah rivers are mapped out, ranging from 5 to 25 miles. The rivers are clear and cold with areas of wide and lazy water, so you can take your time admiring the sunbathing turtles and spying waterfowl, but there are also winding, fast-paced stretches that'll have you desperately clinging to your cooler. Sure, you'll encounter some rednecks along the way, but isn't embracing your inner hoosier the best part of floating?

• Best Of St. Louis
• 2013

With skylights and floor-to-ceiling windows, the Saint Louis Art Museum's East Building is an incredible sight on Forest Park's Art Hill — both from the outside and within. Unveiled this summer, the brand-new wing is home to a range of galleries, expanded public amenities and a restaurant overlooking the park. The project increases the museum's public space by 30 percent and adds 21 new galleries in total — providing room for a large collection that has outgrown the Main Building originally built for the 1904 World's Fair. The site comes with additional parking and bigger education facilities, and museum officials say it addresses essential infrastructure deficiencies that have challenged the institution for decades. Even better, the David Chipperfield-designed structure features a polished concrete façade incorporating aggregate from the Missouri River and was awarded LEED status for its environmentally responsible design and construction.

• Best Of St. Louis
• 2013

A robin's-egg-blue circle affixed to the entrance of the Audubon Center at Riverlands highlights the day's birding news in dry-erase marker: "Blue Grosbeak seen on Two Pecan Trail." There are telescopes along the large plate-glass windows inside the striking educational space, but outside is where the birdsong chirps. Senior ecologist Lane Richter, an avid bird watcher for eight years, says of that blue grosbeak, "He's been singing here all summer. And he's about as blue as the cap on this water bottle." A true cerulean blue. However, the bird Richter is most excited about having spotted in the 3,700 acres of the Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary is not flashy but the fairly common Passerina caerulea — it's the white-winged scoter, a sea duck. "This is not their turf. They stick to the coasts as a rule," Richter says. Another favorite is the American white pelican, which winters in Ellis Bay on the Mississippi. "They fish together like a sort of animated seine net, scooting the fish with their feet into one spot where they all can feast." The center's position near the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers — a globally designated "Important Bird Area," makes it best place in the metro area to see 325 species fly by.

• Best Of St. Louis
• 2013

Most major cities have art museums, zoos and various public attractions, but we have something unique: the Chain of Rocks Bridge. Located just south of the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, our special geography makes this site possible. The Chain of Rocks connects the Riverview area of north St. Louis County with Chouteau Island in Madison, Illinois. Though it was once a humming part of old Route 66, the Chain of Rocks Bridge has long been closed to vehicles and now serves as a serene pedestrian path that links us to our neighboring state across that mighty river. There are quite a few nature-related events hosted there throughout the year — such as the beloved eagle-watching gathering, Eagle Days — but you don't need an event to enjoy this site. The quiet bridge offers the chance to find peace every morning with the wind in your hair, a beautiful view of downtown St. Louis to the south and the always impressive Big Muddy gurgling below.

• Best Of St. Louis
• 2012

In Wildwood Highway T drops off Manchester Road and heads west into serious hill country. Rev up your steel horse and buckle down. Although the pavement along this stretch is smooth, the grades are steep and the curves tight — perfect for an adrenaline rush and the picturesque views. Turning northwest onto Highway 100, you get a break from the hills as you zoom into Washington on a flat four-laner. Heading north on Highway 47 through town, you traverse an old metal bridge and cross the Missouri River. Soybean and cornfields now greet your arrival into a low river valley and our state's prime grape-growing country. A right turn onto Highway 94 will take you on a winding path past several wineries and old Augusta. Don't let the scenic vistas distract you — this road is pocked with holes. By the time you reach Defiance, you've earned the right to sip on a beer (or two) at the biker-friendly bars. How you get home afterward is your business.

• Best Of St. Louis
• 2012

While trekking through the varying topography of the Weldon Spring Conservation Area (off Highway 94 along the north bank of the Missouri River, it's easy to forget that this tract of forests, grasslands and bluffs was once dedicated to destruction: During World War II an army contractor made TNT here. Then in the 1950s and '60s, the Atomic Energy Commission processed uranium ore for nuclear bombs here. The state bought the land in 1978 and the feds cleaned out all the toxic stuff, leaving the department of conservation today with a safe — and breathtaking — 7,390 acres. The hiking and mountain-biking trails offer only one excuse for exploring the hills and ridges, plumed with oak, hickory and sycamore. Feel free to forage mushrooms, berries and greens while you're there. Hunters can bag rabbits, doves, squirrel and raccoons (plus deer and turkey on special managed hunts). The limestone bluffs afford panoramas of the wide Missouri, but if heights aren't your thing, you can pedal along the Katy Trail, which passes below. When Lewis and Clark came through here, there were no picnic tables, restrooms, ball fields or amenities. That holds true today, so you get to enjoy this area as they did — in the raw.