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St. Louis History Walk: Central West End Tour
4.8
38 Ratings
St. Louis
Explore St. Louis’ Central West End with a local historian, uncovering hidden histories and savoring local flavors in this vibrant neighborhood tour.
Explore St. Louis’ Central West End with a local historian, uncovering hidden histories and savoring local flavors in this vibrant neighborhood tour.
Duration:
3 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
-
McPherson Avenue & North Euclid Avenue - Gather near Writer’s Corner at a beloved brewpub, a Central West End staple since 1980, to try a unique sandwich that impressed Guy Fieri so much he suggested the chef “Tear up the rest of the menu - you don’t need it!”.
As you savor your first bites, your guide will share the early history of St. Louis,…
- McPherson Avenue & North Euclid Avenue - Gather near Writer’s Corner at a beloved brewpub, a Central West End staple since 1980, to try a unique sandwich that impressed Guy Fieri so much he suggested the chef “Tear up the rest of the menu - you don’t need it!”.
As you savor your first bites, your guide will share the early history of St. Louis, highlighting the Central West End’s rise as a hub of wealth in America’s fourth largest city during the Gilded Age, culminating in the 1904 World’s Fair in nearby Forest Park, celebrating global achievements.
- Holy Corners District - Just a stone’s throw from the Delmar Divide, discover stunning architecture from the World’s Fair era, located outside Forest Park. Uncover hidden history and view artifacts from the “Valley of the Giants,” listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the contrasts of life in St. Louis, including the long-term impact on the 32 neighborhoods known as the “Northside,” north of Delmar Boulevard, which have experienced generations of disinvestment and neglect.
- The Royal Sonesta Chase Park Plaza St. Louis - Stroll past mansions where future presidents stayed, brewing heirs reveled in their wealth, and where the “Spirit of St. Louis” was conceived. After sampling local snacks, delve into the star-studded history of the iconic Chase Park Plaza hotel and enjoy one of St. Louis’ delightful culinary accidents.
- Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis - St. Louis’ European story began with French Catholic settlers, later joined by thousands of Irish Catholics in the 19th century. The Catholic community’s influence is woven into St. Louis’ history, culminating in the creation of one of North America’s great churches.
- Central West End - Visit the premier venue for American chess, discover where the “cocktail party” originated, and savor some of the city’s most renowned dishes, including a cheese unique to St. Louis.
Conclude the tour with a final taste honoring our sister city, where St. Louis’ founders once lived, while learning about the city’s early days at a well-known bistro and music venue celebrated for its food and jazz.
- Mahler Ballroom - Return to St. Louis’ roots with a culinary tribute to our French sister city downstream. Before that, visit a historical landmark dating back to 1860, which became the launchpad for a world-famous dance troupe.
What's Included
- Cooling towels for hot weather
- Bottled water
- Snacks
- Cooling towels for hot weather
- Bottled water
- Snacks
Additional Information
Join a local historian and storyteller for a relaxed 2-mile stroll through St. Louis’ stunning Central West End, sampling distinctive St. Louis delicacies from its most stylish and long-standing neighborhood. During this tour, participants will learn about the fascinating, challenging, and complex history that shaped the city today, along with an…
Join a local historian and storyteller for a relaxed 2-mile stroll through St. Louis’ stunning Central West End, sampling distinctive St. Louis delicacies from its most stylish and long-standing neighborhood. During this tour, participants will learn about the fascinating, challenging, and complex history that shaped the city today, along with an abundance of Dad jokes at no additional cost.
St. Louis was once the fourth largest city in the United States, flourishing with Gilded Age prosperity when the internationally renowned 1904 World’s Fair took place nearby. Visitors will witness grand hotels and mansions that once entertained royalty, all within sight of the Delmar Divide—a socioeconomic result of past mistakes that have left modern St. Louis reflecting on lost communities and striving to rebuild supportive and cooperative neighborhoods like those that once flourished in the area.
TRIGGER WARNING: The tour includes discussions on historical events related to race and social justice.
- Should be able to walk a level 2-mile course along public sidewalks on a St. Louis afternoon.
Location
Dressel's Pub
North Euclid Avenue
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(38 Ratings)
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978nateg
Jul 6, 2025
Interesting and Tasty - This tour was so worth it. Hot day, but they had cold bottles of water at food stops just when needed , plus cold wet cooling towels to put around our necks. Mike was friendly, funny, super knowledgeable, and a great story teller. You can tell he does this because he loves St Louis and enjoys telling people about it. His wife had the really interesting and tasty local food waiting for us. We would turn a corner and she would just be there like magic. I highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jodi_l
Jul 5, 2025
Highly recommend this... - Highly recommend this tour! Mike is incredibly knowledgeable about STL history and current happenings. Food “nibbles” were super tasty and gave us a bite into local eateries and STL staples. They were great in helping us stay cool on a hot day. Can’t say enough good things! Thanks agin Mike and fam!!
Review provided by Viator
Katrina_c
Jun 23, 2025
History and Walking - Great history focused tour, you will learn so much on this tour. Our guide was so knowledgeable and talked about important realities in the cities history. This is a very walk heavy tour and is basically entirely outside so make sure you wear sunscreen and dress for walking. Though you get some tasty bites this is very much a history focused tour. Great experience even in the St.Louis heat.
Review provided by Viator
R8519luameliaw
Jun 21, 2025
Great history walking tour of STL - This was a great morning tour! John is very knowledgeable and it was a packed 3 hours of nuanced history of St. Louis and the neighborhood. They also thought of little things like hydration and cooling solutions for the hot water.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dorettaw190
Jun 15, 2025
An amazing experience. - My husband and I were the only ones on this tour. We were grateful that our tour guide was willing to take just us when many other tours would have cancelled. The guide was very knowledgeable on the history of the area and we enjoyed the St. Louis pizza and gooey butter cake that was unique to this area.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Teandra_y
Jun 12, 2025
Educational and delicious! - This was a fantastic experience that I’d recommend to both visitors and locals alike. Our guide was knowledgeable, engaging, and brought the city’s complex history to life in a way that felt both honest and refreshing. Even my fiancé, a lifelong St. Louis resident, learned new things about the city's past, both the proud and painful parts, which made the tour feel that much more meaningful.
The food stops were enjoyable, and now we have some great stops for the next time we’re in town. My only critique is that most of the consecutive bites leaned on the salty and savory side; a better balance with some sweeter or more varied flavor profiles would have been nice.
Review provided by Viator
864leahs
Jun 10, 2025
Great Introduction to the Central West End - If you're looking for a unique way to experience St. Louis, this Central West End Food + History Walking Tour is for you. Our guide, Mike, was fantastic. He loved sharing the history of his neighborhood and his passion was contagious.
CWE Tours did a wonderful job choosing tour topics, stops, and selecting the food. We got to enjoy a range of local eats, giving us a real taste of St. Louis through neighborhood favorites.
CWE Tours paid attention to so many little details that made their tour stand out. Making it one of the better organized tours we’ve been on!
Overall, this specific tour was a great mix of culture, history, flavor, and fun. But I am sure all of the tours lead by this group meet the stand standard.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
535sgl
May 29, 2025
Excellent walking and food tour. - Mike did a great job sharing his passion and history for St Louis. Highly recommend this tour when in town! Good food and good company.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rhonda_n
Jun 2, 2025
Definitely Not What I was Expecting - This was not so much a food tour as a deep exploration of racial divide of the past and trying to bring that into the present. Within 30 seconds of meeting the guide, I could see that he is a far left wing Democrat. While some of the history was interesting and sad, I felt bad for the other couple who were in town to look at houses to hear pretty much nothing, but bad things about St Louis. The stories were way, way too long and there was no room for talking among the guests. The stories were disjointed, but felt like mainly a ploy to promote a political agenda. It was especially frustrating to see a picture shown of two citizens who live on a private street whose gate was busted open by protesters. This picture was definitely to assert the ongoing problem of racism in the city, but definitely think that assertion could be inaccurate since a mob of people busting down a gate on a private street could be seen as intimidating. Anyway, most food tours I have been on involve going into restaurants, trying some of their best food, and even meeting the chef. I would not call a foodie experience eating very small portions of food on a curb, a small park with pot smokers, outside a grocery store, and finally in a restaurant where we are told a sandwich there that is highly recommended by Guy Fieri, but what we are served is potato chips with some sort of dip. The second half of the tour was more interesting once we got to the Chase Park Plaza learning about tunnels that connect places and some interesting stories about the architecture. Some of the funny parts of the tour was receiving a thimble for the 4 guests to share one bottle of water. The food was very underwhelming. Imo's not special at all, a tiny, tiny bit of chicken salad 1/4 cup at most with bbq chips just okay. The guide is trying very hard, but I would never go on this tour again. I think he should change the description to what it really is and not what it is not. Also, the time should be cut back by at least an hour as it was way too long. I was hoping for an architectural and foodie tour and that is just not what the focus was.
Review provided by Viator
Rnosko
Jun 2, 2025
Not what I expected at all - This was a politically charged editorial of the dark side of St Louis's past and the guide's view of the current status. The stories were very, very long and disjointed. If I had not already been living in the St Louis area and not known the good of the area, I would run for the hills after this. When I go on a food tour, I expect to sit at some restaurants, sample some of their best foods, and often meet the chefs. In between the restaurant stops, some short stories about the history of the neighborhood is good. The problem with this tour is none of those expectations are met. The guide does not stop talking and we spend an inordinate amount of time just listening. (Very few people would have the attention span needed to listen to it all). It was especially disappointing when he pulled out a picture of some citizens whose neighborhood's private gate was busted through by protesters to access the private street it was protecting. There is no time built in where we can relax and just speak to each other. The food was miniscule and mostly not memorable or really good. We only actually stopped in one restaurant where we were told Guy Fieri highly recommends a particular sandwich that we are not offered. Instead we are offered some potato chips and a dip. The best food we had the whole time was a breakfast sandwich from I do not know where since we each received a 4th of the sandwich delivered to us by his wife on a golf cart while sitting on a landscaping wall. Our other stops were outside of Straub's grocery store for a tiny amount of chicken salad, 2 crackers, a bag of bbq chips, and a thimble so we all could share one bottle of water. The other place was a very tiny park with a table where people were smoking pot and I was encouraged to leave my bite size sample of gooey butter cake since he noticed I was taking it with me. The other food there was Imo's which is definitely not for foodies. All in all, the guide was a nice guy, but the tour description should be changed. While the guide gave a lot of his time because his stories are so long, there must have been very little of the money we spent used to purchase food. The only part I really enjoyed was meeting the other people and hearing about the tunnels that connect some buildings into Forest Park and seeing the remnants of an impressive building from the World's Fair. I would recommend leaving political commentary out, shortening the stories and making the stories more cohesive and succinct, focusing more on architecture and the foodie experience, and shortening it by at least an hour. Also, allow the guests to have time to speak with each other in between stops.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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