Thank you to Gateway Arch Park Foundation for the behind the scenes tour of the Museum at the Gateway Arch.
All opinions are my own.
As a long time St. Louis resident, there are few attractions that I like to say been there, done that. Well my friends if you haven’t checked out the Gateway Arch in a while, you are in for a treat. To be quite honest, I don’t think I have actually been inside the Arch for a solid 20 years? When I was in elementary school, we did a multi-part series where we learned all about westward expansion and Lewis & Clark. Funny the things you remember.
Well, if you’ve been downtown over the last couple of years you’ll notice some really big changes to the downtown landscape. What used to be a highway now is covered with a park and you now have the opportunity to walk right to the Gateway Arch. We got a behind the scenes tour a few year ago (also Baby Hattie!) Now, you can walk directly from Kiener Plaza all the way to the arch in a short 5-10 minute walk. It’s opened up the city to the possibility of more events, festivals and more! I’m excited to see how that folds.
Now we went on a Saturday, and we got to take advantage of the free events going on in Kiener Plaza that day. This summer, you can enjoy Kiener Kids where you have the opportunity for free story time, yoga and more. There are also really fun yard games that our whole family got into! The hope with the city being more accessible, is that it will open up to concerts, and more! How fun will that be?
Also, if you attend Kiener Kids, you’ll get a goodie bag filled with fun treats too!
What I do love about the Gateway Arch is that they have completely remodeled the museum into an interactive experience. The Museum at the Gateway Arch will take you back to the history of westward expansion and tell the story of how St. Louis came to be. It also tells the history of how the Arch was built. It’s fun to see the history because my Dad used to tell me stories of how his class helped with the Arch when he was young. Neat to have a personal connection. This officially opens to the public on July 3rd, so don’t make plans just yet!
From what I remembered of the museum to be, it’s completely transformed. Modern, easy to navigate and very kid friendly. Perfect to explore before a tram ride to the top of the Arch! Our city is so rich with history, you could easily spend hours looking at the exhibits and artifacts. The Museum is including in the price your Tram ride. of A word of planning, buy your tickets ahead of time, the rides will sell out. Do plan to potentially stand in line even at your designated time. I think we had a 15-20 minute wait, so potentially bring something to occupy your kiddos if you need to.
Once you get through the line, there is a short video and you’re on your way to to the top! A 4 minute ride up and you’ll be able to see the beauty of the St. Louis landscape through a completely different view. You can stay up there as long as you’d like. It’s a breathtaking view of our city. I love how you can see the new park over the highway and it looks so much different. Such a great transformation for the city!
Add this to your summer schedule and you’ll be glad you did. A great piece of St. Louis history.
When was the last time you went to the Gateway Arch?
