Family Vacation 2021, Part 1 - St. Louis, Mo. & Paducah, Ky.
- Lauren Catron
- May 14, 2021
- 6 min read
Our goal as a family is to make memories. And one special way to do that is to go on big family vacations. This year, we decided to knock off another three national parks and visit The Gateway Arch, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and lesser-known Congaree National Park. We also made a few stops along the way that included a scary ride over an old, tiny bridge, delicious Carolina BBQ, and the beach!!
Up first, the St. Louis Arch!
The Gateway Arch
I have lived in Missouri my entire life and never had I been to The Gateway Arch. Sure, I’d driven past it several times; I’d even been up close to it and taken pictures but never been up in it. To be honest, the thought terrified me. I am afraid of heights. I’m the one who cried all the way up the Eiffel Tower in Paris, because, you know, heights. But I was bound and determined to check this park off our list.
The Gateway Arch is a 630-foot monument located on the Mississippi River in St. Louis, Missouri. It’s the world’s tallest arch, the tallest man-made monument in the Western Hemisphere, and Missouri’s tallest accessible building, according to its Wikipedia page.
Construction began in 1963 and was completed in 1965, however it didn’t become a national park until 2018. Some question whether it should be considered a national park, I’ll leave that opinion up to you, but I will tell you the grounds are very well kept, and the views are breathtaking.
As we were making our way through the city, I started to get nervous. It was raining and cloudy. Could the Arch withstand a lightning strike? (yes, it can). Will it be windy, and will I feel it move? (no, it wasn’t windy that day, but on windy days, yes you can feel it move). How was I going to make it up to the top without panicking?
First, we needed lunch. Our original goal was to eat downtown at a little sports bar called Midwestern. Apple Maps got us there quickly, but guess what we didn’t plan? A Cardinals game AND a Blues game. We couldn’t find parking and even worse, we had to be at the Arch at a specific time, according to the tickets we bought. We reluctantly decided we’d just better head to the Arch and maybe eat at the café there. As we were parking at the Arch, Drew spotted a little restaurant across the street called The Lou Eats & Drinks.
Pro Tip: You DO have to pay for parking in this area so come prepared!
Perfect, we’d grab some lunch and head to the Arch with plenty of time to spare. We decided “when in Rome” and got the St. Louis-style pizza. Now friends, please do not hate us, but we did NOT like this pizza. The cracker-like crust and Provel cheese is not our style. We ate it because we were hungry but decided never again. This was also the first stop on our trip where we noticed that COVID had taken its toll on the restaurant industry. First, there was a sign on the table letting us know that they were hurting, and that they were automatically going to add gratuity to our bill. Not a big deal, but the service was sllllllooooowwwww. There were maybe two waitresses tops in this bar. Not enough for the number of tables they had. We didn’t complain, but that hour we had to get to the Arch was quickly ticking by. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to get the ooey gooey butter cake for dessert. My waistline is grateful.
From the restaurant we had about a 10-minute walk to the visitor’s center. Typically, not a big deal, but I’m pregnant, we have a toddler, and oh did I mention it was raining? We were really worried we were going to miss our 1:45 p.m. time slot and they weren’t going to let us go up.
Pro Tip: Buy your tram tickets online ahead of time. Due to COVID policies, they limit the number and it sells out quickly.
We quickly made our way to the entrance, only to find it was an exit-only. So, we walked to the other side. Same thing, exit-only. How the heck are we supposed to get in?! Someone told us we had to walk toward the historic courthouse and there was an entrance there. So not only were we late, we were wet from the rain and now sweaty! (My one complaint was that these exits/entrances were not very well marked).
Fortunately, even despite having to go through security, we were able to make it in time (or maybe a little later, but they didn’t say anything). One thing that did kind of throw us off was they required Henry to wear a mask. He just turned three, so he has never had to wear one before. He was a complete trooper though and kept it on as best as a three-year-old would. He didn’t complain once!
After a brief tour on the history of the Arch, it was the moment of truth. It was time to get into this tiny-submarine-looking contraption they called a tram and go up the 630 feet to the top. Thankfully, due to COVID, it was just the people in our party, so me, Drew, and Henry. Otherwise, it would have been extremely claustrophobic. My palms were sweaty, and my heart was racing but I wasn’t going to back out. I could handle the four-minute ride to the top, just if I didn’t look out the glass door. Drew was good at trying to distract me and even held my hand. The cage-thing we rode in rocked a little like a Ferris wheel, but it wasn’t horrible.
Once we made it to the top, we went to our designated viewing area. This was especially nice because we didn’t have to fight the crowd just to look out the windows. Despite the clouds, we still got a neat view! On a clear day, you can see up to 30 miles.
It was fun to watch Henry take it all in.
Due to COVID, we were only allowed up there for 10 minutes before we had to make the three-minute ride back down. Why three minutes instead of four? Gravity! After the trip up, we walked around the museum and got Henry’s passport book stamped. We got a snack before it was time to make our way outside. The rain had stopped so we were able to get some decent pictures of us outside by the Arch. We also got the classic national park sign picture. We took in the views of the river before heading back to the truck. It was time to head to Kentucky!
We’re Going to Kentucky…
When Drew is planning out our trip, he always tries to break things up so its easier on Henry. Paducah, Kentucky, is typically always our stopping point when traveling south. It’s an adorable little river town with great food and hotels. This time, we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Metropolis, Illinois. We got checked into our hotel and knew exactly where we were going to eat dinner. Paducah Beer Werks. We had eaten here before and their burgers are amazing! We had to make the quick drive across the river to get there, but due to construction on the highway, we were told to take the backway. Not a problem until we reached this tiny two-lane long-ass bridge! I normally don’t have problems with bridges, but this thing was long! At least the sunset over the water was pretty. I told Drew we were taking the highway back. There was no way I was going back over this thing in the dark!!!
The service at Paducah Beer Werks was excellent. There was a wait, but the hostess was able to get us a table quick because she thought Henry was adorable. Hey, I mean whatever works! We both got burgers that were so tasty. They also have a kid’s menu, which is a major plus!
We headed back to the hotel, got cleaned up and hit the hay. We had an early start the next morning in order to make it to the mountains!
I hope you've enjoyed this first part of our trip. If you have any questions about our trip or want any further recommendations, reach out! I'd love to chat!
Enjoy!
XOXO
Lauren
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