We live a ways out from the city, but my coworker was moving out of state and I wanted to be there for her happy hour send-off. Since I would be drinking and didn’t want to make a long trip late at night, Chris and I decided to make a family weekend out of it! We stayed at Union Station Hotel to explore everything Union Station has to offer right now and act like tourists in our own city! We plan to keep this up and do all the “touristy” things St. Louis has to offer.
Read on to see what we thought about everything at St. Louis Union Station! We got the “Big 6” package so we could do all of the different attractions.
Union Station Hotel
Okay, it’s cool in the lobby grand hall area and the proximity to everything can’t be beat. The rooms, however, are nothing fancy to write home about. They were comfortable and clean though, which is the most important thing! You do get a charge for parking, but you get extra tickets so you can leave and come back during your stay without incurring any additional fees.
St. Louis Aquarium
I was underwhelmed with the aquarium after hearing all the hype. Had I not gotten the “Big 6” Pass, I don’t think I would have found it worth it. It was a strange set up and smaller than I was expecting. It would be really neat if the tanks were set up like the one in the entrance hall! I did thoroughly enjoy the more interactive displays where you were able to feed the turtles and touch the sting rays. Our almost 9 year old loved those, but the normal tanks did seem to interest him for long, if at all.
Mirror Maze
Nothing special here and didn’t take up much time. Little man enjoyed finding his way through and there were some interesting World’s Fair facts along the way!
Rope Course
We had a BLAST doing this and it was our favorite activity of the day. Chris and I found it incredibly unnerving at first( our natural instincts fought against being up so high until we got used to it). We were able to roam the course for 45 minutes! It was a long time and made it such a worthwhile activity, but keep in mind you do have to schedule your time to start. All three of us had so much fun doing this!
Carousel
The carousel ride was your standard and lasted a long time! It was a nice day which made it a relaxing activity for us adults.
The Wheel
I was excited for this activity because I’d been wanting to give it a go since it was first built a couple years back. We went on our ride at dusk and it was such a cool experience. The line moved more quickly than I anticipated, the ride was smooth, and we had a neat view of the St. Louis city skyline on one side with the sun setting on the other.
Train Shed Restaurant
We wanted to go to to the Soda Fountain for dinner and ice cream, but the wait was going to be too long so we went to the Train Shed instead. I was happy we did because the food was delicious! We had nachos for an appetizer and they had little pineapple pieces in them…SO GOOD! The fries that came with my sandwich were also awesome (and I consider myself a big french fry person). They had some sort of parmesan seasoning on them that made them a winner. One day we’ll venture back and try the Soda Fountain. I also need to remember to take some pictures of the tasty food I eat…before I eat it
We ran out of time and were not able to do the mini-golf that our package included, but we can use the tickets to come back and do that any time as it doesn’t expire. The lake out front also had regular fire shows, along with a light show in the lobby of the hotel.
Overall, it was a fun family day and it was nice to be able to do so many activities all in one place without having to drive elsewhere. If you have a visit yourself, I recommend making a day out of it and getting the full package so you have ample time and feel like you got your money’s worth.
Where should we be tourists at in St. Louis next time? What’s your favorite part of Union Station if you’ve already been?
