Cheap things to do in St. Louis
Gooey butter cake, free history, live blues, and zero fine dining.
This is St. Louis for the traveller who wants to eat and drink like a local without watching their wallet bleed out. Three days cover the south-side neighbourhoods, downtown history, and the city's live music scene, mostly on foot and mostly for free. If your idea of a good trip is a market, a cold beer, and a plate of tacos, this is your city.
Day 1: Soulard, Benton Park and Fox Park
Start with gooey butter cake and coffee, work through a deli lunch and a neighbourhood market, and end the night with Asian fusion and a quiet drink at a local bar.
- 9:30 AM
Park Avenue Coffee
Local St. Louis institution, grab a coffee and try a gooey butter cake, the city's signature sweet.
Map - 12:30 PM
Blues City Deli
Benton Park deli with blues on the walls and on the stereo: a muffuletta or a hot pastrami on rye.
Map - 2:30 PM
Benton Park
Free Victorian park from 1866 with a pond and footbridge, a short walk from the deli.
Map - 4:30 PM
Soulard Market
Farmers market since 1779 with produce, spice and butcher stalls; open Wednesday to Saturday only.
Map - 7:30 PM
Lona's Lil Eats
Lona Luo's Fox Park counter: pick a protein over rice paper wraps or noodles with her chili sauces.
Map - 9:00 PM
Frazer's Restaurant & Lounge
Relaxed Benton Park bar a short walk from dinner, wind down with a drink before calling it.
Map
Day 2: South Grand and St. Louis Hills
A morning park stroll, deli sandwiches, a long flat walk along River Des Peres, cheap burgers, and a neighbourhood sports bar to close it out.
- 10:15 AM
Francis Park
Free neighbourhood park a short walk away, good for a relaxed morning stroll before the day heats up.
Map - 12:30 PM
Le Grand's Market and Catering
Classic St. Louis Hills deli, cheap, no-fuss sandwiches and market fare, perfect budget lunch.
Map - 2:00 PM
River Des Peres Park
Afternoon walk along River Des Peres Park, free, flat, and a genuine local green escape.
Map - 7:30 PM
Jovick Brothers Burgers
Jovick Brothers burgers, a neighbourhood favourite scoring 8.4, cheap American eats in Princeton Heights.
Map - 9:30 PM
Day 3: Downtown, the Arch and Benton Park West
Free courthouse history, blues museum exhibits, street tacos, and a live blues set to end the trip on the right note.
- 10:30 AM
Old Courthouse
Site of the Dred Scott cases, freshly renovated and free, essential St. Louis history two blocks from the Arch.
Map - 12:30 PM
National Blues Museum
Interactive galleries on the blues from the Delta to St. Louis; mix your own track at the recording stations.
Map - 6:30 PM
Taqueria Hectorito
Cherokee Street taqueria: asada and carnitas tacos with cucumber and radish, and a Mexican Coke.
Map - 8:00 PM
Where to stay
Napoleon's Retreat B&B
A B&B at a fair price, close to Soulard and Benton Park where Days 1 and 3 are centred.
Pear Tree Inn St. Louis near Union Station
The cheapest option on the list and well-placed for getting south or downtown without a long detour.
Make St. Louis your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App StoreBefore you go
Book ahead
- Gateway Arch: a few days ahead
- Busch Stadium: a few days ahead
- The Muny: a few days ahead
- Hermann: months ahead
- Vicia: weeks ahead
- Sado: weeks ahead
Skip these
- Laclede's Landing trades on its Arch location but is the thinnest dining strip in the core; Washington Avenue and Soulard are better.
- The Aquarium and Wheel at Union Station are priced for tourists next to the free Zoo and Arch; do them with children, skip on an adults trip.
- Imo's as a best restaurant pick: it is a rite, not a recommendation.
- The Arch tram on a foggy day buys a view of cloud; the museum and grounds stay worthwhile.
The full St. Louis travel guide: when to go, safety, getting around