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No matter where you live in America, you have probably seen the St. Louis Gateway Arch. The Weather Channel loves to show it whenever St. Louis has crazy weather, and all the news networks use the arch when they have news tidbits about St. Louis. But there is nothing quite like seeing it in person. Learn more here.
Construction
If you are flying into St. Louis, the arch is the first thing you notice from the air. It is clad in stainless steel and shines brightly in the sun. It is a weighted catenary arch. A chain hanging between two posts will give you a good example to understand and imagine a regular catenary curve. At 630 feet in height, it is considered the world’s highest arch. It was built to memorialize St. Louis as the gateway to westward expansion. Learn more about The St. Louis Art Museum.
Visiting
The most amazing thing about the St. Louis Gateway Arch is that you can actually ride inside it up to the top. At the bottom, you get into a tiny enclosure that looks like the drum of a clothes dryer. It takes you up to the top where you can see amazing views of the Mississippi River, the city of St. Louis, and the bucolic Missouri countryside.