St. Louis, Missouri’s role as the “Gateway to the West” is exemplified by the Gateway Arch, the iconic steel structure towering 630 feet above the city’s Mississippi River bank and visible from miles around.
But Gateway Arch National Park is more than the architectural marvel itself. The park’s 91 acres commemorate President Thomas Jefferson’s vision of a continental nation and St. Louis’ role as a focal point. This was the area, after all, where U.S. Army Capt. Meriwether Lewis and Lt. William Clark launched their exploration of the newly acquired western United States in 1804.
Other seeds of history were sewn here years later. Starting in 1846, the city’s courthouse — whose construction was unfinished at the time — witnessed a bellwether event in civil rights: the Dred Scott case, in which the enslaved American and his wife, Harriet, sued for their freedom. The Scotts’ initially unsuccessful pursuit was seen as a catalyst of the Civil War more than a decade later. The courthouse also is where Virginia Minor, a key figure in the women’s suffrage movement, first sought her right to vote in 1872.
Evansville Living received a preview of the restored Old Courthouse and was treated to several other experiences on a recent immersive tour, courtesy of Explore St. Louis.
St. Louisans are passionate about preserving the city’s role in American history, and the last several years have been a critical time in that effort. At $380 million, the CityArchRiver Project is the largest public-private partnership in the history of the National Parks Service. The Old Courthouse’s reopening May 3 after five years of renovations brings the full project to completion.
“Monumental things happen when we invest in the conservation and preservation of our national parks and iconic landmarks like the Old Courthouse,” says Ryan McClure, Executive Director of Gateway Arch Park Foundation. “Through our longstanding partnership with the National Park Service and the generous support of our philanthropic donors, together, we have ensured this building will remain vibrant and accessible for future generations. We look forward to standing alongside our partners as the St. Louis community and its visitors rediscover the Old Courthouse.”
The building is steps away from the Arch, and its stone columns and cupola dome cast a dignified presence Downtown.
National parks often reflect challenging parts of American history, and the Old Courthouse is a monument that “needed to be preserved and protected,” says Jeremy Sweat, superintendent of Gateway Arch National Park. Sweat cites the difficulty of adding modern accessibility features while keeping the courthouse’s historical integrity intact. Mission accomplished, he says. The Old Courthouse has an elevator to its second floor as well as exterior ramps; four galleries telling the Scotts’ story and other lessons; and restored courtrooms used for mock trials and other community events. It is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily with free admission.
Earlier key elements of the CityArchRiver Project included the Museum at the Gateway Arch, an underground treasure that opened in 2018. Interactive displays show the city’s origin in 1764 as a French settlement, plus Lewis & Clark’s westward journey, the decades-long development of the Mississippi River shoreline, and the arch’s design and construction. The museum is free, although tickets are required for a tram ride to the top of the arch, a 35-minute documentary film on the arch’s history (highly recommended by Evansville Living writers), and riverboat cruises offering dinners and special events in addition to amazing views.
The city’s expansive Forest Park (it’s larger than New York City’s Central Park by about 500 acres) is home to numerous discoveries, some of which are new. At the Missouri History Museum, for example, check out the 1904 World’s Fair exhibit. The fair brought 20 million people to St. Louis and celebrated the centennial of the Louisiana Purchase. The exhibit runs through Nov. 16.
Opened in April 2024, the exhibit’s centerpiece is a large-scale model of the fairgrounds created with computer programs and a 3-D printer. Users can juxtapose what the fairgrounds looked like compared to today’s St. Louis. “It’s as close as you can get to the 1904 World’s Fair without actually visiting,” says Adam Kloppe, public historian at the Missouri History Museum.
Cruise to the nearby St. Louis Art Museum, where the touring exhibit “Roaring” explores the automobiles of pre-World War II France, as well as art and fashion from the period spanning 1918-1939.
“Roaring” examines “the relationship between technology and design, between art and craft, and it asks the question of how designers and artists shaped our relationship to technology at this very volatile, exciting, and innovative period,” says Genny Cortinovis, the museum’s Andrew W. Mellon Foundation associate curator of decorative arts and design. “Roaring” is at the St. Louis Art Museum through July 27. Tickets to the exhibition are required, but it is free on Fridays. Admission to the remainder of the museum is free.
Another fascinating on-loan museum exhibit in St. Louis is “Ghost Army: The Combat Con Artists of World War II” at the Soldiers Memorial Military Museum, a Neoclassical behemoth that opened Downtown in 1938. “Ghost Army” tells the story of a top-secret military unit that caught the enemy off guard by using inflatable tanks and vehicles, plus fake radio traffic, sound effects, and even phony generals. It’s on display until May 26. Admission is free.
While in St. Louis, tour the magnificent Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum, which covers more than 300 acres on the city’s north side and houses around 87,000 internments, including many well-known citizens with St. Louis or Missouri ties. Two of the most visited gravesites are those of the aforementioned explorer William Clark and Adolphus Busch, co-founder of the Anheuser-Busch beer company.
A unique quality of St. Louis is the number of places to experience history, art, or culture for free — whether it’s the refurbished Old Courthouse or a host of other destinations, says Catherine Neville, vice president of communications with Explore St. Louis.
There’s no fee to enter the Saint Louis Zoo, Saint Louis Science Center, Pulitzer Arts Foundation’s museum, and Contemporary Art Museum. More than 1,400 free seats are available first come, first served at The Muny in Forest Park, America’s oldest and largest outdoor musical theater.
“It’s a very accessible city from a price point, but what is important for people to understand is just because something is free, it doesn’t mean that it’s not world-class,” Neville says. “What that means is that when you come to Saint Louis, it is accessible no matter what your budget might be, and especially if you’re traveling with kids and you have multiple heads that you need to account for. You are able to take your family for these immersive, wonderful experiences, and something that’s really special.”
