Museums · St. Louis · United States
5 best museums in St. Louis
The collections worth your time, how long each takes and how to fit them together.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Quick answer
Start with Saint Louis Art Museum, Missouri History Museum and Saint Louis Science Center. Together the 5 picks below take roughly 8–11 hours across 3 areas; 4 are free.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 5
- Free entry
- 4
- Time to see them all
- 8–11 hours
- Areas
- Forest Park, Grand Center and Downtown
Museums in St. Louis
Museum · Forest Park
1.Saint Louis Art Museum
Housed in Cass Gilbert's Palace of Fine Arts built for the 1904 World's Fair, the free museum's collection ranges from Egyptian mummies and Chinese bronzes to Monet's Water Lilies and the world's largest public collection of paintings by Max Beckmann.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Museum · Forest Park
2.Missouri History Museum
In the Jefferson Memorial Building in Forest Park, the free history museum covers St.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Rainy day
- Kids
Museum · Forest Park
3.Saint Louis Science Center
The free science centre has hands-on galleries on dinosaurs, space and engineering, the McDonnell Planetarium and a glass bridge over the interstate where children can clock passing cars with radar guns.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Rainy day
Gallery · Grand Center
4.Pulitzer Arts Foundation
Tadao Ando's minimalist concrete building, with a shallow reflecting pool and natural light, hosts changing exhibitions alongside permanent works by Richard Serra and Ellsworth Kelly.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Museum · Downtown
5.National Blues Museum
On Washington Avenue downtown, this museum traces the blues from its roots in the Deep South to its influence on rock and soul, with interactive exhibits that let you mix your own track.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Forest Park | Saint Louis Art Museum, Missouri History Museum and Saint Louis Science Center | 2–3 hours + 1.5–2 hours + 2–3 hours |
| Grand Center | Pulitzer Arts Foundation | 1 hour |
| Downtown | National Blues Museum | 1.5 hours |
Booking and timing
Of these 5, 4 free, 1 low cost. None needs booking far in advance. The longest visit is Saint Louis Art Museum; group the rest by area to save travel time.
How to fit them into 3 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (Forest Park): Saint Louis Art Museum → Missouri History Museum, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 2 (Forest Park and Grand Center): Saint Louis Science Center → Pulitzer Arts Foundation, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 3 (Downtown): National Blues Museum, at least 2 hours.
The quietest months for queues
- January: highs of 4°C (39°F), about 9 rainy days, very quiet crowds. Cold with occasional snow or ice; a good time for the free indoor museums.
- February: highs of 7°C (45°F), about 9 rainy days, quiet crowds. Still wintry, but Soulard's Mardi Gras brings big crowds and parades.
- November: highs of 13°C (55°F), about 9 rainy days, quiet crowds. Cool and quieter, with holiday lights starting late in the month.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Downtown — The Arch, Busch Stadium and the Washington Avenue loft district
More of St. Louis
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in St. Louis?
Saint Louis Art Museum. Housed in Cass Gilbert's Palace of Fine Arts built for the 1904 World's Fair, the free museum's collection ranges from Egyptian mummies and Chinese bronzes to Monet's Water Lilies and the world's largest public collection of paintings by Max Beckmann.
+Which of these are free in St. Louis?
Saint Louis Art Museum, Missouri History Museum, Saint Louis Science Center and Pulitzer Arts Foundation.