But recently our good friends Mr. Skudds and his lovely fiance, Suz, moved from Chicago to St. Louis, so of course this was a perfect excuse for a road trip!
We took our trip during the week of Labor Day (Detroit to St. Louis to Nashville to Gatlinburg, but more on those later) and stayed in St. Louis for three nights. It was not nearly long enough!! Seriously, this is my new favorite city! I was skeptical, being the beer snob that I am, because Anheuser-Busch practically owns the city... But turns out I can overlook that, as long as I bring my own beer ;)
Speaking of Anheuser-Busch... Grant's Farm! Our first stop on our St. Louis tour was Grant's Farm, it was the old home of Mr. Busch. And his 281 Acres. They eventually opened it to the public and it is basically a small zoo, or a large petting farm. You could easily spend an afternoon here. We arrived early in the morning to beat the rush, and the heat. You only pay for parking and all other activities are free! Including beer samples! Or "Complimentary Anheuser-Busch Hospitality". Turns out Busch owns quite a few beer companies and they are displayed on tap. Still not good beer, but better than your typical college party.
Upon arriving at the Farm, go straight to the back to meet the Clydesdales. There are a few photo opportunities as well as a small gift shop. But there is another bigger gift shop inside the actual farm area. Once through visiting the horses, make your way back towards the parking gate to enter the farm area.
This is what we were dealing with
Your tour begins at the train. It will take you around the beautiful grounds where you can view the animals on the farm and learn about the history of the company as well as see the Busch families' original home. The train will then drop you off at the zoo area where you will be free to roam around to your heart's content.
Ducks and cows and...
Other activities on the farm include...
Chasing peacocks
Creepy bunny carousel
Bird shows
Goat feeding. Obviously my favorite part. Hamburger was terrified. Be warned, these are some pretty hungry goats. They will literally eat your clothes, and probably small children.
Don't forget to say hi to crazy eyes...
Hamburger is not a fan of snow cones. Crunchy momma is happy.
"Complimentary Anheuser-Busch Hospitality"
The German styled "food court," or um, Bauernhof, is located towards the end of the farm, right before you board back on the train. There are a few different options; salads, sandwiches, pizza, chicken fingers, brats, sauerkraut, pretzels... We opted for the brats... They were quite tasty!
It's posted that you can't bring outside food... That is one of my favorite rules to break. And no one checks. So go ahead and bring snacks :)
And of course, camel rides!
Thus concludes our first afternoon in St. Louis! And with a quick stop at the gift shop, Hamburger is now a proud owner of this t-shirt:
"I Survived Feeding The Goats" Barely
We had a fantastic time at Grant's Farm and would highly recommend this stop, especially if you have children. It's quite reasonably priced and perfect for big groups! Plus it adequately tuckers out the kids. And the big kids as well.
Budweiser also has a brewery in St. Louis which offers, from what I hear, pretty enjoyable tours. We didn't have time to go there on this trip... And yes, had we had enough time I would have went... Despite my snobbery I do love brewery tours. Plus they have Clydesdales! You can find more information here.
For the record, I am not endorsing Bud. Ok, it sounds like I am... But their gimmicks work! Whatever, I still won't buy the beer, but yea I do like the activities.
Anyways, stay tuned for more on our road trip! I promise, no more cheap beer.
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