Explore St. Louis

There’s an old saying describing St. Louis that goes like this: First in shoes, first in booze and last in the American League. It harkens back to the days when St. Louis was the leading manufacturer of shoes in the nation, renowned (and remains so) for beer production and home to the colorful, but not always winning, St. Louis Browns American League baseball team. The Gateway City has always sparked innovation. Did you know the following St. Louis “firsts”?

The Eads Bridge, completed in 1874 over the Mississippi River, was the first arched steel truss bridge in the world. When it was first proposed, it was scoffed at as impossible to build. It’s still in use today by cyclists, pedestrians, automobiles and the MetroLink light rail transit system.

America’s first steel frame skyscraper still stands in downtown St. Louis. The Wainwright Building, at Seventh and Chestnut, was designed by Louis Sullivan. Built between 1890 and 1891, the structure has been called “the most significant building of modern architecture’s early years.”

The 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis popularized a number of new foods and was the first time many of these All-American favorites were introduced: The hot dog... the hamburger... the ice cream cone... and iced tea. Turnstiles, now a fixture at venues and special events, were used for the first time at the Fair.

During the 1904 Fair, the first Olympic Games held in the U.S. took place in St. Louis at Washington University’s Francis Field. Francis Field remains an active facility on campus.

The Climatron at the Missouri Botanical Garden houses a recreated rain forest filled with plants. The Climatron, built in 1960, was the world's first climate-controlled geodesic dome designed as a greenhouse. The Garden also is the site of the largest Japanese Garden in North America and is considered one of the Top Three public gardens in the world.

St. Louis' McDonnell Douglas Corporation, now Boeing, designed and built the space capsule that carried the first astronauts into space in the 1960's when the company was known as McDonnell Aircraft. See some on display at the St. Louis Science Center.

The first cathedral west of the Mississippi River was built on the St. Louis riverfront. The Old Cathedral remains a working parish church of the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

Noted St. Louis surgeon Dr. Evarts Graham performed the first lung cancer operation in
St. Louis in 1933.

The first case of post-prohibition Budweiser was delivered to Franklin Delano Roosevelt at the White House via the Budweiser eight-horse Clydesdale hitch. It was the first major appearance by the now famous draft horses and signature red wagon. You can tour the famous brewery’s headquarters in St. Louis throughout the year. The complimentary Anheuser-Busch brewery tour includes a stop at the elegant Clydesdale stables.

The first United States kindergarten was started in 1873 by Susan Blow in St. Louis. You can visit Miss Blow’s original kindergarten classroom that is operated by the Carondelet Historical Society in South St. Louis.

In 1818, Saint Louis University was the first university founded west of the Mississippi River.
The University’s beautiful Museum of Art is open free to the public.

The Old Courthouse in St. Louis features the first cast iron dome ever built. The historic building was the scene of Dred Scott's 1847 historic freedom trial, which focused national attention on the slavery issue. National Park Service rangers provide free tours.

The first successful parachute jump from an airplane took place at St. Louis’ Jefferson Barracks in 1912. You can visit the historic U.S. Army post where the U.S. Cavalry was formed and where U.S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, William Pershing and other famous soldiers served. A military museum traces the Barracks' history in U.S. conflicts from the time of the Black Hawk Wars to the end of World War II.

If you’ve never visited St. Louis, make your first trip soon to explore a fascinating and fun city that we hope will become number one on your list of favorite destinations.