Edition: Top 25 Attractions
Gift Shops Galore
Author: Beth M. Custer
As anyone who has traveled with children knows, sometimes an attraction's gift shop is the main attraction. Searching for a special reminder of St. Louis can be a lot of fun, and the boutiques at museums and historic sites reveal some of the most intriguing and unique finds in the city.
Missouri History Museum
It seems like eveyone is a Lewis and Clark history buff these days, so souvenirs of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial celebration are must -haves. Start your shopping expedition at Louisiana Purchase, the Missouri History Museum's gift shop (Lindell and DeBaliviere, 314-746-4599) and the area's best source of Lewis and Clark accoutrements. The shop boasts a multitude of books on everything form food eaten on the trail to the indigenous plants the group found. Browse the selection of Native American beaded jewelry creted from trading beads, pins depicting animals seen by the explorers, and replicas of the compass used on the journey.
The Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center
The Store of Discovery at The Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center (Hartford, IL, 618-251-5811) will bring the famous journey alive. A grouping of plush animals native to North America, including river otters, American bison, and beaver beckon to the child within, while a variety of old-fashioned foods such as gooseberry jam and frye bread are more likely to attract adults. The shop's array of books, tapes, artwork, and apparel will please any adventurer who wants a reminder of this historic site, where the Corps of Discovery made its winter camp and prepared for its expedition through the newly purchased Louisiana Territory.
Lewis & Clark Boathouse & Nature Center
The Trading Post in the Lewis and Clark Boathouse and Nature Center (1050 Riverside Dr., 636-947-3199) has an abundance of the unusual and educational, with an emphasis on kid-friendly items. The young and young at heart can choose from fun souvenirs like a coonskin cap (à la Davy Crockett), leather pouches especially for carrying newly discovered treasures, and historic paper dolls, books, and coloring books. Gift shop employees in period costume add to the ambience of times past.
Museum of the Dog
Switch gears and satisfy the dog lover on your list with a trip to the American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog gift shop (1721 S. Mason Rd., 314-821-DOGS), where best sellers include well-known games with a canine twist, like Dogopoly and Dog Uno. With an inventory of books and videos on dog care and training, dog-themed jewelry, hand-carved purses in the shape of your favorite breed, and funky bandanas for your most loyal friend, there's no better place for dog aficionados to shop. Keep an eye out for the hand-carved, hand-painted chair in the likeness of a very sophisticated Norwich terrier.
St. Louis Zoo
Animal lovers also will enjoy the multiple gift shops on the grounds of the St. Louis Zoo (Forest Park, 314-781-0900). With its new "Penguin and Puffin Coast" exhibit comes a gift shop devoted especially to these fascinating swimming birds. Ladybug Boutique, located in the Insectarium, carries all things "buggy" and Hippo-porium, next to the River's Edge exhibit, features hippo, elephant, rhino, warthog, cheetah, and anteater merchandise. Gorilla Villa is a smaller shop in the central plaza that offers items ith an emphasis on apes and primates. The Zootique and Safari Gift Shops are larger stores that carry a variety of toys, apparel, books, and jewelry.
Butterfly House
Continue the animal theme with a visit to the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House (Faust Park, 636-530-0076) for a close-up and personal look at thousands of brightly colored butterflies in a tropical environment. If you're lucky, an iridescent Common Blue Morpho might land on your shoulder. The Madame Butterfly Gift Shop flaunts multi-hued gifts in colors that reflect these beautiful insects and their environment. A beguiling assortment of butterfly-inspired jewelry includes precious and semi-precious stones, plus less-serious fashion statements. Favorites are the wide selection of butterfly magnets, plush toys with butterfly wings, and popular t-shirts that zoom out of the store faster than a speeding Red Lacewing.
Saint Louis Art Museum
The exceptional environment of the Saint Louis Art Museum (Forest Park, 314-721-0072) is a perfect setting for the upscale items in its gift shops. A distinctive grouping of glittering jewelry includes semi-precious gemstones, a silver pin in the shape of Louis IX (our fair city's namesake), Egyptian cartouche earrings, and Degas ballerinas. Silk scarves that look as though they recently flowed from an artist's paintbrush and a sizable selection of coffee-table books will tempt art lovers. A bonus you might not expect: Fran's Gold Bars - the best candy bars west of the Mississippi.
Craft Alliance Gallery
If your taste runs to fine contemporary craft, the Craft Alliance Retail Gallery (6640 Delmar Blvd., 314-725-1177) is an attraction in itself and may be just your cup of tea. Stoneware tea cups and teapots, hand-painted platters, and objets d'art in clay, wood, fiber, and glass are on display in this sleek, upscale gallery. The gallery both exhibits and sells one-of-a-kind works of contemporary craft artists from across the United States.
