City Museum of St. Louis

This week’s posts all connect to the Midwestern U.S. Our in-house expert on the midwest is non-other than Betsy McDonald, a longtime member of the aa team, whom hails from Missouri. When we were brainstorming about features for this post she suggested the City Museum of St. Louis. From there, I got lost in the imagery and imagination of this amazing place and immediately added it to my to do list on my trip westward. The City Museum was originally the factory and warehouse for International Shoe Company. In 1983 it was purchased by Bob and Gail Cassilly. The museum opened in 1997 and has continued to expand ever since. It is comprised of repurposed architectural and industrial features. Exhibits include Enchanted Caves (where I’ll be), a Shoe Shaft and World Aquarium. There is even a Circus Ring on one floor with daily performances. The museum also has a shoelace factory on the premises, with vintage machines that braid multi-colored shoelaces. Now that you know about the shoelace factory, you really have to go.  — angela