St. Louis, Missouri, USA

ST. LOUIS : Overview

OVERVIEW

Historically known as the “Gateway to the West” due to its importance in Westward expansion, St. Louis, Missouri has grown into an exciting Midwest city offering a wide range of activities and wheelchair access is relatively good. Top accessible activities include exploring the riverfront by steamboat, enjoying a game at one of the many sporting stadiums, experiencing outdoor fun at Forest Park, or venturing into a wheelchair accessible cavern.  

LANGUAGE

The official language of the United States is English.

CURRENCY

The official currency of the United States is the US dollar.

QUICKLINKS

LOGISTICS: Air – Water – Ground
ACCOMMODATIONS: Hotels – Resorts
ENTERTAINMENT: Tours – Activities – Restaurants & Nightlife
EMERGENCY SERVICES: Hospitals – Medical Equipment
ABILITYTIPS: Precautions

ST. LOUIS : Logistics

AIR TRANSPORTATION/AIRPORT

Lambert – St. Louis International Airport: Before flying into Lambert – St. Louis International Airport, contact your airline if you will be needing assistance or if you will require an aisle chair for transfer into the aircraft. The airport has personal on staff to assist passengers with disabilities between the hours of 6AM – 11PM. They also have loaner wheelchairs, which can be obtained through someone at the drop off area, the ticket counter, or security.

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GROUND TRANSPORTATION

TAXI

Harris Taxi Wheelchair & Lift Service: Phone 314 535-5087

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SHUTTLE

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BUS

Metrolink Bus: The buses are wheelchair accessible and are equipped with ramps and/or lifts. Priority seating is given to people with disabilities, and there is reserved seating for people who use wheelchairs.

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TRAIN (Light Rail)

Metrolink Light Rail: The Metro light rail is wheelchair accessible, including the platforms to board the train. The floor of the train car is even with the platform for easy access. There are elevators or ramps to access the platforms. Priority seating is given to people with disabilities.

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TRAIN (Heavy Rail)

Amtrak: When booking the train be sure to request accessible accommodations. Visit the Amtrak website for more details on how to book the train for accessible accommodations.

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ST. LOUIS : Accommodations

HOTELS

Sheraton St. Louis City Center Hotel and Suites: “Getting into the hotel was very accessible. There are two doors with switches on both sides of the carousel door. The room was accessible, however the bed was a bit high for easy transfer and a lift would not fit underneath the bed. The bathroom did not have a roll in shower, but the bathtub had a shower sprayer that detached. There were grab bars, a roll under sink, and the bathroom was quite spacious for maneuvering a wheelchair around.” Darren 10/22/09

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ST. LOUIS : Entertainment

SIGHTSEEING TOURS

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ACTIVITIES

Anheuser Busch Brewery Tour: The tour is free and gives you a glimpse of the brewing and packaging process that takes place on the campus. All of the grounds were accessible on the free tour. The Clydesdale’s indoor stables, the production/packaging facility, the brew house and vats were all accessible.

In a few indoor areas accessibility was a problem due to stairs, but they had alternate routes to address all tour features. There are large elevators to transport visitors to various floors on the tour.

The bathrooms are wheelchair accessible with one single accessible stall in both bathrooms. The gift store and museum was also accessible. The only part that was not accessible was the shuttle service at the end of the tour to get everyone back to the free beer tasting. It’s a short distance back, but if it’s raining or snowing, it could present an inconvenience. At the end of the tour everyone is offered two free beer samples. This tasting area is also accessible.

City Museum: City Museum claims that, “There’s someting for everyone…”

“This is partially a warning to other travelers, as The City Museum, a significant St. Louis attraction, is in fact a misnomer, as this is more of an immense jungle gym of climable art more than a traditional museum. That being said the spectacle of the place, including a giant cement whale, a mini-indoor cave system, and an outdoor seven story climbing apparatus made out of recycled industrial materials including two full plane bodies. Thus, if you are travelling with children this is a great place for them to go which is still immensely interesting to view even if many of the attractions are not accessible then this is a good place to go.” Peter, 3/17/2010

St. Louis Art Museum (SLAM): The St. Louis Art Museum is located in Forest Park. The museum has three levels accessible by elevator. In one area, where the armory was displayed, wheelchairs needed to use a lift. There is a call button located near the lift to let museum attendants know that assistance is required. In some of the smaller display rooms of the museum, the doors are narrow and a larger sized wheelchair would have difficulty maneuvering around. Bathrooms each had one accessible stall.

Busch Stadium: “Home of the St. Louis Cardinals.  It’s easiest to enter at Gate 3. Once you enter the gate, proceed to the right and there is an elevator on the right to access the levels. Wheelchair seating was available. Our seats were located in section 215 seat 12 and 13 on the third base line. Seating was good, however they sell standing room only behind the wheelchair section and it can get loud with people screaming at the game behind you, which can be distracting. At the game, there’s no free disabled parking, but there are paid parking lots directly across the street. At the stadium, there are no family bathrooms, only bathrooms with a disabled stall.” Darren 10/13/09

Cahokia Mounds: The Cahokia Mounds are 15 minutes from downtown St. Louis. The mounds are not wheelchair accessible, but can be seen from a nearby parking lot, or the side of the road. The Monks Mound can be climbed via stairs. The interpretive center at the mounds is a must visit for everyone. The center is wheelchair accessible and displays the life of the Cahokia people. There is a theater with stairs to watch the short video of the Cahokia people, but wheelchairs can access through the exit door around the corner of the theater. There are wheelchair accessible bathrooms at the museum. The Cahokia interpretive center is free to everyone, but donations are encouraged.

Forest Park: There is plenty to do in this beautiful St. Louis Park. Located in the park are monuments, museums, trails (which are accessible), various areas for sports, the Muny Opera House, and the zoo to name a few. The Grand Basin located across the way from the museum is accessible by ramp to access the lower level near the water.

Meramec Caverns: The caves at the Meramec Caverns are almost completely wheelchair accessible. The “wine table room” is the only cave on the tour that is not accessible. There are 54 stairs, which leads to this room. The cave guide will take an alternate route via ramp to the next section of the cave, the theater room. Even though the Meramec Caves are accessible, there are many steep ramps throughout the caverns. The ramps are slightly grooved for traction, but can be slippery as there is sometimes moisture on the ramps. All ramps are equipped with guard rails. In the cave, some of the areas weren’t wide enough to turn around easily, and some of the angles were steep. The cave is also not well lit in some areas, so it can be difficult to see were you’re going at times. Electric wheelchairs are much easier to maneuver around in the caves as opposed to manual wheelchairs due to the steepness of some ramps. If using a wheelchair in the cave, having someone with you to help out is highly recommended.

River Tours: There are a variety of river tours offered at the Gateway Arch Riverfront to experience the great Mississippi River. The one hour river tour is wheelchair accessible on the first level of the boat. To board the boat, there is a ramp.

St. Louis Arch: The St. Louis Gateway Arch is not accessible by wheelchair due to the many stairs which lead to the top of the arch. However, both theaters located at the bottom of the arch are wheelchair accessible for visitors.

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RESTAURANTS/NIGHTLIFE

The Landing: Located on the St. Louis Mississippi Riverfront, restaurants, nightclubs and bars are a popular tourist destination in this area of St. Louis.

Fountain on Locust: Fountain on Locust is wheelchair accessible. This restaurant is great for any age group and the soup and ice cream was fabulous. Access into the restaurant is good. The restaurant has a combination of seating options – tables, booths, and a bar area with removable stools. Fountain on Locust is located in the historic district of St. Louis. People using wheelchairs should be aware that the streets around the restaurant did not have the proper curb cuts.

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ST. LOUIS : Emergency Services

MEDICAL SERVICES/HOSPITAL

Forest Park Hospital
St. Louis Children’s Hospital
St. Louis University Hospital

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MEDICAL EQUIPMENT RENTALS

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ST. LOUIS : AbilityTips

PRECAUTIONS

In some of the older parts of the city, there were not proper curb cuts which could make it difficult for wheelchairs or other mobility aid devices.