Edition: Concierges' Favorite Attractions, 2005
Kenny Wallace's St. Louis
Author: Beth M. Custer
Editor's Note: Thousands of NASCAR fans root for Kenny Wallace. The celebrated racer, star of NASCAR Drivers 360, and all-around nice guy grew up in St. Louis with his brothers Rusty and Mike (also famous NASCAR drivers) and parents Judy and Russ. Kenny's passion for racing is obvious, but he's passionate about his hometown, too. Find out what he does for fun after the checkered flag is waved.
I'm a true blue St. Louis boy, born and raised here. I went to Fox High School in Arnold, south of the city, and I'm proud to say I was recently inducted into their Sports Hall of Fame. I have great memories of growing up in and around St. Louis. My wife, Kim, and I have a home near the city where we spend about sixty days a year - we consider it our vacation home. I absolutely love the area; if I could live here and race from here, I would.
If I had out-of-town guests, the first thing they would need to understand (and I really tell people this) is that they are in St. Louis, Missouri, home of the nine time World Champion Cardinals! I'm a huge Cardinals fan, and I have been all my life.
11:00 a.m. I get up late and bypass breakfast altogether, but for lunch I love Charlie Gitto's (5226 Shaw Ave., 314-772-8898) - it's my favorite Italian place.
12:00 p.m. St. Louis represents such great history. We just recently visited the Arch (St. Louis Riverfront, 314-982-1410). It gives you a great history lesson about how pioneers came from the east and crossed the Mississippi River, then left from St. Louis on their way west.
2:00 p.m. Grant's Farm (10501 Gravois Road, 314-843-1700) is a great place to take kids, in fact, we go there every couple of years. They have incredibly exotic wild animals that you wouldn't normally see in the Midwest, and many of them roam free in a natural setting. The elephants, Micky and Bud, always put on a good show. We like to tour the Anheuser-Busch Brewery, (1-55 at Arsenal, 800-DIALBUD) too, and see the Clydesdales.
3:00 p.m. Another fun place to take the family is Six Flags (Allerton Road, Eureka, 636-938-4800). Kids of all ages love it there. They have all the cool amusement park rides like roller coasters and water rides.
6:00 p.m. For dinner my favorite is Mike Shannon's (100 N. 7th St., 314-421-1540) - that place is exceptionally rich in Cardinals memorabilia. I could spend more time looking at all the interesting things than eating. They also have incredibly tender steaks and great shrimp - my type of meal! Hodak's (2100 Gravois Ave., 314-776-7292) is famous for its fried chicken. It's often crowded, but early in the week it's not too bad. It's got a real homey, comfortable feeling to it. You can tell the people there are either on their way home from work, or they just didn't feel like cooking supper. They have delicious frog legs too. The Hill is a great place for Italian food! There are lots of good restaurants in that area, and I've heard a rumor that it's where toasted ravioli was created. The story is that a chef accidentally dropped ravioli in a deep fryer, called it toasted ravioli, and a new tradition was born.
My family and I do it all. We don't stay home when we're in St. Louis, that's for sure. We get out and do things! --Kenny Wallace
7:00 p.m. Depending on what day it is, you might be able to see a race. In Pevely, Missouri there's a dirt track, I-55 Raceway (636-479-3219), run by my good friend Ken Schrader, that has racing every Saturday night. If that's not enough for you, every Sunday there's racing at Tri-City Speedway (Granite City, Illinois, 618-931-7836). My dad, Russ Wallace, held the record - 11 wins in a row (that's 11 weeks in a row) - at Tri-City. He held it till it was broken years later by my brother Mike Wallace, with 12 wins in a row. Of course there's Gateway International Raceway (Madison, Illinois, 888-827-7333) where they have the NASCAR Busch Series, Craftsman Truck Series, and the NHRA Craftsman Nationals.
10:00 p.m. There's nothing like going down to Laclede's Landing. There are tons of bars and restaurants, so it's modern-day, but the old buildings and brick streets make the atmosphere feel historic. If I'm in South County, where my family and I spend a lot of time, I might head to Memoreze (2924 Telegraph Rd., 314-487-0818), where you can get all the liquor and food and dancing you want. It's one of my favorite hangouts; they're good to me there. Some of my old racing sheet metal is hanging on their walls.
