’17 PREVIEW ST. LOUIS
Old favorites evolve, new favorites emerge
“St. Louis is a Midwestern destination unlike any other,” said Kiara Bryant, public relations coordinator for Explore St. Louis. “We have
more free attractions than our nation’s capital.”
The city is also home to one of the largest Mardi Gras celebrations in the U.S., which will take place Saturday, Feb. 25, the day
before Travel Exchange kicks off. In between slices of king cake, visitors can check out these new and renovated attractions:
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1 National Blues Museum
2 The Gateway Arch
“The museum covers the
powerful role and influence of
blues musicians and the genre
as a foundation of American
music,” says Bryant. The
museum opened in April, and
its 23,000-square-foot facility
in downtown St. Louis includes
performance and event spaces,
high-tech exhibits dedicated
to the genre’s pioneers and
star performers, and a mixing
booth where visitors can try
their hand at creating their
own blues music. They can also
see a live blues band at nearby
restaurants and venues: BB’s
Jazz, Blues & Soups; The Beale
on Broadway; and Broadway
Oyster Bar.
nationalbluesmuseum.org
The Jefferson National
Expansion Memorial is nearing
completion of a multi-year, $380
million renovation project, which
includes the park, the Gateway
Arch and the surrounding roads.
“We’ve reached the point in the
project where we are done with
demolition and are building it
back up,” says Kelly Hutchinson,
sales manager at the Gateway
Arch Riverfront. “Currently completed are the new museum
store inside the lobby of the
Arch and the work on Leonor
K. Sullivan Boulevard.” A new
amphitheater, ADA accessible
ramps to the river, and landscaping will be complete in the fall,
with a new museum and west
entrance to come in late 2017.
gatewayarch.com
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July 2016
3N
ew Anheuser-Busch
tours
Any discussion of St. Louis’
long history of brewing would
be incomplete without a mention of Anheuser-Busch, maker
of Budweiser. Guests can tour
the company’s brewery in the
Soulard neighborhood. “The
brewery’s new options include
the Day Fresh Tour, where
guests tour the Bevo Packaging
Plant and take home a bottle
of fresh beer; the Beermaster
Tour, which gives guests a
look behind the scenes; and
the Beer School, which offers
a beer sampling class,” says
Bryant. Day Fresh also includes
a stop at the company’s clydesdale paddock.
budweisertours.com
4 City Museum
“City Museum is a unique
venue,” says Bryant. “It’s in
the city, but it’s definitely not
a museum.” The attraction is
located in the former headquarters of the International
Shoe Company, and it is a
600,000-square-foot space
that is equal parts playground,
sculpture park, fun house and
architectural marvel. Artist Bob
Cassilly created City Museum.
He and his crew of 20 artisans
have used pieces of salvaged
bridges, abandoned planes and
defunct construction cranes
to craft the museum, and their
search for materials never
reached farther than city limits.
citymuseum.org
1: V-3 STUDIOS, 2: CC FLICKR/RKREISEN: bit.ly/1W45Heo, 3: EXPLORE ST. LOUIS, 4: PAT HENDERSON
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