Location: 1 Lenore K. Sullivan Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63102
Website: https://www.gatewayarch.com/plan-your-visit/
The Jefferson National Expansion Memorial under the arch reopened on July 3, 2018 after a 5 year closure and a $380 million dollar renovation. It also goes by a new name, the Gateway Arch National Park. This place is a destination for residents of this city and tourists alike. Here are the details to help you plan a great visit.
First of all there is no designated parking lot for visitors, so you just drive around until you find a parking garage or street parking that is available. We went on a Saturday afternoon in July and downtown was hopping. I was told by 2 garages that unless I was a staying at the hotel I couldn't park there. You could also ride the MetroLink and get off at the 8th and Pine station. I drove around until I finally found a spot at a meter by the Hyatt that was really close to the new entrance. It's a pretty walk along the tree lined paths. My daughter loved the new wading pool at the entrance.
Once you enter the building you can look out over the mezzanine at this new map of the area. You have to go through security to get into the museum and to ride the tram to the top. You can purchase tickets to the left and go through security to the right. Then you can come down the stairs into the museum. The museum is free but it does cost to go up to the top of the arch. It costs $13 for adults and $10 for kids (summer) and a bit less during the off-season ($12 and $8). They also have packages that include riverboat cruises and the documentary movie. During the summer the Arch grounds are open 8-10pm daily and during the winter their hours are 9-6pm daily. Keep in mind the museum is newish, so buying your tickets online is a great option. When we got to the arch it was 1:00 and when I went to buy tickets to go to the top I was told the next available was 5:45pm. We spent a lot of time walking around and exploring to kill time. If you don't want to wait that long then definitely check into buying tickets online!
They have all these cool screens depicting life in the 1800's. Kids can go behind it and their shadow shows up to the people in front.
Beyond these screens is the new museum. There are sections depicting the history of St. Louis and the Arch that go in chronological order. Some people have criticized the new museum saying it's not very kid-friendly. I believe they tried to make it interactive for all ages. It definitely needed an update though because it was the exact same since I was a kid and I'm in my 40's! The beloved taxidermy bison is gone, replaced with a bronzed one. But the covered wagon, Indian teepee, and stagecoach are still here!
The cafe food is pricey. We got the huge pretzel and it was really good!
You can go to the top of the arch via the north leg or the south leg. The ride to the top takes 4 minutes and the pod is small and a bit claustrophobic. There are 8 pods and 5 people fit in a pod so only 40 people can go to the top at a time. Once you're up there you can stay as long as you like, but there are no restrooms and it's cramped if it's busy. It's fun to look down on the city and take in the views. You can see up to 30 miles!
Waiting in line for our turn to board. There are screens everywhere that tell you when they are boarding to help you know when you should get in line.
The tour guide tells you about the process and they play a short video and trivia game on the walls.
The 8 tram cars
Inside the tram car
The amazing views
There are lots of things to do once you're down here. There is a gift shop near the cafe with lots of cool things for sale. The Old Courthouse is a short walk and gives free tours. You can sit on the riverfront steps and watch the horse-drawn carriages go by. There are riverboat cruises and helicopter tours as well. The Landing is also a short walk and they have some restaurants and shops. Union Station has the Wheel, Aquarium, and more. You could easily make a day of it!
