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This is a complete guide to everything you need to know about visiting Gateway Arch National Park, also known as the St Louis Arch. This guide was updated in 2020 to better reflect what it is like to visit the Gateway Arch in the time of social distancing. This guide covers everything on the Gateway Arch grounds. This includes the St Louis Arch, the Museum under the Arch, the Old Court House, and the Riverboat tours.
Table of Contents
Quick Facts about the Gateway Arch
Like many National Parks, so much history is captured here. There is so much to see and learn during your visit to the St Louis Arch, but here are a few quick facts to get you started:
- The St Louis Arch is 630 feet Tall! It is also 630 feet wide.
- It first opened to the public in 1967
- The Arch is open daily from 9am – 6pm
- You can ride to the top of the Arch!* A tram ride to the top will cost adults $12. It takes 4 minutes to get to the top of the Arch. (*The tram ride to the top is currently closed due to Covid-19 restrictions.)
Face masks are required to enter the Gateway Arch. If you do not have a mask, please buy one before arriving.
Getting to and Parking at the Arch
The Arch is perhaps one of the easiest places to find in the St Louis metro. That’s because the Arch towers over the rest of the city and can be seen for miles in any direction. The arch sits right at the border between Missouri and Illinois. Most of the city’s major interstates (44, 55, 64, and 70) all meet here.
If you’re visiting the Arch on a Sunday, you do not need to pay for street parking in Downtown St Louis. All street Parking is free on Sundays! Parking is also free on the street weekdays and Saturdays after 7pm. (Please check all signs before parking to be sure rules have not changed. I will not be responsible for any parking tickets you may receive by not reading signs.) If you would still like to pay for a parking garage, my favorite garage to park in is located at 200 South Broadway. This garage is a quick 5-10 minute walk from the Arch grounds (depending on where in the large garage you are able to park.)
Touring the Park Grounds
The St Louis Arch grounds got a serious facelift that finished in 2018. The five year, $380 million project brought some beautiful and much needed renovations to the Gateway Arch. With this makeover came a new 150,000 square foot museum that is stunningly beautiful and perfectly tells the history of St Louis.
In addition to the renovation within the Arch, there was also a 91-acre landscaping project that revamped the entire area. If you haven’t been to the Arch in a while, things will look quite different. You might remember the small pedestrian bridge that passes over the highway to get to the Arch grounds. Now, the highway passes under a beautiful green space. This connects the Arch to the Old Court House and Kiener Plaza, making the whole stretch one cohesive park.
With all this newly added green space, the Gateway Arch National Park grounds is the perfect place for a walk with beautiful riverfront views.
Visiting the Old Court House
The Old Court House used to be an independent historic site. It officially joined forces with the Arch once the renovation completed in 2018. This building now serves as the visitor center for the National Park. It houses it’s own gift shop and museum.
The Old Court House puts a spotlight on historic court cases that happened in the area. Most notably, the Old Court House features extensive information about the Dred Scott case from the 1850s. Dred Scott was a black man who sued for his freedom at this very court house. His case was taken all the way to the supreme court. Although he ultimately lost, Dred Scott’s case is known for being one of the main breaking points that started the Civil War.
The Old Court House is currently CLOSED due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Going inside the St Louis Arch
Most visitors to the Arch are unaware of everything there is to do inside of the park grounds. Once you enter the Arch at ground level, you are able to visit the museum, watch documentaries in the theater, visit the gift shop, and take a tram ride up to the top of the Arch.
Visit the St Louis Arch Museum
One of the biggest improvements to the park grounds during the renovation was the Museum. It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of visiting museums while traveling, and this Museum at the Arch is truly one of a kind. The entire museum is set up as a timeline. It takes you from the indigenous people of the St Louis through modern times.
The Museum under the Arch is free to visit and has the same hours as the rest of the Arch. Currently due to Covid-19 restrictions, a free timed-entry ticket is required to visit. You can grab your tickets on this website.
Watch a Documentary at the Arch
While you’re at the Arch, you can check out a 35 minute documentary on the building of the Arch and the obstacles they faced. If you have time to watch it, I highly recommend checking it out. It really gives you an additional appreciation for the structure you’re visiting.
Admission to the documentary is $7, and the run time is 35 minutes.
The documentary theater is currently CLOSED due to Covid-19 restrictions.
If you’re interested in checking out the documentary from home, you can buy it here:
Visit the Gateway Arch Gift Shop & Food Court
With the new expansion of the Arch comes a new gift shop and a food court where you can buy a taste of St Louis favorites like gooey butter cake or toasted ravioli.
One of my favorite things about the gift shop (if you can have a favorite thing about a gift shop…) is the expansive collection of books they have available for purchase. I love visiting the gift shop after finishing up a section of the museum to browse for books that further expand on the exhibit.
Below are a few of my favorite books that are available in the bookstore at the gift shop in the Arch.
Take a Tram Ride to the Top of the Arch
The most popular attraction at Gateway Arch National Park is, of course, the tram ride to the top of the Arch. Tickets to the top of the Arch are $12 per person for adults. The ride to the top takes approximately 4 minutes. Once you’re at the top, you can stay as long as you’d like. On a clear day, you can see up to 30 miles in either direction, both into Missouri and into Illinois.
If you are not able to ride the tram to the top, there is a new simulation room near the entrance to the tram. You can enter the simulation room and see screens with live cameras from the top of the Arch. You can see exactly what you could see from the top of the Arch without ever leaving the ground. For a quick visit, or a free visit, a view from the simulation room is almost just as good as the views you get from the top of the Arch.
The tram to the top of the Arch is currently CLOSED due to Covid-19 restrictions.
The Riverboat Tours at the Arch
Want a unique view of the Gateway Arch? Take a ride on the river boat tours! The Mississippi was once considered to be a “highway” for trading and commerce. Boats traveled south to New Orleans, following the current of the mighty river. Once steam boats came along, boats were also able to travel against the current and up the Mississippi River. St Louis was a huge hub for steam boat merchants. Holding on to this piece of history, there is a company that operates Riverboat tours of the Mississippi River, which includes a great view of the Arch!
Tickets for the Riverboat cruise vary in price depending on which type of cruise you take. Expect to pay right around $25 for a Riverfront cruise. You can make reservations online by clicking here.
For more information about what the Riverboat Cruises are doing to insure safety, check out their Covid-19 Protocols.
Finding More to do in St Louis
The Arch is at the center of most St Louis itineraries, but there is so much more to do in St Louis! Below are a few more weekend guides that feature visiting the Arch and beyond.
A Complete Guide to the National Parks of St Louis
How to Have the Best 48 Hours in St Louis
17 Completely Free Things for Adults to do in St Louis
Traveling to St Louis during a Pandemic
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