St. Louisan’s love beer right? It truly is part of our culture. Back when I briefly lived in Soulard, you could smell the various stages of the brewing process at nearly all times. When the wind is blowing just right, I can smell Anheuser-Busch-InBev brewing malt or hops from my Fox Park home.
We have a rich brewing history, and an exciting microbrewery scene.
Heck, according to this guy on TikTok, some St. Louisans even have their own way of saying beer and brewery.
Further, people like sitting outside to drink beer. It’s in our blood and part of our long history.
St. Louis’ Beer Garden History Goes Back 189 Years, Continues Today - Urban Review STL - July, 2012
Schnaider’s Beer Garden - Distilled History - October, 2012
This October, Francis Park in the St. Louis Hills Neighborhood welcomed the Rockwell Beer Garden. This might be the first beer garden in a public park. I have not researched this, however.
We finally had the chance to check this place out on a late Sunday afternoon.
First, this park is a gem of our park system. It has no “through streets” for cars, so it is very calm and quiet without having to dodge traffic and smell the carbon monoxide while finding physical activity or relaxation.
One of our COVID respites was taking the kids to Ted Drewes and sitting on a bench in Francis Park and people watching. Hundreds of people walk this park’s perimeter in all seasons. Its heavy use is a clear asset to the neighborhood.
The park is extremely well cared for, which is likely no accident. Volunteers work hard to keep the park fresh and activated. The park is as clean and tidy as the homes and churches on the surrounding streets.
On this visit, we joined a pickleball group I play with in Forest Park. There are newish pickleball courts and pre-existing tennis courts in Francis Park close to the beer garden, and several folks went on to play a couple games. The beer garden rents out equipment to play this super fun, fast-growing game. It would be great to see lighted courts in the future.
The beer garden has a series of picnic tables and benches near a gas fireplace. There are fans to cool folks down in the summer months and hooks for what I assume are seasonal awnings.
The seating area is illuminated with string lights and the ordering is done in one of those very familiar park buildings the city is blessed with from the past. This particular “comfort station” was built in 1929 and upgraded to offer food service, coffee, baked goods and of course tasty beers.
Let me tell you, I’m thrilled about this experience. I hope more parks can include set ups like this one: Tower Grove Park, Fox Park, Benton Park, Hyde Park, the list could go on and on.
This beer garden is another reason to live here. It really is a draw.
Coffee is offered from Coma Coffee, based in the small suburb of Richmond Heights, MO just outside of St. Louis. There are baked treats from Wisk Bakery, located right on Cherokee Street! Pizza, dips and other light snacks are also available. There was a 60 minute wait on pizza, so no opinions there, other than it looked delicious.
What you have here is a beautiful space, a reason to come to the park and the neighborhood for social gatherings and fun.
But know, it wasn’t an easy road to hoe for Rockwell or the city. Per a Fox 2 Now story, the NIMBYs did their best to fight it. A quote from the Fox story:
“This is just going to bring in elements of hooligans and other people that that will destroy the park,” Francis Park neighbor Nick Riggio said.
I’ve yet to meet a pickleball player or Rockwell beer drinker who would be described as a hooligan. But then again I don’t use the word hooligan or pantaloons or the like. This commenter and I probably disagree on many ideas of what makes a city a city and a park a park. But hey, everyone is entitled to their opinion. NIMBYs are usually obsessed with cars and parking, so it’s odd to add drunks and hooligans into the mix.
Glad the loud NIMBYs were overcome with positivity and support for this new place which I will return for frequent visits.
On our visit, we noticed a lot of kids and dogs…and of course, the golf carts. This phenomena continues, there is even a parking area for carts.
With the holidays right around the corner, there were Christmas lights and projections to build a festive atmosphere.
Ted Drewes, Target and now Rockwell Beer Garden will get us to St. Louis Hills more often. So, to Rockwell and my fellow St. Louisans in St. Louis Hills, thanks for trying out something new and making your neighborhood a place to enjoy for all. I think this will be very successful. Your park just got a little bit better.
