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Visiting the Gateway Arch National Park
St. Louis, Missouri
I will never forget visiting the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri as a little girl. It had an impact on me as a child. I remembered the small tram cars going up at an angle and swinging back and forth like a carnival ride. I remembered looking out the windows at the top and seeing the tiny people below, and the picnic tables, and the cars, and how small they all looked from so high up as a child.
The Gateway Arch was built as a monument to signify the western expansion of the United States. Travelers saw it as the gateway to the west.
I always wanted to take our kids there, but never did. Rich and I have seen the Gateway Arch now several times in our travels, but we did stop one time and go up in it. That was in 2016.
What a great adventure it was to see it now as an adult. The St. Louis Arch is the tallest monument in the United States standing at 630 feet high, and is the tallest arch in the world. There is a museum inside, a cafe, and a gift shop. If you ever get the chance please take the time to go inside. It is quite an experience.
If you are clostrophobic you might need to consider how small the tram cars are. Construction on the Arch monument began in 1963 and was completed in 1965, and since then, millions of visitors have ridden the tram to the top. Each trip takes about 45 to 60 minutes for both ways. One way trip to the top is about 20 to 30 minutes. There are steps to maneuver and no restrooms available at the top. You can stay at the top and look out the windows for as long as you want. When you are finished you go to the other side and stand in line to get on a tram going down.
But the view is so worth it.
The view out the other side of the tower looks down on the Old Courthouse. This courthouse is also part of the national park. We have never been inside the Courthouse. It was closed to visitors the day we were there. I don’t remember why.
To the far left you can see the St. Louis Cardinals Busch Stadium.
