By Eric Berger

How many times can you take out-of-town guests to the City Museum? You can only go on so many first dates to Sasha’s Wine Bar before your companions start to notice that the whole staff knows you. And no matter how unfathomable it may seem, there is a point where your energetic children will get tired of running around in Forest Park.

For all those reasons and more, it is crucial that you find some new spots around town. To be sure, Tower Grove Park, the view into Busch Stadium from Three Sixty and the two free beers on the Anheuser-Busch Brewery tour are all very nice, but you don’t have to be Christopher Columbus to find them. We wanted to dig a little deeper.

We asked some of our smartest business owners, artists, musicians, restauranteurs and even the mayor to share their favorite hidden gems around St. Louis. Yeah, we know; now they won’t be so hidden any more. But if we can help just one person find a new favorite, we’ll consider our efforts worth it.

Responses have been edited for space and clarity.