The one-and-a-half-mile cobbled granite wharf along the Mississippi used to lie in the shadow of a dense tangle of warehouses and factories. When river trade decreased these became an embarrassing eyesore. Though most were ripped down, some restored structures between Eads and Martin Luther King bridges now form Laclede's Landing Historic District , their cast-iron facades fronting antique stores, office suites, restaurants and live music venues. In late August, the district hosts the Big Muddy Blues Festival , featuring artists of national prominence and a great party atmosphere (information on 314/241-5875, ).

On the waterfront itself, where roustabouts once handled cargoes of cotton and ores, assorted permanently moored vessels hold museums, theater shows, a heliport and casinos. Cruises aboard replica paddle-wheelers leave from under the Gateway Arch (April-Nov daily 10am-4.15pm; $9; dinner cruises depart at 7pm, $32.50; tel 314/621-4040 or 1-800/878-7411).

Ten minutes' walk south, more than thirty blocks of derelict buildings were torn down to clear space for the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial , dedicated to the US president who negotiated the Louisiana Purchase and thereby opened up the West, and to the pioneers who journeyed along the Oregon and Santa Fe trails. Its highlight, the Gateway Arch , designed by Eero Saarinen, was completed in 1965, a 630ft stainless steel parabola of majestic symmetry; in technical terms it's a weighted catenary curve, the outline formed by a heavy cable hanging freely from two points. The arch is at its most striking when its gleaming coat catches a stray reflection - perhaps a rich red sunset or a fireworks display.

So long as you're not claustrophobic, it's fun to take the four-minute tram ride up the hollow curving arch. Tiny five-seater capsules carry you to a viewing gallery, repeatedly shifting position as they go so you don't arrive at the top upside down. The views of the Midwestern plains, St Louis and the mighty Mississippi are spectacular, though looking straight down will make you dizzy. Lengthy queues build up during summer, but you can pick up a numbered ticket earlier in the day and come back at the allotted time. Still, you'll have to wait in another queue for the elevator so expect a 45-minute round-trip (daily summer 8.30am-9.20pm; rest of year 9.30am-5.20pm; $7).

In a massive bunker beneath the arch, the visitor center (summer daily 8am-10pm; rest of year daily 9am-6pm; tel 314/982-1410; $6 one film, $10 for two) shows a riveting film about the construction of the monument, and another on the Lewis and Clark Expedition, which set off from St Louis in 1804 to explore the Missouri River and water communications to the Pacific Ocean. It returned two years later with details of trade routes, Native American settlements and observations on animal and plant life. The spacious Museum of Westward Expansion (free) recounts the story, drawing heavily on the pair's very readable journals. The Arch Odyssey Theater , in the same building, beams IMAX epics onto a four-story screen.

Riverfront

• Riverfront

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