Since we did a bigger trip over spring break to Puerto Rico, we decided to do a road trip to St. Louis for our summer family trip. We heard there were so many fun things to do there with kids, and it's only about 4 hours away.
First stop, Freddy's for lunch!
Second stop, Aikman Wildlife Adventure Park. We did the Behind the Scenes tour, which was incredible. The guide first took us through the walk-through area, and then we got to go behind the scenes to see animals not available to the public! Lastly, we got to ride in a UTV out to their drive-through area where Zebras, Camels, Emus, Horses, etc. literally ate out of our hands!
Nate sat up front in the UTV and I sat with the girls in back. We were each given a large bowl of food (with unlimited refills). Most of my pictures are of Jade feeding the animals, as the experience was a little intense for Jem, and I had to help her hold on to her bowl so it didn't get snatched away!!
We arrived in St. Louis late afternoon and checked in to our hotel. Our room had a great view of the Arch! We had dinner, swam in the pool and wrapped up the day with a warm cookie delivery from Insomnia Cookies!
The next day we visited the City Museum! This place was one of the coolest places we've ever been. There were miles of tunnels, slides, climbers, bridges and castles. There are secret passages, playgrounds and even a rooftop Ferris Wheel! We got there when it opened and spent the entire day there!
After a long day at the museum we went back to the hotel to freshen up before heading to Sugarfire Smoke House for dinner. After dinner we went back to the hotel for an evening swim!
Our next day started out with a tour of the Anheuser-Busch Brewery and the Clydesdale horses.
Followed by lunch at Mission Taco Joint! Everyone loved the food and atmosphere here!
Next, we headed down the street to the an adorable board game bar and cafe called Pieces! We had SO much fun choosing games from the hundreds they had available to play! We got through 4 different games before we realized it was time to head to our next activity! We probably could have stayed there for another hour at least!
From there we headed straight to St. Louis Union Station to visit the aquarium and do the other attractions (mirror maze, mini golf, ferris wheel) they have there.
We were all pretty exhausted at this point, so we picked up a quick late dinner at McDonalds and went to bed!
Our last day started off with a tour up into the Arch! Such a fun experience riding to the top in a tiny tram car! The views from the top were incredible, too!
After the Arch, we headed for lunch at Pappy's Smokehouse. This place was deemed a "must try" from all the research I did regarding St. Louis BBQ. It didn't disappoint, that's for sure. Some of the best ribs we've ever had!
Our final activity for the day was the St. Louis Science Center. This is a wonderful hands on museum with tons of exhibits. We spent a lot of time here seeing and doing everything we could!
Our hotel offered complementary food and drinks every evening from 5:30-7 pm which was a great perk! We took advantage of that for dinner and then headed to Ted Drewes (another "must try") for ice cream!!
We headed out after breakfast the next morning and decided to take a slightly different route home. We made several stops at fun and unique Route 66 landmarks along the way!
Worlds Largest Catsup Bottle
Litchfield Museum and Route 66 Welcome Center
Historic Route 66 Gas Station
World's Largest Railsplitter Covered Wagon
Paul Bunyan Statue
Atlanta, IL
Towanda, IL and original parts of the old Route 66
That's a wrap! We had so much fun being together as a family seeing new things and trying new foods! Can't wait for the next adventure!
