Turn REBarCamp St. Louis into a Family Vacation

So we know you REALLY want to join us for the upcoming RE BarCamp St. Louis.

We understand that it’s hard to get away. You have work obligations. Your family needs you. It’s hard to justify spending money to travel to another city for just a day when your spouse is stuck at home bearing the responsibility of entertaining the kids.

St. Louis is a Great Family Vacation Spot

The St. Louis Real Estate BarCamp is a great opportunity to schedule a short vacation for the whole family.
See more City Museum pictures

Spend the weekend enjoying the city as a family, then join us for a day of learning and networking while your spouse and kids spend the day at the St. Louis Zoo. If you need a way to get to the event while your spouse takes off with the car for the day, I’m sure we can find someone to give you a ride.

St. Louis is a terrific family vacation spot because so many of the venues are free or very low cost.

Top Family Attractions in St. Louis:

In no particular order…

1. Saint Louis Zoo
Location: Forest Park (map)
Cost: Free
One of the very best zoos in the country, and free too!

2. Butterfly House
Location: Chesterfield (map)
Cost: $6 Adults, $4 ages 4-12, $4.50 ages 65+, free for children 3 & under
There is also a carousel at this same park.

3. Science Center
Location: South of Forest Park plus bridge over highway connects to Planetarium inside Forest Park (map)
Cost: General admission is free, special exhibits range from $3-9 for adults, all day parking in lot $9
Probably better for older kids.

4. Magic House
Location: Kirkwood (map)
Cost: $8.75 for ages 1 & above
Hands on children’s museum that is very fun for all ages. The original part of the museum is built in a historic home, with many additions to accommodate all of the new exhibits.

5. City Museum
Location: Downtown (map)
Cost: $12 (ages 3 & above), World Aquarium is additional fee of $6 & Rooftop is additional fee of $5, Friday & Saturdays after 5 pm $10
This is a one of a kind ‘museum’ that is more playground than anything else. If you have time for only one attraction, this would be my pick. It’s open until 1 am on Friday and Saturday nights, and even has a small bar inside for adult beverages. This would make a great place to hang out with the family after dinner…but make sure everyone wears tennis shoes. You’ll need them!

6. Boathouse Forest Park
Location: Forest Park (map)
Cost: Paddle boats & kayaks $15/hour, rowboats $20/hour (paddle boats & rowboats seat 4 adults)
Great way to spend an hour before grabbing some grub at the Boathouse restaurant.

7. Six Flags
Location: Eureka (map)
Cost: $31 online purchase, $39.99 adults, $31 children under 48″ tall, ages 2 & under free, parking $15
Admission includes a water park too.

8. St. Louis Arch
Location: Downtown (map)
Cost: Tram tickets $10 for adults, $5 ages 3-15, museum exhibits are free
If you’ve never been to St. Louis, you should at least do a drive by. Rides to the top are not recommended for those who are claustrophobic…the trams are tiny.

9. Citygarden
Location: Downtown (map)
Cost: Free
This could be a quick stop on the way to the Arch.

10. Grant’s Farm
Location: South County (map)
Cost: Free admission, parking $11 per vehicle
Home of the Anheuser Busch Clydesdales (horses).

Need to do more planning…see more free summer events in St. Louis, or my complete list of the top 52 attractions in St. Louis.

I’m not a tax account, but I think you might even be able to write off much of the trip too (disclaimer: I am not a tax professional. You need to contact your tax professional regarding tax benefits of combining your family vacation with RE BarCamp St. Louis).

How Many Miles will You Drive?

So the upcoming Real Estate BarCamp IS being held in the St. Louis metro area. Actually the event will take place just outside St. Louis across the Missouri River in St. Charles County. But don’t think that this event is just for St. Louis agents, or that it is even just for Missouri agents.

I think we should have a contest to see who will come the farthest to attend.

Maybe we can get a sponsor to come up with a great prize for the out of town attendee who covers the most miles to join us.

With so many cities in easy driving distance, let’s make this a regional event.

According to Driving Time Between Cities, it doesn’t take all that long to get to St. Louis from a bunch of cities:

• Columbia, MO – 102 miles (1 hr, 47 minutes)
• Kansas City, MO – 225 miles (3 hrs, 45 minutes)
• Springfield, MO – 221 miles (3 hrs, 50 minutes)
• Topeka, KS – 288 miles (4 hrs, 43 minutes)
• Springfield, IL – 112 miles (1 hr, 57 minutes)
• Peoria, IL – 184 miles (3 hrs, 11 minutes)
• Chicago, IL – 310 miles (5 hours, 7 minutes)
• Memphis, TN – 296 miles (4 hrs, 49 minutes)
• Nashville, TN – 323 miles (5 hrs 30 minutes)
• Indianapolis, IN – 257  miles (4 hrs, 28 minutes)
• Des Moines, IA – 326 miles (5 hrs, 47 minutes)

With so few BarCamp events in the midwest, attending is a rare opportunity to learn and share and network. Tickets are limited…sign up TODAY.

What could you offer as a prize to someone coming from Nashville or Chicago or even Phoenix?!

Why Should You Sponsor?

If you are a technology provider or company, there is a huge untapped market in the Midwest. Our region gets so little attention from industry technology providers. You have a rare opportunity at the St. Louis Real Estate BarCamp to get in front of agents eager to soak up new technology to use in their business.

Can’t attend?

We’ll still make sure you get lots of links, signage and kudos for sponsoring.

The opportunities for non-technology company sponsors are great too.

Think about it.

In most industries there are a handful of company bigwigs who get to decide if they will buy your products. But real estate is different. Every agent is on their own to find the best products for their business and clients.

What a wonderful opportunity for restaurants, photographers, lenders, title companies, gift providers, office supply companies, cell phone companies, iPad sellers…you get the idea.

Want more info about sponsoring?

For more information, send a twitter direct message Eric Stegemann (@EricStegemann), Jessica Hickok (@SugarCube) or Karen Goodman (@karenstl). Or simply leave a comment and we’ll get in touch!

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