The Gateway to the West is also a terrific getaway – no more so than on Memorial Day Weekend. If St. Louis is on your itinerary, there are legions of things to do May 27 through May 30. Food, Shakespeare, dance and art – they’re all here.
We’ve got a rundown for you of what to do and where to go:
Brush up your Shakespeare: May 25 through June 19 enjoy a bit of the Bard under the stars as Shakespeare Festival St. Louis presents The Taming of the Shrew. The show is at Forest Park, just northeast of the St. Louis Art Museum. It starts at 8 p.m. everyday save Tuesday. Pack a picnic and bring along a blanket. Come early – 6:30 p.m. or so – and see the traditional Green Show. Jugglers, dancers and musicians put you in the perfect mood to see Shrew. The site is wheelchair accessible.
Rip into a mess of ribs: The best BBQ chefs in the country congregate at Soldier’s Memorial Plaza in downtown St. Louis May 27 through May 30 for the 12th Annual Rib America Festival. Come on down at 11 a.m. and beat the crowds. Admission is free before 5 p.m. on Friday, and before 1 p.m. Saturday through Monday. Otherwise, it’s $5. Kids get in gratis. Come hungry and pack plenty of moist towelettes.
Take in a dog and pony show (figuratively anyway): Kids love the zoo. They really love it when the animals actually do something. The Emerson Children’s Zoo is putting on a slew of animal shows beginning May 28. Located in the world-famous Saint Louis Zoo, show times are arrayed throughout the day. Admission is $4, but free if you get there within the first hour of the zoo’s opening. This time of year that’s 8 a.m.
Explore African art: Forest Park is the place, specifically the World’s Fair Pavilion. May 28 through May 30 the pavilion hosts the St. Louis African Arts Festival. It’s an aggregation of African and African-American artifacts, jewelry and textiles. There are plenty of things for the kids to do, lots of hands-on activities. Admission to the festival is free.
Dance, dance, dance: Ballet to hip-hop to tap, and none of it tepid. If you love dance, you’ll love Spring to Dance Festival 2011. It runs May 26 through May 28 at the University of Missouri-St. Louis Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center. Lobby performances start at 5:30 p.m., and in the Anheuser-Bush Performance Hall at 7:30 p.m. Among the troops appearing are the Hubbard Street 2 from Chicago, the Owen/Cox Dance Group of Kansas City, Dancing Wheels from Cleveland, and the Eisenhower Dance Ensemble from Detroit. Admission is a comparative pittance: $10 per night.
Save money for fun and food by staying at the Holiday Inn Express. Location is on the doorstep to downtown, at 2625 Lafayette Ave., on Lafayette Square. Rooms are as low as $126.99 and breakfast is on the house.
Story by Jerry Chandler
(Image: David Herholz)
