How to Bookend Your Next St. Louis Blues Game

Once one of the largest and busiest passenger rail terminals in the world, St. Louis Union Station is now a wellspring of family-friendly activity. Anchored by the St. Louis Aquarium, it also boasts a ropes course, a mirror maze, a miniature golf course, a selfie experience, a classic carousel and the St. Louis Wheel, which offers a bird’s-eye view of downtown. While you’re here, catch a light show in the Grand Hall, share a Freak Shake at The Soda Fountain and make a new friend at Build-A-Bear Workshop! If your kids “bleed blue,” as the locals say, they can even dress their bears like their favorite hockey players. Insider tip: This is also a great place to park for the game.

Did you know that you can take a tram ride to the top of the Gateway Arch? After you squeeze into a futuristic, five-person pod, it takes four minutes to ascend. At the top of the 630-foot-tall monument, small windows reveal unbeatable panoramas. Below the iconic landmark, the Museum at the Gateway Arch offers a free, innovative and accessible experience, showcasing more than 200 years of St. Louis history. While you’re here, check out Cobblestones & Courage, an award-winning 3D movie that transports visitors to the 1850s St. Louis riverfront era. If you have time, we also recommend boarding the Riverboats at the Gateway Arch for a skyline cruise narrated by captains from the National Park Service.

A stone’s throw from Busch Stadium and three blocks from Enterprise Center, Ballpark Village is all about sports. In the heart of the entertainment district, Bally Sports Live! features a 65-foot LED screen that can show up to five games at a time – in case you have eyes for a team other than the St. Louis Blues. Enhance your pit stop with local beer at Budweiser Brew House or craft cocktails at Sports & Social. For a more substantial meal, check out the menus at Clark & Bourbon, Condado Tacos, Katie’s and Salt + Smoke. From outside of Bally Sports Live!, you can catch a free fan trolley to every home game. It starts running an hour before the first puck drops and continues running throughout the entire game.

Blues and brews go hand in hand, and the Anheuser-Busch Brewery is the perfect place to enjoy a cold one before the first puck drops. Using the highest-quality ingredients grown by American farmers to produce umpteen brands of beer, the behemoth’s flagship brewery operates out of historic, red-brick buildings in the Soulard neighborhood. Hop on a tour for a glimpse inside them. Each tour explains the life of an Anheuser-Busch beer from seed to glass – the Finisher Tour will even give you a taste of beer straight from the finishing cellars – and they end at the Anheuser-Busch Biergarten where you can enjoy your choice of suds on the house!

City Foundry STL is a mecca of amusement. Housed in the tastefully transformed 100-year-old Century Electric Co. factory in Midtown, it provides enough fun for an entire weekend. Before St. Louis Blues games, you’ll find fans sporting NHL gear at the food hall, which dishes out international cuisine from chef-driven restaurants. Depending on your schedule, you can also tee off at Puttshack, marvel at the Museum of Illusions and experience The Big Show at Alamo Drafthouse. If you’re interested in a nightcap, None of the Above beneath City Foundry is a speakeasy-style lounge with a sophisticated beverage program that promises to delight your taste buds with unexpectedly savory ingredients.

Powered by fiddles, guitars and drums, The Honky Tonk keeps the good times rolling in downtown St. Louis all weekend long. The Nashville-style venue is dedicated to live country music, hosting local and regional bands from Thursday through Sunday. “If you like country music, you’ll love The Honky Tonk,” co-owner Ryan Binkley says. “If you don’t like country music, you’ll love the people-watching.” Next door to The Honky Tonk, The Garage offers sporadic musical events in a wide-open space. Parking lines stripe the floor, and graffiti covers the rest of the surfaces – from the walls to the rafters – giving The Garage an authentic and original vibe.

Dancing queens, Tin Roof plays the music that you need to bust a move! In the main room, live performances include country hits, classic rock and emo songs, while a DJ controls the dance floor in the back with hip-hop, R&B and house tracks. If you’re staying downtown for a Saturday night game, we recommend waking up with Rhythm and Brunch at this lauded live music joint. Exceeding expectations, the menu goes beyond bar food, featuring the Kentucky Hash Brown (hashbrowns, honey-roasted turkey, tomato, spicy cheese sauce, bacon bits and tobacco onions) and the Chonky Donkey (a Cali-style burrito with steak, spiced tater tots, guacamole, crema, tomato, pickled jalapeños, queso and Monterey Jack).

Wake up with Rooster. The local breakfast chain doles out Nutella crêpes, chocolate chip pancakes and stuffed French toast, which will satisfy your sweet tooth, or you can take your fork and knife to one of Rooster’s slingers. Inexplicably linked to St. Louis, the slinger is an amalgamation of potato, egg, chili, cheese and protein quite literally slung together on a plate.

Did you hear about Sauce on the Side? It folded. Now it only serves calzones. Don’t worry – you don’t have to find dad jokes funny to enjoy a repast at this local restaurant chain. Travel Channel’s Food Paradise featured the Cock-A-Doodle Noodle calzone stuffed with mac ‘n’ cheese, roasted chicken, applewood bacon, Provel, mozzarella, green onion, garlic oil and Buffalo butter, but there are options for everyone.

Coming straight outta the 80s, Hot Pizza Cold Beer is a family-friendly pizza joint, complete with arcade games for endless entertainment. Whether you order slices or pies, the East Coast-style thin-crust pizza is the main draw. Chef-owner Mike Johnson orders the flour, tomato sauce and cheese from Italy, and if he had to choose, he would pick the Canadian Tuxedo with Canadian bacon, caramelized pineapple and hot maple syrup every time.

Before or after a St. Louis Blues game, there’s always time for “a few scoops.” At Maggie O’Brien’s tradition Irish dishes such as corned beef hash and shepherd’s pie are best washed down with craft beer from local breweries such as 2nd Shift Brewing, 4 Hands Brewing Co., Schlafly Beer and Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. The warm hospitality, jovial atmosphere and hearty fare of this cherished establishment will put you in proper spirits for the game.

Difficult to say but easy to love, Schlafly is a craft beer pioneer in the city with the country’s best beer scene. Although meticulous about consistency, the brewery is in a constant state of exploration, and its repertoire of more than 60 styles of beer ranges from classic to experimental. Enjoy pale ale, oatmeal stout, raspberry hefeweizen, Mexican lager and more at the historic Schlafly Tap Room in Downtown West.

Kicking off the modern boom of St. Louis barbecue, Pappy’s Smokehouse has been named Best Ribs in America by the Food Network and Best BBQ in Missouri by Southern Living. Prepared fresh daily, the Memphis-style barbecue ranges from full slabs of dry-rubbed, slow-smoked ribs to heaping platters of pulled pork, turkey breast, beef brisket and more. The great food and good vibes at this Midtown smokehouse will have you coming back for seconds.

Warm earth tones, beautiful tile, wood accents and round arches set the scene at Idol Wolf, where you can savor the flavors of different regions of Spain. Located inside 21c Museum Hotel St. Louis, the bustling restaurant specializes in tapas such as patatas bravas, corn gazpacho, croquetas de jamón and gambas al ajillo. Sharing a plethora of small plates is a playful way to eat, but Idol Wolf also has large dishes, including seafood paella and market steak.

At Clark & Bourbon, modern flair elevates Midwest dining. A dynamic steakhouse – that dabbles in brunch – it’s known for its high-end cuts of meat, ranging from a 12-ounce filet mignon to Duroc bone-in pork chops to a rack of lamb served with charred mint chimichurri. Before you dig into your entrées, share a starter – or two – such as chicken fried lobster tails, lamb empanadas and hummus topped with marinated tri-tip. Then finish on a sweet note with a piece of housemade gooey butter cake, which comes with bourbon ice cream and candied pecans.

Boasting a New Orleans-style atmosphere, Broadway Oyster Bar serves freshly shucked oysters alongside gloriously funky beats. Regional and national acts play seven nights a week, filling the beloved haunt with the sounds of blues, roots, reggae, rock and R&B. If you’re hungry for more than oysters, try the gumbo. This version features andouille, chicken and seafood, and some locals say that it’s the best in town.

At Wheelhouse, you can grab a bite, catch a game or join the party. The downtown hangout has all the makings of a good time, and it’s always poppin’. If you’re up for it, splurge on late-night bottle service and dance until the wee hours after you leave Enterprise Center.

Unwind after the game at Blood & Sand, where unparalleled service will make you feel at home. Here, expertly crafted cocktails are inspired by musical artists from every genre, and you can indulge in creative concoctions such as “Waterloo Sunset” (Bombay London Dry Gin, turbinado syrup, lemon and Heering cherry liqueur) and “Werewolves of London” (Ilegal Mezcal Joven, St-Germain, beet syrup, crème de mûre, lime and Bittercube Chipotle Cacao Bitters).