We were about 20 miles east of St. Louis on our drive when we first caught sight of the Gateway Arch. It’s an instantly recognizable sight and stunningly beautiful as we traveled across the plains of Illinois.

The next morning when we woke up, we decided to head out immediately for the Gateway Arch and Museum of Westward Expansion.


LOCATION

The Gateway Arch and Museum of Westward Expansion is located on the Missouri side of the Mississippi River in downtown St. Louis. It is easily accessible from the following Interstates: 70, 44, 55, 64.

There are many parking garages in the area. Our hotel provided parking for us and was right across the street, so we just walked over.


WHAT TO DO & SEE

Most people are most intrigued by the tram ride to the top of the stainless-steel Gateway Arch. My husband couldn’t for the life of him figure out how they got people up there until we saw it for ourselves. Small “pods” which seat up to six people. There is a tram on each side of the Gateway Arch and they run at alternating 10-minute intervals. Each side depicts a different time period in St. Louis’ history viewable before you enter the Tram.

I’m not going to sugar-coat it or lie: the trams are small and claustrophobic. We had five people: two adults, a 13 year-old, 9 year-old and 4 year-old. It seats up to six, but I can’t imagine what it would be like with six adults in there. I also found myself very concerned about the power going out, although a stairway down was visible. Still, I wouldn’t want to try it! The tram rotated slightly so we were always upright.

At the top we looked out either eastward or westward from a height of 630 feet. It’s a stunning view and despite having been to the top of some tall buildings in New York City, my kids were amazed looking out from the top of the Gateway Arch. The windows aren’t large and we had to lift up our younger two for them to get a good view.

Back down on the ground, we walked through the Museum of Westward Expansion while we waited for our movie time to come up. I really enjoyed looking at the pictures and narrative of Lewis & Clark’s trip. The entire semi-circular wall shows photographs (obviously from more modern times) of the places mentioned in the diary entries of their famous trip. Also here were exhibits of how the American Indians lived, as well as the early settlers in the west.

The movie was saw was titled Lewis & Clark: Great Journey West, narrated by Jeff Bridges. It was on a large screen, although not IMAX or OMNIMAX (hence I did not get sick this time). It runs a little less than an hour and is well worth seeing for it’s depiction of their historical trip. There is also a documentary about the building of the Gateway Arch which we chose not to see. That film runs about a half hour.

Also in the base is a museum about the construction of the Gateway Arch. It’s an amazing feat of construction and I wondered what would have happened if as they constructed each leg to meet in the middle they had ended up a little bit off ;-)

Included in this National Park is the Old Courthouse across the street from the Gateway Arch. Built in 1828, it’s in this building that such cases as Dred Scott (regarding slavery) and Virgina Minor (woman’s suffrage) were heard.


HOURS OF OPERATION

The Gateway Arch and Museum of Westward Expansion is open daily from 8 AM to 10 PM from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The rest of the year it is open from 9 AM to 6 PM.

Be warned that security around the entrance is tight and you will be going through metal detectors. When we arrived (before 9 AM on a Sunday in August) we had no wait. By the time we left there was a good-sized line-up of people. I’d recommend getting here as early as possible for this reason.


PRICING

The cost of just the Tram ride to the top of the Gateway Arch is $8.00 for adults (ages 17 & up), $5.00 for ages 13-16, and $3.00 for children ages 3-12. For adults with a National Parks Passport, the cost is $5.00.

The cost of the movie is $7.00 for adults (ages 17 & up), $4.00 for ages 13-16, and $2.50 for children ages 3-12. Adults with a National Parks Passport pay $4.00.

Combination tickets are available for both attractions at a cost of $12.00 for adults (ages 17 & up), $9.00 for ages 13-16, and $5.50 for children ages 3-12. National Parks Passport holders pay $9.00.

These prices are only for the Tram ride and the movie. Should you just wish to wander around the museum and gift shop, there’s no charge. There’s also no charge to visit the Old Courthouse. An audio tour is available for $3.00 for adults (13 and up) and $1.50 for children ages 3-12.


FINAL THOUGHTS

We really enjoyed visiting the Gateway Arch and Museum of Westward Expansion. It’s not enough to keep you busy for a day, but it was something good to do early in the morning. My entire family was looking forward to riding to the top of the Gateway Arch and we were not disappointed.

The night before we visited, a free concert was held beneath the Gateway Arch and fireworks were shot off behind it over the Mississippi River. I don’t know how common this is in the summer months, but we didn’t plan for it and it was an excellent bonus. Also nearby that night was the Eats Bridge Festival where the Eads Bridge is closed down to vehicular traffic and we walked onto the bridge where various local restaurants had food stands. This was also open on Sunday morning for brunch. If this is something which might interest you, I’d suggest searching the web for more information as we just lucked out.


A great place to stay right across the street: Hampton Inn Gateway Arch

Other attractions in St. Louis:
Six Flags St. Louis
Anheuser-Busch Brewery Tour
Grant‘s Farm

© 2004 Patti Aliventi



Recommended: Yes

Best time to go: June-August
Recommended for: Anybody
Review Topic: Overview