I like Pyrtania Park Hotel which is a very very small hotel similar to a B&B a block off St. Charles which is not walking distance to the FQ. But the St. Charles Streetcar will take you right there for $1.25. There are B&B's in Marigny near Esplanade but I can't recommend any personally. There are a few in the FQ also. Hotel Provinical is another very small hotel in the FQ away from all the noise and traffic you might like I think you would like PPH and they also have two other properties that you could look at.

Pyrtania Park Hotel @ 1525 Prytania Street, New Orleans, LA 504 - 524 - 0427.
http://www.prytaniaparkhotel.com/
Hotel Provincial @ 1024 Chartres Street, New Orleans, LA 504 - 581 - 4995.
http://www.hotelprovincial.com/

What kind of food are you interested in. Are you looking for country, casual, seafood, fine dining or what.

I would not go through Jackson, MS if I were you. I would go to Baton Rouge and up Highway 61 to Natchez, MS and spend a night at one of the many fine B&B's there. Monmouth Plantation is close to downtown and a favorite of mine. You could visit the many fine antebellum homes such as Dunleith, Stanton Hall and Longwood. From Natchez continue N on Highway 61 to Vicksburg, MS. You could stop near Alcorn to see the ruins of Windsor one of the famous MS antebellum homes that burned in the 1800's. Stop in Vicksburg to visit the National Military Park and the antebellum homes there. Anchuca is a nice B&B with a good restaurant if you prefer to stop in Vicksburg. From Vicksburg, MS I suggest that you travel to Greenwood, MS and spend the night at the outstanding 4 * Alluvian Hotel owned by Viking Range and dine at their fine restaurant Giardinia's or go to Lusco's just down the steet about 8 blocks.

Monmouth Plantation @ 36 Melrose Avenue, Natchez, MS 601 - 442 - 5852.
http://monmouthplantation.com/
Anchuca @ 1010 First East Street, Vicksburg, MS 601 - 661 - 0111.
http://www.anchucamansion.com/
Alluvian Hotel @ 318 Howard Street, Greenwood, MS 662 - 451 - 1500.
http://www.thealluvian.com/

From Greenwood, MS I would go N to Clarksdale, MS and have lunch at Ground Zero Blue's Club owned by Morgan Freeman. The Blue's Museum is down the street a block or so. After lunch head E to Oxford, MS and spend the night at 512 Van Buren a nice B&B a few blocks from the Square. Have dinner at John Currance's City Grocery. Visit William Faulkner's home and the University of Mississippi campus then head N through Holly Springs to Memphis, TN. HS has several nice antebellum homes to see if you drive around town a few minutes.

512 Van Buren @ 512 Van Buren Avenue, Oxford, MS 662 - 234 - 8043.
http://the512oxford.com/

I would spend 3 nights in NOLA, 1 in Natchez, 1 in Greenwood, 1 in Oxford and 2 in Memphis, TN. You can make it to St. Louis for a night or two and then go to KC. Memphis has a nice B&B in downtown near Beale Street called the Inn at Hunt Pheland or you could stay at the lovely Peabody Hotel. There's a lot to do around Downtown and Beale St. Memphis is famous for good BBQ so go ready to eat.

http://huntphelan.com/

See this link for my NOLA food experiences on a visit there earlier this year:

http://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/new-orleans-foof-experience.cfm

The capitol buildings in both Baton Rouge, LA and Jackson, MS are well worth seeing -- and for me the one in Baton Rouge is in my personal top three. There's about a day's worth of attractions in either city. For Baton Rouge, consider seeing both the old and new capitol buildings and the Louisiana State Museum, but note that Magnolia Mound Plantation may be closed for renovation at this time. In Jackson, seeing the old and new capitol buildings, Mississippi Museum of Art, and (from all reports I've seen, as I haven't been to this last) the Governor's Mansion would fill a day nicely.

For my food experiences on a trip to Memphis earlier this year, see this link:

http://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/memphis-food-experience.cfm

and definitely get some BBQ while there.

Have you searched through this website and some good guidebooks for sights in St. Louis, Kansas City, Memphis, and New Orleans? You'll find plenty of good info if you do.

New Orleans-we enjoyed a full 2 days looking at The Plantation homes just outside of NO on the river road(one day would be enough for most folks). Cafe Du Monde/French Market is interesting in NO. Commanders Palace, Mr. B's Bistro, Brennans.

I would swing by Nashville-maybe see The Hermitage House, maybe Country Music Hall of Fame or Grand Ole Opry. Eat at The Loveless Cafe and stop for popsicles at Las Paletas(avacado popsicle is awesome).

In Memphis, spend a half day at Elvis. See the ducks at the Peabody Hotel. Eat at Gus's Fried Chicken, Rendevouz, or Blues City Cafe. The Peabody has a great Sunday Brunch

We love to hike in Arkansas. Petit Jean State Park and around love near The Buffalo River(upper Buffalo area is best-near Ponca). Waterfalls should be fantastic at that time of year.

Several decent places to eat in Little Rock. Try Dam Goode Pies for pizza. See Clinton Library/Museum. Might consider Hot Springs Arkansas, if you like horse racing(going on in April is big there).

Of course, the Arch in St. Louis

For B&B, stay at The Nottoway Plantation.

http://www.photoworks.com/slideshow/photobook/ACEF63314263?c=pw59561&CS_003=4434164
click on above for a trip we took to NO in Oct.

For some unique Kansas City, Missouri activites, I recomend the Steamboat Arabia Museum, Negro Leagues & Jazz Museums and KC BBQ (perhaps LC's).

There are many good options in Kansas, depending on how far you want to go. Perhaps a short drive up to Leavenworth, the oldest community in the state. In addition to a driving tour of the Fort, I would stop at the Parker Carousel Museum.

The above suggestion to stay at Monmouth Plantation in Natchez is a very good one. We loved it there and loved having dinner in their dining room! Resevations are a must. Also agree with the suggestion for Vicksburg. Let me add to take the Natchez Trace Parkway to Nashville http://www.nps.gov/natr/index.htm

Thank you so much for all of these great recommendations! Littleman - we are up for any kind of food - it would be fun to get a taste of local flair. Wold not want more than 1 fine dining restaurant to make the budget stretch.
I like the alternate route idea. Sound like several of you recommend Natchez as a stop. Sounds like it has a lot of personality.

Researching for a trip is half the fun for me! I sent away for all the travel info but love getting the inside scoop on where the locals go.

Has anyone ever stayed here?
http://www.monroserow.com/
It got good reviews on tripadvisor.
I am thinking it would be a central location so no car would be needed. Also, if you know any good restaurants in this area - please let me know.
Another one I was looking at was called 5 Continents - but it appears to be a bit farther out.
Thank you.

Amere.....For local flair in NOLA go to Parkway Bakery for good NOLA style po boys or Central Grocery for muffaletta's. Johnny's Po Boys in the FQ is also great. In Natchez go to Biscuit's and Blue's for good comfort food. Go to Burger's and Blue's for comfort food, cold drinks and music in Jackosn, MS. Crystal Grill in Greenwood is good local flair comfort food. In Oxford, MS stop by Ajax on the Square for good southern comfort food.

In Memphis go to Gus' for world famous fried chicken downtown near the river. Have a great trip.

Gus' World Famous Fried Chicken @ 310 South Front St., Memphis, TN 901 - 527 - 4877.

Amere..I don't recommend you staying at Monrose Row. That's not a good area. You should not venture N of Rampart. The i 10 overpass is very close to this B&B and bad things happen late at night near that overpass.

Look at a B&B in the Marigny which is E of the FQ or even in the Garden District.

Monrose Row might get good reviews, but the area is decidedly not good even in daylight. No way I'd stay there.

I'd recommend staying in the French Quarter in an area bounded in a rectangle bounded by Canal, Bourbon, Ursuline, and Decatur Streets. The neighborhood goes downhill as you head above Bourbon and beyond Ursuline, and is awful by the time you've reached Rampart or beyond to the northwest.

The Faubourg Marigny is actually a bit of a hike from the FQ attractions and restaurants, and the area from all reports can be spotty. And while some of the Garden District can be fine, other parts can be dicey depending on which area you're in or how late at night it is. At least the GD is easily reached via streetcar from the FQ.

Littleman and Bachslunch - I can't thank you enough for your comments. I was really leaning towards that one! May I show you two more and see if you think the location is acceptable?
http://sites.google.com/site/cheznousguesthouse/
or
http://www.elysianfieldsinn.com/location.html
It looks like they are very close to each other. The one other one I found was http://www.fivecontinentsbnb.com/directions.html but it looks like the location would not be great for that one based on what you said about the I10 overpass.

Thank you also for the food suggestions. I can't wait to check out the menus.

Wow, I am absolutely blown away by Littleman's and Bachslunch's suggestions. Spirobulldog suggests interesting places to visit, but Nashville and the wonderful Petit Jean state park in Arkansas are way off your route.

You can't leave NO without a Muffaleta from Central Grocery. It is a cheap eat because it will feed two. I could not leave NO without eating fried oyster po' boy, but I wouldn't share. Po' boys north of the Mississippi state line are often toasted. Not to my taste. I think it is to hide the lousy bread.

In Mississippi, keep your eyes open for the local phenomenon known as "bait shop cafes", a combination fishing tackle shop and country cafe. Yes, they sell fish hooks and worms and crickets, but the food is likely to be chicken fried steak, green beans, collards, and corn bread with maybe some peach cobbler for dessert. Cheap and delicious.

In general, lunch in small town and cities is going to be better value than dinner and a lot better value than fast food.

Advice for Memphis is excellent but no one has mentioned Arthur Bryant's Barbecue in Kansas City.

Get some blues music for the trip, and you will have a fantastic time.

Thank you Ackislander! My BFF loves all things Southern since she is born and raised here, so I love the idea of the bait shop cafes!
I have seen alot mentioned about Central Grocery - sounds yummy.
Thank you for the Kansas City suggestion. It will be fun to see how the bbq differs from NC bbq.

Ackislander, you're entirely right about Arthur Bryant's in KC. It's been years since I was there, but I remember the food as staggeringly good. For other KC BBQ possibilities, I'd check out the Chowhound website for suggestions. Fiorella's Jack Stack and Oklahoma Joe's both get mentioned positively a lot over there, but haven't been, myself.

Amere, I say no way on Five Continents B&B -- bad location. Elysian Fields is in the Faubourg Marigny, which can be a spotty neighborhood, though I can't say about this specific location -- but note that this stretch of Esplanade Avenue between there and the better parts of the French Quarter can be dicey at night. You're really just better off not trying to finesse and cut corners and just stick to a decent part of the FQ here -- lodging location matters a good bit in NOLA.

Amere...I'm with Bachslunch. Skip Five Continents and Elysian Fields as well as Chez Nous. They are not in very good neighborhoods. OK in the daytime but not at night. Keep on looking and posts any questions you may have. We will help you with the better neighborhoods to stay in. Good luck.

Thank you for all the comments. It is looking like a B and B might just be completely out based on your comments. I can't seem to find one in the parameters you mentioned for safest area. Do you have any hotels you recommend until $200 and preferably a bit away from the craziness of Bourbon. Thanks!!

I stayed at the Hotel Provincial, which is on Chartres Street between St. Philip Street and Ursulines Avenue. It was not noisy.

Hotel Le Marais has been recently remodeled and gets good reviews. I second Provincial. Get a room with a balcony.
Iberville Suites is a small boutique hotel inside the Ritz Carlton. You might as well be a guest of the RC as you have full use of all their facilities and the rooms are identical. You enter from the back of the building on the ground floor on Iberville.

If you keep checking hotel websites for rooms on various dates and find the cheapest dates then that's when you need to go because nothing is going on in NOLA like conventions or festivals, etc.

Hotel Le Marais @ 717 Conti Street, New Orleans, LA 504 - 525 - 2300.
http://www.hotellemarais.com/
Hotel Provincial @ 1024 Chartres Street, New Orleans, LA 504 - 581 - 4995.
http://www.hotelprovincial.com/
Iberville Suites Hotel @ 910 Iberville St., New Orleans, LA 866 - 229 - 4351.
http://www.ibervillesuites.com/

Hotel Le Marais is $129/night on April 4 - April 7 in 2011. Iberville is higher.

Hotel Provincial looks nice - unfortunately all booked.
Iberville starts at $224 a night.
Hotel Le Marais may be an option - looks like it will avg. out to $210 a night.

Thank you for the suggestions.

We arrive March 30

For those of you who know so much more about New Orleans than I do. What about Hotel Monteleone? or Le Richeliev (we stayed here and it was not bad, at that time they had free parking, I think they charge now) OR, could he use Priceline for the FQ/Riverwalk?

I live near Kansas City and must suggest Oklahoma Joe's for BBQ...it is our favorite and has gotten excellent reviews recently, both from Zagat and Anthony Bourdain. Have a great time!

You could leave NO on the City of New Orleans (AMTRAK) and pick up the rental car in Memphis. I can sleep in coach and save the cost of a hotel room for a night. Generally, rental cars you pick up downtown are cheaper than picked up at an airport (less taxes and fees). Sorry I haven't been back to NO since before Katrina.

Prince Conti has 4 night minimum at $143/night. Wyndham Riverfront close to convention center is $159/night for 3 nights.

Prince Conti Hotel @ 830 Conti St., New Orleans, LA 504 - 529 - 4172.
http://www.princecontihotel.com/
Wyndham Riverfront Hotel @ 701 Convention Center Blvd., New Orleans, LA 504 - 524 - 8200.
http://www.wyndham.com/hotels/MSYRF/main.wnt

Chateau Dupre Hotel has rooms for $109/night first two nights then $189/night for Friday.

Chateau Dupre Hotel @ 131 Decatur Street, New Orleans, LA 504 - 569 - 0600.

http://www.neworleansfinehotels.com/chateauduprehotel/

This may or may not matter to you, but from all reports some of the rooms at the Prince Conti Hotel do not have windows. Keep this in mind if it's a concern.

Chateau Dupre looks nice and has a good location - perhaps that will be the winner!
Oklahoma Joe's - yes, I saw that on Anthony Bourdain's show! Thanks!

Oklahoma Joe's is good, but not good enough to justify the extremely long waits to get to the counter at meal times. There are a half dozen other places equally worth visiting without spending 20 minutes in line.

Which place you select for que should depend on which dishes that you want and the type of experience you want on a scale from dive to fine serivce & cloth napkins. A given place may not even offer the meat or side you most want, let alone be the best at that dish.

My first recommendation would be LC's in KC, MO at the dive end.

Hotel Le Marais it is!
Thank you Keith for more info on KC. Is there a particular part of downtown KC that would be best to walk to places or any must sees?

Depends on your age. If you are 20 somethings, you would probably want to walk the Power & Light District. If mid 30s up, probably the Country Club Plaza which is more distinctly KC.

I mentioned the must sees in on of the first replies to this thread.

Thanks Keith, that is great information!

Our favorite place to stay, hands down, in Kansas City is the Raphael Hotel on the Plaza. Rates can be very reasonable during the winter months. Rooms were recently renovated to a very high standard, they have a nice restaurant for breakfast, and the Plaza is one block just across Brush Creek. Outstanding bbq. at Jack Stack just 3 blocks away, and many upscale restaurants such as Plaza 3 for great steaks, Brio for Italian, Capital Grill, Houstons, etc.

I would be sure to stay on the Plaza. Don't miss the elegant Halls store, owned by the Hallmark family.

Thank you MAP. This is great. Anything fun to visit not far out of the city? Hallmark is definitely on the map.

Kansas City has a good symphony, and there is always a theater production going on, but you'd have to check schedules. There is a very beautiful, renovated train station called Union Station, which is near downtown and only a few minutes drive from the Plaza area. Pierpont's is a nice restaurant there. Check Trip Advisor for many positive reviews.

Another favorite our ours is the Webster House, a wonderful restaurant located in a redone old schoolhouse and also near downtown. The restaurant has very high end antiques on one full floor and the restaurant on another, so it is fun to look around before or after dinner. We had one of our best meals in all of Kansas City there just 3 months ago. Food is creative but not weird, and it is delicious. Also check Trip Advisor.

Crown Center is between downtown and the Plaza and it is full of shops, plus a second Halls store for shopping. There is a Morton's there and also the very upscale, expensive American Restaurant.

It will be beautiful in Kansas City in April, and if you stay on the Plaza (in any number of nice hotels) you can walk to Loose Park,see the ducks on the pond, and walk through the prettiest outdoor area in the city.

Some favorite restaurants in addition to those I mentioned are Plaza III,seafood at the Bristol,Italian at Jasper's, Michael Smith's, Avenue Bistrot,Cafe Provence,Spin for pizza, and the best fried chicken with all the fixins at Stroud's, a short drive from the Plaza.

Goodness, don't miss the Nelson Art Gallery. There is a lovely place there for lunch, the Rose Cafe, I think is the name. It is really a stupendous building and just blocks off the Plaza.

Wonderful! I was missing some things to do in Kansas City and now you have given me a list!

I'm a little behind on this thread but I have some KC stuff to add if you still have time!

For BBQ: my favorite is Oklahoma Joes for a dive, for sit down Jack Stacks. I don't like Arthur Bryant's but if you like vinegar sauce you probably will.

I didn't see if anybody mentioned the new World War I Museum in KC but I think they did a great job and recommend going to it. Also Power and Light downtown has a lot of outside concerts and places to eat/drink. The Plaza is more for shopping (upper end shops) and eating. I wouldn't go to Crown Center unless you have kids, but that is me. Union Station is also pretty but has been swamped with kids everytime I have been.

Thanks! Sounds like a fun city! Is a drive to Lawrence worth an afternoon? Still looking for a place to stay in Kansas City. Would love to stay in a B & B - anyone have one they recommend.

I have a friend who loves the Southmoreland B.and B.near the Plaza in Kansas City. www.southmoreland.com I do think the Raphael Hotel is still my favorite hotel, but the Southmoreland gets rave reviews as a B and B.

I was looking at Southmoreland! Thank you MAP. I will check our Raphael as well.

I second many of the suggestions for KC. You should definitely check out the Plaza and I recommend staying at the Raphael, the Intercontinental or the Southmoreland. The Nelson Art Gallery is wonderful as is the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. We like the Cafe Sebastian restaurant in the Kemper as well. The Power and Light District - and Westport for that matter - are the hopping bar scenes. For upscale shopping, don't miss the Plaza, Crestwood and Webster House (wonderful food as well). If you are into home decor, you must visit Nell Hill's in BriarCliff.

I'm not a huge BBQ fan, but people around here swear by OK Joe's, Bryant's and Gates. The Jack Stack in the Freight House district is a great atmosphere and great BBQ as well.

The WWI museum and the Steamboat Arabia are both very popular tourist destinations. I have never been, but I've heard the Federal Reserve Money Tour is really cool as well. You can also take a "Gangster" tour of KC if you are interested in seeing the sights where Pretty Boy Floyd and his ilk hung out during the day. . .

I absolutely love Lawrence - about 45 minutes west of Kansas City. If you like college towns, Mass. Street will not disappoint. We recently found a wonderful restaurant there - 715 at 715 Mass Street. Delicious food in a great atmosphere.

Have a wonderful trip!

A

Thank you for the great suggestions Attnymom! KC is going to be such a fun stop!If we have time, I think we will check out Lawrence.

Not sure if you are an Anglophile, but this upcoming exhibit was just announced:

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/01/17/2590484/princess-diana-exhibit-coming.html

Once it is done in Kansas City, it is heading back to England so if you have an interest, your trip is perfectly timed!

Thanks musicfan - that does sound really interesting!

Things are really shaping up. Thank you for all the help! Any suggestions for St. Louis? We will have about 1.5 days there (2 nights). We are staying very close to the arch - so that is a must - do you recommend getting advance tickets if we will visit during the week? Any the must see things/restaurants in St. Louis? Thanks!

Probably not the kind of restaurant you're looking for-a riverboat McDonalds just downstream from the Arch.
The other things St. Louis is known for are the Jefferson Courthouse and the Busch brewery.

The Hill is St. Louis's Italian neighborhood and has several examples of this kind of restaurant. I'd search over at the Chowhound site for suggestions there.

There are several things to see and do in St. Louis in addition to tomfuller's good ideas, including a worthy medium sized art museum, a good history museum, fine botanical garden, and a gorgeous mosaic-covered basilica. I'd search the Fodor's and Frommer's websites for ideas.

I think the riverboat McDonald's is no longer...locals?

The arch is pretty cool, really...when I saw it for the first time over 20 years ago, I didn't expect it to be as impressive as it was. If you are going mid-day, mid-week, I wouldn't think you would need advance tickets...maybe someone who knows more will weigh in. A tour of the brewery IS pretty interesting. I like beer, but I'd think even someone who didn't would enjoy it for the history and the sheer volume of their production.

No names come to mind, but The Hill DOES have excellent Italian restaurants. If nobody makes a suggestion, just ask the concierge at your hotel.

The Missouri Botanical Gardens are beautiful. There is also a great Science Center in St. Louis, but your time is pretty limited.

Yes, definitely looking forward to going up in the arch. The botanical gardens - I bet they would be pretty that time of year with the Spring flowers coming out. Not sure how cold it would be there that time of year, but hoping to be able to walk around quite a bit. Thanks!

Yes, that McDonalds has been closed for years.

Spend a few hrs at the City Museum (which is not a museum) in St. Louis: http://www.citymuseum.org/home.asp Fun for literally all ages. Nearby, the revitalized Washington Ave within walking distance of the Arch. Lots of fun restaurants. Lately we like Lola and Mizu Sushi.

St. Louis attractions are mostly free (not City Museum or the Botanical Garden, though both are worth it).

Check saucemagazine.com for restaurant recommendations. You can search for things like: "open Mondays, outdoor dining, Central West End" and get some good suggestions.

Some of our favorite Central West End casual eateries include Duff's, Herbie's, Pi (for pizza), Scottish Arms.

KC is a great town. I dont know of any B&B's, but we like the Raphael, too.

St. Louis Cardinals opening day April 2! A classic all-American baseball experience right downtown. The weather will be anybody's guess. Freezing or hot. City Museum is truly unique, and if you're up for climbing, crawling and sliding, well worth the ticket. There are a lot of really great restaurants in St. Louis. Niche is excellent. Forest Park has the free zoo and St. Louis Art Museum. Grand Center area has lots of music and theater venues, including the amazing Fox Theatre. If you're into art, The Contemporary and Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts are also in Grand Center, and have fine reputations (Some - not all - of the Pulitzer family's prized art is in a Tadao Ando designed building). Central West End has lots of good restaurants (Pi is really great, and I'm a also a sucker for Dressel's - very pubby). Don't miss City Garden sculpture park right downtown near the stadium...highly interactive. Some other fun places to eat near downtown: The Good Pie (excellent brick-oven thin pizza), The Fountain (a restored soda fountain with a good menu - voted best bathrooms in the U.S., too); and Pappy's Smokehouse...lunch, casual barbecue - The line goes out the door, but moves fast, though when they run out, that's it. It was featured on Man vs. Food. (I can't remember if Man won or lost, but they named a dish after him).

St Louis Cathedral has the most beautiful mosaics in America.
Another rec for the Nelson Art Gallery in Kansas City.

Thanks so much for more interesting things to do in St. Louis and Kansas City! I am excited!

I've done the reverse trip, from KC to St. Louis to Memphis and then to New Orleans.

I'd recommend 3 or so days in New Orleans, drive up to Memphis with an early start and you should be able to take in some sightseeing up there, see Graceland and Beale Street that night, then head out the next morning for St. Louis. See the arch and downtown, and stay the night. Head the next day for KC. Spend a half day walking around the plaza and Westport. That'll do it.

I second the Botanical Gardens in St. Louis. There's a great rollerblading path in the park next to the Gardens as well.

Thank you bkluvsNola! Looks like we are going to have great weather - about 70 in NO and then about 60 as we head north. Hoping to do lots of things outside. Definitely have these on my list!

Don't know if you still need hotel in New Orleans, but wanted to tell you I bid on a FQ four star hotel on Priceline for 70.00 for the middle of March and won the Marriot on Canal. It's location is great!

Wow - that is amazing! Thank you cd!

Great suggestions for KC and STL! I second the suggestions for the Cathedral Basillca on Lindell in STL (just went there a few years ago and was amazed!) and the Nelson in KC. My favorite restaurants on the Hill -- Charlie Gitto's and Zia's.

One BBQ in KC that wasn't mentioned and is my sil's favorite is Wyandotte BBQ. Love the baked beans from Jack STack!

In St. Louis I would definitely hit the Anheiser Busch Brewery tour. The most basic tour is free and you get 2 free beers at the end. If you want more than the basic tours there are a couple options that you can pay for. I would also second hitting up the City Museum. It is very interesting to say the least. The Missouri Botanical Gardens is also something I would recommend you check out (mobot.org). In addition, I would check out some of the sights in Forest Park as well (Art Museum, History Museum, Zoo). Some restaurants I would recommend are:
The Scottish Arms: thescottisharms.com It is a traditional Scottish Pub. It has a great beer selections and traditional Scottish food.
Sasha's Wine Bar: sashaswinebar.com A relaxed wine bar atmosphere with very good food. They have 2 locations, one by the Missouri Botanical Gardens and one near Forest Park.
Pho Grand: Very good traditional Vietnamese. One of my favorite restaurants. phogrand.com
Modesto: A very good tapas restaurant. modestostapas.com
Imos Pizza: St. Louis style pizza. imospizza.com

Thanks crhq5! Someone else recommended Pho Grand to me - I really gotta check that out! Sounds like it is going to be a fun time in the city.

If you plan on driving to Memphis, you guys should definitely stop by the surrounding communities in north Mississippi:
http://www.sodesoto.com
You will get to experience small-town America with its southern hospitality and southern charms. Also, that site has a great list of restaurants listed by community.

Good luck and have fun!

Thank you t_nguyen - is there one town that is your favorite?

Hey, crh, you're mentioning some of my favorite places in St. Louis*. Do I know you?

*Except Imo's. My theory is only those born within a 30 mile radius of the Arch really like provel cheese.