Edition: Top 25 Attractions
Quintessential St. Louis - St. Louis Celebrates
Author: Beth M. Custer
Your timing is perfect if you're visiting St. Louis this year. There's so much to see and do - take your pick of historic sites, cultural activities, or elite sporting competitions - or take in all three in a grand tour of major events.
Lewis & Clark
To relive the famous Lewis and Clark expedition, start at Camp River Dubois (Hartford, IL, 618-251-5811), where the Corps of Discovery made preparations for its journey. Then move on to the Boat House and Nature Center (St. Charles, 636-947-3199), where replicas of Lewis and Clark's boats are on display along with plants and animals they found on their journey. A must-see is Lewis and Clark: The National Bicentennial Exhibition (Missouri History Museum, 314-746-4599).
1904 World's Fair Centennial
Experience culture from around the world at the 1904 World's Fair Centennial (Forest Park). It opens April 30-May 2 with a 3-day extravaganza featuring period music, dancing, and costumes. The celebration will continue throughout the year with performances by entertainers from over 50 countries. (Ask your concierge for specific dates).
Olympic Trials
The country's top female runners will compete in the U.S. Olympic Women's Marathon Trials on April 3 (Washington University and Forest Park, 314-727-0800). The excitement continues with the U.S. Olympic Diving Trials, June 9-13 (St. Peters Rec-Plex, 636-939-2386), and culminates with the Athens Olympic Torch Run on June 17.
Outsized Oddities
Every city has a few odd, out-of-the-way sights to see, and sometimes even the locals aren't aware of them. If you yearn to see the biggest, tallest, and strangest of everything, begin your oddity odyssey at the City Museum (701 N. 15th, 314-231-CITY), with a walk through a life-sized whale and a glimpse of (we're not kidding) the world's largest pair of underpants. Over-sized chopperss await you at the Dental Health Theatre (727 N. First, 314-241-7391), where a set of three-feet-tall illuminated fiberglass teeth are on display. Don't miss the giant toothbrush and floss. One of the strangest mysteries in St. Louis involves the huge 1904 World's Fair Ferris wheel. After the fair its immense axle was buried, but no one knows where! Ride another giant Ferris wheel in Forest Park, May 29-Aug. 26.
