ESOH Symposium - About St. Louis

About St. Louis

Visit the Official St. Louis Website
Information on attractions, shopping, dining, events and more.

Here is a quick round-up of things to see and do:

America's Center Convention Complex

The America's Center convention complex is the site of the 2009 ESOH Training Symposium and is located in the heart of downtown St. Louis. The center features 502,000 contiguous square feet of exhibit space in six halls, 83 meeting rooms, the 1,411 fixed-seat Ferrara Theatre, the St. Louis Executive Conference Center for private meetings of up to 100 people and The Edward Jones Dome.

Gateway Arch

The Gateway Arch is the ultimate symbol of St. Louis. It rises 630 feet above the city and the riverfront, providing an astounding view from the top. The Museum of Westward Expansion located underground offers exhibits and films about westward expansion, and about the construction of the Arch.

The Arch grounds - the only National Park Service facility in the City of St. Louis - are a pleasant strolling and picnicking area, with two lakes, views of the riverfront, and a grand staircase, known as the Monumental Feature, leading to the wharf.

St. Louis Children’s Aquarium

See more than 10,000 animals in a 100% child friendly hands-on living museum devoted to learning about Ecosystems of the Amazon and Mississippi Rivers of connecting oceans. Pet a shark, crawl through a cave. All at the St. Louis Children’s Aquarium in St. Louis.

City Museum

The City Museum is St. Louis’ newest and best downtown attraction. Three floors of suprising and diverse experiences including a multi-level enchanted forest, giant aquarium, architectural museum, art activities, low-tech circus, museum of oddities and much more. The museum is an eclectic mixture of children’s playground, funhouse, surrealistic pavilion, and architectural marvel made out of unique, found objects.

Saint Louis Science Center

The Saint Louis Science Center offers more than 700 exhibits and special on-site activities.The multi-building facility has exhibits focusing on ecology & environment, technology, human awareness and space sciences. Special attractions include the OMNIMAX® Theater, Boeing Space Station / Planetarium experience, various traveling exhibitions and a Discovery Room for young children.

Black World History Museum

The Black World History Wax Museum tells the stories of famous and not-so-famous African-American Missourians including George Washington Carver, Dred and Harriett Scott, musician Clark Terry, Clara Brown, Hiram Young and others.

Campbell House Museum - St. Louis, Missouri

Campbell House Museum - one of the most accurately restored 19th Century buildings in America, reflecting the high-Victorian opulence of the 1880s. Built in 1851, the first house in the elegant neighborhood Lucas Place, the Campbell House was the home of renowned fur trader and entrepreneur Robert Campbell and his family from 1854 until 1938.

Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis (New Cathedral)

The Cathedra Basilica of St. Louis houses the world’s largest collection of mosaic art; there is also a museum and shop. It was constructed in the early 20th century in the Central West End of the city, as the archdiocesan replacement for the Church of St. Louis IX, King of France (colloquially the Old Cathedral) on the historic St. Louis riverfront.

And There's More...

Aloe Plaza. This majestic fountain entitled "The Meeting of the Waters" located in Aloe Plaza across from Union Station sculpted by Carl Milles in 1939-40 was originally controversial because of its depiction of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers as nudes. Its first proposed name, "The Wedding of the Rivers," was equally controversial.

Meeting of the Waters Fountain. This majestic fountain entitled "The Meeting of the Waters" located in Aloe Plaza across from Union Station sculpted by Carl Milles in 1939-40 was originally controversial because of its depiction of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers as nudes. Its first proposed name, "The Wedding of the Rivers," was equally controversial.

Campbell House Museum. This 1851 home and the furnishings of the Robert Campbell family are the only remnants of the once fashionable private street Lucas Place. A recent extensive restoration has made the Campbell House an exceptional example of the Victorian upper-class lifestyle of the 1880s.

Centenary United Methodist Church. This historic church, built in 1869, was saved from demolition in the Plaza Square redevelopment of the 1950s, and today continues to serve a large congregation downtown. A recent capital campaign provided for the maintenance of the historic sanctuary. The plaza in front contains a decorative labyrinth, and the church is active in the community, with the most recent initiative being a drop-in center for the homeless.

Christ Church Cathedral. Christ Church is the oldest Episcopal congregation west of the Mississippi River. The Cathedral is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a National Historic Landmark. It is home base for a number of Episcopal community outreach initiatives, and houses a satellite of Girls, Inc., a community center for girls.

City Hall. St. Louis City Hall, built between 1893 and 1896, is modeled after the Hotel de la Ville, the city hall of Paris, France. In Washington Square, the park surrounding City Hall, there are statutes of President Ulysses S. Grant, briefly a St. Louis resident, and Pierre Laclede Liguest, the founder of St. Louis.

Cupples Station. This 12-acre area in downtown just west of Busch Stadium contains nine historic turn-of-the-century warehouses. The new 230-room Westin Hotel is an exciting, upscale addition to the hotel market downtown. Plans are underway by HRI Properties, Conrad Properties and Walsh|McGowan to complete the renovation of the remainder of the complex into a major mixed-use development with offices, apartments and retail, thus enhancing the historic character of these massive brick and stone edifices.

Eads Bridge. Eads, the first bridge over the Mississippi River in the region was completed in 1874, and hailed as an engineering marvel. MetroLink carries commuters and visitors across the bridge's lower deck today. New decking, opened in 2003, provides access for pedestrians and bicyclists as well as cars, and a dramatic location with a tremendous view of the Arch for special events such as the cleverly named "Eats Bridge" al fresco dining on selected summer weekends. For such events, the bridge is closed to cars, while dining areas are situated along the entire span.

Edison Brothers Warehouse (murals). The former Edison Brothers Stores warehouse at 14th and Spruce -- originally opened in 1929 as the J.C. Penney western states distribution center and later donated to the University of Missouri -- is covered on three sides by murals that look like real statuary and fenestration. In reality, this is a simple box warehouse adjacent to I-64. The murals were commissioned by Edison Brothers and painted by muralist Richard Haas and his team in 1985-6. The building now houses condominiums developed by Donald Breckenridge, and the Sheraton St. Louis City Center Hotel & Suites.

Eugene Field House and St. Louis Toy Museum. This three-story rowhouse built in 1845 at 634 S. Broadway just south of the new Busch Stadium is the birthplace of poet Eugene Field, famous for writing children's poems such as "Little Boy Blue" and "Wynken, Blynken, and Nod." His father, Roswell Field, was the attorney for Dred Scott.

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. The local office of the Fed, the central bank of the United States, serves portions of Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and all of Arkansas. Tours of the Federal Reserve Bank are available for selected school groups with reservations; each visitor receives a small bag of shredded dollar bills.

Gateway Arch Riverboats. The Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher cruising riverboats offer sightseeing, dinner cruises and charter cruises.

Historical Walking Tours of Downtown St. Louis. Guided Walking Tours for Individuals and Groups of Downtown St. Louis are offered March thru November, Monday thru Saturday from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm and Sunday from 12:00 noon until 5:00 pm, weather permitting. Narrated Bus Tours of the St. Louis Area are available for Groups all year round, Monday thru Saturday from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm and Sunday from 12:00 noon until 5:00 pm. By popular demand St. Louis Walking Tours has expanded to include Narrated Bus Tours of the St. Louis Metropolitan Area.

International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame. The Museum displays the entire panorama of bowling's international history, from ancient Egypt to modern tenpins. It's also home to the only bowling lanes in downtown St. Louis (2 automatic, and 2 "old time" lanes).

St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame. The Cardinals Hall, located in the same building as the Bowling Museum, covers St. Louis baseball from its beginnings to the present, including memorabilia from the St. Louis Stars (Negro League) and the St. Louis Browns (American League).

Kiener Plaza. A popular downtown open space, the park's centerpiece is a pool and fountain containing a statue known as "The Runner" by sculptor William Zorach. It is next to the many-stepped fountain and amphitheater named in honor of Morton D. May.

Laclede's Landing. "The Landing" is a nine-square block historic warehouse district of cobblestone streets on St. Louis's riverfront filled with bars, restaurants, and entertainment spots at night, and thousands of office workers by day. Among the attractions on the Landing are:

The Laclede's Landing Wax Museum. The Wax Museum is home to more than 180 authentically costumed wax figures from London: Monsters of the silver screen, presidents, medieval tortures, movie stars, royalty, world leaders, and religious figures. (314) 241-1155.

Dental Health Theatre. The only one of its kind in the world, the Dental Health Theatre presents entertaining and educational programs on dental health care at no charge. The focal point of the theatre is the lower dental arch of 16 three-foot-high fiberglass teeth. (314) 241-7391.

Lucas Garden Park. The sunken garden park behind the Central Library is a quiet gem of an urban park. Downtown Children's Center has its playground here.

Macy's. The historic flagship store of the Famous-Barr department store chain now Macy's is located in downtown. The "Train Window" is a popular Christmas-time display at St. Louis's own department store, "Famous and Barr." A recent escaltor reconstruction project ensure Famous will remain a fixture downtown for years to come.
Mel Carnahan Courthouse. This massive 1934 Public Works Administration was originally the U.S. Court and Custom House, but was sold to the City of St. Louis in 2000 after the completion of the Thomas F. Eagleton Courthouse. It is a fitting complement to the rest of the municipal buildings complex adjacent to it.
Old Courthouse. Along with the Arch, the Old Courthouse is part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial National Historic Site. The Old Courthouse was the site of the first two trials of the pivotal Dred Scott case in 1847 and 1850. It was also where Virginia Minor's case for a woman's right to vote came to trial in the 1870s.
Old Post Office. The former U.S. Customhouse & Post Office, completed 1884, is an architectural gem surrounded by a dry moat in the heart of downtown St. Louis. It is currently being extensively renovated to house various government, educational and office uses, including the downtown campus of Webster University.
Roberts Orpheum Theater. The Roberts Orpheum Theater (formerly The American Theater) is a first class venue for concerts and performing arts, as well as for private events of all kinds. It is the only playhouse in the heart of downtown St. Louis, and located adjacent to the Renaissance Grand Hotel.
Soldiers' Memorial. The Soldiers' Memorial was dedicated in honor of World War I veterans from St. Louis. The military museum inside honors the veterans of all the wars in which the United States participated, and an additional monument across the street memorializes all St. Louisans killed in combat, from World War I to the Persian Gulf.
St. Louis Public Library. The Central Library is a 1912 Cass Gilbert design covered with quotations from great authors. Inside, catacombs of reading rooms and shelves rich in history await the visitor. Also visit the Culver Gallery on the second floor.
St. Louis Union Station. Formerly one of the nation's largest railroad passenger terminals, Union Station is now home to the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Hard Rock Cafe, and dozens of shops and restaurants. Several historic trains are on display near the rear of the complex, and other reminders of the station's history are available throughout the midway of the terminal. St. Louis Union Station is a National Historic Landmark. There also is a museum at the Station called the Memories Museum. Free guided tours of the Station are offered.
U.S. Post Office. The main post office, built in 1937, has magnificent murals lining the walls of the interior lobby area, and continues to be responsible for the distribution of mail throughout the region. It is particularly busy each April 15th.
Wainwright Building. Perhaps one of the most significant buildings in American architecture, the Wainwright was one of the first "skyscrapers" designed by Louis Sullivan.
Washington Avenue Loft District. The loft district is the former garment district of St. Louis, now occupied by artists' loft studios, upscale loft apartments, and a variety of nightclub spaces.