u/Filldoh

Hello I'm trying to take my family(wife 2 kids 10 and 14) on a trip to see some of Midwest. We are from the south, and are planning on flying into Chicago then renting a car and going to St. Louis. The main things we want to see in St. Louis is a Cardinals game since I'm a big Baseball fan, go to the zoo, and generally just explore the downtown areas. We're looking at staying three nights in St. Louis, before heading out to Louisville. My questions are do I need a car for St. Louis? Is it better to drive from Chicago or take a train?