The Best Weekend Trips from St. Louis
Grafton, Illinois
Grafton, IL is a cute and lively river town. There are many shops, restaurants, and bars. Pere Marquette State Park is nearby with trails, overlooks, and a nice lodge. Read more
Kansas City
Kansas City (aka KC) has tons of things to do such as art museums, beautiful fountains, and delicious barbecue. Read more
Chicago
Chicago has something for everyone! Favorite activities include the many museums, Navy Pier, and the Riverwalk. Read more
Southern Illinois
Southern Illinois is beautiful with many great parks such as Giant City State Park, Ferne Clyffe State Park, and Garden of the Gods. This area also features many wineries. Read more
Indianapolis, Indiana
We took a weekend family trip to Indianapolis and stayed at the Residence Inn Downtown on the Canal. We had a fun time at Sandbox VR and rented a paddle boat on the canal. Sub Zero Nitrogen Ice Cream was a delicious and interesting treat.
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha was a fun weekend trip. On our way to Omaha, we stopped at Indian Cave State Park to see petroglyphs and take in some good views and nature. Omaha has a fantastic art museum: the Joslyn Art Museum. Heartland of America Park at the RiverFront is a pretty park. We ate delicious food at Omaha Tap House and Plank Provisions and great drinks at Brickway Brewery & Distillery and Wicked Rabbit.
Quad Cities - Davenport, Iowa
Davenport was a fun city with a distillery, meadery, and an adult arcade all within easy walking distance. Read more
Galena, Illinois
Galena is an adorable and fun town. The downtown main street is lively with many shops, restaurants, and wineries. Read more
Herman and Augusta – Wine Country
Herman and Augusta are amazing wine regions near St. Louis. Hermann is a historic and beautiful town with a hop on hop off trolley that takes you to many of the local wineries and distilleries. Augusta is a cute, small town and is the first wine region in the country. Read more
Southern Missouri
Southern Missouri is the prettiest part of Missouri with so many wonderful state parks. Our favorites that are closest to St. Louis are Hawn State Park, Washington State Park, St. Francois State Park, and Meramec State Park. A little further away, our favorites are Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park, Elephant Rocks State Park, Taum Sauk Mountain State Park, and Onondaga State Park. There are tons of places to float and camp in southern Missouri. We suggest anywhere on the Current River or Black River. The Emmince area has a lot of good options. Read more on Missouri
Lake of the Ozarks
Lake of the Ozarks is a popular and fun weekend trip. There are a few beautiful parks in the area and fun restaurants and bars. Read more
Hot Springs, Arkansas
While the national park may not feature the grand beauty of some of the parks of the west, it is still an interesting park and town to visit. Bathhouse Row has eight bathhouses with beautiful architecture, and you can relax in the warm waters. There are tons of good restaurants, shops, and places to stay in the area. Read more
Mammoth Cave National Park
There are a lot of cave tour options at Mammoth Cave, and it is best to make reservations for tickets in advance. We stayed in Bowling Green, Kentucky at the Courtyard and had an excellent dinner at Montana Grille. Read more
Columbia, Missouri
Columbia is a fun, college town with a beautiful state park, Rock Bridge Memorial State Park. There are lots of good bars and restaurants to enjoy as well. Read more
Starved Rock State Park
Starved Rock State Park is a beautiful park located in northern Illinois. The rock formations and views are amazing. We made a weekend trip to this area, but you could also combine it with a trip to Chicago. Read more