Baby, Sirius, and I traveled to St. Louis for Thanksgiving to see my family. It’s a big event, with three turkeys, lots of cousins, and more desserts than I could count. Sadly, my husband had to stay behind to work. Thanksgiving is the restaurant’s busiest day of the year because of the Plaza Lights Festival. We missed spending the holiday with him, but loved the chance to spend some quality time with our St. Louis clan.

On previous St. Louis visits with Baby we stayed close to home, hanging out with family and going out to eat. However, this time around I had an active toddler in tow. I did a little research ahead of time to scout out some toddler fun so that we would have plenty to do when we arrived.

Our first stop was the St. Louis Zoo with a wonderful friend who was visiting from Washington, DC. I’ve loved going to the zoo ever since I was little. We entered through The Living World and headed straight for the zoo’s incredible penguin exhibit. Sadly, it was closed for renovations. We walked towards the River’s Edge instead, where the hippos were the star of the show. Baby was more interested in the fish and falling leaves than the massive animal right in front of him.

 

After River’s Edge, we headed up to Big Cat Country. I love the pumas, but the lions are always a beautiful, too. “Nala” was hanging out far away at the back of the lion area, but “Simba” was no where to be found. I tried meowing at all of the cats, but none seemed to want to play or talk back. One sleepy kitty was gorgeous photo bait anyway. 

Even when traveling, I always try to get Baby home for naptime. Unfortunately, our trip to the zoo proved to be too much for him. Baby slept in the car and took a short encore nap at home, but he was cranky for the rest of the night. Luckily he recovered by the following morning. 

For my sister’s birthday, we headed up for a Sunday fried chicken dinner lunch at the notoriously haunted Lemp Mansion. The Lemp family opened a popular brewery in the 1800s that closed after prohibition. Growing up, Lemp Brewery was one of the best haunted houses in town.

I always wanted to visit the family’s mansion, which is now a restaurant and hotel. I begged my husband for us to get married there, but he refused, arguing that I wouldn’t stop cackling “Muhahahaha!” under the chuppah long enough to actually get married. He was probably right.

My sister and brother-in-law spent the night at Lemp, and we arrived just before checkout so that my mom, Baby, and I could see the bedrooms upstairs (they are off limits unless you spend the night). The house was very regal, a little creepy, and lots of fun to run around.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overnight, my sister heard a crash that couldn’t be explained, her friend’s coat was mysteriously ripped come morning, and at lunch my sister swears she saw an orb of light float by through her phone’s camera lens. One picture of Baby had a weird circle of light around him. When my sister took the same picture again, the light was gone, and we couldn’t get it to reappear.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, is Lemp Mansion really haunted? I’m not convinced, but my sister loved cataloging all of the paranormal activity with her friends. Regardless, visiting Lemp was a thrill. The all-you-can-eat chicken dinner included mac and cheese, so Baby was happy, too.

The St. Louis Zoo and Lemp Mansion were two really fun ways to kick off Thanksgiving in St. Louis. Our toddler adventures continued with The Magic House, the Butterfly Museum, and Baby’s first carousel ride. More pictures coming soon in St. Louis Thanksgiving Adventures {Part 2}!

What is your favorite animal to visit at the zoo?

Do you believe Lemp Mansion could really be haunted?