Hubby and I decided to head to St Louis for the Great Forest Park Balloon Race. It was a blast to see a different part of the country that we had not seen before. Check out my Hot Air Balloon Pilot feature under ‘Cockpit Life’ for some more cool photos!
Successfully finding unbelievably delicious gluten-free restaurants was the highlight of the trip for me! The Shack Breakfast & Lunch was fabulous. LOVED The King Lives Pancake, the Banana Split Yogurt dish, AND the Kitchen Sink Skillet. Holy Cow, they were all so good. I can’t wait to go back in the Spring to have it all again!!!!
The weather was lovely so it was fun to drive around, get outside and take in the sights. We have always seen pictures of St Louis Arch, so it was fun to see it up close and personal.
If you look very closely you will notice some tiny windows at the top of the Gateway Arch. You can travel to the top of this 630-foot tall monument by riding a 4-minute ride up one side in an enclosed tram to the Observation Deck. While there you can see up to 30 miles in every direction on a clear day. You will notice the Busch Stadium, Ballpark Village, the Mississippi River, and Illinois. The ride down on the tram takes just 3 minutes. Did you know the Gateway Arch is the tallest man-made monument in the United States?
This beautiful metal Animals Always sculpture at the St Louis Zoo is the largest sculpture at any public zoo in the United States. This sculpture features over 60 animals peeking out from behind sculpted trees, ferns, and other plants. It is a beautiful steel menagerie with such incredible detail.
Look how perfectly striped these zebras are! Just beautiful!
These are just a taste of what there is to see at the St Louis Zoo. By the way, the St Louis Zoo is free! Can you believe that? A FREE zoo!
Baseball anyone? Saint Louis Cardinals Stadium ~ Take me out to the ball game, Take me out with the crowd, Buy me some peanuts and crackerjacks, I don’t care if I never get back, Let me root, root, root, For the home team, If they don’t win it’s a shame, For it’s One, Two, Three strikes you’re out, At the old ball game!!!
The Great Forest Park where the hot air balloon race was held was just lovely (The Great Forest Park Balloon Race). So many people filled the park on Friday afternoon for the Glow Night and again on Saturday when the balloons launched. Such a fun way to spend the day with family and meet new friends.
This beauty of a balloon is owned and flown by Hot Air Balloon Pilot Tom Caton, who by the way, won this race this year!! WooHoo! Prior to the race, I was able to interview him for my ‘Cockpit Life’ category. Check out my interview with Tom by scrolling up to the top of this page and clicking on ‘Cockpit Life’ and then look for his balloon to click on. Super cool!
We went to dinner at the Corner Pub and Grill and I ordered for the first time a Bison Burger. Well, it was so yummy! I would definitely order it again along with the gluten-free fried pickle chips. I haven’t had fried pickle chips in ohhhhh about 15 years, but who’s counting!!? Such a treat!
It’s probably a good thing that Atlanta doesn’t have The Corner Pub and Grill or The Shack Breakfast & Lunch because I would want to eat there all the time!
Before Hubby and I dropped off our rental car the night before we headed back home, we noticed a BBQ restaurant near the airport. We weren’t sure what we were going to eat for dinner that night. Well, look no further……..Bandana’s Bar B Q Restaurant was an Unexpected Discovery for sure!!! I walked in hoping for the best in regards to anything on the menu gluten-free! I hit the jackpot! Check out this picture because, well you know, a picture is worth a thousand words!!!
Everything was so delicious! AND this entire plate is gluten-free! Brunswick Stew, pulled chicken, pulled pork, sweet BBQ sauce, potato salad, coleslaw, AND sweet tea! More food than I could have eaten. And I didn’t have the ability to take a to-go box home. Having to fly out the next morning, is always a bit scary when trying something new, you know, not knowing how careful people are when they prepare gluten-free food. Bandana has it down! I did not get sick in the slightest and am looking forward to eating there again in the Spring. Did I mention I am heading back in the Spring!!? A fun feature will be coming up then. Be sure to keep an eye out for that.
Eating my way through St Louis,
