Best in the Lou

Best in Lou is a blog about the best things to do in St Louis.

We are a handful of St. Louis residents that like to explore and visit the best restaurants, bars, parks, and activities in the St. Louis area. The Gateway to the West has a lot of great things going for it. But if you’re not from here, where do you start? Here are some suggestions:

-Hike up to see the Arch at night and watch the sun set on the Mississippi River.   

-Go bar hopping in Soulard for live music and beer gardens on summer weekends.

-Take a bike tour of Forest Park with one of our guides! Or go kayaking or rock climbing in Tower Grove Park.

You can also take a Segway tour and learn about what’s happening right now in St Louis, like how we’ve been named one of America’s most livable cities by Forbes Magazine (we even beat out New York City). St. Louis is a great place to visit if you’re looking for an affordable, low-key vacation. It’s home to the Gateway Arch and has some of the best food in America!

Here is a quick list of the most popular things to do in Saint Louis as rated by trip advisor: 

Best in the Lou Featured Restaurants

And here is a recent list of some our featured blog posts

Best in the Lou Featured Activities

 

Why Best in Lou

St. Louis is a great place to visit if you’re looking for an affordable, low-key vacation. The city offers endless opportunities for tourists from its museums, parks, attractions and outdoor activities that are perfect for all ages. With more than 300 days of sunshine per year, it’s hard not to love visiting this lovely Midwestern town with so much history and culture on offer.

Bet in the Lou = Best in St. Louis

The city of St. Louis has a lot of nicknames! Some people call it “The Gateway City” because the Mississippi river separates the city from Illinois, which is known as The Land Between The Rivers. It’s also called “River City” because the city of St. Louis is located at the confluence, or meeting point between two rivers that together form one large river system in North America: Mississippi and Missouri Rivers!

You may hear St. Louis referred to as “Mound City.” This moniker is a play on words that references the ancient Mississippian cultures who built mounds throughout this region, most notably Cahokia Mound just across from St Louis in Illinois.

St. Louis is often abbreviated as STL. The abbreviation is, obviously, derived from the International Air Transport Association code for St. Louis’ Lambert International Airport.

Finally, St. Louis is often simply called THE LOU, which is clearly a shortening of Louis. The Lou was likely made famous by Nelly’s 2000 Country Grammar lyric, “I’m from the Lou, and I’m proud.”