Street


DESTINATIONS MISSOURI | THE US


t travelweekly.co.uk


he door slams and our tiny, capsule-like carriage shakes. Heads ducked, we bump our way up the Ferris wheel-style contraption, ascending 192m into the sky


to reach our destination: the peak of the Gateway Arch, the tallest monument in the US. More than twice the height of the Statue of Liberty, this is the landmark of St Louis. Arching over the city like a shiny metal rainbow, it’s drawn visitors since opening in the 1960s, and still uses its original, rather rickety, white tram carriages to shuttle them to the top. It’s certainly an adventure, but it’s about more than


just the views. Built to signify the role of St Louis as a gateway to the west, this has been a mainstay on Route 66 for decades, and marks the start of my trip along Missouri’s 300-mile section of the ‘Mother Road’. I’m here to explore a lesser-known stretch of this legendary, 2,500-mile route, which meanders from Chicago all the way to Santa Monica, as it marks its 100th anniversary this year – and as British Airways gears up for its first non-stop service to St Louis, starting in April. I find myself enamoured with the sense of nostalgia it brings as I discover there’s a lot more to this oft-overlooked Midwestern state. ²


19 MARCH 2026


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