It’s February – the month where romance brings couples closer, cupid’s arrow strikes for lucky singles, gal pals play Galentine’s games, and winter fun abounds. Padel, the new craze on the courts is taking the world by storm, much like pickleball did. With many similarities, padel is faster. It's a mix between tennis and squash with the competitive energy of a 100-meter dash. And it’s the perfect sport to bring people together during these frigid winter days in St. Louis and beyond for Valentine’s Day. Find out how.

Sophisticated Living was thrilled to have a front-row seat at this past Paris Fashion Week as Moda Productions staged a group SS26 runway of independent designers. This ode to the future of fashion was a reflection of the creative world Moda intends to build across Europe’s fashion capitals. Strut with us across the catwalk with us into the world of luxury fashion.

It's love month in the Lou! Whether you're going on a date night, celebrating Galentine's, planning an office outing or enjoying a friends and family parties, these Valentine's events and activities offer something special to warm everyone's heart during February 2026.

Zookeeper Carolyn Mueller Kelly is the author of several books on St. Louis and Missouri, from their history to their natural wonders. She has spent the last two decades working at the Saint Louis Zoo and learning everything she possibly can about animals. Her new book, Amazing Missouri Animals, introduces readers, young and old alike, to the weird and wonderful wildlife of our state.

Valentine’s Day 2026 falls on a Saturday this year. All weekend long, romance will be in the air. Lovers will be in search of romantic spots where Cupid’s arrow pierces the heart of their paramours because they chose a place where discriminating palates marry distinctive atmospheres. Here are some of those places.

Red wine is a cornerstone of any Valentine’s Day celebration, setting the mood for romantic dinners, heartfelt toasts, and moments meant to be lingered over. Elegant, personal, and timeless, wine is the perfect gift for expressing love. This Valentine’s Day, Aperture Cellars offers a curated selection of Cabernet Sauvignons designed to elevate the occasion. Aperture Cellars wine pairings are sure to make Valentine’s Day and the entire season of love flow with delicious liquid reds.

The Royal Sonesta Chase Park Plaza is offering couples an evening of timeless romance this February. Valentine's Day offerings at the historic, luxury hotel live up to the elegance and sophistication which are the hallmark of the storied St. Louis treasure. Treat your significant other like royalty this Valentine’s Day with a refined romantic dinner at The Preston. Extend your experience with the choice of two overnight packages where every detail is thoughtfully curated for an unforgettable escape for the season of love. Details here.

Previously scheduled for January 24, the free, family-friendly event will instead take place on January 31, 2026, featuring a day of fun with more than 40 ice sculptures, live performances and a drone show in the heart of the Delmar Loop.

Red Gate Gallery presents two concurrent exhibitions—Spirit of the Trees and Coming of Age in 2026: A Counterstory—with a free, open-to-the-public reception from 5–7 pm on Friday, January 30, 2026. Together, the exhibitions bring professional artists and middle school students into conversation around identity, ecology, and collective care. The Coming of Age Exhibit runs through February 2nd. The Spirit of the Trees exhibit runs through April 12th.

Ireland will be at the epicenter of the world golf stage when the 2027 Ryder Cup comes to Adare Manor in County Limerick, Ireland from September 13-19, 2026. Adare Manor's manicured greens are the sole attraction. Adare Manor, named after the adjacent storybook village, is actually an opulent family manor house. It sits on an 842-acre parcel of land (just one acre shy of Central Park) with a settlement history dating back to the 12th century. Travel with us to the Emerald Isle to the updated resort.

As Valentine’s Day 2026 fast approaches next month, newly appointed general manager Joey Kelly is poised to create an unparalleled experience at Ruth’s Chris Steak House for couples and singles alike for the season of love. Since Valentine’s Day falls on a Saturday this year, the storied restaurant is celebrating all week and weekend. Singles, gal pals, friends and lovers alike are expected at Ruth’s Chris Chesterfield in the expert hands of Joey and his team.

SOPHI Award 2025 Finalist in the kitchen design category, Faith Berger is a multidisciplinary artist, interior designer, and writer whose work bridges fine art, bespoke design, and community engagement. Known for her expressive, layered paintings and refined sense of spatial storytelling, Berger’s work embodies an effortless dialogue between texture, emotion, and timeless design. Experience some of her impressive body of work here.

Even if you’re not Catholic, perhaps you have driven down Lindell and seen one of St. Louis’ most unique edifices, The Cathedral Baslica. Also known as the Saint Louis Cathedral or the New Cathedral, it is a Catholic cathedral in the Central West End that was completed in 1914. In his new book published by Reedy Press, author John Gunther explores this glorious addition to the landscape of St. Louis — its history, architecture, and significance.

Operation Food Search is fighting an uphill battle to resolve food insecurity. The statistic is staggering: Nearly one in three children in the city of St. Louis doesn't know where their next meal is coming from. Leading the charge to make a dent in the hunger crisis, Operation Food Search is pushing beyond the traditional food bank model to tackle hunger with both urgency and innovation.

A development called Container on Vessel could dramatically change the volume of the area’s river traffic. Instead of shipping products from Asia to Los Angeles or New York and trucking them across the country, products can be unloaded at Gulf ports and put on specially designed vessels and bring them up the Mississippi to St. Louis. The project could take an already thriving port system to the next level. The all-water north-south trade lane that connects the Midwest to the lower Mississippi River from there goes to worldwide destinations.

This January, The St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum opened Resilience–A Sansei Sense of Legacy. Told from the point of view of Sansei (third generation) Japanese Americans, the retrospective is an exhibition of eight artists whose work reflects on the effect of EO9066, where President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered the forced imprisonment of all Japanese Americans living on the west coast of the United States, and the effect on subsequent generations. The exhibit is timely and of significance in present day America. The exhibition will run through April 4, 2026.

This January, Clementine’s Ice Creamery celebrates Veganuary, a global movement that encourages people to explore a plant-based lifestyle during the first month of the year. Whether guests go fully vegan or want to make more mindful choices, Veganuary is all about discovering delicious swaps that don't sacrifice flavor.  All month long, Clementine's Ice Cream will be unveiling new, vibrant dairy-free flavors. From refreshing sorbets to luxuriously creamy coconut-based scoops, there will be something to please every palate! 

For more than 40 years, a woman harbored a quiet dream about a piece of property in Huntleigh. She was in her 20’s when the yen began; by the time she was in her 60’s the dream became a reality. She and her husband closed on the desired four acre property in 2019 and found themselves standing at the threshold of creating something extraordinary. With the help of architect William D. Cover and interior designer Ken Stückenschneider, they realized a home in the St. Louis suburbs on land that overlooks rolling meadows and old polo fields that feels both brand new and at the same time as though it's been standing for a century. The new residence was well worth the 40-year wait for a dream realized. Learn more.

Chamber Project St. Louis kicks off the new year with DANCE BREAK: Fancy Footwork, an energetic, rhythm-driven chamber music program inspired by dance traditions from around the world. The concert takes place Sunday, January 18 in the Club Room (upstairs) at the Schlafly Tap Room, offering audiences an intimate, upbeat musical experience paired with great local beer and good company. A second performance featuring the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) Dancers will take place at the university’s Dunham Hall on Wednesday, January 28th.

Happy New Year, connoisseurs of fine wines. Throughout 2026, we will sharing with you recent wine discoveries of globetrotting wine expert Vicki Denig. She will feature five recent standouts in each issue. As a wine and travel journalist, as well as a Certified Specialist of Wine, based between New York and Paris, she will detail the history and nuances of the vintages and let you know why you might want these gems in your cellar. Bonjour!

Recently, Kenny Scharf — one of the luminaries of New York’s 1980s East Village art explosion and a close contemporary of Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol — touched down in Midtown to paint a new mural for the Kranzberg Arts Foundation. For a few electrifying days, the alleyways behind Washington Avenue were transformed into something resembling a 1980s downtown NYC studio. Scharf called the mural “Kranzbergville For EVA” — forever, infinite, ever-expanding. Come with us as he creates this enduring work of art which will be seen forever on an edifice in St. Louis.

For decades, Bissinger’s — one of the oldest names in American confectionery — and the Abel family’s Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Company have been guardians of that craft. Today, they’re doing something harder: translating hand-made heritage into modern growth, with a bold expansion plan that plants the St. Louis chocolate story in two of America’s most competitive arenas — Nashville and New York City. Hit the sweet spot by reading the whole story and seeing the treats that made them a household name.

As soon as the final bottle of champagne is popped on New Year’s Eve, more and more people are hitting the reset button on the booze and skip it New Year’s Day — in fact for all of January. Dry January is a popular New Year's resolution that started out as a short term detox whose purpose was to undo the excesses and indulgences of the holiday season. Today, for a number of reasons, although the month is cold, Dry January is hot. Everywhere you look it is trending with multitudinous ways do what alcohol helps most people do — unwind, connect with others, and have fun. Here we explore the trend that is catching fire.

As 2026 dawns, 5,280 circular Waterford crystal discs will fall from the sky on the ball in Times Square. Like fine Waterford crystal, 2026 rings in the fourteenth year that Sophisticated Living St. Louis has brought you the finest. Get a sampling here of what 2026 has to offer in the pages of the January/February issue of St. Louis’ leading luxury lifestyle magazine.

Say goodbye to 2025 and hello to a brand new year with this selection of family-friendly and grown-up special events throughout St. Louis. From West County to the Downtown St. Louis folks will be ringing in 2026 in style. Whether you’ve got little ones who want to celebrate at 12pm or you want to party till 12am, we’ve curated a list of special ways to do it. Happy New Year, everyone. May it be the best year yet.

The recent release of St. Louis Parks, 2nd Edition by NiNi Harris and Esley Hamilton is an exploration of how dedicated green spaces in the St. Louis have flourished and spread throughout the region since its founding. St. Louisans are rich with the gifts they have inherited from their civic ancestors. Foremost among these gifts are the public parks—city parks, county parks, state parks, and the Gateway Arch National Park. Although it is winter, the parks are still thriving with activity. Take a trip here.

The age-old question is here next week — What is there to do in St. Louis between Christmas and New Year’s?? What is there to do for winter break?? We’ve pulled together a mix of can’t-miss St. Louis activities perfect for families, students home from school, and anyone looking for indoor activities to escape the cold. Here’s a list of fun things to do for Winter Break 2025.

Missouri is now entering its third year of adult-use cannabis, joining a growing list of states where legal access has reshaped how people connect and celebrate. Cannabis is no longer relegated to counterculture – it’s become a modern lifestyle choice, embraced by professionals and wellness-minded consumers alike. No longer does holiday entertaining only revolve around a familiar ritual: a cocktail poured, a wine uncorked, a toast raised. Today, those celebrations are evolving. Cannabis continues its steady move into the mainstream, edibles and tinctures are emerging as a sophisticated, intentional alternative for adults 21 and over.

Just in time for Hanukkah 2025, the St. Louis Jewish Community Center (the J) successfully hosted it’s annual J’la gala at the Factory in Chesterfield, with a record-breaking 550 guests and over $600,000 raised. The gala honored Jane Tzinberg Rubin for decades of service on both the St Louis and North American JCC Boards, and Ken Rubin for his leadership role with local organizations the support the St Louis J. 

2026 is on the horizon, and many high-end St. Louis destinations will help you ring in the new year in style. From all-inclusive events, to sit-down prix fixe menu experiences, celebrate New Year’s Eve & Day with Champagne toasts, raw bars, prix fixe menus, and more at places ranging from the glamorous Ritz Carlton’s Lobby Lounge, to None of the Above, the speakeasy-style cocktail lounge located underground at City Foundry STL.