Saint Louis University, SIUE and Lindenwood in 2 Days: A St. Louis College Road Trip
A parent-first plan for seeing Saint Louis University, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and Lindenwood University in two days: how each visit works, where to park, four hotels from budget to upscale, drive times around St. Louis, sibling stops and seasonal weather, every fact sourced and checked Oct 29, 2026.
Verhaegen Hall at Saint Louis University, St. Louis (Mar 2023). Photo: w_lemay · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized and cropped
Last checked Oct 29, 2026. Every fact comes from the pages listed in Sources at the bottom. Some hotel and tour links are affiliate links (disclosure).
The short version
Trip at a glance
Schools
Saint Louis University (St. Louis, MO) · Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (Edwardsville, IL) · Lindenwood University (St. Charles, MO)
Days
2 days: SLU on day 1, a short walk from the hotel; SIUE and Lindenwood on day 2, about 47 minutes apart. Arrive the evening before.
Fly into
St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL), about 22 minutes from Midtown with no traffic.
Best base
Angad Arts Hotel in Midtown, about an 11-minute walk from SLU's Queen's Daughters lot and about 32 to 34 minutes by car from SIUE and Lindenwood.
Car or transit
Rent a car: SIUE is across the Mississippi River in Illinois and Lindenwood is west in St. Charles.
Registration
Book a SLU visit, a SIUE daily visit and a Lindenwood campus tour, each on the school's own registration page.
1. Who this guide is for
This plan is for parents with a high schooler, and maybe younger siblings, who want to compare three different schools around one city: Saint Louis University, a private Jesuit university in Midtown St. Louis; SIUE, a public university in Edwardsville, Illinois; and Lindenwood University, a private university in historic St. Charles, Missouri.
SLU visitors on an admission tour park in the Queen's Daughters lot on Lindell Boulevard, SIUE visits check in at Admissions in Rendleman Hall, and Lindenwood tours start at the Spellmann Center, the building with the clock tower.
Why this order
Day 1: SLU's daily visit is a 30-minute welcome session and a 90-minute campus tour, customized to your interests, with an optional meeting with faculty on weekdays.
Day 2, morning: SIUE offers daily visits as well as Preview SIUE events and academic sessions, so pick the option that fits your student.
Day 2, afternoon: Lindenwood's tour is about 1.5 hours, with a current student showing you dining halls, classrooms and residence halls from a golf cart. Afterward you can meet with an admissions counselor.
Plan ahead: registration and timing
SLU: daily visits run Monday through Friday. Saturday visits have a campus tour and a limited number of admission presentations, so book early for a Saturday.
SIUE: register on SIUE's visits page, and watch for the follow-up with parking details.
Lindenwood: visits run most weekdays throughout the year, and Saturday tours run from mid-August to April. Saturday tours don't include meetings with academic advisors or student financial services.
Tour availability varies by season.
SLU also holds Billiken for a Day visits (with an academic session, lunch with current students and a class visit) and a Health Careers Visit Day. Check SLU's visit page for dates.
Lindenwood notes that tours during academic breaks or on Saturdays may have limited access to some buildings and less time with faculty.
Groups: Lindenwood hosts school groups of 10 to 40 students, and SIUE also offers group visits.
2. The suggested 2-day drive
Drive times are no-traffic estimates from OpenStreetMap routing, and walking times use OpenStreetMap foot routing, with addresses geocoded by OpenStreetMap Nominatim. Drive times to SLU are to the Queen's Daughters lot area on Lindell Boulevard, to SIUE are to Rendleman Hall, and to Lindenwood are to the Spellmann Center.
Arrival: fly into St. Louis and check in at Midtown
St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) → Angad Arts Hotel
Driving (no traffic)
~22 min, 12.5 mi
Driving and walking
Rental car
The Chase Park Plaza in the Central West End is about 5 minutes by car from SLU; the Hampton Inn and Red Roof Inn near Forest Park are about 7 and 9 minutes away with no traffic.
Day 1: Saint Louis University, then an afternoon in Forest Park or downtown
Angad Arts Hotel → SLU (Queen's Daughters lot, 3730 Lindell Blvd.)
Driving (no traffic)
~2 min, 0.5 mi
Driving and walking
~11 min walk, 0.5 mi
Angad Arts Hotel → Saint Louis Zoo (Forest Park)
Driving (no traffic)
~8 min, 3.9 mi
Driving and walking
Drive
Angad Arts Hotel → City Museum (750 N. 16th St.)
Driving (no traffic)
~5 min, 2.0 mi
Driving and walking
Drive
If you drive to your SLU tour, register first: SLU emails tour guests a permit for the "Future Billiken" spaces in the Queen's Daughters lot.
SLU's own visit page suggests making a weekend of it with Forest Park, the Saint Louis Zoo, the Gateway Arch, City Museum and the Science Center.
Day 2: SIUE in the morning, Lindenwood in the afternoon, then fly home
Angad Arts Hotel → SIUE (Rendleman Hall, Edwardsville, IL)
Driving (no traffic)
~32 min, 21.6 mi
Driving and walking
Drive
SIUE → Lindenwood University (Spellmann Center, St. Charles, MO)
Driving (no traffic)
~47 min, 33.5 mi
Driving and walking
Drive
Lindenwood University → St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL)
Driving (no traffic)
~16 min, 10.0 mi
Driving and walking
Drive
Lindenwood is only about 16 minutes from STL with no traffic, so it makes a good last stop before an evening flight. Allow extra time for the rental car return.
Prefer to switch the order? Lindenwood is about 34 minutes from the Midtown hotel, and SIUE is about 38 minutes from STL with no traffic.
3. Campus by campus
Verhaegen Hall at Saint Louis University, St. Louis (Mar 2023). Photo: w_lemay · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized and cropped
A daily visit is a 30-minute welcome session followed by a 90-minute campus tour.
Weekday visits can be customized to your student's interests and can include an optional meeting with faculty.
Can't visit in person? SLU offers virtual information sessions and a chance to talk with current students on the ZeeMee app.
Visitor parking
Prospective students on an admission tour can get a permit for the "Future Billiken" spaces in the Queen's Daughters lot at 3730 Lindell Blvd.; SLU emails the details after you register.
Other visitors can use the Hickory East, Laclede (3602 Laclede Ave.) and Olive (3338 Olive St.) garages, which charge by the hour or day.
Getting there
The Queen's Daughters lot is about an 11-minute walk from the Angad Arts Hotel and about 22 minutes by car from STL with no traffic.
What to know
SLU's student picks for food in Midtown include Pappy's Smokehouse, City Foundry STL and The Fountain on Locust; in the Central West End they include Kingside Diner and Dressel's Pub.
Contact
SLU Admission: visitslu@slu.edu, 314-977-2500 or 800-758-3678.
Last checked Oct 29, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.
The Office of Admissions is in Rendleman Hall, room 2101 on the second floor.
Visit options include daily visits, Preview SIUE, virtual academic sessions and a virtual tour.
Visitor parking
SIUE sends parking details after you schedule a tour or register for a visit program.
Visitors can park in the main Visitor Parking Lot B and pay by license plate at the kiosks in the lot. Weekday enforcement ends at 8 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 4:30 p.m. Friday, and non-residential lots are open on weekends.
Getting there
Rendleman Hall is about 32 minutes by car from the Midtown hotel and about 38 minutes from STL with no traffic.
What to know
SIUE's interactive campus map shows buildings, classrooms and parking lots if you want to explore after your visit.
Tours start at the Spellmann Center, 3rd floor, 209 S. Kingshighway St., St. Charles, MO 63301: the building with the clock tower.
A current student drives you around campus by golf cart for about 1.5 hours, covering dining halls, classrooms and residence halls.
After the tour you can meet an admissions counselor about academic programs, financial aid, student support and enrollment (not offered on Saturdays).
Visitor parking
Use the designated visitor spaces, which are for people who aren't Lindenwood students or employees, and don't park along yellow curbs, which are fire lanes.
Getting there
The Spellmann Center is about 34 minutes by car from the Midtown hotel and about 16 minutes from STL with no traffic.
What to know
Because the tour is by golf cart, it's an easy visit for younger siblings or anyone who'd rather not walk the whole campus.
Contact
Lindenwood tours: LUTour@lindenwood.edu or (636) 949-4495. Admissions: (636) 949-4949.
Last checked Oct 29, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.
4. Where to stay: two nights near SLU in Midtown St. Louis
Price tiers (Budget, Mid-range, Upscale) follow each hotel's star class on Expedia. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
Hotel · Our pickUpscale
Angad Arts Hotel St. Louis, Tapestry Collection by Hilton
3550 Samuel Shepard Dr., St. Louis, MO 63103
Why here
In Midtown's arts district, about an 11-minute walk from SLU's Queen's Daughters lot, about 32 minutes from SIUE and about 34 minutes from Lindenwood by car with no traffic.
Expedia lists this hotel as a 4-star property, so we place it in the Upscale tier. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
Good to know
Expedia lists a rooftop bar. Confirm details on the Expedia listing before you book.
Stay both nights in Midtown or the Central West End: you can walk to SLU, the zoo and Forest Park are minutes away, and SIUE and Lindenwood are each about a 30-minute drive.
5. Meals between tours
Hours change, so check before you go.
Midtown, near SLU
SLU's student picks include Pappy's Smokehouse, City Foundry STL, The Fountain on Locust, Saucy Porka, Grand Mediterranean and Kain Tayoo.
Central West End
SLU's student picks include Kingside Diner, Up-Down STL, Bowood by Niche, Yellowbelly, Retreat Gastropub and Dressel's Pub.
The Hill and downtown
On The Hill, SLU's students suggest Zia's on The Hill, Mama's on The Hill and Favazza's; downtown, they suggest Sugarfire Smoke House and Broadway Oyster Bar.
6. Things for siblings along the route
With siblings
Saint Louis Zoo
1 Government Dr., St. Louis, MO 63110
About 8 minutes by car from the Midtown hotel, in Forest Park. Admission is free and the zoo is open daily.
About 5 minutes by car from the Midtown hotel. Housed in an old shoe warehouse, it's an indoor, outdoor and underground playground with slides, caves and climbers.
At SLU, register before you go so you get the emailed permit for the Future Billiken spaces in the Queen's Daughters lot.
At SIUE, note your license plate number before you walk to the Lot B pay kiosk.
At Lindenwood, park only in designated visitor spaces and keep clear of yellow-curb fire lanes.
Flying in and out
STL is about 22 minutes from Midtown, about 16 minutes from Lindenwood and about 38 minutes from SIUE with no traffic.
Weather by season (1991–2020 NOAA normals: St. Louis Lambert International Airport)
Spring: April averages about 68°F highs and 47°F lows, with about 4.7 inches of rain.
Summer: July averages about 90°F/71°F, with about 3.9 inches of rain.
Fall: October averages about 69°F/49°F, with about 3.2 inches of rain.
Winter: January averages about 40°F/24°F, with about 2.6 inches of rain and about 6 inches of snow.
Parent checklist
Book a SLU visit, and watch for the email with your parking permit.
Register for a SIUE daily visit and watch for the parking details.
Book a Lindenwood campus tour, and ask for an admissions counselor meeting if you're visiting on a weekday.
Book flights into STL and a rental car.
Book two nights in Midtown or the Central West End.
After each visit, take five minutes to jot down what stood out to your student.
8. Student-athlete recruiting visits
For families whose student hopes to play a college sport. Rules below are the NCAA's; each school's links were checked Oct 26, 2026.
Coaches arrange the recruiting part of a visit, not the admissions office. The tour sign-ups in this guide are for the regular family visit. An official (school-paid) visit is offered by the school, and contact with coaches follows NCAA rules that vary by division, sport and grade level.
Start with your sport's questionnaire, then email the coaches. The NCAA suggests emailing coaches with your achievements, highlight videos and interest in their program, including your name, position, NCAA ID and graduation year.
3 Division I
Athletics
Saint Louis University
NCAA Division I Atlantic 10 Conference
RecruitingWe found no department-wide recruiting page. Look for a questionnaire on your sport's team page at the athletics site ↗, or email the coaches.
RecruitingWe found no department-wide recruiting page. Look for a questionnaire on your sport's team page at the athletics site ↗, or email the coaches.
Unofficial visit: any campus visit you or your family pay for. You can take as many as you like; in Divisions I and II each one has to come after the first permissible date for your sport.
Official visit: a visit paid for by the school. Each school can offer your student only one. Before a Division I official visit, your student must be registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center, be on the school's institutional request list, and the school must have their high school transcripts.
Division I (Saint Louis University, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and Lindenwood University): on an official visit the school can pay for travel for the student and up to two family members, lodging, up to three meals a day for the student and up to four family members, and up to $60 a person in entertainment, including five home-game tickets. On an unofficial visit there are no free meals, but the school can give up to three home-game tickets. Division I uses recruiting calendars with contact, evaluation, quiet and dead periods; in a dead period, no in-person contact and no visits.
Rules change. Confirm with the coach, or check the NCAA's recruiting page and recruiting calendars, before you plan dates.
Planning around the season
Check each school's athletics schedule (linked above) before you pick dates, so a coach meeting doesn't land on a road trip or game day for your sport.
Our recommendation, not a school rule: ask the coach whether they can line up an admissions session or tour around your meeting. If not, book the regular family tour yourself through the official sign-up links in this guide, and leave time between the two.
Add your dates and how you're getting there, and we'll pull this guide into one plan: tour sign-up links, the hotel base, parking or airport notes, the route and meals.
Coming soon
Planning more college trips?
Visit-season reminders and new trip guides from College Visit Guides. Newsletter coming soon.
Sources
All checked Oct 29, 2026. Tour schedules change constantly, so always confirm on each school's official sign-up page. Photo credits are under each photo and on our About page.
Expedia listing: Angad Arts Hotel St. Louis, Tapestry Collection by Hilton (star class and amenities, checked 2026-10-29) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/St-Louis-Hotels-Angad-Arts-Hotel-St-Louis.h27616925.Hotel-Information)
Expedia listing: Hampton Inn & Suites St. Louis at Forest Park (star class and amenities, checked 2026-10-29) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/St-Louis-Hotels-Hampton-Inn-Suites-St-Louis-At-Forest-Park.h1427801.Hotel-Information)
Expedia listing: Red Roof Inn PLUS+ St Louis - Forest Park/Hampton Ave (star class and amenities, checked 2026-10-29) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/St-Louis-Hotels-Red-Roof-Inn-PLUS-St-Louis-Forest-Park-Hampton-Ave.h24411.Hotel-Information)
Expedia listing: The Royal Sonesta Chase Park Plaza St. Louis (star class and amenities, checked 2026-10-29) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/St-Louis-Hotels-The-Chase-Park-Plaza-Royal-Sonesta-St-Louis.h465749.Hotel-Information)
