Dea Hoover

Author, tour company operator and lifelong Missouri native Dea Hoover has spent more than 20 years exploring and sharing the world with others. Leading tours to all 6 inhabited continents and within the US from as far south as Key West, Florida to as far north as Fairbanks, Alaska, she knows a thing or two about experiencing the best of any destination. In her new book, "STL Scavenger: The Ultimate Guide to St. Louis's Hidden Treasures" (Reedy Press, 2021) she has gathered and gamified her extensive local knowledge to provide an entertaining and educational means of interacting with local sites, history and little-known facts about the area. Dea is the owner and operator of two well-known local tour companies (Discover St. Louis and Are We There Yet?). She has been featured in newspaper, radio, magazine and on television, including The History Channel’s “The States.” She is past President of the St. Louis Professional Tour Guide Association and also served on the tour guide certification committee for the PTGA. Dea is currently a board member and Vice-President of The Hill Business Association and Secretary of the County Credit Union Board. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a minor in English from Washington University in St. Louis and completed the Dale Carnegie Public Speaking course at 16. Her childhood was spent in her parents’ Main Street Firestone Tire and Appliance business. Her pride and joy as a teenager was her 1965 Limited Edition Mustang and for Firestone fans she says she is gum-dipped. Today Dea resides in The Hill neighborhood of St. Louis, considered America’s last Little Italy, with her husband and partner in tourism and rhyme, Declan. They have visited 6 continents together with Antarctica next on the itinerary!