15 New St. Louis Places to Take Visitors — Or Even Just Yourself

Armory STL
The newest bar in St. Louis also happens to be the biggest. Armory STL (3660 Market Street, 314-282-2720) opened to the public December 16, just in time to give you a place to take those visiting out-of-towners over the Christmas break. Belly up to one of several bars, try your hand at free ping pong, or even ride a see-saw or sit in a chair swing. It’s the adults-only playground St. Louisans outside Westport Plaza have been waiting for. And on Saturday and Sunday, kids can come with a guardian before 6 p.m.

TopGolf
Golf lovers no longer have to drive to Chesterfield to get some swings in. TopGolf (3201 Chouteau Avenue, 314-333-0188) opened its Midtown location in October 2023, and offers all the fun of the suburban iteration but with much better proximity to the Armory, downtown St. Louis and other places you may want to take tourists anyway. The giant complex offers 102 outdoor climate-controlled hitting bays, each with lounge furniture or high-top tables where you can cheer on your pals.

Union Station’s glow-up
The once-desolate Union Station (1820 Market Street) has slowly but surely been adding attractions back — to the point that even if you stopped by to marvel at the St. Louis wheel (201 South 18th Street, 314-923-3960) at its 2019 opening, you will still find yourself amazed by how much has changed today. It’s not just the new restaurants, though those are worth checking out, and it’s not just the Aquarium. No, there’s also a carousel, a little train-themed playground for kids, an outdoor taco stand for casual eating, mini golf and a ropes course. Time your trip right, and you can even see a fire-and-light show a la the Bellagio (note: this feature was offline for upgrades at the time of publication).

Many of the options are outdoors, but if you time your breaks for libations and snacks in the indoor restaurants properly, you could make a winter afternoon of it. Another indoor spot to kill some time (and spend some money): the on-site Build-a-Bear, just across the parking lot.

Slick City Action Park
A 39,000-square-foot destination in Chesterfield, Slick City Action Park (17379 Edison Avenue, Chesterfield; 636-229-9899) promises 10 indoor slides, air-filled basketball courts and a zip line. It’s just the second location for the concept (the other is in Colorado) from Webster Groves native Bron Launsby, who owns Amp Up Action Park and Sky Zone Trampoline Park. Get the kids tickets for an hour and a half or up to two hours and let them burn off some of that energy outside your house.

Alamo Drafthouse
Of course by now it’s de rigueur to be permitted to purchase a cocktail and dinner with your movie ticket — but Alamo Drafthouse (3765 Foundry Way Suite 275, 314-669-2079) doesn’t rest on the innovations it pioneered as a quirky Austin, Texas, cinema two decades ago. It also delivers quirky programming, with everything from blockbusters to new indie films to screenings of Hollywood classics and cult faves. Special-event screenings include props and games; check out drafthouse.com/st-louis for a full list of the latest offerings at the city’s brand-new City Foundry location.

City Foundry
You can’t mention Alamo Drafthouse without mentioning City Foundry STL (3730 Foundry Way), which opened in August 2021 after years of anticipation. Developer Steve Smith of the Lawrence Group completely transformed what used to be a manufacturer of automotive parts into a Fresh Thyme grocery store, a must-visit indoor food court with 17 stalls offering delicious food from around the world and now, just in time for the holidays, Puttshack — “an upscale, tech-infused mini golf game.” Not sure what that means? A great excuse to visit, and then stop by the food hall for dinner.

New bars on Cherokee’s Antique Row
South city’s Cherokee Street has offered two different experiences in recent years. To the west of Jefferson are bars and excellent, if mostly low-key, Mexican restaurants; to the east is Whisk: A Sustainable Bakeshop and the shops of Antique Row. But this summer, two new bars opened that made the east side, too, a nightlife destination. Saturn Lounge (1915 Cherokee Street, 314- 354-6767), which took up residence in a former blacksmith shop, has a stylish look, a warm vibe and a short list of cocktails in addition to wine and beer. White-tiled ‘Ssippi (2926 Cherokee Street) specializes in natural wine, though it also has beer and a few cocktails on tap. It too boasts a sizable patio (unlike Saturn Lounge, it’s hidden away in the back). Together, these hot new bars offer a great excuse to linger on Antique Row long after the shops close.

MoBOT’s awesome new visitor’s center
Sure, you’ve been to the Missouri Botanical Garden (4344 Shaw Boulevard, 314-577-5100) before, but you’ve never seen it like this: Visitors now enter the garden through a brand-new visitor’s center, complete with a less complicated one-story setup, newly accessible restaurant and totally revamped gift shop. The whole thing has an elegant grandeur to it, perfect for setting up the experience that follows.

Spring Church
A project of the Pulitzer Arts Foundation, Spring Church (620 North Spring Avenue) transformed a nearby church that had been gutted by fire two decades ago … by not doing much of anything to it. The 1884 Gothic Revival structure is still open to the heavens and still has ivy climbing its walls. The difference is that it’s been reinforced so it’s no longer dangerous to enter — and it now hosts arts installations curated by the Pulitzer. There’s also an adjacent garden. Both church and garden are open each day from sunrise to sunset.

Bar K
With a two-acre outdoor dog park and 10,000-square-foot indoor option, Bar K (4565 McRee Avenue, 314-530-9990) has made a once-desolate part of Botanical Heights into one of the city’s premiere meat markets. And we’re not just talking about the dogs, although unsurprisingly a lot of canine butt-sniffing goes on here. No, with three bar areas there are also plenty of places for humans to mingle, and mingle they do. Good news for cat lovers: You don’t even need a dog to get in on the fun — although after seeing the adorable puppers on site, you may find yourself preparing your home for doggie adoption.

Ballpark Village
Phase 2 of this giant entertainment complex in the shadow of Busch Stadium opened in July of 2020, so all the COVID-careful folks and people otherwise lying low have yet to partake in its offerings. Maybe it’s time to correct that. The new and expanded Ballpark Village (601 Clark Avenue, 314- 797-7530) includes a Loew’s Hotel, complete with sports memorabilia shop Baseballism; a giant arcade/game bar, Sports & Social; and a country-themed bar, PBR St. Louis: A Cowboy Bar. Let’s face it, the bars in Ballpark Village may run together a bit. Standalone destinations they ain’t. But together, they tend to bring a mass of people ready to party — and if you’re in the mood for that, they often deliver.

The New Ready Room
Remember watching shows at Atomic Cowboy in the Grove, and then moseying down the street to the Ready Room to catch a different band there? Well, now these things have conflated a bit. Atomic Cowboy closed for good during the pandemic, and in its spacious environs the Ready Room (4140 Manchester Avenue) has now reopened. The bar’s move hasn’t been without hiccups — some shows had to be moved after “building issues” popped up this summer — but ultimately, the owners promise not only a restaurant on site but an interior cocktail lounge with a '70s-'80s vibe, a small stage area with a capacity of 300; an outdoor pavilion with a stage and a patio that can hold 1,000; and an upstairs lounge for private events. If you haven’t been to the Grove in awhile, add the new Ready Room to your must-visit list.

The Factory
A new 52,000-square-foot music venue far outside the city’s urban core, the Factory (17105 N Outer 40 Road, Chesterfield; 314-423-8500) is the product of the Staenberg Group, which boasts it’s the “first built from-the-ground-up performance venue in the Midwest in over twenty years.” So far it’s hosted everyone from the Allman Family Revival and Anthrax to Dropkick Murphys and Death Cab for Cutie. RFT readers voted it “Best Live Music Venue” and “Best All-Ages Venue” this fall, and RFT readers can’t be wrong, can they? Can they?

Up-Down STL
Thanks to a protracted legal battle with a few NIMBY neighbors, Up-Down STL (405 North Euclid Avenue, 314-449-1742) didn’t get to open until 2019, and then of course came the pandemic. So it’s OK if you haven’t made your way to this giant arcade bar in the Central West End — but you may want to correct that, STAT. Even with 7,500 square feet over two stories, the sprawling, multi-bar facility is often packed with good-looking young people eager to play games. If nothing else, old-timers should pop by to pinch themselves and try to take in the fact that this gleaming space used to be Herbie’s and before that Balaban’s. It feels utterly surreal.

CITYPARK Stadium
Home to St. Louis’ brand-new MLS team, St. Louis City SC, CITYPARK Stadium (2100 Market Street) managed to squeeze in just one exhibition game in 2022 after electrical woes forced earlier exhibition games to find a new home across the river. But even if the team’s first season has not yet begun, you’d be wise to stop by and admire the $457 million new build for yourself. The 22,500-seat stadium is something to behold — and after you ogle it from the street, it’s a very short walk to Schlafly Tap Room. Now there's a good ending.