Hi St. Louis

I’m visiting for the first time and am looking for recommendations on the best areas to stay and also restaurants with good vegetarian options!

Can’t wait to visit.

Places to stay:
Downtown
Chesterfield
Central West End
Airport

Places to definitely stay away from:
Maryland Heights\
Creve Coeur

Places to eat are numerous depending on where you are staying
The Hill area for Italian food - It's the old Italian neighborhood back when there were ethnic neighborhoods.
Downtown, Charlie Giotto's is a good choice
BBQ:
Pappy's
Bogarts
Sugar Fire
Adam's Smokehouse
Salt + Smoke



List of a lot of good restaurants
https://www.gayot.com/restaurants/be...food_30sl.html

Things to do:
St. Louis Zoo (world class and it's free)
Art Museum (Free as well)
Science museum(also free) These three are all in Forest Park. If you come in the summer there is also the Muny Opera which is the largest outdoor theater in the US. Mostly musicals. There is also the St. Louis Wheel and the St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station downtown.
If you like to Gamble, there is Horseshoe downtown and Casino Queen right across the river. Hollywood in Maryland Heights and Ameristar about 2 miles from there in St. Charles.

Missouri Boatanical Gardens (also known as Shaw's Garden)
City Museum for the kid in you
About 2 hours southwest of St. Louis are some really great float streams if you are into canoeing or tubing.

The arch and the museum at the base of the arch
Of course we have the Cardinals and the Blues
The Old and New Cathedrals
And some other ideas:
https://www.busytourist.com/things-t...ouis-missouri/

Thanks so much for that very informative response!
Happy Thanksgiving.

Chesterfield vs Clayton?

Thoughts from locals?

Clayton more centrally located (center of Metro Area)
Neither Chesterfield or Clayton have as many hotel choices as Downtown
but both areas are safer. And both are popular with visitors.
Distance between the 2 is only 15 miles