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Short answer: The Soulard Restoration Group calls Soulard one of the oldest neighborhoods in St. Louis, a National Historic District, and says its farmers market is the oldest west of the Mississippi; the group lists Mardi Gras and the Holiday Parlour Tour among its annual events.
How we checked: the Soulard Restoration Group’s own site and Explore St. Louis’s neighborhood page. Claims such as “oldest” and “second largest” are theirs, not independently checked by us. All read on November 3, 2026. Hours, prices, rules, closures and road status change, so check the named agency or business before you rely on them. Anything we could not check is marked Not Confirmed where it appears. General guidance on this page is labelled as general guidance. This is not safety, medical or legal advice; where a safety or legal rule appears, the quoted words are the official source’s own.
At a Glance
What The Sources Say
- NameNamed after Antoine Soulard, a French surveyor who received a land grant from the Spanish government in the 1790s (Soulard Restoration Group).
- ArchitectureFederal, Italianate and Second Empire homes and shotgun houses, in a designated National Historic District (SRG). Explore St. Louis adds red-brick row houses and the rare flounder house style.
- The breweryExplore St. Louis says the Anheuser-Busch brewery’s German Romanesque buildings sit at the other end of Soulard and offer tours; our Brewery Experience page has hours.
Soulard Market
SRG says Julia Soulard donated the land that became Soulard Farmers Market, which it calls the longest-running farmers market in the country and the oldest west of the Mississippi. Explore St. Louis describes fresh meats, herbs, spices, flowers and prepared foods. Hours: see our eat-near page and the City of St. Louis’s own page, because the hours we recorded conflicted.
Things to See
Explore St. Louis lists the farmers market, the Soulard Art Gallery (a nonprofit co-op that says everything shown is for sale), the Anheuser-Busch brewery and many restaurants and bars with courtyards and patios.
Annual Events
Listed by The Soulard Restoration Group
- Mardi GrasSRG says it draws more than 100,000 revelers each year; Explore St. Louis calls it the nation’s second largest Mardi Gras. See our Soulard Mardi Gras guide for the calendar.
- Holiday Parlour TourHistoric Soulard homes decorated for the holidays, with heated shuttles; SRG lists December 5 and 6, 2026 at $55 and says it is a tradition since 1975.
- Others namedBastille Day and Oktoberfest are on the SRG site’s list of annual events; we did not read their pages.
Keep Planning
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Soulard known for?
Its historic row houses, the farmers market, the Anheuser-Busch brewery and Mardi Gras, according to the Soulard Restoration Group and Explore St. Louis.
Who named Soulard?
SRG says it is named after Antoine Soulard, a French surveyor.
What is the Holiday Parlour Tour?
SRG describes it as historic Soulard homes decorated for the holidays, with heated shuttles; it lists $55 for December 5 and 6, 2026.
Sources
- Soulard Restoration Group, read November 3, 2026 (association page)
- Soulard Restoration Group, history and culture, read November 3, 2026
- Explore St. Louis, Soulard, read November 3, 2026 (visitors bureau)
Read on November 3, 2026. How we check: editorial standards; spot a mistake? Tell us.
Cite this page: It's Missouri, “Soulard Visitor Profile: Farmers Market, Row Houses, Mardi Gras”, itsmissouri.com/destinations/soulard-st-louis/ (updated ). By the It's Missouri editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.