Soulard, immediately south of downtown, is the oldest neighbourhood in St Louis — a dense grid of brick rowhouses surrounding the Soulard Farmers Market, which has operated continuously since 1779. The neighbourhood was settled by French Creoles, then by German and Bohemian immigrants drawn to the breweries — Anheuser-Busch is still based here, and the brewery complex defines the southern edge of the district.
In recent decades Soulard has become the city's main bar district — sports bars, blues clubs, jazz venues, and craft cocktail lounges clustered along South Broadway and 9th Street. The annual Mardi Gras celebration in February is the second-largest in the country. Stick to the western and central parts after dark; some peripheral blocks remain rough.