Posted by Dawn Griffin
Things To Do in Kirkwood, MO (Plus New Businesses to Know)
There’s no shortage of things to do in Kirkwood, MO right now, and the downtown you’re headed to for all of it looks a little different than it did last year. If you’ve driven through lately, you’ve probably noticed it — the corner at Argonne and Clay looks different, the block on Woodbine has a moving truck outside it, and Station Plaza is once again filling up with folding chairs on Thursday nights.
Whether you’re a longtime Kirkwood resident, thinking about becoming one, or just love this walkable little downtown as much as I do, here’s your full calendar for late summer into fall, plus the new shops and restaurants opening around it.
Things To Do in Kirkwood, MO
Thursday Nights at Station Plaza
The Downtown Kirkwood Summer Concert Series runs 6:30–9 p.m. at Kirkwood Station Plaza, free and open to everyone. The late-summer lineup includes Lost Dog on Aug. 20, Mike Mattingly’s Music for Wishes (a benefit for Make-A-Wish Missouri & Kansas) on Aug. 27, The Dog’s Breakfast on Sept. 3, the Kevin Babb Trio on Sept. 10, and Captain Bulkhead and the Portholes closing it out on Sept. 17. Bring a chair.
Making Music in Kirkwood Park
A quieter, smaller-scale concert series happens select Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. at the Lions’ Amphitheater in Kirkwood Park, running through August. Making Music in Kirkwood Park is free, walkable, and a nice alternative if Station Plaza gets too crowded for your taste.
The Farmers’ Market turns 50
Kirkwood’s Farmers’ Market opened for its 2026 season back in April, marking fifty years since the city founded it as a bicentennial project. If you’ve lived here a while, chances are your entire adult summer routine has revolved around it. Two things to plan around this fall: Tunes @ Ten brings live music to the market Saturday mornings through September, and the Night Market on Argonne — the evening version with extended vendors and music — wraps the season on Sept. 25 from 4:30–8 p.m.
The September Pileup
Mark your calendars now, because the back half of September is stacked. The Kirkwood Greentree Festival takes over Kirkwood Park Sept. 18–20, with the parade stepping off at 10 a.m. on the 19th from Kirkwood High School. The same weekend, Stages St. Louis opens Come From Away at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center, running through mid-October. And the following Friday brings the Night Market on Argonne — arguably the single best night all year to run into everyone you know downtown.
The Train Station Comes Home
The single biggest thing to do in Kirkwood this September isn’t a festival or a concert — it’s watching the historic Kirkwood Train Station reopen. The 133-year-old station, built in 1893 and last renovated in 1985, has been undergoing a $5.7 million restoration for the past year, and a grand reopening is set for Sept. 15. The work includes a new slate and copper roof, a rail platform roof extended to match its 1941 footprint, a new four-season public courtyard, geothermal heating and cooling, and public restrooms that finally replace the two single stalls that served the station for decades. There’s also new seating, public internet, and the station will be available for event rental going forward. Kirkwood is now the second-busiest Amtrak stop in Missouri, with roughly 60 trains passing through daily. As Mayor Liz Gibbons put it, the station is Kirkwood’s civic identity — it’s literally on the city logo. If you haven’t been inside since the renovation started, Sept. 15 is the day to go see it for yourself.
New Businesses in Kirkwood Worth Knowing About
Fox’s Finest, Meats, Seafood & Marketplace
159 W. Argonne | website | @foxsfineststl
Father-son duo Kevin and Luke Beattie, both lifelong Kirkwood residents, are opening a butcher shop, seafood counter, and gourmet grocer all under one roof, right across from 4 Hands + Peacemaker. The space leans into the building’s roots as a neighborhood general store dating back to 1875. With a U-shaped service counter, a wine nook built from reclaimed century-old wood, and a sampling philosophy that sounds almost dangerously generous — think recipe cards paired with tastings of everything from wagyu beef to housemade sauces. This is the kind of shop that makes weeknight cooking feel a little more special, and it’s opening right in the heart of downtown.
Ivy on Monroe
132 E. Monroe, Ste. A | @ivycafe.clayton
Opening late September, this all-day café and evening wine bar comes from Julie Blackerby. She’s expanding her beloved Clayton concept into the ground floor of the new Aria condo building. It’s located directly across from the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center. Picture floor-to-ceiling glass, a skylit dining room, and greenery spilling from the windows. It will seat 75 inside and 50 more on the patio. Mornings and afternoons bring housemade pastries and sourdough tartines. Evenings shift into small plates, many served on pottery Blackerby throws herself. Kirkwood gets the bonus of a Sunday dinner service the Clayton location doesn’t have.
Lona’s Lil Eats
612 W. Woodbine | @lonaslileats
One of the city’s most celebrated restaurants is putting down a second set of roots in Kirkwood. Owners Lona Luo Powers and Pierce Powers III — whose Fox Park original has earned three consecutive James Beard semifinalist nods — closed on the former 612 Kitchen & Cocktails building. It is just a block from STLCC–Meramec. The space is bigger than they need, so keep an eye out. They’re hoping to bring in a complementary neighbor, possibly a coffee shop or wellness concept, to share the block with them.
Lander Haus Mercantile
104 N. Clay | @landerhausmercantile
Tucked into a courtyard building near the historic Kirkwood Train Station, this new lifestyle shop is the work of St. Louis native Brittney Flamm. Her aesthetic is Western-inspired. It’s road-trip romantic, full of natural fibers and it shapes every inch of the 900-square-foot space. Expect relaxed, well-made clothing from brands like Rails and Faherty. You will find a vintage rack curated by her best friend. There is a home goods section featuring Four Hands furniture and antique finds sourced from around the country. It’s a genuinely personal shop in the best way, and worth a slow browse.
Why It’s Worth Paying Attention
None of this is why most people bought their Kirkwood home in the first place. That was probably the schools, the tree-lined streets, the fact that downtown actually feels like a downtown. But it’s exactly why these openings matter: they’re not turning Kirkwood into somewhere new, they’re adding stops to the routines you already have. A Saturday market run that now ends with a stop at Fox’s Finest. A Thursday concert that starts with dinner at Lona’s. A fall opening night at KPAC followed by a nightcap at Ivy.
If you’re curious how all this growth is shaping what buyers are asking about at showings — or you’re wondering what your own Kirkwood home might be worth in a downtown that keeps expanding around it — I’d love to talk it through with you. Reach out anytime.
Frequently Asked Questions About Things To Do in Kirkwood, MO
What are the best things to do in Kirkwood, MO this fall?
Fall in Kirkwood centers on downtown: the Downtown Kirkwood Summer Concert Series at Station Plaza on Thursday evenings through mid-September, Tunes @ Ten and the Night Market on Argonne at the Farmers’ Market, the Kirkwood Greentree Festival Sept. 18–20, and the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center’s fall opening of “Come From Away.”
Are the Kirkwood Station Plaza concerts free?
Yes. The Downtown Kirkwood Summer Concert Series at Station Plaza is free and open to the public, sponsored by local downtown businesses, and runs Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
What is the Kirkwood Greentree Festival?
The Kirkwood Greentree Festival is an annual three-day community festival at Kirkwood Park, held Sept. 18–20, featuring music, an arts and crafts area, kids’ games, a Sunday car show, and a parade that begins at 10 a.m. on Sept. 19 at Kirkwood High School.
When is the Kirkwood Farmers’ Market Night Market?
The Night Market on Argonne, the evening-hours version of the Kirkwood Farmers’ Market with live music and extended vendor hours, closes out the 2026 season on Sept. 25 from 4:30 to 8 p.m.
What new businesses are opening in Kirkwood, MO right now?
Four notable openings are underway: Fox’s Finest Meats, Seafood & Marketplace on West Argonne, a second location of Lona’s Lil Eats on West Woodbine, Ivy on Monroe (a café and wine bar opening late September across from the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center), and Lander Haus Mercantile, a new lifestyle and apparel shop near the Kirkwood Train Station.
Is downtown Kirkwood walkable?
Yes. Downtown Kirkwood is built around the historic Kirkwood Train Station and Station Plaza, with the Farmers’ Market, restaurants, shops, and the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center all within a short walk of each other, a radius that keeps growing as new businesses open around it.
When does the historic Kirkwood Train Station reopen?
The Kirkwood Train Station’s grand reopening is set for Sept. 15, following a $5.7 million renovation that included a new roof, an extended rail platform, a public courtyard, geothermal heating and cooling, and new public restrooms.
Is the Kirkwood Train Station available for events?
Yes. As part of the renovation, the historic Kirkwood Train Station will be available for event rental, alongside new seating and public internet access for visitors.
