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We have been to St. Louis once before. It's a good break in the drive if we are heading somewhere out west. There are other ways we could break it up, but it's a good excuse to explore the area.
The first time in 2015 the goal was to visit the Gateway Arch and we did. We got tickets and rode to the top. Since then the Gateway Arch became a National Park, so now I need a stamp for my Passport book.
On this trip we planned to go back to the Arch but I also wanted to see the Clydesdales. I love horses. I never owned one and did not grow up around them, but I love to look at them and see them run. My dad did grow up on a farm and he took me on horse rides occasionally when we visited my grandmother. In the new earth I want a horse.
Grant's Farm is the place to see them. The farm was owned by Ulysses S Grant and was later bought by the Bush family. That is the original farm where they bred the Clydesdales that became the Anheuser Bush company icon. In recent years they purchased a new farm where they now do the breeding. Grant's Farm is a tourist attraction. They do keep one hitch in St. Louis and they use the farm to manage it.
There was a fall festival the weekend we were there and we knew it would get busy, so we headed out early. We visited the free area and bought tickets for the Clydesdale backstage tour. This allowed us to get close to the horses, pet them, groom them and take pictures with them. I loved it.
There was more we could have done at the farm, however we wanted to have the afternoon to go to the Arch. We left and after lunch headed to the NP. I have to say I was a bit disappointed. When we visited in 2015 the place had an intimate feel. We watched the movie and rode to the top of the Arch. The museum was closed then, this time everything was running. The whole place feels like a tourist trap now. They are charging extra to see the movie which is normally part of the NP visit. We visited the museum, but it was not worth our time. We should have gone to Ulysses S Grant homestead instead and then just go by and get the stamp. Oh well, we have a list of places we can visit next time we are there.
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