Drivers beware — trying to stay focused on the road is next to impossible in 拉斐特广场 – the neighborhood’s eye-popping splendor easily relinquishes one’s control over the steering wheel. St. 路易斯最古老的历史街区, and also a designated National Historic District, 位于市中心往南三个街区的地方吗, 和1.离拱门4英里.

北边是朱托大道, 南44号州际公路, 东边的杜鲁门公园路, 西是南杰斐逊大道, this reclaimed urban community lives at the intersection of historically ornate and abundantly hip. Park your car for free and start enjoying the amenities, all located within a few blocks.

但首先, get your color swatches out — the hues of the meticulously restored 150-year-old two- and three-story Victorian mansions are stunning. Bright yellow doorstrimmed in aqua blue and brown on one, salmon and turquoise on another; lime green and purple facades with ornate moldings painted light blue on yet another. They are so beautiful that Better 首页s and Gardens recognized the neighborhood as one of the nation’s 12 prettiest painted places in 2012. 这些庄严的房屋, commonly referred to as the “painted ladies,环绕着30英亩的拉斐特公园, 它本身就是一片美丽的绿洲. 和 这是 出名? Dedicated in 1851, Lafayette Park is the oldest urban park west of the Mississippi.

就像维多利亚时代小说里的一幅画, 公园的花, 天然草本植物, 参天大树, 瀑布, fountains and iconic iron bridges provide a peaceful backdrop and respite. The original iron and stone fence erected in 1869 still encircles the park’s perimeter. 它的历史和美丽定义了它的魅力. Along the self-guided historical walking tour, 参观者将经过运动场, which served as a military parade ground in 1858; a bronze statue of George Washington created in 1869 by French Sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon; a circular horse watering trough-turned planter; and a music pavilion with the original base from 1896, 在众多其他著名的地标中. In days of yore, Victorians rowed around the park’s main lake in swan boats. 今天, the swan house and fountain are reproductions of the Victorian originals.

The park is also the home for the Saint 路易 Perfectos and the 拉斐特广场 Cyclones, a baseball club that plays by the rules and customs of the 1860s. Visit the first weekend in June and celebrate the Shepard Barclay Festival, 俱乐部本赛季的头等大事. For more on vintage baseball in the park, please click 在这里.

In addition to the private residences surrounding the park, the neighborhood’s French Second Empire and Federalist architectural structures house two craft breweries; specialty shops; Park Avenue Coffee, which features original small-batch blends; quirky and one-of-a-kind restaurants; yoga and art studios; wine, chocolate and rooftop bars; a bistro; and a creamery.

以下是一些最突出的结果:

• Meet a sommelier and taste a few of the more than 700 wines available at 33 Wine 商店 & 酒吧;
• 再过几家就是第一广场啤酒厂, located in Christopher Schumacher’s original tavern built in 1883. The building was later acquired by Anheuser-Busch and operated as a “tied house,” serving products exclusively made by the brewery, 古老的英国传统. 今天, the brew house brews and distills a variety of award winning pilsners, 黑啤酒, 爱丽斯, 威士忌和朗姆酒. Make sure to sit on the patio next to the 15-foot stone wall and brick fountain;
• If you prefer sweeter alcoholic choices, visit Clementine’s Naughty & 好牛奶, a modern micro-creamery that serves small-batch ice cream flavors, 与alcohol-infused选项.
• Four Muddy Paws healthy pet market sells freshly cooked treats and allows you to self-serve wash your own dog or cat;

Peruse laser engraved family trees platters, 为幼儿设计的枕套式连衣裙, leather wallets made from baseball gloves and other rare finds at Looking Glass Gifts and Jewelry;

• 在SqWires餐厅吃和喝, 位于原西部电线厂, a picture-perfect renovation of an old Victorian building. From the handcrafted steel fireplace and leather banquette seating to the industrial ceiling fans and exposed brick and beams, the restaurant is a mecca for foodies into oysters, 血腥玛丽的, 周末休闲, 和熏胸肉. Local blues and jazz musicians play regularly;
• SqWires前面的街区长广场, 完整的花园, 公园里的长椅和喷水池, 是当地活动的聚会场所吗.

Annual neighborhood festivities include an antique fair (June); Cocktails on the Plaza (July); Movies in Lafayette Park (summer); Taste of Lafayette (August); Tour De Lafayette/Gateway Cup Bike Race (Friday before Labor Day); Tricks & Treats on Park (Saturday before Halloween); the Holiday Tree Lighting (second Saturday in December); and the Holiday Market (second Sunday in December), 烤栗子有哪些特色, 精神和工艺品.

But back to those colorfully “painted ladies.每年两次, the residents open their homes to the public for the ever-popular Spring and Garden Tour (first weekend in June) and the 拉斐特广场 Holiday Parlor Tour (second Sunday in December).

Visitors even have the option to stay in one of these gloriously painted homes. Three bed and breakfasts inns – Park Avenue Mansion, 拿破仑的撤退, and Lehmann House – welcome guests year round. 它们有12英尺高的雕花前门, 花园庭院, 香槟早餐, 天篷床, 和法国毛巾布长袍, 其他设施. 纵容自己，维多利亚风格.

Whatever you choose — color your world in 拉斐特广场.