Spring and winter break gives students a fun, much needed break from school which people traditionally take advantage of by going on vacations with their family. Some students go on an annual trip every break, while for others, going out of town is more of a rarity. If that’s the case, just because you’re staying home doesn’t mean you can’t go on vacation… you can take a staycation!

‘Staycation’ is a term that was coined as a vacation spent at home and involving day trips to local attractions. They became a popular alternative to trips during the financial crisis of 2007-2010. They also gained popularity in the UK in 2009 when a weak pound made overseas holidays significantly more expensive. But to most, staycations seem much more enticing if you live somewhere more interesting like Chicago, IL, Los Angeles, CA, or New York City, NY. St. Louis on the other hand has a notorious reputation given to it by its younger residents that it’s a boring city with nothing to do.

“There’s not many fun things to do here in the different seasons,” freshman Emily Winograd said. “I feel like as you get older, there’s not a lot to do that’s still fun.”

Winograd, like many students, typically goes out of town every spring break and stays home during the winter breaks.

“I prefer spring break,” Winograd said.

On the other hand, some people that have stayed in town more frequently have found hidden gems around the city that helped them learn to love spending time in our midwest hometown.

Business teacher Julie Weindel has never had the opportunity to go anywhere for spring break since she and her kids have never shared the same spring break dates before. Because of this, Weindel has found lots of great hotspots to hit here.

“I think you can make your own fun at home by hitting all the highlights like the zoo, the arch, the art museum, the history museum, the transportation museum, or even other things like Sky Zone,” Weindel said.

But Weindel isn’t the only one who likes the 314.

“Contrary to popular belief, I do think St. Louis is an exciting place. We have great sports, great people, the city museum, the zoo, and good food and music scenes,” junior Kobi Recht said. “There’s so much to do that is overlooked because people often compare St. Louis to other bigger cities.”

There is still tons of fun to be had even without hitting all the major attractions.

“I like to go to places I’ve never been before and explore new places.” Winograd said. “I also like hanging out with my friends and going to different restaurants.”

While it make seem like St. Louis’ only claim to fame is the arch, once you go looking, you’ll find many fun ways to occupy your time. Making an STL bucket list or stealing ideas from a popular tourist website is a great way to get ideas and learn about interesting and maybe less popular attractions to check out.

“You don’t really know all the fun spots until you actually become a tourist,” Weindel said. “St. Louis has a lot of fun little pockets, but until you get out of your own little pocket, you don’t realize all the fun things and great places there are.”