Gateway Arch National Park

Constructed in a little over two years and designed by Eero Saarinen, Gateway Arch National Park has loured visitors for more than forty years. It’s the world’s tallest arch and its features are fascinating. Our family’s Heartland of America Road Trip made its second stop in St. Louis, MO. The Gateway Arch is a must-see while in the city.

Logistics

A visit to Gateway Arch National Park takes a bit of planning to be enjoyable. In summer 2021, a visit on the tram to the top of the arch requires reserving tickets two weeks in advance. It’s also helpful to plan for parking as well. You can pre-purchase parking here and validate your ticket in the visitor’s center. There are also several surface parking lots near Laclede’s Landing just north of the arch.

With tickets and parking reserved, plan to walk several blocks to reach the arch entrance. Remember, the Gateway Arch is 630 feet tall and equally as wide. The park covers just about 91 acres. It’s also helpful to bring as little with you as possible. You will have to go through security to enter the arch’s visitor center.

Our Visit

For our trip to the top, we arrived 30 minutes prior to our scheduled entrance time (remember to account for parking/walking/security time). Monitors alert visitors to when you can queue up for timed entrance activities. Once in the queue, we were assigned a tram car and our tour guide gave a short presentation on the arch before we loaded the tram for the 4-minute ride to the top.

Atop the arch, we were assigned a section of the arch to peek out the 7 x 27-inch windows. We could roam to either side for views of downtown St. Louis or across the Mississippi River to East St. Louis. Guides at the top alert visitors when it’s time to load the tram for the 3-minute ride to the bottom.

After our trip to the top, we watched the Documentary Film; Monument to the Dream. You can purchase film tickets with your tram tickets online. The 35-minute movie told the story of the building of the arch and the incredible efforts it took to erect the steel-clad structure.

Side trip: City Museum

In addition to the Gateway Arch, we spent a few more hours in St. Louis allowing for a quick visit to City Museum. The name of the place is deceiving; it’s not a museum and it’s not specifically about the city of St. Louis. It’s more of an interactive, sculpture playground. The renovated warehouse is four floors plus a rook top of climbable art, multiple story slides and tunnels. Playing here is a blast regardless of your age! Wear comfortable clothes and shoes and let yourself play.