Saint Louis Blog

Join thousands of chili and music lovers for this annual fall festival featuring live music, outstanding chili and salsa sampling, icy cold beverages, festival foods and entertainment for the kids.

Professional and amateur chefs will compete side-by-side for cash prizes in the following categories: Red Chili, Green Chili (chili verde), and Salsa, as well as People’s Choice White Chili and Vegetarian Chili.  Prizes will also be awarded for showmanship and fundraising. 

Proceeds from the Cook-Off support National Kidney Foundation of Eastern Missouri and Metro East programs, including: free kidney health screenings, patient assistance, public, patient and professional education and medical research funding.

Admission to the Chili Cook-Off is $5.00 per person.  Samples are just 50 cents. Kids under 12 are admitted free.  For information, call (314) 961-2828, or visit http://www.nkfchilicookoff.org. 

This weekend is Taste of  St. louis. St. Louis’s top restaurants will serve "tastes" from their menus, plus national act concerts, Macy’s restaurant row, The Marketplace, ArtDimensions Village, The Grant’s Farm Kid Zone, The St. Louis Bread Company Culinary Competition and much more

The award-winning Taste of St. Louis is a celebration of the best food, art music and culture our great city has to offer. There is something for everyone at the event, as our array of activities and participants continues to grow. Our turnout of nearly 200,000 patrons in 2007 proves it!  Come downtown and taste some the best restaurant is St. Louis.

Date: 9/26/2008 - 9/28/2008
Location: Downtown St. Louis at 14th and Market (Soldier’s Memorial)
Time: 4:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. (26); 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m. (27); 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. (28)
Cost: Free admission; tastes for a small charge
For more information call: (314) 306-1162
Website: www.tastestl.com

Wednesday - Saturday : 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Sunday :  noon - 4 p.m.

This house was Eugene’s boyhood home, and during their residence here his father Roswell M. Field served as the Attorney who took Dred Scott’s freedom suit into the Federal Courts, leading to the infamous Supreme Court decision in Scott v. Sandford.   Next time you are in downtown stop by the Eugene Field House.

Did you know that St. Louis has a Dog Museum.  Not to far from Creve Coeur.

The American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog, located at 1721 S. Mason Rd., in beautiful Queeny Park, West St. Louis County, Missouri, is home to the world’s finest collection of art devoted to the dog. The 14,000 sq. ft. facility, which includes historic Jarville House (1853), displays over 700 original paintings, drawings, watercolors, prints, sculptures, bronzes, and porcelain figurines, and a variety of decorative arts objects depicting man’s best friend throughout the ages. portraits of various terrier breeds.  The museum is open year-round and available to visitors Tuesday - Saturday from 10 AM - 4 PM, and Sundays 1 PM - 5 PM (closed Mondays and holidays). Queeny Park, home of the Museum, is accessible from highway/interstate 40/64 at the Mason Rd. exit or from I-270 by taking the Manchester exit to Mason Rd.

On Saturday September 20th Shaw Nature Reserve celebrates "Prairie Day" where families can come and really get a feel of what life was like home on the prairie in the 1800’s.

There is lots of history and reenactments that take place on "Prairie Day" that will make you feel like you went back in time.

You can see what the inside of a Teepee looks like or throw a tomahawk. Leave civilization behind and pay them a visit!

(636)451-3512 or visit their website at:

www.shawnature.org

Fall is in the air.  It a perfect time to take a ride down the Mississippi River on a 19th century replica steamboat. Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher combine the charm of the 1800s with modern conveniences of today. There’s a cruise for every occasion. Choose from a variety of different cruises. Dinner Cruises: Enjoy spectacular food and live music while you sail down the Mississippi. Sightseeing Cruises: Relax as you see the sights of the St. Louis skyline from a 19th century replica steamboat, enjoy one of our delicious Sunday Brunches, or visit another town along the Mississippi River. Entertainment Cruises: Experience the St. Louis skyline while listening to live music, watching fireworks, or enjoying the excitement of Oktoberfest  Please note that ticket purchases can by made by purchasing through our online system or by calling our call center toll-free at 877-982-1410.

Fall is in the air.  It a perfect time to take a ride down the Mississippi River on a 19th century replica steamboat. Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher combine the charm of the 1800s with modern conveniences of today. There’s a cruise for every occasion. Choose from a variety of different cruises. Dinner Cruises: Enjoy spectacular food and live music while you sail down the Mississippi. Sightseeing Cruises: Relax as you see the sights of the St. Louis skyline from a 19th century replica steamboat, enjoy one of our delicious Sunday Brunches, or visit another town along the Mississippi River. Entertainment Cruises: Experience the St. Louis skyline while listening to live music, watching fireworks, or enjoying the excitement of Oktoberfest  Please note that ticket purchases can by made by purchasing through our online system or by calling our call center toll-free at 877-982-1410.

Date: 9/19/2008 - 9/20/2008
Location: Glow: Beneath the World’s Fair Pavilion in Forest Park; Race: Central Field in Forest Park (between the Jewel Box and Steinberg Rink)
Time: Glow (19) 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.; Race (20) 12:00 - 6:30 p.m.; Rain date (21)
Cost: Free
For more information call: (314) 993-2901
Website: www.greatforestparkballoonrace.com

Festivities begin with a balloon glow on September 19 beneath the World’s Fair Pavilion in Forest Park. Race day activities include a parachute team exhibition, children’s entertainment area, an all British car show and a photo contest prior to the launch of the hare and hound balloons at 4:30 p.m., September 20. Rain date is September 21.

Where was the last time you want to the Butterfly house. The 16,000-sq.-ft. Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House and Education Center features an indoor tropical butterfly conservatory (with more than 1,000 butterflies), outdoor native butterfly garden, gift shop and education center. $6 adults, $4.50 seniors, $4 children under 12, free for children 3 & under. Open Tu-Su 9 am-4 pm. located in Faust Park, at 15193 Olive Blvd. - Chesterfield, MO 63017 (636) 530-0076

St. Louis is geared up for the 2008 Tour of Missouri. On Sunday, September 14, the champions will cross the finish line in the shadows of the Gateway Arch, but there will be two days of fun and activities for spectators to enjoy.

The Family Fun Festival will take place at Soldier’s Memorial in downtown on Saturday, September 13, from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. There will be plenty of bike-friendly parking and free smoothies powered by Trailnet’s special "Bike Blender." Kids can learn how to safely ride their bikes with a visit to the Kid’s Safety on Bikes Program, and everyone can have experts assist with finding the perfect fit for their helmets at St. John’s Helmet fitting.

For complete Tour of Missouri details, click on www.tourofmissouri.com.