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St. Louis Road Trip
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items St. Louis is an amazing spot to vacation. There is so much to do, and it's easy to get around. My two best friends and I took a trip from KC to STL with our kids. We are three teachers in our early 30s and our 5 kids range from 11 months old to 7 yea...
Sections
6
Family Fun in STL
Where to Stay
Packing the Car for an Easy Ride
Road Trip Tunes and Podcasts with Kids
Road Trip From KC to STL
Order Before You Go
Family Fun in STL
Things to do that are fun for kids, but also for the ADULTS!! I've also included good nursing spots for most places. While I fully support openly nursing in public, I know sometimes it feels nice to have a relaxing spot for baby to not feel so overst...
We are Royals fans at heart, but STL does NOT disappoint!! The vibe at the stadium is electric, and they have so much for kids to do (aside from just watching the game). There is a Build-A-Bear, kid friendly food stations, and an entire family area c...
Cardinals Game
As a Science Teacher, this is Heaven for me! I love it when my kids get to experience children's museums like this. There is pretend play, STEM activities, problem solving, art, nature play, music, and so much more. They have a system where you can o...
The Magic House
The zoo itself is free, but we opted for an Adventure Pass. This allows you to do all the extras like the train and the carousel. We are members of the KC Zoo, so we used our reciprocity with the pass to get the STL Zoo Adventure Passes for 50% off- ... Look up the feeding schedule before you go and plan your route accordingly for the best views of the day! We took a lot of pictures, and my solar phone charger came in handy. Parking is paid, so we opted to Uber to save money since our VRBO was so cl...
St. Louis Zoo
We ate lunch here and used their free Shuttle to get to the stadium. The game area was neat for the kids. The food and drinks were on POINT for the adults. I love New Orleans and Cajun food is my favorite. I'll definitely be back.
1860s--Free Cardinals Shuttle
I was bummed we ran out of time on this trip, but we usually always make it a point to visit City Museum. The toddler area is nice because it's easier to keep track of kids there. I've also been at night before where they have most of the lights off ...
City Museum
Margs…and a **Playground** Good food, even better drinks, and the kids get to play on the patio. This was our first stop when we rolled into town!! Chips and salsa are delish and I recommend the fajita burrito.
Hacienda Mexican Restaurant
Where to Stay
Do you prefer a hotel or a home rental? These are our two favorite spots.
One of my favorite memories is going to a Cardinals game and heading back to the hotel to watch the last 3 innings from our hotel room. Grabbing Starbucks in the lobby and enjoying it by the picturesque fire place felt like a dream. You are in walkin...
Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark
Quaint and cozy but packs a lot of punch for a smaller home. This had everything we needed for our stay, down to toiletries in the bathroom and kitchen staples that lots of rentals don't provide. Backyard and good street location for parking. Super s...
Cozy Family Cottage - Historic Top of "The Hill" - St. Louis | Vrbo
Packing the Car for an Easy Ride
We were very strategic about how and what we packed. It was a perfect and comfortable fit, but we still managed to be able to bring everything we needed.
My friend drove all 8 of us in her Nissan Armada and we still had room for everything we packed and enough space to not feel cramped during our trip. I want to get one so badly. It has all the tech stuff needed, but also at a good price point.
Nissan Armada
Tuck away lightweight items on the roof of the car. I saw this on TikTok and I knew we had to get one to try for this trip. No regrets! We stored diapers, Turkish towels, and lifejackets in ours for our trip.
Interior Car Ceiling Storage
Fits in cupholders perfectly. Super easy to clean in the dishwasher. One of the only cups my son has had that has grown with him from 1 year old to 3 years old with plenty of life left. Each kid got a new one for our trip with a different design so w...
Spillproof Water Bottles
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Stopping for bathroom breaks is so quick with this. We did do stops where we all went inside to use the restroom, but with so many kids they were not quick trips by any measure. With the travel potty, we had no accidents because we could make a super...
Travel Potty with Disposable Liners
My husband got this cooler as a gift. We now only buy this brand. We take it to softball tournaments, and in midwest heat it's still icy cold at the end of the day. It's never leaked. On our trip, it fit under a kiddo's legs just perfectly. We stocke...
Cooler with Smart Shelf
Better than the popular Melissa and Doug reusable stickers. They are realistic, but also fun. I picked one of these up on a previous road trip inside of a Bucee's and now I make sure I buy a fresh one before every road trip!
On the Farm Reusable Stickers
Road Trip Tunes and Podcasts with Kids
Podcasts for the kids that adults won't hate listening to! We try to stick to things that aren't overstimulating, have a good message, and of course hold interest for the littles.
#1 Fave Podcast. I like the music that Super Simple puts out, and the podcast by Catie is superb as well. She does a great job of teaching kids to pretend and mixes music and imagination to embed you into the story. My son's favorite episode is “Rain...
Super Simple Imagination Time With Caitie!
Positive, uplifting, and upbeat. Boys and girls can both enjoy this podcast. It's more action packed, so you prob don't want it around a sleepy part of your road trip. My son has been in situations where things have gotten tough for him, and he talke...
Super Truck: Stories for Kids
Being screen free, I obviously rely heavily on books for entertaining my son. Lisa (Mommy) does a great job of doing different voices and explaining what the pages are showing in a fun way. Compared to other book-reading podcasts, this is definitely ...
Story time with Philip and Mommy!
For streaming music, we use Amazon Music. I love that I can ask Alexa to play any song, and it just comes on right away. Country Heat is usually kid-friendly and has songs that the moms and the kids both like, but there are stations and playlists for...
Country Heat
Road Trip From KC to STL
If you are traveling from KC, these are the stops you NEED to make!
Our first stop from KC to STL is always Shakespeare's in Columbia. As soon as you walk in the door, there's a little slot the kids can walk up to and they will throw them a ball of pizza dough to play with. The food is good. The beer is cold and tast...
Shakespeare's Pizza
Hop in the car after pizza for a super short drive to the park. Let the kids burn off some energy and the adults can get some walking and stretching in too! So pretty and it's right along your path back to the highway.
Lions-Stephens Park
Gas up before you get back on the highway. Clean bathrooms, good food if you're not stuffed from Shakespeare's. Now you are just 2 hours away from your final destination!
QuikTrip Store 211 Clark Ln - Columbia
Stopped here on the way home to KC. Coolest place ever! I can't even remember how I found this, but somehow the internet led me to the most amazing little unknown gem. You will not be dissapointed!
Big Joel's Safari
Order Before You Go
We take one set of shower essentials and all share. Of course we splurge for the best smelling shampoo and conditioner while we are out and about. The body wash is great and the spray is lovely as well. We do the same thing with spray deodorant, toot...
SOL DE JANEIRO Brazilian Joia Repair Shampoo Set
Dries off better than a regular towel, dries faster in the sun, and takes up next to no space. Perfect for throwing in your wagon if you go to the zoo or any of the local splash pads on your trip.
Microfiber Beach Towel