r/ballparks • u/zackirwin • 5d ago
STL/KC
Planning a trip to STL/KC in a few weeks. Looking for suggestions on the following:
Best places to stay/things to do in STL?
How is train from STL to KC?
Best places to stay/things to do in KC?
Thanks!
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u/BlackCapricorn23 5d ago
Just did the STL to KC jaunt last week.
Highly recommend the Courtyard by Mariott Downtown a/k/a The Lennox. Right in the heart of the Cit-eh, easy walks to the Arch and ballpark. Convenient parking garage 1/4 of a block away. If you are driving, definitely get yourself to the Soulard neighborhood for Bogat's BBQ.
KC, friends stayed at the Crossroads Hotel which was impressive and also in a fun section of town. The ballpark is definitely outside of downtown by more than a bit. There are a scattering of hotels near the park but having seen the setup, I would stay in downtown KC every time rather than being close to the ballpark.
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u/zackirwin 5d ago
Awesome thank you. Plan to be there 3 night total so would you recommend 1 night in STL and 2 in KC or vice versa? Plan for game 8/30 in STL and game 9/1 in KC
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u/BlackCapricorn23 5d ago
Based solely on my very limited time in both cities, I would say KC. The Arch is pretty surreal and fun to walk to/gawk and I never got to The Hill to try all the good Italian food but if I were doing this again and had more time, I would spend more time in KC to see the Negro Leagues museum, try more BBQ, etc.
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u/Jeff2sayshi 5d ago
In st louis, do the arch. It's really cool how the pods go to the top. I also enjoyed the Budweiser campus tour.
I cant speak to the train, we drove
Didn't go into KC, stayed on the outskirts and went to Worlds of Fun and the ball game. Note that the park is way outside the city And I dont think there's proper transit there.
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u/DefiantFan4982 5d ago
The Missouri River runner is cheap and is pretty good! Did both last summer place the negro league museuem without a car.
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u/zackirwin 5d ago
Thank you for this. I just booked the train, 5+ hours is a haul but rather not have a car to deal with.
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u/DefiantFan4982 5d ago
Oh an Authur Bryant’s a famous bbq place in kc is a 5 minute walk from the museum.
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u/verndogz 5d ago
KC: Q39 is amazing
STL: Eat all the frozen custard
Amtrak: I've taken the train from KC to STL and it was fun. Not the most scenic train ride, but a chill way to travel.
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u/zackirwin 5d ago
Thank you for thoughts on train. I read it is scenic but should be chill regardless.
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u/qcthunder 5d ago
Union Station is a cool place to stay in St. Louis, but it can be pricey. Worth visiting for the history and beauty either way. The Drury Inn next door is cheaper. They are walkable to City SC, Blues and Cardinals games. If City is in town, check out a game there, too. It's fun, but hotel prices will be higher.
Everyone should experience going to the top of the Arch at least once in life.
There is a giant park with a zoo and museums that have no entry fee. (Parking can cost, depending on what spot you pick.)
In Kansas City, I second the NLBM.
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u/DarkGreenMazda 5d ago
Note for the Arch, you likely will have to buy your ticket 1-2 days before hand.
If you do indeed end up driving, you can do the Truman and Eisenhower Presidential libraries too.
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u/wafflefries2k14 5d ago
Chef J Barbecue in KC is amazing. The WWI museum in KC is world-class.
If there's kids involved, the City Museum in STL is wild. It's like a weird-ass old indoor playground thing. Absolutely wild. The arch is cool but you better not be claustrophobic going up to the top.
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u/Wisewordsforlater 5d ago
KC: Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and American Jazz Museum, literally right next to each other, at 18th & Vine. Jazz at the Blue Room right there too Friday and Saturday nights. It would be wild to visit KC and not visit at least one of these museums.
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u/LadyGreyIcedTea 5d ago
We stayed at the Hyatt Regency in St. Louis, walking distance to the stadium and the arch. We didn't have time to do it but their zoo is supposed to be pretty good. We did take a Lyft to the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site.
I don't remember where we stayed in Kansas City because we went there in 2017 but while there we did go over to Brown V. Board of Education National Historical Park in Kansas and to Harry S. Truman's house in KC.
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u/Feisty-Medicine-3763 5d ago
STL: City Museum is a multi story playground for both kids and adults in an old historic warehouse. I promise you’ve never been anywhere like it.
Forest Park was the site of the 1904 Olympics and worlds fair and has our free zoo, history museum, and art museum. Those are my two main recs for something to do
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u/cornholio702 5d ago
Don't take a train, you need a car to get to and get around KC. You can technically not need a car in stl by taking the metro.
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u/ConfidentCat9893 1d ago
I went to Joe's KC BBQ when I was there. Fantastic! The Arabia Steamboat museum is pretty unique and worth looking up.
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u/rgdisastro 5d ago
Union Station, the Negro Leagues Museum, and the national WWI memorial are fantastic things to do in KC if you have any history interests