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30 Things to Do in St. Louis Before You Turn 30

By on Fri, May 19, 2017 at 10:54 pm

It's a free country. You can make your own choices about what to do with your time at any age. But be honest with yourself: Some things are more socially acceptable in certain phases of life than others. You need to experience certain rights of passage before it's too late -- or, um, before you're too old. As such, we've gathered up 30 rights of passage in St. Louis that all you twenty-somethings out there should experience before turning 30. Are they all the wisest decisions? No. Should you embrace being young and stupid while you still can? Hells to the yes.

It's a free country. You can make your own choices about what to do with your time at any age. But be honest with yourself: Some things are more socially acceptable in certain phases of life than others. You need to experience certain rights of passage before it's too late -- or, um, before you're too old.

As such, we've gathered up 30 rights of passage in St. Louis that all you twenty-somethings out there should experience before turning 30. Are they all the wisest decisions? No. Should you embrace being young and stupid while you still can? Hells to the yes.

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Live in a loft downtown. That will instantly become much more difficult once your life involves baby strollers. Photo courtesy of Packard Lofts / Mark Florida.
Live in a loft downtown.

That will instantly become much more difficult once your life involves baby strollers.

Photo courtesy of Packard Lofts / Mark Florida.
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Make a bar completely your own... Photo by Joseph Hess.
Make a bar completely your own...



Photo by Joseph Hess.
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...and get so drunk at another that you could never, ever dream of returning. Because you only live once. And for now, you can get away with this. Photo by Doyle Murphy.
...and get so drunk at another that you could never, ever dream of returning.

Because you only live once. And for now, you can get away with this.

Photo by Doyle Murphy.
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Eat your fourth meal at Eat-Rite Diner. Taco Bell is for old married dads in Ellisville. Photo courtesy of Flickr / Runs With Scissors.
Eat your fourth meal at Eat-Rite Diner.

Taco Bell is for old married dads in Ellisville.

Photo courtesy of Flickr / Runs With Scissors.
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Become besties with someone who didn't go to your high school or college. St. Louis is already too obsessed with high school for its own good. If you don't branch out now, you'll be stuck listening to the same damn stories about the same people you've known since grade school every Super Bowl Sunday for the rest of your life. Photo by Brittani Schlager.
Become besties with someone who didn't go to your high school or college.

St. Louis is already too obsessed with high school for its own good. If you don't branch out now, you'll be stuck listening to the same damn stories about the same people you've known since grade school every Super Bowl Sunday for the rest of your life.

Photo by Brittani Schlager.
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Try a cuisine your parents would have never dreamed of serving. It's time to expand your tastes, friends -- and no, your college diet of fried food all the time and beer is not acceptable upon graduation. South Grand has everything from Ethiopian to Turkish food; maybe start there. Photo by Mabel Suen.
Try a cuisine your parents would have never dreamed of serving.

It's time to expand your tastes, friends -- and no, your college diet of fried food all the time and beer is not acceptable upon graduation. South Grand has everything from Ethiopian to Turkish food; maybe start there.

Photo by Mabel Suen.
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Pull some shifts as an Uber or Lyft driver. You'll become a pro when it comes to the city and all its weird street names and random dead-end streets. Some extra cash and some oddly deep late-night conversations with drunk passengers? Bonus. Photo courtesy of Lyft.
Pull some shifts as an Uber or Lyft driver.

You'll become a pro when it comes to the city and all its weird street names and random dead-end streets. Some extra cash and some oddly deep late-night conversations with drunk passengers? Bonus.

Photo courtesy of Lyft.
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Sneak a flask and raise a toast at the top of the Arch. It's like your fourth grade field trip. Only better. Photo courtesy of Flickr / Anna.
Sneak a flask and raise a toast at the top of the Arch.

It's like your fourth grade field trip. Only better.

Photo courtesy of Flickr / Anna.
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Party atop the City Museum. Drunkenly climbing around a massive playground won't always sound like fun. But boy, it sure sounds great now. Photo by Jason Cluts.
Party atop the City Museum.

Drunkenly climbing around a massive playground won't always sound like fun. But boy, it sure sounds great now.

Photo by Jason Cluts.
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Go nuts while watching a Blues game in a neighborhood bar full of cheering people you've never met before. Hey, you might make some new friends! Bonus points if you experience the communal pain of watching them lose a playoff game. Photo courtesy of Flickr / Dave Herholz.
Go nuts while watching a Blues game in a neighborhood bar full of cheering people you've never met before.

Hey, you might make some new friends! Bonus points if you experience the communal pain of watching them lose a playoff game.

Photo courtesy of Flickr / Dave Herholz.
10 of 30
Join a cornhole league. You’ll play at Seamus McDaniels and drink your way to the championship. Can’t get much more Midwestern than that. Photo courtesy of Flickr / Paul Sableman.
Join a cornhole league.

You’ll play at Seamus McDaniels and drink your way to the championship. Can’t get much more Midwestern than that.

Photo courtesy of Flickr / Paul Sableman.
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Spend a day visiting St. Louis' many donut shops. Priorities. Photo by Brittani Schlager.
Spend a day visiting St. Louis' many donut shops.

Priorities.

Photo by Brittani Schlager.
12 of 30
Participate in the World Naked Bike Ride. No kids = no explaining to your child why you're biking in the buff. Photo by Holly Ravazzolo.
Participate in the World Naked Bike Ride.

No kids = no explaining to your child why you're biking in the buff.

Photo by Holly Ravazzolo.
13 of 30
Go to our beautiful library and learn something to help you through the rest of your life. Being able to carry an interesting, educated conversation is a good thing. It'll make your 20s more fun -- and your 30s too. Photo courtesy of Nagel Photography / Shutterstock.com.
Go to our beautiful library and learn something to help you through the rest of your life.

Being able to carry an interesting, educated conversation is a good thing. It'll make your 20s more fun -- and your 30s too.

Photo courtesy of Nagel Photography / Shutterstock.com.
14 of 30
Get wasted at Soulard Mardi Gras. Beer! Beads! Boobs! Thousands of drunken strangers! It's basically a nightmare when you're 35 and really do know better. When you're 25? SO. MUCH. FUN. Photo by Steve Truesdell.
Get wasted at Soulard Mardi Gras.

Beer! Beads! Boobs! Thousands of drunken strangers! It's basically a nightmare when you're 35 and really do know better. When you're 25? SO. MUCH. FUN.

Photo by Steve Truesdell.
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Play hooky and go to the St. Patrick’s Day festivities in Dogtown. Screw responsibility. At least while you can. Photo by Nick Schnelle.
Play hooky and go to the St. Patrick’s Day festivities in Dogtown.

Screw responsibility. At least while you can.

Photo by Nick Schnelle.
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Sing drunken karaoke at Mike Talayna’s. If you haven’t been to Mike Talayna’s after midnight, are you really a St. Louisan? Photo courtesy of Flickr / J.G. Park.
Sing drunken karaoke at Mike Talayna’s.

If you haven’t been to Mike Talayna’s after midnight, are you really a St. Louisan?

Photo courtesy of Flickr / J.G. Park.
17 of 30
Go to an event at Shameless Grounds. There's no time like the present to play a round of Kinky Bingo or laugh through some Contraceptive Comedy. Photo courtesy of Instagram / ohlorina.
Go to an event at Shameless Grounds.

There's no time like the present to play a round of Kinky Bingo or laugh through some Contraceptive Comedy.

Photo courtesy of Instagram / ohlorina.
18 of 30
Have a makeout session at each of St. Louis' best makeout spots. Bonus points if they're each with a different person. Enjoy it now before the rest of your life sets in. Photo courtesy of Instagram user abbigailmariephotography.
Have a makeout session at each of St. Louis' best makeout spots.
Bonus points if they're each with a different person. Enjoy it now before the rest of your life sets in.

Photo courtesy of Instagram user abbigailmariephotography.
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Make a ridiculous costume for the Legendary CWE Halloween Party. In your twenties, it is totally acceptable to embrace the holiday. Photo by Steve Truesdell.
Make a ridiculous costume for the Legendary CWE Halloween Party.

In your twenties, it is totally acceptable to embrace the holiday.

Photo by Steve Truesdell.
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