Coming to college in St. Louis, you might know very little about the city-perhaps only that it seemed to have a lot of old, abandoned warehouses and a giant muddy river. But after three years of wandering the city, it gets to feeling like a second home and it turns out to be a pretty amazing place.

There’s so much to learn, see and do in St. Louis that sometimes it can be overwhelming. Even worse, it can seem like simply too big of a task for a young car-less freshman still getting acclimated to college life. Even worse than that are the apathetic students, who are too comfortable in their dorm rooms to get out and explore the city life.

Just because you don’t have a car doesn’t mean you can’t travel all across St. Louis-the free Metro passes are as valuable as you want to make them, and the more you take advantage of public transportation, the more you will feel like a part of the city.

Learning and interacting with the surrounding area is one of the most important parts of the college experience, and with minimal effort and a little motivation, you can get to know an entirely new city and start calling it your own.

Below are some of the can’t-miss (but all-too-often-missed) districts in St. Louis, and how to get to them easily, for free and without a car.

While exploring, it is also a good idea to keep a map handy, and a schedule of MetroLink and MetroBus times, both available online.

Lafayette Square

Lafayette Square has been one of St. Louis’ most successful restoration efforts. After a few decades of work, the area now boasts successful shops, restaurants and some of the city’s most interesting architecture-more than four hundred Victorian homes have been restored in all. Though home to St. Louis’ oldest public park, this area is best known to Wash. U. students as the home of Bailey’s Chocolate Bar-the best dessert restaurant in town and one of the only places you’ll find incredible chocolate sundaes and chocolate martinis under the same roof. Across the street you’ll find Sqwires (so named for its history as a wires factory in the square), a new gourmet restaurant and grocery featuring jazz and blues concerts on weekends.

Getting there: Take the Metrolink to the Grand Station. Walk up the stairs and wait for the Number 13 bus. Take the bus south down Park Ave. and get off at the corner of Park and Mississippi Ave.

Grand/Midtown

Grand Ave. is at the heart of our Catholic university neighbors, the St. Louis University Billikens-yes, their mascot is an imaginary smiling Asian elf creature seen in a mysterious dream by an American artist in the early 1900s. This district is another of St. Louis’ up and coming areas, anchored by the fabulous Fox Theatre and The Bistro, the city’s premier jazz venue. The Fox really must be seen to be believed, with a recent restoration bringing it back to its 1929 glory. It hosts everything from Broadway musicals to Brian McKnight, so make sure you see a show soon. Grand also features some solid restaurants like Vito’s (Italian) and Pho Grand (Vietnamese) that are affordable and delicious. Try dinner and Jazz at the Bistro, which offers incredible student discounts on their weekly shows (tickets are $10-$20 for a top jazz act).

Getting there: Take the MetroLink to the Grand Station. Walk up the stairs and wait for the Number 70 bus. Take it north down Grand and get off at the corner of Grand and Olive St.

Cherokee Street

Cherokee Street is home to much of St. Louis’ Latino population and is starting to become a sort of trendy artistic district as well. Located about 15 blocks south of Lafayette Square in one of the city’s older neighborhoods, it is filled with a mix of history and new sights. The streets are lined with the city’s best Mexican restaurants and grocers, where you can buy fresh corn tortillas or Jarritos, a delicious soda. If you like dancing, there are swing and salsa events at the historic Casa Loma Ballroom (at Cherokee and Iowa Avenue), still standing after more than 78 years. On Friday nights, there are live big band performances of swing and ballroom music, often with 15-20 members in the band. If swing is not your thing, you might be interested in the Lemp Mansion, home of America’s first lager beer brewer. The mansion itself is pretty amazing as one of the larger mansions built in St. Louis in the 1860s, but they also hold gourmet murder mystery dinners every Friday and Saturday night. Seriously.

Getting there: Take the MetroLink to the Civic Center Station. Wait for the Number 11 bus nearby on 14th St. and take it north on 14th. It will make a loop and start going south on Jefferson Ave. Get off at the corner of Jefferson and Cherokee, and walk a few blocks west to Iowa Ave.

Old North St. Louis

Old North St. Louis is another historic district and as you may guess is north (and a little west) of downtown. It was actually a separate town until 1841, when it was annexed by the city of St. Louis. It still has a historical feel and is home to many community gardens and historic 200 year-old buildings. But it is definitely best known being home to the Crown Candy Kitchen, a St. Louis institution since 1913. Crown Candy has stuck with its location through all the ups and downs of the area, from its peak as a dense immigrant neighborhood to its gradual decline in the mid-late 1900s. It now serves as the anchor for the area’s redevelopment. It has a classic simple lunch menu, but makes its name from its homemade milk shakes and candy creations-think lollipops, Swedish fish, chocolate nut clusters and more. If you’re feeling confident enough, you can try their milk shake challenge-drinking five within 30 minutes to get all five for free and your name on the store’s wall-but I don’t recommend it for the faint of heart, or stomach.

Getting there: Take the MetroLink to the Civic Center Station. Wait for the Number 30 bus at the corner of Washington Ave. and 6th St. Take the bus north through town and get off at the corner of St. Louis Ave. and 13th St.

Going to school in St. Louis and not getting out to explore the city is like getting a brand new Wii for your birthday and never opening the box. So, Step 1: cut a hole in the box.

Trip planning on MetroLink and MetroBus is available at tripfinder.metrostlouis.org.

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