Tram to the Top of the St. Louis Arch

Most large cities have some recognizable building in their skyline.  When you see a photo, that building or structure strikes an instantaneous chord, and you know what it is you are looking at.

In St. Louis (Missouri) that building is the Gateway Arch.  Located in the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, near the location of the start of the Lewis & Clark expedition, the Arch is known as the “Gateway to the West.”  It was designed by Eero Saarinen, an important bit of data for all crossword lovers.  (It’s frequently a puzzle clue.)

At the bottom of the arch is a visitor center, and a Museum of Westward Expansion.  Visitors are required to go through a security checkpoint before accessing the visitor center and the tram to the top of the arch. You can take a look at exhibits showing the history and development of St. Louis, and the surrounding riverfront area.  And, as in most visitor centers, you’ll also find a gift shop.

The Arch has an observation deck at the top, and an elevator-like tram takes visitors to the top.  It’s a quick four minutes to the top, and on a clear day you can see forever.  Well, for about 30 miles, that is.  

Allow and hour or two to tour the visitor center and to go up to the observation deck.  The tram leaves every ten minutes and costs $10 for adults, $7 youth ages 13-15, and $3 for children ages 3-12.  Summer hours are daily 8:20 am – 9:10 pm.  Winter hours are 9:20 am – 5:10 pm.  Advance tickets are recommended, especially during peak tourist times, and are available online.

Don’t worry about how high you are up there.  There are two sets of them, each containing 1,076 steps to get you down to the bottom should there be a tram failure or a need to evacuate.

Photo credits:  wikimedia

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