Oh, and to get back to my title...is there anything off the beaten path we should check out? Places that don't get mentioned in tour guides?

hi rizzo,
A fun day trip would be to go to Hannible, MO where Mark Twain's childhood home is now a museum.
I think Magic Mountain is not too far away.
Marimak Caverns is a little distance away but is great if your kids are into caves and geology.

I don't know about 3 and 4 year olds, but we enjoyed a day at St Charles! http://rendezvousinstcharles.com/

cd - St. Charles looks like a perfect day trip. My inlaws will be with us and she will LOVE it there!

nanabee - Will check out hannible now. that sounds fun. and I think my boys would enjoy a cavern tour...I know I would!

Elephant Rocks is a great place- especially for active kids to climb on.

Johnson Shut Ins is a fun place- gets very crowded though.

There are a couple of Inns down in that area on the Black River- maybe spend a night or two there instead of all the time in St Louis.- I think it just called Black River Lodge. I love that part of the country- my ex grew up in Ironton so he knows every swimming hole in the area-

Hannibal is fun and interesting!

Sunbum .... Is Johnson shut ins open? I thought I read that it got damaged in floods....but I could be completely wrong.

It did get damaged in the floods- but I think is open again- I'll check and see.

looks like the park is open again. Another interesting thing to do is a tour of the old mine at Bonne Terre- the mine has been filled with water and they scuba dive through the various shafts.

Its been awhile since I was there but at that time they also did a walking tour through part of it- we did the walking tour and I thought it was pretty interesting.

Ironton/Ft Davidson is the site of a civil war battle- there is a little of the old fort left- really just a mound of dirt now- a museum. Grant received his commission in Ironton so lots of history here.
My mother in law has found civil war bullets in her front yard- washed down from Shepherd Mtn.
I used to love visiting there

Also check out the Cahokia Mounds- something I always meant to visit but drove past- however it looks very interesting- but maybe not to a 3 and 4 year old.

The history is pretty amazing

Grant's Farm is such a great family activity! Our children are grown but we've been there twice. Also agree with Hannible!

For family hiking you might be interested in the
Katy Trail http://www.hermannmissouri.com/katy_trail.htm

Hermann would be another day trip http://www.visithermann.com/
It is great for walking, and you can walk across the Mo river on the new bridge. Adults can enjoy the wineries.

I second Grant's Farm for little kids. Also try Crown Candy Kitchen downtown: http://crowncandykitchen.net/

There's a cool root beer brew pub in University City, near Washington University and Forest Park. Fitz's: http://www.fitzsrootbeer.com/

I think the City Museum is a must-see. My kids always like it, and they're now teens and tweens! The artist who founded that museum also sculpted some neat turtle statues you can climb on just across U.S. 40 from Forest Park: http://www.riverfronttimes.com/bestof/2011/award/best-picnic-spot-1463521/

Do you like Italian food? The Hill is fun little conclave and near the Missouri Botanical Gardens, which have exhibits that change with the seasons:
http://www.thehillstl.com/
http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/

With kids the ages of yours, you should consider a visit to the Magic House in Kirkwood. It's a great children's museum. Very hands-on. http://www.magichouse.org/

Oh, forgot the St. Louis Science Center. It's pretty neat and has a planetarium: http://www.slsc.org/

Your kids might be too young but the ballpark in downtown St. Louis is fun if the family likes baseball.

Grants Farm is a Must!!!

The MO Botnical Garden has an amazing exhibit for all ages -

"Elaborate outdoor sets crafted of silk and steel celebrate Chinese culture through bold color, dazzling light and striking design. The exhibition offers visitors a unique opportunity to witness a spectacle rarely staged outside of Asia."

http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/things-to-do/events/special-exhibitions/lantern-festival.aspx

The Loop in University is a fun place during the day with kids.
The rootbeer place above was mentioned but alos check out -
Blueberry HIll. - Fun Memorabilia and really good food.
http://www.blueberryhill.com/

The loop is a 5 min drive from your hotel.

For pizza and sandwiches/salads - family friendly and fun is Manhattan Cafe - again very close to your hotel.

http://local.yahoo.com/info-28290820-cafe-manhattan-clayton

There are many nice parks nearby to play and walk around in addition to Forest Park if you just want a morning to play on a playground etc..
Shaw Park in Clayton
Oak Knoll Park in Clayton


For hiking I would suggest Babler Park in West county. It is very scenic and has great trails for all ages.

If you like BBQ - try PAppys downtown - maybe after The City Museum. It has won national awards and is fun and delicious!!
http://pappyssmokehouse.com/

Anyone who lives in St. Louis - do you still go to Steak & Shake? Are they still around? My DH grew up in ST. Louis and back in the day (before his parents passed away) he would always take our young daughters to Stk&Shk when we'd go back to visit his family. This year - they seemed to have disappeared.

nanabee - YES!! we still have steak N shakes - just not as many as more. There used to be one 5 min from me but it burned down -

OH - nanabee and OP - there is an old favorite diner called - Carls drive-in - has burgers very similar to Steak n Shake. It is very old fashioned - have not changed in 50 years - it has one of the only old fashioned functioning original rootbeer kegs - it is a must!!! We just ate there the other night!!!

Plenty of Steak & Shakes in St. Louis http://www.steaknshake.com/

With such little kids, I agree with your staying in St. Louis. And I can't really think of much for them to do in Branson.

You've gotten some great suggestions already. I think the Magic House and Grants Farm are most age appropriate. The City Museum is great, but I think maybe a little daunting for little ones, unless you're agile enough to climb through everything with them.

If they are into trains, The Museum of Transportation would be fun but it's a bit of a drive and not very shady, so if it's a sunny day, it can be a bit overwhelming.

Riding on the train at the zoo, closer to where you're staying, (and with animals too!) could be just as fun. The zoo itself is free, but that makes everything else (parking, children's zoo admission, train tickets) cost more. If you get there early, you can get street parking.

Here's a good list of local hikes.

http://www.localhikes.com/MSA/MSA_7040.asp

Crown Candy Kitchen has gotten a lot of national PR lately. It's been on Man vs Food and is now supposed to be in a Food Network show on sandwiches. If you go, please be aware that it is an oasis in a not great part of the city. Please don't go exploring from that vantage point.

Anne, Carl's is a great idea! Go early for lunch, or late afternoon for late lunch or an early dinner. Less crowds then.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/carls-drive-in-brentwood

Liz - I could not beleive that BLT sandwich at Crown Candy - doesnt it have like 17 slices of bacon on it!!!

Wow, thanks everyone! I can't wait to visit St. Louis!

And I love Steak and Shake. I went to college in FL, so I'm familiar with them. We don't have any up here in NH.

Magic House is great for younger kids. City Museum is really amazing too, though you'll be chasing your kids down through tunnels and slides. Wear your sneakers.

If you are downtown at some point, check out City Garden... it's a sculpture park that's got fountains the kids can run in and plenty of things to climb and explore.

Fitz's is great for kids. Not far down the street from that is Blueberry Hill, a great bar/burger place, but very kid friendly. I also recommend The Fountain on Locust in the City for amazing desserts and a decent dinner/lunch menu.

Katy trail is best for biking, and you can rent the bikes and kiddie trailers/ride-alongs. Flat and on an old bicycle trail. Defiance to Augusta is about 7 miles, and you can either go to a winery or to a beer place for lunch. But the weather gets really hot this time of year for it.

Also fun: paddle boating in Forest Park at the Boathouse with lunch or dinner afterwards.

The Botanical Gardens not only has the Japanese Lantern exhibit this summer, but a wonderful children's playground. You'll pay extra, but they'll play for a very long time there.

Admission to the zoo in Forest Park is free!!

They don't have it every week...but Tower Grove Park in the city hosts Food Truck Friday. I haven't been, but hear it is a lot of fun. The Tower Grove Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings is also very festive.

Finally, this is probably too late for your little ones, but the St. Louis Art Museum sponsors free outdoor movies on Art Hill in Forest Park on Fridays in July. I think Food Trucks come before the show so you can picnic if you like.

Have fun!

Rizzo, I just re-read your OP and it says you're coming in April. Do you mean April 2013?? With your hotel thread, it certainly sounds like you will be here sooner than next April.

Just thought it would be good to know when you really are coming to STL.

Food Truck Fridays at Tower Grove Park are a complete mob scene. Long lines, no where to sit....can't see that being fun for young kids, who don't tend to be the most patient, especially when hungry.

yup, next april....so 10 months from now. since there are so many people that need to coordinate time off and travel, we are planning early.

The first thing I do when I go to St. Louis is head to Ted Drewes for a concrete. Nothing like it!
http://www.teddrewes.com/home/default.aspx
Truly a trip to the Fifties.

Well, check when Grant's Farm opens for the season, I think it's usually mid-April.

And the Lantern Festival at the Botanical Gardens is only through August 2012, though there will likely be another exhibit of note next summer.

I think for specifics, you may want to re-post this sometime closer to your actual trip.

Thanks Liz. Once it gets closer and I have our itinerary, I'll post. Just wanted to find out what there is to do and make sure it suites all members of our party. I think St. Louis looks like it's going to be a fun trip!!

anne & liz, I wish I had posted prior to our trip last April. I would have loved to check out Carl's burgers!

Rizzo I think April is a perfect time to be in ST. Louis. The weather should be nice.

nanabee - I would be happy to meet you and personally introduce you to the Carl hamburger - it could be a mimi gtg!!

Here's a map of Forest Park http://www.slfp.com/SLFP-FPFEmap.htm. Don't forget to take your kids to Turtle Park - it's really cool. http://www.examiner.com/article/turtle-park

Oh, it's a little far, but the Butterfly House located in Faust Park is another option. http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/visit/family-of-attractions/butterfly-house.aspx. Faust Park also has a historical village that's neat to visit, as well as a huge carousel. I think your boys would get a kick out of that! http://greatriverroad.com/stlouis/faust.htm

Thanks mscleo!

Take the boys to Turtle Park when you're near the Zoo. Just across Hway 64/40 on Tamm, walkable from south zoo entrance. They'll have fun climbing around.

Citygarden downtown is fun for kids, as mentioned above. and there are fun food trucks parked around at lunchtime.