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St. Louis Neighborhoods
The Loop
When the question is "Where do I go to see and do something different?" the answer is The Loop restaurant, shopping and arts & entertainment district near Forest Park. Named for the old streetcar turnaround, the growing neighborhood that straddles the St. Louis City/County line is home to 120 one-of-a-kind stores and boutiques, more than 40 ethnic and American restaurants and the Tivoli, a grandly restored movie theatre specializing in international and limited release films. The newest attractions in the neighborhood are Pin-Up Bowl-a retro-style bowling alley-and The Pageant-a state-of-the-art concert club.
The Loop is also where St. Louis honors her most famous citizens with brass stars and biographies on the St. Louis Walk of Fame. You can stand on Vincent Price, Josephine Baker, John Goodman or dozens of other St. Louis-connected stars as you stroll along the main drag of The Loop-Delmar Boulevard. You can play a tune on the world's best jukebox at Blueberry Hill where Chuck Berry and other St. Louis stars perform regularly in the intimate Duck Room. Browse the international craft and art galleries or just take in the street life from one of many sidewalk cafés. Annual events include Love in The Loop each February, the Walk of Fame induction ceremony in May, The Loop in Motion festival during the summer and a holiday walk in December.
From downtown St. Louis, take I-64/40 west to the Clayton Road exit, turn north on Skinker and west on Delmar or take MetroLink to the Delmar Station and walk west. For more information, call (314) 727-8000 or click on www.visittheloop.com.
The Hill
The Hill is already famous for great food, but this year the close-knit Italian neighborhood will have the spotlight of Hollywood trained on its cozy streets. The Hill serves as the backdrop for a new film called The Game of Their Lives by David Anspaugh (director of Rudy and Hoosiers). The movie, which will be released in 2005, tells the story of the 1950 U.S. World Cup soccer team that defeated England in one of the most stunning upsets in sports history. Many of the team's players grew up on The Hill.
Celebrity chef Mario Batali of The Food Network calls The Hill one of the top "Little Italy" neighborhoods in the country and praises the area's exquisite Northern Italian cuisine. "America's other Little Italy," is also the way Saveur magazine describes The Hill, a must-stop on a culinary tour through St. Louis.
Settled in the early 1900s by Italian immigrants, residents still carry on their traditions in this lively neighborhood just minutes from downtown. Even the neighborhood's fireplugs are painted green, white and red in tribute to the tri-color of Italy. Baseball personalities Yogi Berra, Joe Garagiola and Jack Buck grew up on The Hill's Elizabeth Avenue, which now bears the name "Hall of Fame Place" in their honor.
While you're visiting the neighborhood's restaurants, visit specialty stores that sell everything Italian or learn how to play a game of bocce-Italian lawn bowling. A professional bike race in September and Columbus Day festivities in October are among the neighborhood's annual events.
From downtown St. Louis, take I-64/40 west to Kingshighway south and turn west on Shaw. For more information, dial (314) 647-6222 or visit www.shopthehill.com.
Soulard & Cherokee Street
Just five minutes south of the Arch you can experience the world-famous St. Louis Blues in Soulard-the neighborhood known across the country for offering America's greatest roots music.
The lively neighborhood was named for Antoine Soulard, a Frenchman who surveyed colonial St. Louis for the King of Spain and originally owned this tract of land. Visually the neighborhood is noted for its collection of 19th-century homes constructed of St. Louis' signature red brick. Today structures built by early brewery workers have been turned into music clubs, retail shops and restaurants, many of which offer outdoor dining in elaborate courtyards from spring through fall. The historic churches of Soulard, many built by St. Louis' immigrant communities, also welcome visitors throughout the year.
The Soulard neighborhood marks its French heritage with a Bastille Day celebration each July and an 11-day Mardi Gras fête in February. Soulard Farmers Market, operating continuously since 1779, is the neighborhood's centerpiece where locals and visitors alike swarm to buy fresh produce, flowers, baked goods and exotic spices, Wednesdays through Saturdays.
Immediately south of Soulard you can rummage through St. Louis' attic. You want it? They've got it on Cherokee Street, St. Louis' antique row. Dozens of merchants sell items from St. Louis' historic past in block after block of treasure-filled stores just a few minutes south of downtown. Around the corner from Cherokee Street are the historic Greek Revival Chatillon-DeMenil Mansion and the Lemp Mansion-a restaurant, dinner theatre and one of St. Louis' top "haunted" houses. Nearby is Anheuser-Busch Brewery where free tours of the headquarters of the world's largest beer maker are offered daily.
From downtown St. Louis, take Broadway south and continue south on Seventh Street to Cherokee Street and DeMenil Place. For more information, call (314) 776-6410 or visit www.cherokeeantiquerow.com. For Soulard, take Broadway and Seventh Street south to Lafayette. For more information, call (314) 773-6767 or visit www.soulard.com.
Maplewood
This charming neighborhood not far from Forest Park and The Hill has emerged as one of the area's newest boutique and antique shopping destinations. Maplewood's creative shops are sandwiched among a variety of restaurants and coffee houses perfect for relaxing after a day at the attractions or an afternoon in the stores. Maplewood also offers the vintage Saratoga Lanes-the oldest bowling alley west of the Mississippi River, and tours of the Schlafly Bottleworks that explain the history of beer brewing in St. Louis.
From downtown St. Louis or Forest Park, take Hampton or McCausland avenues south to Manchester and turn west. For more information, contact the Maplewood Chamber of Commerce at (314) 781-8588 or visit www.maplewoodchamber.com.
Clayton
Clayton, the seat of St. Louis County government, is best known for the business of commerce by day and the business of food and lodging by night. Dozens of fine restaurants, elegant hotels and fine art galleries have found a home in the heart of the Central Business District of Clayton. Purveyors of gourmet cuisine can be found nestled between tall office buildings and elegant specialty retailers. Italian, Asian-fusion, Southwestern and new American dishes share tables with traditional specialties and hearty Midwestern steaks.
The Saint Louis Art Fair, rated tops in the nation, attracts more than 100,000 people to Clayton's streets each September. Other special events include the Taste of Clayton food festival and the U.S. Bank St. Louis Jazz Festival in June, a Farmers' Market in the summer and early fall and a holiday champagne stroll in November.
From downtown St. Louis, take I-64/40 west to Hanley Road north to reach Clayton. For more information, call (314) 290-8473 or click on www.ci.clayton.mo.us or www.claytoncommerce.com.
Laclede's Landing
Explore St. Louis' river city past while indulging in some of the area's best restaurants and music clubs with a visit to Laclede's Landing just north of the soaring Gateway Arch.
The Landing, a vibrant entertainment district, is named for Pierre Laclede, St. Louis' French founder. Once the hub of river trade, the area is now famous for music that spills from the 19th-century warehouses-turned-clubs where tobacco, cotton and other river-borne commodities once were stored.
Take a horse-drawn carriage ride through the neighborhood's cobblestone streets, visit riverboat casinos on the banks of the Mississippi or enjoy dinner in one of the Landing's fun and casual restaurants. One-hour narrated trips and specialty cruises on the Gateway Arch Riverboats paddlewheelers leave from the neighborhood, and the nation's longest-running dinner theatre-The Royal Dumpe-also calls Laclede's Landing home. The Riverfront Trail bike path passes through the Landing's streets.
In June the district hosts a rock 'n' roll music event and each Labor Day weekend the Landing is home to the Big Muddy Blues Festival.
The Landing is an easy walk from downtown St. Louis and MetroLink light rail stops at the Laclede's Landing station. Motorists can take Memorial Drive north to Washington Avenue east to Landing and Arch parking. For more information, call (314) 241-5875 or visit www.lacledeslanding.org.
Lafayette Square
The Lafayette Square neighborhood is among St. Louis' most picturesque areas. Named after the Revolutionary War hero who visited St. Louis in 1825, the Square surrounds beautiful Lafayette Park, an oasis of greenery within the urban landscape. The park, which dates from 1836, is the first public park west of the Mississippi River.
The stately 1870s and 1880s "painted ladies" that frame the square have been called the finest and largest collection of Victorian-era architecture in the country. The area also has won the title of one of the "Prettiest Painted Places" in America.
Drive around the 30-acre park to sample the neighborhood's architecture and check out the area's elegant bed and breakfast inns where you can stay in Victorian luxury just a mile from the Gateway Arch. Acclaimed new restaurants are opening in the neighborhood's restored commercial spaces along with sought-after lofts and condos. Park Avenue Plaza and its fountain are the neighborhood's newest attractions.
The annual House & Garden Tour and a Victorian Art Festival are held in June and parlor tours take place during the holiday season.
From downtown St. Louis, take Market Street west to Jefferson Avenue south and turn east on Park. For more information, call (314) 772-5724 or click on www.lafayettesquare.org.
The Ville
The Ville, St. Louis' most historically significant African-American neighborhood, was originally an estate owned by Charles M. Elleard, a florist and horticulturist. The area became known as Elleardsville, later shortened to "The Ville."
During the 1920s The Ville gained a reputation as home to an elite black community. Annie Malone, one of the first African-American millionaires in the nation, was the most famous resident of the area at the time.
The Ville's Sumner High School-the first school west of the Mississippi River to provide secondary education for black students-claims among its illustrious graduates opera diva Grace Bumbry, rock and roll legend Chuck Berry, singer Tina Turner and tennis great Arthur Ashe. The soaring Ville Monument pays tribute to them and to the neighborhood's other famous sons and daughters.
The Ville also is home to the former Homer G. Phillips Hospital, one of the first medical institutions in the country to train black physicians. The Annie Malone Children's Home brings the community together each May to remember the legacy of its founder and celebrate neighborhood spirit with a parade and several social events.
From downtown St. Louis, take Tucker (12th Street) north, continue north on Natural Bridge, turn south on Grand then west on St. Louis Avenue. For more information, call (314) 534-8015 or visit http://stlouis.missouri.org/greaterville/neigh.htm.
Grand South Grand & Tower Grove Park
What goes together better than green spaces and good food? Combine a visit to the beautiful Missouri Botanical Garden and Tower Grove Park with a stop in the diverse Grand South Grand neighborhood during your next trip to St. Louis. Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai and Chinese restaurants, ethnic groceries, boutiques, vintage clothing stores and Asian import centers line Grand Avenue south of I-44. Annual events include a Chinese New Year celebration in February, an April house tour, the Festival of Nations in June and a holiday walk in November.
Tower Grove Park, an elegant 19th-century Victorian walking park with whimsical pavilions, statuary, fountains and mock classical "ruins," abuts this neighborhood. The park, established in 1868 by Henry Shaw, founder of the Missouri Botanical Garden, is a National Historic Landmark, one of only four municipal parks in the country to achieve that status. Next to the park, the acclaimed Missouri Botanical Garden welcomes visitors and researchers from around the world. It is one of the top three botanical gardens in the world and is renowned for its research, education, landscaping and, of course, flowers.
From downtown St. Louis, take I-64/40 west to the Grand exit and continue south on Grand. For more information, call (314) 772-5750.
Kirkwood & Webster Groves
Kirkwood, a neighborhood with authentic small town flavor, was the first planned suburb west of the Mississippi. Today the area offers visitors a variety of experiences-from the unending fun at The Magic House, St. Louis' children's museum, to the quiet solitude of nature on hiking trails in the Powder Valley Conservation Area. Beautiful Laumeier Sculpture Park offers more than 100 acres of art in a unique setting, and Mudd's Grove, a charming three-story home now home of the Kirkwood Historical Society, gives visitors a glimpse of the past.
Known as "The Queen of the Suburbs," Webster Groves is a historic community filled with large century-old homes, interesting shops and specialty restaurants just 15 minutes from downtown. The 1857 Hawken House, owned by inventors of the rifle that mountain men and explorers took to the western frontier, is open for tours. The community's beautiful oak, maple and elm trees have earned it Tree City USA awards and more than 300 of the community's homes are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Webster Groves also is home to the world headquarters of Webster University and the Loretto-Hilton Theatre where productions by the acclaimed Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and the internationally known Opera Theatre of Saint Louis are staged each year.
For Kirkwood, take I-44 west from downtown St. Louis to Lindbergh north for downtown Kirkwood and The Magic House or Lindbergh south for Laumeier Sculpture Park and Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center. For more information, call (314) 821-4161 or visit www.thechamber.us. To reach Webster Groves from downtown St. Louis, take I-44 west to Elm north. For more information, call (314) 962-4142 or visit www.webstershrewsburychamber.com.
Central West End
It's a little European, a little New York and totally St. Louis. Perched on the eastern edge of Forest Park, St. Louis' chic Central West End is filled with charming sidewalk cafés, exciting galleries, fascinating antique shops, trendy boutiques and cozy pubs. It's the perfect place to relax after exploring the park's popular visitor attractions, shop or simply stop and people watch.
Adjacent to the commercial district are tree-lined private streets with stately turn-of-the-century homes. The boyhood apartment home of playwright Tennessee Williams, said to be the setting of his play "The Glass Menagerie," also is located here. The breathtaking Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis, housing the world's largest collection of mosaic art, is one of the anchors of this exciting neighborhood. Annual events include a popular house tour in the spring, the Taste of the Central West End food festival in June, a Greek Festival on Labor Day weekend and Halloween festivities in October.
From downtown St. Louis, take I-64/40 west to Kingshighway north, or take MetroLink light rail to the Central West End station. For more information, call (314) 361-2850 or check the web site at www.cweba.com.
MEDIA NOTE: For more information or photography of St. Louis, send an e-mail to pr@explorestlouis.com or call Becky Sharp at 1-314-992-0652. For up-to-date information about St. Louis, your readers should call the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission at 1-800-916-0040 or check out our website at www.explorestlouis.com. This news release is also available in electronic form. To obtain an electronic version, e-mail your request to pr@explorestlouis.com or go to St. Louis’ online media center at www.explorestlouis.com/media.
