Group Tour St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission 701 Convention Plaza, Suite 300 St. Louis, MO 63101 www.explorestlouis.com/groups-reunions [email protected] GUIDE TABLE OF CONTENTS 5 15 WHAT’S INSIDE 1 WELCOME 2 WEATHER INFORMATION – FOUR SEASONS OF ST. LOUIS 3 GROUP TOUR SERVICES 5 TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION Airport Motorcoach Parking – Policies Car Rental Metro & Trolley 7 MAPS Central Corridor Metro Forest Park Downtown 31 33 36 15 FUN FACTS – (Escort Notes) 17 ATTRACTIONS 31 SIGHTSEEING 33 TECHNICAL TOURS 35 PARADES 36 ANNUAL EVENTS 37 SAMPLE ITINERARIES welcome St. Louis is a place where history and imagination collide, and the result is a Midwestern destination like no other. In addition to a revitalized downtown, a vibrant, new hospitality district continues to grow in downtown St. Louis. More than $5 billion worth of development has been invested in the region, and more exciting projects are currently underway. The Gateway to the West offers exceptional music, arts and cultural options, as well as such renowned – and free – attractions as the Saint Louis Art Museum, Zoo, and Science Center, the Missouri History Museum, Citygarden, Grant’s Farm, Laumeier Sculpture Park, and the Anheuser-Busch brewery tours. Plus, St. Louis is easy to get to and even easier to get around in. St. Louis is within approximately 500 miles of one-third of the U.S. population and within 1,500 miles of 90 percent of the people in North America. Each and every new year brings exciting additions to the St. Louis scene–improved attractions, expanded attractions, and new attractions. Must See Attractions There’s so much to see and do in St. Louis, here are a few options to get you started: • Ride to the top of the Gateway Arch, towering 630-feet over the Mississippi River. • Visit an artistic oasis in the heart of downtown. Citygarden offers a vibrant blending of lush plantings and internationally renowned sculptures. • Explore Forest Park’s 1,300 acres of lakes, walking paths and attractions. • Drive Old Route 66 and visit some of the “Mother Road’s” most fascinating stops. • Enjoy world-class free attractions, including the Art Museum, Zoo, Science Center, Anheuser-Busch Brewery, Grant’s Farm, and the Missouri History Museum. • Marvel at the Missouri Botanical Garden, one of the world’s top public gardens. • Free your inner child at the Magic House, City Museum and other kid-friendly attractions. • Visit an ancient Native American civilization at Cahokia Mounds. • Cheer for the MLB’s Cardinals, NFL’s Rams and NHL’s Blues. • Count the mosaics at the breathtakingly beautiful Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis. • Experience live blues music in one of the dozens of area clubs and taverns. • Get your motor running at the Museum of Transportation or the Moto Museum. • Re-discover your heritage at the Old Courthouse, The Griot Museum of Black History, and Faust Historic Village. • Visit the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales at the Anheuser-Busch Brewery. • Get an adrenaline rush on the world-class roller coasters and thrill rides at Six Flags St. Louis. • Cruise the mighty Mississippi on the Tom Sawyer or Becky Thatcher paddle wheeler. St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission 701 Convention Plaza, Suite 300 St. Louis, MO 63101 800.325.7962 www.explorestlouis.com [email protected] 1 weather Citygarden SEASONAL CLIMATES The St. Louis region experiences four distinct seasons, including moderate springs, sunny and warm summers, cool and comfortable autumns and milder winters. No matter what time of year you visit, it’s usually a good idea to bring a jacket because when it’s warm outside, we’re not shy about turning up the air conditioning! WINTER AVG 25 / 42 SPRING AVG 50 / 66 SUMMER AVG 69 / 88 FALL AVG 50 / 68 2 services WE'RE HERE TO HELP St. Louis understands the motorcoach traveler. Our Itinerary Planning team at the St. Louis CVC is waiting to help you plan A well thought out itinerary is the key to any suc- your next day trip, overnight or destination tour to cessful trip. We are happy to help with planning your St. Louis. If you need help with planning your itiner- itinerary, review an existing iterary or developing a cus- ary or just finding a restaurant to accommodate your tom itinerary. We have several sample itineraries in this group, just let us know. We are happy to help. planner that range from Route 66 to Kid’s Day Out in St. Louis for younger groups. Hotel Assistance With over 38,000 sleeping rooms in St. Louis, repre- Familiarization Tour & Site Visits senting all major brands, St. Louis has the right hotel Familiarization tours for groups and individual site for your group or program. New and newly renovated visits can be arranged. properties including Four Seasons, St. Louis Union Station Hotel DoubleTree by Hilton, Drury Plaza, The Promotional Material Magnolia, Renaissance Airport and many more keep We have a variety of brochures, profile sheets, videos St. Louis hotel inventory one of the best. Finding the and images available to help you plan and promote right hotel can sometimes be a tough task with so your tour to St. Louis. We also have a Student Youth many options. We are happy to answer any questions Brochure dedicated to the youth market and a “Get you might have. We can also reach out to our hotel Your Kicks in St. Louis on Route 66 brochure." A partners and ask them to provide you with rate and dedicated area on the www.explorestlouis.com availability in the form of a hotel lead. website for group tour contains digital versions of this brochure and much more. Contact Group Tour Department 888.892.8634 [email protected] The Magnolia Images The St. Louis CVC has an extensive image library that includes: attractions, skyline, restaurant and entertain- Get Your Kicks ment venues. Just let us know what type of images [IN ST. LOUIS] you need and we will send you a link to the St. Louis CVC image library. There is no cost to use these on Route 66 images to promote St. Louis to your clients. St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission Reunion Planner Workbook 3 NOTES 4 TRANSPORTATION Lambert-St. Louis International Airport GETTING ‘ROUND TOWN Lambert-St. Louis International Motorcoach Parking Airport Information www.flystl.com Many of our attractions in St. Louis have their own 10701 Lambert International Blvd. dedicated motorcoach parking site. When making arrangements with attractions and entertainment Hours: venues, don’t forget to inquire about motorcoach TSA Security opens at 4:30 A.M. daily. parking. Phone: (314) 426-8000 While in parking areas, motorcoaches may not idle Thirteen commercial airlines serve Lambert-St. Louis engines for more than five minutes prior to their International Airport with nonstop service to nearly 60 time of departure. Under certain weather conditions cities in the U.S. and international destinations. Two motorcoaches will be allowed to idle their engines MetroLink stations directly link Lambert’s terminals to longer. When ambient temperatures are below 32 downtown St. Louis businesses and attractions. degrees Fahrenheit, a motor vehicle may not operate in idle for longer than 10 minutes in any hour. Bus pick-up and drop-off at: • Terminal 1 upper departure area. Motorcoach Parking in • Terminal 2 drop-off upper departure area, pick-up lower level area. Forest Park Buses and/or commercial vehicles that are going to stay parked in Forest Park need a bus permit. This allows parking at designated parking lots only. To 5 obtain a permit contact (314) 289-5330 or website validated with a time stamp after they’re purchased. www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/parks/ Trains run every 10 minutes during the day. Early documents/bus-parking-forest-park.com morning and late night service runs every 30 minutes. For schedule information, log on to www. Car Rental metrostlouis.org or call (314) 231-2345. For those who need to handle the driving duties themselves, there are a number of national car rental agencies located at Downtown Trolley Lambert-St. Louis International Airport and throughout the The #99 Downtown Trolley features a whimsical and area. Whether you need a car, van or small truck, it’s easy to colorful wrap that transforms buses into trolleys. find the right set of wheels in a location near your hotel or event Customers can get on and off the shuttle all day venue. long at any of the stops for the discounted fare of $2 for adults and $1 for children. Tickets can be Alamo www.alamo.com purchased on the trolleys or at the MetroRide Center (800) 462-5266 inside America’s Center at 7th Street and Washington Avenue. Avis www.avis.com Forest Park Trolley (800) 831-2847 The Metro Forest Park Trolley operates in the spring Budget and summer providing individuals visiting Forest Park www.budget.com a convenient method of navigating the Park. The (800) 527-0700 Trolley stops at all the Forest Park attractions and Metrolink Station. Enterprise Rent-a-Car www.enterprise.com (800) 325-8007 National www.nationalcar.com (800) 227-7368 Hertz www.hertz.com (800) 654-3131 Thrifty www.thrifty.com (800) 367-2277 Taxis For taxi service, telephone the following recommended companies or locate one of their cabs at stands near most major hotels and the convention center. St. Louis County & Yellow Cab www.countycab.com (314) 993-8294 Laclede Cab www.lacledecab.com (314) 652-3456 MetroLink A one-way ride on the MetroLink light-rail system costs $2.50 (except for the airport to downtown, which costs $4.00). Tickets may be purchased at each station and must be Motorcoach outside America's Center MAPS Central Corridor A B C D E F G H I J K L Hanley Rd.