Gateway Arch is the smallest national park in the system, but it's still easy to spend an entire day there!

Book tickets to travel to the top of the arch in these crazy hamster wheel elevators in advance, get to the arch early, and spend a few hours exploring the museum.

The museum here is extremely impressive - an American History teacher's dream come true.

Refreshingly, the museum does a solid job of highlighting the injustices to Native Americans rather than just glorifying westward expansion and Manifest Destiny.

Your trip to the top of the arch will be quick - no more than ten minutes at the top peering through unexpectedly tiny windows. It's still worth it.

Walking around the park surrounding Gateway Arch AFTER exploring the museum was a much more fulfilling experience. We highly recommend doing the museum first so you develop an appreciation for the area on which the arch sits.

The arch itself, while admittedly not a natural structure, is a stunning piece of art, much larger than we imagined, and visible throughout the city.

Gateway Arch's National Park designation draws much ire from the avid national park community due to its heavy contrast with the enormous national parks around the country that were carved naturally, not by man.

In any event, the arch's designation brought us to St. Louis, a beautiful city we otherwise would have skipped. Our advice - lean in, do the things there are to do here, and don't expect this park to compare to Yellowstone, Yosemite, or the Grand Canyon.

With expectations set, you're bound to enjoy your time here!