The Chain of Rocks Bridge is one of the strangest and most satisfying pieces of old Route 66 around St. Louis. Its mid-river bend, long steel trusses, and views across the Mississippi make it more than a transport relic; it feels like a piece of road history suspended over open water.
The bridge is now for pedestrians and cyclists, so you can take your time with the river, the intake towers, and the industrial edges of north St. Louis. It is out of the central tourist circuit, but worthwhile if Route 66, bridges, or the Mississippi itself are part of why you came.