A wonderful free museum located right below the arch.
The Museum at the Gateway Arch is wonderful and well worth your time. It is located underground directly beneath the Arch. You enter through a security checkpoint and then either walk down the stairs (which gives a great view of the large video screens) or take the elevator. The museum serves as the central hub connecting the tram to the top, the VR experience, snack bar, documentary movie, and restaurant. It features six well-designed interactive galleries that tell the story of America's westward expansion and the Arch itself: Colonial St. Louis, Jefferson's Vision, Manifest Destiny, The Riverfront Era, New Frontiers, and Building the Gateway Arch. I loved this part and could have spent several hours in this part. It has artifacts, full displays, walkthrough buildings, running movies, touchable items and things for adults and kids. Some parts look futuristic, others iconic, and even others museum like. The exhibits were informative, engaging, and full of artifacts, videos, and hands-on elements. I highly recommend it to any traveler visiting the area. It's completely free and packed with solid information on how our country expanded across the continent and how this iconic monument was built. A must-see when visiting St. Louis. read more