My favorite part of St. Louis. The ride to the top is worth it. Unlike others, I did not have to wait more than 30 minutes. I bought my tickets and by the time I walked to the arch and used the restroom, we were boarding the tram. You do have to go through security and no food or drinks are allowed. As you ride in the small pods to the top, you can see the steps you'd use to have to climb to make it to the top. The views are gorgeous and they are renovating the area around the arch. They are nice areas to sit riverfront as well and vendors selling drinks and lemonade. Check out the exhibits in the old courthouse, which is where you purchase your tickets.
The views are absolutely worth five stars, but figuring out how to get to the observation deck was a little challenging. We were in town on a Sunday during a Cincinnati Reds game so not many people were in the shopping mall on the bottom floor of the Carew Tower. My sister and I ended up walking around the whole SkyWalk and eventually ran into a security guard and we asked him for assistance. The price is $4 cash only as of June 5th, 2016 and worth it. The views are phenomenal!
Cincinnati was my last stop on a 4,000 mile road trip. l unfortunately did not have much time to spend in Cincinnati, but I am happy I decided to visit this museum. They do offer AAA discounts, but no student discounts. The exhibits are phenomenal. When I visited, June 5th, 2016, they had an exhibit about the use of Native Indians as mascots, modern slavery, and a limited time exhibit about the Emancipation Proclamation along with their permanent exhibit. The photography exhibit they had was absolutely breathtaking. It is a very interactive museum. Make sure to check out the Berlin Wall Memorial right beside the entrance to the museum.