I'm going to the St. Louis area for my senior trip. Any suggestions?

As the title reads, I will be spending a few days around Alton and St. Louis for my senior trip. Any suggestions for the area? If any of you know my dad, I'm sure we'd be able to meet up somewhere!

Cunetto's for dinner. Be there when it opens. City Museum is awesome. Budweiser brewery tour is worth it as well IMHO. Wonderful Zoo. 
 

After that, all my suggestions are 21+, maybe the AB tour is as well. I've never had a bad time there though, despite it smelling like dog food. 
 

Avoid IMO's pizza at all costs. 

mtn said:

Avoid IMO's pizza at all costs. 

can confirm. IMO's was terrible.

AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:

mtn said:

Avoid IMO's pizza at all costs. 

can confirm. IMO's was terrible.

But, isn't that all the more reason? How can one claim a full STL experience without IMO's?

Fitz's is a good place to hit for food in St Louis.  Really good root beer.  The transportation museum is pretty cool, but just be warned it focuses more on rail than cars.

Gus's Pretzels are near the Buttwiper tour.  I've found them awesome only the day you buy them.  They are hard the next day. 

Ted Drewes Custard? Arch? Grants Farm?

https://guspretzels.com/

mtn said:

After that, all my suggestions are 21+, maybe the AB tour is as well. 

In 1976 our 8th grade trip was a coach bus tour to Milwaukee for a long day.  

Milwaukee Zoo, Arboretum thingie, German Smorgasbord, Miller Brewery tour.......

Who takes 8th graders to tour a brewery? The one nun, hipster priest and the lay teacher got to drink beer samples but we got E36 M3. 

Another endorsement for the City Museum 

I have been to the arch several times, still amazing IMO.

AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:

mtn said:

Avoid IMO's pizza at all costs. 

can confirm. IMO's was terrible.

Epicly bad.  Search the boards with my username and "Imo's pizza" and enjoy the rants.  40 years later I still remember how bad and overpriced that pizza was.

I lived in STL during the second half of the '80s, so I'm out of date.  But here are some things that you probably should see:

• Go up in the Arch.  It's cool, and located along the riverfront for a nice walk.  Also nearby is Eads Bridge, first bridge over the Mississippi.
   
• Have a drink in Laclede's Landing, just south of the arch, if it's still trendy. [edit] - I missed that this was HS.  Maybe have lunch in a little cafe there and skip the drink.
   
• Have dinner on The Hill, which is the large Italian neighborhood.  Lots of great restaurants.  Charlie Gitto's was the place back then.
   
• Get a frozen custard concrete at Ted Drewe's.  Accept no substitute.
   
• The STL zoo is great - it was created by Marlin Perkins of Wild Kingdom fame.  You're too young to know who that was, but Marlin was the Steve Irwin of the '60s and '70s.
   
• The zoo is set in Forest Park, largest urban park west of the Mississippi, and modeled after Central Park in NYC.  There is also a nice little Science Center there.

Absolutely go to the City Museum, if you do nothing else the whole trip. Go on the roof. Plan to spend HOURS exploring. It's even better if you're thin and fearless and have a bunch of friends with you.

The horse carriage tour around downtown, the Arch, botanical gardens, zoo, the library is cool if you like architecture, baseball game, riverboat. There's a lot to do there.

Another vote for City Museum.

In reply to The_Lily :

City museum for sure. I couldn't bring myself to get in the school bus but I did get on the ferris wheel. That thing's HIGH. SWMBO's niece is a St. Louis expert: https://www.amandaedoyle.com/

I'll PM you her email address. She'd love to tell you about the city. Maybe you two could chat.

TRoglodyte said:

I have been to the arch several times, still amazing IMO.

Been once.  Truly a memorably wacky elevator contraption to get to the top.  Both it and the arch itself an engineering marvel.