Nightlife Along "The Landing" in St. Louis

In 1763, a French fur trapper named Pierre LaClede, along with Auguste Chouteau, set out from New Orleans to explore the Illinois country to establish a trading post. In 1764, he chose the west bank of the Mississippi River, north of the River des Peres and south of the Missouri River. In 1784, the site was cleared and temporary cabins were built. LaClede named the settlement "St. Louis" in honor of the patron saint of the king of France. Now, "The Landing," a nine-block industrial area that once housed companies producing coffee, leather goods, mattresses, tobacco, whiskey, candy, and machinery for the barges, features some of the most unique restaurants and sidewalk cafés in St. Louis. Visitors to LaClede's "Landing" can experience the charm of cobblestone streets and century-old brick and cast iron facade buildings as they browse through specialty gift shops. My wife and I try to visit the area once or twice each month when we want to get out and enjoy ourselves.

The buildings in this district are mostly old warehouses, built between 1844 and 1921. Most are placed among the National Register of Historic Places. A visitor can roam among the buildings and view the architecture during the day. However, the evenings are highlighted by horse-drawn carriage rides, great restaurants, frequent events (July 4th, Big Muddy Blues Festival, etc.), and a general atmosphere of fun.

Even visiting this area as much as we do, my wife and I never tire of the atmosphere of this area along the riverfront. And neither will you!

Quick Tips:

I believe that you should visit the restaurants, such as Morgan Street Brewery, The Trainwreck at the Landing, The Old Spaghetti Factory, Bannana Joes, Fat Tuesday, St. Louis Fish Market, Planet Hollywood, and others. However, you may enjoy specials such as the dueling piano bar at The Big Bang.

Some of the most special times are the events along the cobbled streets, such as the Mardi Gras, St. Patrick's Day, Rocking Fourth of July, Jazz on the Landing, or the Big Muddy Blues Festivals. People from around the world come to these events and participate in the liveliness of this special area.

Best Way To Get Around:

The cobblestone roads of The Landing are difficult to manouver in a car, although many people do drive along some the roads. Most will walk through this district or take a cab. Still others will take advantage of the horse-drawn carriage rides through this historic area. Either way, the visit to St. Louis is never complete without a trip to LaClede's Landing.

Nestled on cobblestone streets polished by more than 200 years of commerce along the Mississippi River, Morgan Street Brewery radiates the charm that only history can impart. Morgan Street Brewery’s rich architecture and warm interiors are highlighted by burnished wood and exposed brick and feature cozy nooks and corners. The main brewery building and adjacent lodge, both more than 130 years old, are separated by a brick patio that is as perfect for café-style dining as the popular outdoor dining patio along Second Street--thus the thrill whenever my wife and I go to eat at this establishment. We ate at the restaurant recently and went home satisfied (as always) with our selection for an evening out.

The menu at Morgan Street Brewery includes a grilled portabello salad, a delicious apricot chicken salad, pizzas, an applewood smoked bacon-wrapped buffalo meatloaf, great burgers, pasta (the liguini primavera is awesome), and many other specialties. Then, there are as many as fourteen (14) different brews of delicious beer that is brewed on location. And dessert tops off the evening. Anna and I have never been to this restaurant and left wanting anything. In fact, it is often difficult to decide what we will get due to the large selection of everything that is available.

Weekend evenings at Morgan Street Brewery have an added flavor as jazz bands perform live inside the restaurant. One can sit back and imagine the same atmosphere in 1870 in this same location. We highly recommend visitors to eat at this wonderful restaurant.

My wife and I recently went to eat at a local restaurant Called Trainwreck on the Landing. The building was originally a mid-nineteenth century five-story warehouse occupied by the Buck Stove Company. It was remodeled to provide the customer with entertainment options and atmospheres. Access to the top of the building is via a grand oak staircase. In the restaurant on the top floor customers can gaze at a sportsman's paradise of antique hunting, fishing, and animal mounts. The menu includes steak, BBQ ribs, bison, and ostrich hamburger platters. We found out that the BBQ ribs were rated by the local papers as the best in town. I join the accolades for these ribs, as I ate my share the evening that we went to the Trainwreck. What a marvelous flavor!

The main street level of the Trainwreck features a Sports Bar displaying Cardinal, Ram, and Blues memorabilia that would make any sports enthusiast jealous. It has ten TVs, which give every customer the chance to watch their favorite local or out-of-town team. The visitor can sit and enjoy one of sixteen beers on tap and numerous other selections from the bar. Local rock and roll and blues bands are featured Friday and Saturday nights in the bar.

Downstairs is the Steamroom, an exciting new nightclub. This club features an innovative concept of high tech DJ mix with a dramatic light show slicing through the haze. TVs give the customer a visual tour of music videos and high-tech computer graphics. Comfortable booths line the balcony for the visitor to sit in and observe the action on the floor.

Anna and I spent about three hours enjoying ourselves at this location before moving on. I cannot wait until the next opportunity to eat here as I want to try out the bison and/or the ostrich.

On St. Patrick's Day, my wife and I wanted to go out for a nice meal, celebrate the holiday, and have a good time. We decided to eat at Hannegan's because of its Irish name and the St. Patrick's Day specials that were offered. Upon entering the restaurant we learned a lot about the history of the place and some information of which I was not aware. Hannegan's is named for one of Missouri's leading New Deal politicians, St. Louis' "big boss" Robert E. Hannegan. Each table or booth displays a plaque inscribed with the name of a senator who voted to repeal Prohibition. Modeled after the U.S. Senate Dining Room, the room features a magnificent bar and some of the best local jazz around.

The menu offered an appealing variety of food, from Madeline shrimp pasta, roasted prime rib and Kansas City strip to a St. Louis favorite, toasted ravioli. The house specialty--a 20-ounce, double-rib pork chop stuffed with rosemary apple dressing and topped with poivrade sauce--seemed to be a superb value. One could top their meal off with Hannegan's hot deep-dish blackberry pie, accompanied by a satisfying cup of Irish coffee. However, my wife chose the wonderful Irish Stew. I had corned beef with cabbage. The food was delicious and presented in an excellent manner. When we had dessert, we enjoyed a good coffee specialty (I had Bailey's and coffee, my wife had a drink called on Oatmeal Cookie). These only added to our delicious meal.

The restaurant is open from 11:00am-10:00pm (11:00pm on weekends). Reservations can be made, but are not required. You can eat inside, or outside on the sidewalk to enjoy the activity and music which surrounds the visitor in this section of town.

One of my favorite places on "The Landing" is The Big Bang. My wife and I try to go thee once or twice each month. In fact, we have some nice acquaintances among the performers. This is an establishment that seeks to "rock the house." There is entertainment seven nights per week. Most weeknights the band plays at about 8:30pm-3:00am. However, on weekends opening times are 5pm with the piano players starting at 6:30pm.

On St. Patrick's Day my wife and I returned to this spot again to have an enjoyable evening. We we not disappointed. Two of our favorite performers were among the group that was playing on the dueling piano stage. The general format of the evening is for two performers to alternate playing requests. They trade off with two more performers each hour. There is a high degree of audience participation during the evening. In fact, when customers fail to participate, they are frequently singled out and the entire audience berates the person. Each hour, the wait staff performs one of several dance numbers along with the audience and everyone has a wonderful time.

On Monday, the crowd included those who had stopped in the area for a meal, people from Minnesota (in town for the NIT basketball game), a busload of St. Partrick's Day revellers, and many others. My wife and I stayed for about four hours, leaving only because we both had work the following morning. Reservations are not necessary, but you may have a large crowd waiting for a table. Be sure that you come to enjoy the Big Bang when you are in St. Louis.

For three days and evenings, August 31 - September 2, 2002, LaClede's Landing served as the host site for the Big Muddy Blues Festival. Five stages were set up in the area to provide venues for more than 40 blues bands. Visitors could view the music free of charge during the three day festival.

My wife and I visited the Landing twice during this time. In addition to seeing world class music performances, most of the restaurants in this section of town had outdoor food and beverage facilities set up. Then, the normal fare could be found inside the restaurants. This provided a way for the more than 250,000 people who attended this event over the Labor Day weekend to further enjoy their time on the Landing.

Anna and I walked from stage to stage, enjoyed the music, ate some great pork steak sandwiches and alligator tail, had a few beers, then went to the Big Bang to enjoy even more music. From our observations, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

This event is held every year on the Landing during the Labor Day weekend. There is free admission. Lawnchairs and cameras are permitted, however, coolers and beverages may not be brought in. The visitor should bring money to buy their food and drinks and plenty of souvenirs. I can't wait to return.