19 Indoor Activities In St. Louis To Try Next Time It Rains (2024)
- Date: June 4, 2024
- Topic: Events
- Contributors: Written by Peerspace Staff
Source: Peerspace
St. Louis gets occasional rain in the summer so it pays to have a backup plan if you’re planning a friend’s outing or a fun date. Fortunately, there are loads of indoor activities in St. Louis to try that even lifelong locals may not have heard of. From physical fitness-based activities to educational opportunities, the Gateway to the West does not disappoint.
You can even make your next STL special event an exclusive one by booking a St. Louis party venue with Peerspace, one of the largest venue providers in the city. Let’s see what’s worth exploring on a rainy day in St. Louis!
1. Visit the Missouri Civil War Museum
If you’re looking to learn more about our nation’s history and the important role Missouri played in it, check out the Missouri Civil War Museum on a rainy day! The Museum has exhibits showcasing original outfits, weapons, maps, and the history before, during, and after the war. Movie lovers will enjoy feature films on specific events of the Civil War. It’s easy to spend an entire rainy day here!
2. Enjoy fried chicken at Hodak’s
Going out to eat is a classic indoor activity in St. Louis, one of the Midwest’s best food cities! Hodak’s Restaurant and Bar proudly proclaims to have the best fried chicken in the area and thousands of reviewers agree. This Missouri staple has been in business for over 50 years. While chicken is their specialty, Hodak’s is a classic American restaurant, with barbecue pork, fish, fries, and other comfort foods to try.
3. Book a private screening room for movie night
Rainy days are the perfect time to enjoy a movie or three with friends. Public theaters have multiple movie options, concession stands, and seating for hundreds. But a more intimate experience might be to your liking. Why not book a private screening room instead? You can bring the snacks and movies of your choice. Plus you won’t be sharing the venue with hundreds of other people.
Did you know Peerspace has hundreds of venues in St. Louis for movie nights and other private events? For example, check out this second-floor loft in Benton Park, St. Louis! You can rent this space by the hour, with enough room for 50 friends to enjoy a movie using the included projector. Not to mention the other amenities like dining tables, speakers, a foosball table, and a private parking lot.
4. Work out at the St. Peters Rec-Plex
Indoor activities in St. Louis can include active things to do as well as a relaxing time indoors. Why not get a good workout in at the St. Peters Rec-Plex? You’ll have access to exercise machines, indoor pools, a basketball court, ice skating, and hockey, depending on the season. Members also have access to fitness classes, sports leagues, and other group sporting activities, not to mention free towels, skate rentals, and other perks!
5. Climb at an indoor rock gym
Whether you are an experienced boulderer or looking to try climbing for the first time, think about visiting one of St. Louis’s many indoor rock gyms on a rainy day. You’ll stay dry yet get a full-body workout indoors. Upper Limits Rock Climbing Gym is one of the most popular indoor gyms in St. Louis, with two locations to choose from. If you don’t want to commit to a membership, you can still get a day pass for full access. Beginners should also try a Climbing 101 Class before jumping straight onto a rock wall.
Have a big date coming up? Then be sure to find the perfect place to take them, care of our creative date ideas in St. Louis post!
6. Break things at a smash room
Are you looking to release some stress after a hard week at work? Rage rooms are all the rage as a top indoor activity in St. Louis to try! For a set fee, you’ll get a collection of items to smash with zero consequences, ranging from dishware to electronics. Not to mention hammers and safety gear for your face. Smash Rage Room is just one of several in the metro area. You can even explore more family-friendly fun like Splatter Paint for messy canvas fun minus the cleanup.
7. Find a new favorite coffee shop
Everyone has a favorite coffee shop or three but you can always add to the list by checking out a new spot on a rainy day. St. Louis has dozens to explore, with new ones popping up all of the time. Some of our favorites include Hartford Coffee Company thanks to their wide selection of breakfast and lunch options to go with your hot beverage. For a more coffee-centric experience, check out Teleo Coffee. They not only serve great coffee but also promote local businesses and charitable causes!
8. Play laser tag at Amp Up Action Park
Laser tag is a fun and competitive indoor activity you can do on your own or with a group of friends. Suit up and blast each other at Amp Up Action Park! Their indoor arena includes pounding music and black lights to create a fully immersive experience. You can check your points in real-time as you dodge blasts and score hits on your opponents.
9. Visit The Butterfly House at Faust Park
If you’re planning a neat date, friends’ outings, or family-friendly indoor activity in St. Louis, think about The Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House at Faust Park in Chesterfield. Open from 10-4 pm most days, you can enjoy The Conservatory with admission, where 80 species fly freely among guests. When the weather is more cooperative, there is also an outdoor butterfly garden to wander through.
10. Get cultured at The St. Louis Art Museum
Rainy days are a prime time to visit one of St. Louis’s premiere attractions: the Art Museum! Visited by roughly 500,000 people each year, the St. Louis Art Museum offers a collection of 36,000 items spanning thousands of years of history. From Amerindian sculptures to East Asian calligraphy, the Art Museum is a great place to learn and have fun while staying dry indoors!
11. Get your geek on at Wizard’s Wagon
Board games, RPGs, and strategy game lovers have Wizard’s Wagon to explore when it rains in STL! With one of the area’s largest collections of games, comics, and collectibles, Wizard’s Wagon is a fun place to shop for a new figurine or rulebook. They also host game nights for Magic: The Gathering, Dungeons & Dragons, and classic board games where you can bring the game(s) of your choice.
12. Book a private dance or yoga studio
The movement arts are an endless source of entertainment to enjoy, rain or shine. From dance to yoga, it’s easy to find a class where you can improve your flexibility or learn a new dance routine. Passionate practitioners will get a lot of value out of a private class in a space where the instructor can give you 100% of their attention.
Peerspace has some of the best-equipped dance studios in the city, like this gym and studio in downtown STL. The oak vinyl floors, foam rollers, puzzle floor mats, and other amenities provide an ideal space for a private movement arts class.
13. Explore an escape room
Do you like engaging, puzzle-based activities that test your wits? Why not visit an escape room? You’ll have 30-90 minutes to find clues, solve puzzles, and break free of the space before time is up. Our favorite is St. Louis Escape, one of the top-rated escape room facilities in the country. It has multiple spaces that have different themes and challenge ratings, including a haunted mansion, basement serial killer, and Aztec-themed rooms.
14. Race go-karts at Victory Raceway
Are you looking for a competitive indoor activity in St. Louis? Check out one of the city’s indoor go-kart tracks. Victory Raceway on Watson Road is one of the best in St. Louis! They have fast, responsive electric go-karts that reach up to 45 MPH. You can also sign up for races for all ages and skill levels where you can compete for the best time over 12 laps.
Need some places to go to impress your coworkers? Check out these suggestions in our guide on the best team-building ideas in St. Louis!
15. Enjoy wine and music at City Winery
Wine lovers have many wineries to choose from in St. Louis if you want to try a new tasting venue. Did you know that City Winery is a full-service restaurant, winery, event space, and performance venue? You can enjoy music, wine, and the company of other wine enthusiasts in a single evening here. City Winery is located inside City Foundry STL, home to several other food joints, the Alamo Drafthouse, Sandbox VR, and many more indoor activities to enjoy on a rainy day!
16. Visit the St. Louis Central Library
Time to curl up with a new book at the St. Louis Central Library, the largest in the city. The Central Library is a city fixture that’s been in continuous operation for over a century. Besides the collection of more than 4.5 million books, the Central Library is also home to unique works. The Special Collections is home to a page from a Gutenberg Bible, 4,000-year-old cuneiform clay tablets, and other rare written works.
17. Get classy with an afternoon tea sesh
Coffee isn’t the only hot beverage to enjoy on a rainy day indoors in STL. Tea parlors are becoming more popular. They are venues where the tea selection is the main event rather than an afterthought. You can enjoy unique Chinese red teas, rooibos blends, English high tea, and more at a tea parlor. The London Tea Room on Locust St. is one of our favorites. They offer classic British Afternoon and High teas, with different snack pairings to go along with your cup.
18. Get your game on at a video game arcade
From pinball to Pac-man, video game arcades have dozens, if not hundreds of games to try. There’s something for everyone at Up-Down, a St. Louis arcade bar where you can enjoy drinks alongside the standup arcade games. Their collection includes classic games from the 80s and 90s, skeeball, pinball, a Nintendo 64 console, life-sized Jenga, and more!
19. Make a fancy dinner for your loved ones
There are few better ways to impress a date or friends than making dinner for someone. But what if your kitchen and dining room are too small for a large group? Think about booking a private venue instead, where you’ll have all of the amenities you need for a fancy dinner night!
Have you seen this cozy home in Benton Park West? Your booking includes not only a full kitchen but a dining area, outdoor recreation area, and other perks for a dinner party!
Indoor activities in St. Louis: conclusion
St. Louis residents have a lot to choose from when the inevitable rains come for a visit. From go-karting to museum days, there’s something for everyone in The Gateway to The West. If you want to make your indoor activity day a bit more private, think about booking an STL party venue through Peerspace, the nation’s leading rental service. Best of all, unlike Airbnb or other providers, Peerspace bookings are available by the hour. So you can reserve an indoor activity space in STL for as long or as little as you like!
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