1. Nerinx Hall High School
City: Webster Groves, MO
Category: Education
Telephone: (314) 968-1505
Address: 530 East Lockwood
Description: Nerinx was founded by the Sisters of Loretto in 1924 as an independent, private Catholic school, and it remains one of the area’s top college-preparatory high schools for women. It is always a major player in athletics, academics, and community services, so getting into the school is quite an accomplishment. Applications to the school, as well as the other Catholic schools in the area, are handled through the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Nerinx’s student body represents all factions of the metropolitan area, and almost 95 percent of the 600 students are Roman Catholic. The school admits about 150 freshmen each year, and applications are submitted during early December of the previous year. Selection to the school is based on the student’s grade-school report cards, standardized testing, and interviews held on campus. Nerinx’s beautiful, tree-lined campus is located adjacent to Webster University in Webster Groves, a St. Louis suburb.
2. Webster University
City: Webster Groves, MO
Category: Education
Telephone: (314) 968-6991
Address: 470 East Lockwood
Description: Webster is a private, independent, nondenominational, comprehensive institution with national and international campus centers. Since its beginnings in 1812, the university has expanded its outreach tremendously and now offers programs to students at 68 sites throughout the United States. In addition to the beautiful, tree-lined “headquarters” in nearby Webster Groves, the university has more than 100 campuses in the U.S. and around the world. Webster instituted its first European campus in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1978, and the university’s flexible, American-style higher education has attracted students of many nationalities. Today there are additional European campuses, in London; Vienna, Austria; and the Netherlands, along with campuses in Bermuda, Shanghai, and Thailand. Webster University has expanded the breadth of its educational offerings to include bachelor’s and master’s degree programs for the School of Business and Technology, College of Fine Arts, School of Education, Barnes College of Nursing and Health Sciences, and the College of Arts and Sciences. There are 13 undergraduate degrees offered, along with nine graduate degrees. The 47-acre St. Louis campus has an enrollment of more than 5,000 students and offers a range of classes for traditional students, adult learners, corporate and military personnel, and international students. Webster’s annual film series is a popular cultural attraction for students and non-students throughout the region.
3. Visiting Nurse Association Hospice Care (Vna)
City: Webster Groves, MO
Category: Health Care
Telephone: (314) 918-7171
Address: 9450 Manchester Road
Description: VNA services numerous hospitals and private nursing facilities throughout the greater St. Louis area and also provides in-home care. The VNA team includes nurses, social workers, home health aides, and members of the clergy, and it even offers follow-up care to help families deal with grief.
4. Webster Groves Family Ymca
City: Webster Groves, MO
Category: Parks & Recreation
Address: 226 East Lockwood
Description: Webster’s facility offers an indoor pool, fitness center with strength training and cardiovascular equipment, free-weight center, aerobics/dance studio, sauna, nursery, locker rooms, and a kids’ gym. There’s also a family changing area, and basketballs, weight belts, and lap counters available to check out. Both the Webster Groves and Kirkwood locations offer summer day camps, nursery care, and Kids Express for children ages two and a half to eight.
5. Cravings
City: Webster Groves, MO
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (314) 961-3534
Address: 8149 Big Bend Boulevard
Description: Cravings is where St. Louisans go when they really want dessert. Oh sure, they serve lunch and dinner, but it’s the desserts that will make the locals get in their cars and head to Webster Groves for something sweet. Specialties include the lime-blueberry bombé (a dome of chewy brownie crust filled with lime, white chocolate mousse, and blueberries), fresh fruit tarts, and layer upon layer of layer cakes. Chocolate lovers will find something to satisfy their cravings as well, with the caramel ganache tart (crust filled with butter pecan caramel and topped with chocolate truffle filling) and the chocolate mousse cake. Call for hours. Closed Sunday and Monday.
6. Bethesda Orchard
City: Webster Groves, MO
Category: Retirement
Telephone: (314) 963-2100
Address: 21 North Old Orchard Avenue
7. Scholarshop
City: Webster Groves, MO
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (314) 961-2525
Address: 7930 Big Bend Boulevard
Description: The ScholarShops are upscale resale shops chock-full of clothing and accessories for men, women, and children. Thanks to the Clayton Road store’s location on the fringe of Ladue, one of St. Louis’s toniest suburbs, it gets a regular influx of high-end castoffs from the area residents. Here you’ll find everything from designer sportswear to formal wear and ball gowns. The shop on Big Bend Boulevard also benefits from its location in the upper middle class suburb of Webster Groves. Proceeds from both of the shops’ sales go to a scholarship foundation for less fortunate students in the area.
8. Daisy Clover
City: Webster Groves, MO
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (314) 962-4477
Address: 8146 Big Bend Boulevard
Description: This boutique’s mantra is “Fashion; the best we can find, in sizes to fit the average woman,” which happens to be misses sizes 2 through 12. Daisy Clover offers a variety of contemporary clothing, accessories, denim, outerwear, and footwear from designers including L.A.M.B., Big Buddha, Lilla P, Seychelles, JW Los Angeles, and Citizens of Humanity. In 2006 the shop was voted Best Women’s Boutique by the readers of St. Louis Magazine. Open daily.
9. Euclid Records
City: Webster Groves, MO
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (314) 961-8978
Address: 601 East Lockwood
Description: For more than 25 years, Euclid Records has filled a niche for music lovers who love nothing better than to spend an afternoon digging through stacks of records for “hidden treasures.” The shop has expanded past its LP days and—in addition to new and used vinyl—now offers more than 6,000 square feet of new and used CDs, DVDs, books, and accessories, and feature rare and out-of-print records. Euclid’s knowledgeable staff can answer almost any music-related question you can ask, and they offer great advice on essentials for your music collection. Open daily.
10. Community Music School Of Webster University
City: Webster Groves, MO
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (314) 968-5939
Address: 470 East Lockwood
Description: The Community Music School of Webster University is a private school for the arts that offers educational programs and performance opportunities in music. Classes are available for all ages and skill levels, and the instructors are professional teachers who also happen to be performing musicians. Individual and group classes are offered at the school, which is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music and a certified member of the National Guild of Community Schools for the Arts.
11. Historic Christopher Hawken House
City: Webster Groves, MO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (314) 968-1857
Address: 1155 South Rock Hill Road
Description: The Hawken House was built in 1857 by Christopher Miller Hawken, a descendant of the Hawken rifle smiths. This elegant Federal/Greek Revival–style farmhouse is maintained and operated by the Webster Groves Historical Society, and it is furnished entirely in the Victorian decor of the 1800s. Closed Monday.