Deciding Between St. Louis & Kansas City: Choosing The Perfect Vacatio

Embarking on a vacation is like stepping into a world of endless possibilities, and two vibrant cities in the heartland of the USA—St. Louis and Kansas City—offer contrasting yet equally captivating experiences. Whether you're craving the architectural wonders of St. Louis or the bustling cultural scene of Kansas City, these cities are ready to paint your vacation with distinct hues.

St. Louis: Where History Meets Innovation

Nestled along the majestic Mississippi River, St. Louis boasts a rich tapestry of history seamlessly woven into its modern fabric. The iconic Gateway Arch stands tall, a shimmering symbol of the city's pioneering spirit. Embarking on a tram ride to the top offers a breathtaking panorama of the city, where history and innovation collide.

But St. Louis isn't just about monuments; it's a haven for families seeking adventure. Enter the magical wonderland of the St. Louis Zoo or immerse yourself in the educational allure of the City Museum, where creativity knows no bounds. Kids love the City Museum, which is made of old buildings and factories - but reinvigorated with slides between the buildings, playgrounds, interactive exhibits and more. St. Louis is also home to Grant's Farm, as Ulysses S. Grant called St. Louis home, the farm recreates life in the 1800's, with trolley tours, milk maids, animals to pet and much more! Six Flags amusement park is also in the area and great for families.

St. Louis has a rich artistic and museum scene, with Art Museums, a chess museum, miniatures museum, motorcycle museum and many more. The Fox Theater is also a gorgeous and historical building that is a great place to see concerts, comedy shows, or broadway shoes.

St. Louis is also home to the Anheiser Busch factory, as well as 65 breweries in the metropolitan area. Forest Park is one of the largest and most beautiful parks in the country, rivaling that of Central Park in New York City, and is also home to one of the best zoos in the country.

St. Louis is a big city that doesn't feel too big, and has something to offer for literally everyone, whether it's the rich culinary scene, multiple sports teams, or it's history in jazz and blues, there is so much to see and do in St. Louis, and it's easy via their own public transit subway system called MetroLink.

Kansas City: A Melting Pot of Culture and Flavor

Whereas St. Louis gives you a much more traditional “Big City” feel, Kansas City is more suburban and sprawling, but has just as much culture to offer. Home to championship teams like the Royals and the Chiefs. Kansas City has a rich history when it comes to sports, but it’s also famous for it’s roots in Jazz Music, and of course amazing BBQ! So let’s talk some of the highlights and differences of Kansas City!

Kansas City has less of a family vibe, and may not be as fancy, but it may have even have better museums, restaurants, and shopping than St. Louis, as well as some of the hottest teams in sports right now. The Negro Baseball Museum is one of the must sees in town, there is also the American Jazz Museum, and the sprawling and incredible WW2 Museum. You can also take a tour at Hallmark, to learn about their cards, and of course their channel as well.

The Culinary scene is rich with funky places, greasy spoons, and tons of BBQ. Some of our favorite places are Char Bar and Joe's for BBQ, for some classic burgers you have to go to Town Topic, and classy places like Succotash and Corvino Supper Club are absolute musts for breakfast and dinner.

Kansas City's Power and Light district is a wild place to go out for drinks and dance all night, there are so many country music bars, jazz lounges, and dive bars, it's a great place to stay out until 2am. We also love Country Club Plaza, which is a gorgeous outdoor shopping mall that was built to emulate Seville, Spain, with incredible architecture and even better Shops.

Choosing Your Adventure

While St. Louis beckons with its historical charm and family-friendly attractions, Kansas City seduces with its cultural flair and culinary delights. Each city possesses its unique allure, ready to cater to your vacation desires. When it comes to deciding which to choose, it’s about the experience you want.

If you want a bit more of a traditional big city feel, St. Louis absolutely delivers that with more skyscrapers, monuments, a downtown along the river, more comedy shows, more concerts, better bars, and has more sophisticated museums that channel interests in engineering, and architecture. It even has more nature with some of the biggest parks in the country, and one of the best Zoos in the country. St. Louis is a little more spread out than Kansas City, but luckily has a subway “metrolink” system, that can quickly take you to any of the areas you’d want to see.

But if you’re looking for a bit more of a home-town, Americana, comforting place that’s unique, Kansas City is more your place. St. Louis can feel slightly bland, whereas Kansas City has more character, better food, and museums that are a bit more unique and oddball, plus they have better sports and a lot more shopping. The city’s connection to Jazz also gives it a unique feel, and although you won’t catch any big name stars, there is plenty of live music to dance to. Kansas City unfortunately does not boast good public transportation like St. Louis, and it won’t wow you with it’s big city looks, but for the right person it has a nice charm to it.