Gateway Arch is one of the newer National Parks located in St. Louis, Missouri. It is located near the starting point of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and commemorates the Louisiana Purchase. It was originally established as the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial but as it grew throughout the years, it was redesignated as Gateway Arch National Park. Spending one day at Gateway Arch National Park is a great stop when visiting St. Louis.
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History of Gateway Arch
The Jefferson National Expansion Memorial was first thought of in 1933. The United States wanted a memorial to Thomas Jefferson. It took until 1947 to get the money and design the arch. By that time, the boundaries for the park were laid out and the land was cleared for the memorial. However, in 1950, the project was put on hold due to the Korean War. The park was finally completed in 1965 and dedicated in 1968.
In 1984, Congress voted to expand the memorial and in 1999 the arch was renovated to include the tram to the top. Throughout the 2000s, the park expanded and many areas were redone. Finally, on February 22, 2018, the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial became Gateway Arch National Park.
Best Time to Spend One Day at Gateway Arch
Any time of the year is a great time to spend one day at Gateway Arch National Park. Although St. Louis does get colder in the wintertime, you have the chance to see the area covered in snow. For the 4th of July, there is a big festival to celebrate and they put up huge American flags in the area.
How to get to Gateway Arch
To get to Gateway Arch National Park, you will want to fly into St. Louis Lambert International Airport. The airport is located 14 miles North of Downtown St. Louis. Flights arrive from 78 destinations from the United States and worldwide daily. From the airport, you can choose to get a rental car or opt to take public transportation to Gateway Arch National Park.
I recommend taking public transportation to save some money. From the airport, hop on the red MetroLink line. You can catch this in Terminal 1. Ride it for 17 stops (about 34 minutes) to Lacledes Landing Station. From there, it is about a 5-minute walk to the park.
Transportation around Gateway Arch National Park
All of the sites at Gateway Arch National Park are within walking distance of one another. If you have a car, I recommend parking it in one location for the day.
Hours and Admission
The grounds for Gateway Arch National Park are open from 5am-11pm. The inside of the arch is open from 9am-8pm most days, excluding some holidays. It costs $12-$16 to go to the top of the arch (or $9-$13 with the America the Beautiful Pass). Make sure to get your tickets ahead of time because they can sell out quickly. Only a limited number of people are allowed to ascend to the top per day.
You can also opt to pay $7 ($4 with the America the Beautiful pass) to see the movie. All of the other sites in the park (such as the museum and Old Courthouse) are free.
Where to Stay
TripAdvisor is a great place to start your hotel search. Search for the best National Park hotels here!
The most convenient place to stay to spend one day at Gateway Arch National Park is in Downtown St. Louis. However, many hotels in this area can be quite pricey. If you stay downtown, there will be no need for a rental car as you can walk or take public transportation everywhere. If you want to save some money, look at staying near the airport. Some of the great hotel options include the following.
- Hyatt Regency at the Arch
- Tru by Hilton Downtown
- Hampton Inn at the Arch
- Hampton Inn St. Louis Airport
What to See During One Day at Gateway Arch
One Day at Gateway Arch National Park is the perfect amount of time to spend exploring the park. If you are short on time, you could even get away with a half-day in the park.
The Gateway Arch
Cost: $12-$16 or $9-$13 with the America the Beautiful Pass
For the first thing during your one day at Gateway Arch National Park, opt to head to the top of the Gateway Arch. It is well worth the price of the ticket for the awesome views you get of Downtown St. Louis and the Missouri River.
The Gateway Arch is known as the “Gateway to the West” due to it being around the starting point of the Lewis and Clark expedition. It is also the tallest structure in Missouri at 630 feet, the world’s tallest arch, and the tallest manmade object in the western Hemisphere.
To get to the top of the arch, you are put into a pod of a 16 car tram. Each pod fits 5 people. The journey to the top takes about 4 minutes. Along the way you can look through the small window to see what the inside of the arch looks like.
Upon arrival at the top, 16 windows overlook the west which looks out over St. Louis. Another 16 windows face east which overlooks the Mississippi River and the countryside. Visitors can stay for as long as they would like at the top. Once finished, it is another 4 minutes ride back to the bottom of the arch.
The Museum
Cost: Free, Movie $7 or $4 with the America the Beautiful pass
Within the Visitor’s Center underneath the arch is an awesome museum dedicated to the history of westward expansion and the arch. This museum opened in 2018 and contains a ton of interactive exhibits. The exhibits cover the colonial times, Jefferson’s presidency, new frontiers, manifest destiny, and building the arch. You can easily spend an hour or two exploring the exhibits.
Within the museum is also the Tucker Theater which shows a film on the building of the arch. This is a paid extra and is shown pretty much every hour. The film lasts 35 minutes. It costs $7 or $4 with the America the Beautiful pass to view the movie.
Lunch at Sugarfire Smokehouse
Cost: $$
Hours: 11am-Sold Out
Sugarfire Smokehouse is one of the best places to go for St. Louis Style BBQ. Getting BBQ is a must when spending one day at Gateway National Park. Sugarfire serves pulled pork, brisket, ribs, sausages, and more. If you are with at least one other person, I recommend getting the 3 meat combo or the meat sampler platter so you can sample a variety of things. Sugarfire also has some old fashioned fountain sodas, so it is worth it to grab a drink as well. You cannot go wrong with St. Louis Style BBQ.
The Old Courthouse
Cost: Free
After filling your belly with BBQ, head to the Old Courthouse. The Old Courthouse holds a ton of history. Originally built in 1816, it was officially finished in 1828 and was expanded in 1839.
In the early 1800s, slaves were auctioned on the steps of this courthouse. This was common practice for many courthouse in the South. The last slave auction took place there in 1861.
The Old Courthouse is most known for being where the Dred Scott Decision was made. This decision took place in 1857 and confirmed that African Americans were not US Citizens and therefore the same rights of US citizens did not apply to them. Virginia Minor’s case for women’s rights was also heard here in the 1870s when she tried to vote in an election. The Old Courthouse became part of the Jefferson Expansion Memorial in 1940.
Present-day, within the courthouse, several exhibits are set up in the various rooms explaining the history of the building. You can also go into the courtroom where the decision was made. Plan to spend at least an hour exploring the building during your one day at Gateway Arch National Park.
Walk along the Waterfront
End your one day at Gateway Arch National Park by walking around the waterfront. The waterfront offers some views of Illinois and the Mississippi River. Sometimes, special events are put on along the waterfront such as a floating concert.
Other Activities for One Day at Gateway National Park
If you have more time you can also opt to partake in these activities during one day at Gateway Arch National Park.
Riverboat Cruise
Cost: $21 and up
From Gateway National Park, you can also take a riverboat cruise along the Missouri River. You can opt to take a daytime cruise, a dinner cruise, a brunch cruise, or there are sometimes other specially themed cruises offered. Cruises start at $21 for adults. Note that cruises are only offered from March to November.
Helicopter Tour
Cost: $43 and up
A unique experience during one day at Gateway National Park is to take a Helicopter Tour of the park. Gateway Helicopter Tours offers four different excursions around the area. The shortest gives you 2-3 minutes in the air while the longest flight lasts about 20 minutes. The tours run from April to November, daily from 11am to 5pm. You can make reservations, but walk-ins are also accepted.
One Day at Gateway Arch National Park makes for a fun and memorable day. It is such a unique National Park. Combine a trip to St. Louis with Springfield and Chicago or head west to Kansas City. The United States also has many more National Parks to explore.
6 thoughts on “One Day at Gateway Arch National Park: A Fun and Unique National Park”
Another national park I’ve yet to explore. I haven’t been to this area in the USA so far. The park looks great.
Missouri and St. Louis is really cool.
One of my favorite St Louis attractions. I just wanted to note that you could ride to the top long before 1999. I have many fond memories of riding to the top as a kid. I believe the first tram opened in 1967.
I visited the Gateway Arch when I visited a friend who was living in St. Louis back in 2016. It is a really cool structure and it is awesome that it became a National Park!
Right!? The first time I visited it wasn’t a national park yet so it was cool to see it again.
I went to the arch probably like 12 years ago. I heard the updated the museum since then and have heard it’s amazing! I would love to take the kids sometimes for a little fun history!