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B Y B R I A N J E W E L L

LOTS OF NEW REASONS TO CHEER

If you haven’t been to St. Louis recently, you don’t know what you’re missing.

Many travelers have stopped for pho-tos in front of the Jefferson Expansion Memorial, also known as the Gateway

Arch, and some groups have gone in to visit the on-site museum and take the tram ride to the top of the arch. But St. Louis is not the city that it was even two years ago, as widespread develop-ment and innovation have brought a number of new attractions and activities that are reinvigo-rating this classic American city.

St. Louis today enjoys a number of great new museums, including the highly anticipated National Blues Museum, which opened in April. And even longtime favorite visitor activities, such as the Anheuser-Busch brewery tour and the Arch itself, have seen significant new developments that are reshaping the visitor experience.

I spent three days exploring the city’s new developments early this spring and was excited by what I saw.

A M A RQ U E E M U S EU MMy visit to St. Louis, coincidentally, took

place just days before the opening of the National Blues Museum at the beginning of April, and I was delighted to get a sneak peek before it debuted to the public.

The museum has been in the works since 2010, when a number of enthusiastic blues fans and pro-fessionals conceived the idea. Today the museum stands as a hip, educational and interactive tribute to the blues, which is an important part of the St. Louis cultural landscape.

The museum’s galleries trace the origins of blues from their West African roots to their development in the Mississippi Delta and their migration upriver to St. Louis and beyond. Along the way, displays highlight influential performers such as Muddy Waters and Chuck Berry and feature instruments

played by luminaries like B.B. King. Galleries con-tinue to trace the evolution of blues into the modern era and explore its influence on other genres, such as contemporary country and rock ’n’ roll.

While the exhibits themselves are great, what makes this museum stand out is its state-of-the art interactive experiences. Visitors have the oppor-tunity to create their own short blues riffs as they explore the museum by choosing guitars, pianos and other musical instruments at special interactive stations throughout the museum. At the end of the tour, they can mix all the elements together to cre-ate audio files, which they can email to themselves to keep. The museum also includes a number of social media stations where visitors can photograph themselves onstage in classic blues clubs, and an interactive game lets them try their hand at playing together live in a four-piece jug band.

Groups should try to schedule their visits to coincide with some of the many live musical per-formances scheduled to take place in the museum’s on-site, high-tech jazz club.

A N I C O N I M PROV E DIf you have previously taken people to see the

Gateway Arch, you might remember the large underground museum beneath one foot of the monument or the expansive view from the tiny windows at the top. What you might not remem-ber is that accessing the Arch has not always been easy. But a massive new project under way in St. Louis called CityArchRiver aims to reinvigorate the Arch, the downtown neighborhood and the riverbanks surrounding it.

The project entails six agencies and a num-ber of private donors, and when it is completed, it will amount to a $380 million investment into the National Park Service site and the surrounding downtown blocks. One of the most important parts of the project is a new land bridge that crosses over a busy highway, making it easy for visitors to walk

ST. LOUIS FANS HAVE

THE GRAND HALL AT ST. LOUIS UNION

STATION HAS BEEN RESTORED TO ITS

HISTORIC SPLENDOR.

Courtesy St. Louis Union Station Hotel

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back and forth between the Arch and the nearby Old Courthouse Museum through a beautiful manicured park. The main entrance to the Arch and the museum beneath is moving, too, and will be much more accessible to downtown visitors.

In addition to the exterior changes, the museum at the Arch is getting its first significant overhaul in decades.

“They’re doing a 46,000-square-foot expansion of the existing visitor center under the Arch,” said Ryan McClure, director of communications for CityArchRiver. “They are completely redoing the museum and opening it when the new entrance opens next summer.”

In addition to these improvements, the project is revitalizing a 1.5-mile stretch of the Mississippi River front. Landscapers will plant some 3,000 new trees, and crews are creating a new outdoor amphitheater at the site that will seat 2,000 people.

T H E E C O N O M Y I L LU S T R AT E D

The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis seems like an improbable place to take a tour group; the highly secured building houses major financial opera-tions, and visitors must show identification and walk through a metal detector just to enter the front lobby. But the security process is worthwhile if you’re on the way to visit the bank’s Inside the Economy Museum, a fascinating museum opened in the fall of 2014.

“We wanted to incorporate a high-tech, hands-on museum into this historic place,” said museum director Tom Shepherd. “This is the only museum in

Courtesy CityArchRiver

Artwork by Donia Simmons

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H A L L S O F H I S TO RY

History lovers, as well as travelers who

want to get to know the rich stories of St.

Louis, should make sure to leave plenty

of time in their itineraries to visit the Mis-

souri History Museum. Located in the city’s expansive Forest

Park, this is one of several free museums in the city.

The museum’s Jefferson Memorial Building opened to

the public in 1913, but the institution is far older than

that.

“We’re celebrating our 150th anniversary this year,”

said Tami Goldman, the museum’s tourism and group

sales manager. “But our philosophy on how we develop

exhibits has changed in the last two years. We’re really set-

tling on telling the history of St. Louis by way of stories, mak-

ing it relevant to each person.”

The cornerstone of the museum’s exhibition is a large gal-

lery on the 1904 World’s Fair, which was a seminal event

in St. Louis history. Other iconic exhibits include a Thomas

Jefferson memorial statue and the Spirit of St. Louis, a sister

airplane to the one that Charles Lindbergh piloted across the

Atlantic Ocean in 1927.

In addition to these and other permanent exhibits, the mu-

seum has a robust schedule of special temporary exhibits.

In June, it will premiere “Route 66: Main Street Through St.

Louis,” which will explore the local history of the famous high-

way and will run through mid-July 2017.

Groups that visit the museum can arrange for several special

experiences. Guided tours and curator talks are available, and

an innovative program called Theatre in the Museum brings

elements of history to life in one- and two-person plays.

WWW.MOHISTORY.ORG

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the country that focuses on the economy in the interactive way that we do. It takes a look at your everyday life and relates economic concepts to the deci-sions you have to make.”

Visitors can learn about the intricacies of the national economy, as well as the Fed’s role in it, by perusing the exhibits and participating in interac-tive stations throughout the museum. Highlights include a game that allows multiple players to experience the fast-paced work of commodity trading, as well as a station where visitors can smell the scents of commodities that have been traded throughout history.

On the way into and out of the galleries, visitors pass through historic areas of the bank and see original teller windows that date back to the building’s 1925 opening. And many stop for photos in front of the Million Dollar Money Cube, which depicts the size of a box required to hold 1 million $1 bills.

A B E AU T I F U L B R E W E RY

For more than 150 years, the Anheuser-Busch brewery has been a key component of the St. Louis economy, and visitors have been able to tour the historic brewery for decades. But over the past year, the staff has significantly improved the visitor experience, adding an indoor/outdoor beer garden and restaurant and widely expanding the menu of tours and other activities.

The standard tour includes an overview of the beer-making process and samples of a number of Budweiser products, but new tours at the brewery focus on specific aspects of beer or company history. I joined a guide for a private version of the new history tour, which included, in addition to some beer education and stops at important places in the brew house, a visit to the

1868 schoolhouse on the property.After serving as a school for nearly 40 years, the

building was transitioned to executive office space. Last year, though, Anheuser-Busch completed a beautiful historic restoration of the schoolhouse and turned it into a museum that details the company’s history and gives visitors an up-close look at some of the city’s most famous beer memorabilia.

The schoolhouse is also the setting for Beer School, an in-depth experience that focuses on the finer points of six beers and includes pairings of foods such as cheese, sausage and chocolates.

H O M E T OW N H E RO E S

St. Louis loves its sports teams, especially the Cardinals of Major League Baseball. Taking your group out to see a home game would be a memorable experience. But even when the Cards aren’t in town, visitors can enjoy soaking in some team spirit at the 2-year-old Ballpark Village, a development adjacent to Busch Stadium with numerous restaurants and bars and an open-air courtyard.

Among the key attractions at Ballpark Village is Cardinals Nation Restaurant and Bar, and the Cardinals Hall of Fame, which occupies the floor above the restaurant. The Hall of Fame, operated by the Cardinals franchise, opened in 2014 and is based

Photos by Brian Jewell

THE NEW HISTORIC TOUR AT ANHEUSER-BUSCH

SHOWCASES MEMORABILIA AND ARCHITECTURE

OF THE CLASSIC BREWERY.

Come visit the

Garden

– lovely in every season

Come visit the

Garden

– lovely in every season

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NOVEMBER 21 through JANUARY 2 SELECT EVENINGS 5 to 9:30 P.M.

Groups are always welcome–group rates available!

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Located in a former print shop in an up-and-coming neighborhood not far from down-

town St. Louis, the Moto Museum has enough amazing vintage motorcycles to rev up

my inner gearhead.

Founded by a St. Louis architect and an avid motorcycle enthusiast, the Moto Mu-

seum was opened in 2007 as a private collection. Now it is open to the public and

available for groups to tour.

Though I’ve been to my fair share of car and motorcycle museums, I’ve never seen a collection quite

like this. The museum specializes in extremely rare motorcycles — you won’t fi nd any Harley-Davidsons

or Indians here — and many are prototypes or limited-run bikes created by foreign manufacturers.

Among the 120 motorcycles on display at the museum, the rarest is the 1927 Bohmerland, an over-

sized bike built in Czechoslovakia. Other highlights are a Matchless L3 with a gasoline-burning head-

lamp and a 1914 AJS motorcycle from Great Britain.

Groups that make advance arrangements to visit the museum may be able to arrange a private tour

with owner Steve Smith, who can tell them fascinating stories about the motorcycles. The museum is

also located adjacent to Triumph Grill, a motorcycle-themed restaurant. Another attraction, the Inter-

national Photography Hall of Fame and Museum, is located on the second fl oor of the same complex.

— BRIAN JEWELL

It’s personal

By Brian Jewell

Take whatever you expect from Columbia, and unexpect it. Then take a

day, a weekend, a road trip, to see how a midsized Midwest town likes

to have a good time. Just don’t feel like you need to take out a small loan

or a lot of vacation days to get here. visitcolumbiamo.com

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on a large collection of memorabilia donated by Cardinals legend Stan Musial.

“We maintain a collection of over 22,000 artifacts,” said museum outreach manager Brian Finch. “It’s one of the largest privately held collections of sports artifacts in the world. We try to immerse you in the environment and make you feel like you were a part of great moments in Cardinals history.”

Visitors guide themselves through the 8,000-square-foot museum, where they will see championship trophies, uniforms, bats, gloves and numerous other items significant to the Cardinals. There is a simulated broadcast booth where they can record their own calls of famous moments in past Cardinals games. And the Holding History experience allows groups to don rubber gloves and hold a game-used bat or try on a World Championship ring.

A RC H I T E C T U R E A N I M AT E D

Built in 1894, St. Louis’ Union Station is a stunning example of the golden age of American architecture. Like many train stations of its time, Union Station featured a central lobby with a soaring arched ceiling and beautiful, ornate decor that underscored the glamour of travel.

Today, Union Station is a multiuse facility that includes a hotel, restau-rants, shops and a train park. The beautiful Grand Hall now serves as the hotel lobby, and the owners have renovated the hall and brought it back to its former glory. They have also added some exciting improvements, including a 70-foot-long bar that runs the length of the hall and a high-tech animated light show that makes the historic building come alive after darkness falls.

“The animation team came in and did a 3-D map of the entire ceiling,” said Mark Wolfard, sales manager at St. Louis Union Station. “Now we have about 30 different vignettes that we show with lights on the ceiling. Those are things like the history of St. Louis, different sporting events and fireworks. People come in from off the street to see it.”

The mesmerizing animated light shows are coordi-nated with music and cover the entire arched ceiling of the Grand Hall, integrating the architectural elements to create a larger-than-life spectacle. Relaxing in the lounge and taking in the beautiful display will make a perfect ending to a day spent exploring the new St. Louis.

E X PLO R E ST. LO U I S

— W W W.E X PLOR ESTLOUIS .COM —

ROUTE

66Main Street

Through St. LouisForest Park | St. Louis

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Book your group now!

Reservations: mohistory.org/bookingform

Questions: 314.361.9017 or tgold@mohistory.org

June 25, 2016–July 16, 2017 | Free admission

Courtesy St. Louis Union Station Hotel

BEAUTIFUL ANIMATED LIGHT

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