Maplewood is one of my absolute FAVORITE parts of St. Louis. The vibe is a little small town mixed with a little hipster. Then add a whole lot of excellent dining, fantastic beer, awesome events, charming architecture and a great school district. And it all happens to be just minutes from major highways. Maplewood is one of St Louis’ gem neighborhoods. The toughest part about living in Maplewood is actually finding somewhere to live. The houses don’t turn over nearly as often as some of the other parts of town so if Maplewood is your goal, be patient.

One of the Maplewood local points of interest in the Maplewood Aquatic Center which has been the “neighborhood pool” for more than just the Maplewood population for years.  The Aquatic Center is run through the Richmond Heights Rec Center and offers both a kid friendly pool area and a larger pool for adults to swim laps. The pool also does movie events throughout the summer and an end of year dog swim.

Downtown Maplewood offers some pretty epic shopping from all sorts of local artisans.  My husband and I have made the downtown area an annual tradition during holiday shopping season to pick up locally made goods for friends and relatives. Some of our favorites are Maven for handmade soaps and lotions, Bolyard’s butcher for some fantastic hand cut meats, Larder & Cupboard for all kinds of gourmet fun things, Sole Survivor for locally made leather goods and although not a local company, still pretty great, Penzey’s for a spice gift set.

There really is something for everyone when it comes to housing in Maplewood. One of the greatest parts about the area is the diversity in the community and the school district. The proximity to highways 64 and 44 makes getting really anywhere at all in St Louis from Maplewood very easy and an attractive place to call home. There is plenty of affordable apartment living in buildings around the area. There are some adorable bungalow and smaller cottage style houses sprinkled throughout the area.

What you will find more to the south of the downtown area are some mid sized and larger homes with PLENTY of character and charm. Most of these homes are older so while you will love the big front porches, high ceilings and attention to small details, if you are looking for large master bedroom suites and large closets, you may either have to find something to rehab or look for one of the newer build homes in the area (much harder to find).

Maplewood is a smaller St Louis community so the turnover of homes happens at a somewhat slower pace. If you are looking to move to Maplewood, you may have to be a little more patient then if you are looking in other parts of St Louis. It’s worth the wait though.

There is no lack of things to do in the area. The area has several big annual events throughout the year including two awesome art fairs. One of our favorite events is Schlafly’s Art Outside which is usually held around Labor Day weekend. The other is Let Them Eat Art, a tribute to Bastille Day and which is a food and art festival typically held mid July.

Some of my FAVORITE places

The food and drink scene in Maplewood is outstanding. Some of our favorite hangouts are in the area.

If you are looking for great beer you have come to the right place. One of the first pillars in the St Louis craft beer community is right here in Maplewood at Schlafly Bottleworks. Schlafly is a big name in St Louis craft beer and has several big events throughout the year bringing great live music and art to the area. Just down the road on the other side of Manchester is Side Project Brewing that recently won the award for #8 Brewery in the World (not kidding). You will often see a line literally around the block when Side Project debuts a new beer.

One of our favorite Sunday brunch options is at The Crows Nest. They do a Heavy Metal brunch on Sundays with some of the best Bloody Mary’s is St Louis. Just up the road is another one of the best in St Louis brunch, not technically in Maplewood but so close it’s worth the mention. Southwest Diner. Have the Jonathan’s Fiery Scramble. It’s amazing.

Lunch and dinner options are plenty. If you’re looking for just some casual wings and a cold beer kind of atmosphere and maybe catching the Cardinals game, head to The Post. If you’re looking for something a little more upscale and a serious glass of wine, do NOT miss dinner at Acero.

After dinner walk down to Saratoga Lanes for an upstairs bowling adventure or grab a Waffle and some ice cream at Boardwalk Waffles and Ice Cream.