FIRST-TIME VISITORS GRAVITATE to the Mississippi riverfront and its silvery focal point--the mighty Gateway Arch, the very symbol of St. Louis and its heritage as a portal to the untamed American West. Within walking distance of the stainless steel landmark lie other points of interest in the downtown area.

A big hit with sports fans is the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum, which shares a building with the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame. For one admission price, you can see this unusual combo and even add a tour of the Cardinals' Busch Stadium, across the street.

A tour of the circular stadium, built in 1966, takes you into the press box, a dugout, and private skybox suites. You'll notice the new Busch Stadium (ready in 2006) under construction next door.

At the ballpark and Cardinals Hall of Fame you'll hear about hometown heroes like Stan Musial, Ozzie Smith, Bob Gibson, and Mark McGwire. A basement theater in the two-sport museum has movies on bowling and great moments in Redbird history. Everyone gets to play four free frames at the bowling lanes outside the theater.

It would be easy to spend your whole day on the riverfront, just east of the stadium. Start with a tram ride inside the north or south leg of the Gateway Arch, America's tallest national monument at 630 feet. Once at the top, you can look out tiny windows on either side, with Illinois to the east and Missouri to the west. Visibility on a clear day is 30 miles. Before or after the tram trip, delve into frontier life at the free Museum of Westward Expansion or catch the giant-screen movie Lewis and Clark: Great Journey West. The film Monument to the Dream documents the construction of the Arch, an engineering marvel.

Other riverfront diversions include sightseeing cruises, new helicopter tours, and gaming action at the permanently moored President Casino at Laclede's Landing, the oldest part of St. Louis. Restaurants, music clubs, and shops line the cobblestone streets of this rejuvenated warehouse district.