St. Louis, the Gateway City, teems with memory-making attractions that will appeal to kids of all ages as well as their parents. The best part: Many are free.
Gateway Arch and downtown
A trip to St. Louis would not be complete without a stop at the 630-foot Gateway Arch. Even though the Arch and its grounds are currently undergoing renovation, the tram to the top of the monument, which offers a panoramic view of the city and the Mississippi River, remains open. Stop at the base of the Arch for a family photo before you venture to other downtown attractions. (Note that the Museum of Westward Expansion, located underground at the Arch grounds, may be closed for renovation during summer 2014.)
Youngsters will love downtown’s Citygarden, especially its massive spray plaza. The free two-block sculpture garden, vibrant as well as soothing, combines renowned sculpture with spectacular landscaping featuring native trees and plants. Stroll through the grounds; then rest in the shade while the kids explore and get wet.
Don’t let the simple name fool you. Downtown’s City Museum takes visitors on a dizzying tour that includes such not-to-be-forgotten exhibits as The World’s Largest Pencil, the Privy Museum and the Shoelace Factory. Kids will be captivated by seven-story and 10-story spiral slides. It’s almost impossible not to have fun in the 600,000-square-foot former shoe factory. That goes for adults as well as children.
Forest Park
The city’s beloved urban oasis is the perfect place to start a St. Louis visit. And the best place to begin an exploration of Forest Park is the world-class Saint Louis Zoo. Beautifully landscaped and tastefully arranged, the zoo is free. Fees are charged for a few attractions, including the Sea Lion Show and the Emerson Children’s Zoo, but rest assured that the main part of the zoo will keep your family entertained for many hours. New exhibits in 2014 are the Sun Bear Forest, Andean Bear Range and Painted Dog Preserve. No matter where you roam at the Saint Louis Zoo, expect to see animals at close range.
Forest Park is also home to the Saint Louis Science Center. The science center has free general admission, and its 700-plus exhibits will capture the curiosity of kids and adults alike. Younger children will especially enjoy uncovering dinosaur bones at an interactive dig site, watching a tornado form and experiencing an earthquake. Older kids may want to build and program a Lego® Mindstorms® robot. The whole family will marvel at a lifelike Tyrannosaurus rex.
The venerable Saint Louis Art Museum is another Forest Park freebie; so is the thought-provoking Missouri History Museum. If you want to leisurely survey the 1,293-acre park, rent bicycles for the whole family or rent a paddleboat and navigate the lagoon. Be sure to drift a little at Grand Basin and take in the breathtaking hilltop view of the art museum and the statue of France’s King Louis IX, for whom the city is named.
Botanical Garden and more
Missouri Botanical Garden is another family favorite in St. Louis and one of the city’s brightest jewels. Young and old will appreciate features such as the world’s first geodesic-domed greenhouse, a plant maze, and a Japanese strolling garden, where visitors can feed large, colorful koi. The Doris I. Schnuck Children’s Garden offers hands-on learning about nature, plants and sustainability.
St. Louis’ Magic House turns learning into a magical experience. This nationally recognized children’s museum dubs itself a “special place where families can explore, pretend, discover, experience, play, construct and create together.” Kids will never forget touching an electrically charged ball that makes their hair stand on end, surrounding themselves with big bubbles and crawling through an earthworm tunnel. And that’s just for starters.
Climbing aboard a giant locomotive—and pulling the cord to ring its bell—is another adventure available in St. Louis, this one at the Museum of Transportation. The museum’s transportation collection, which the Smithsonian Institution calls “one of the largest and best,” includes trains, streetcars, horse-drawn vehicles, a riverboat, automobiles and airplanes. No matter if you measure three feet or six feet, you’ll feel like an ant when you walk among the Museum of Transportation’s 70 locomotives.
Grant’s Farm, ancestral residence of the Busch family (think Anheuser-Busch brewery), features quaint 19th-century German farm buildings; informative, entertaining animal shows; and tram rides through a wooded area that is home to rare wild animals. Admission to Grant’s Farm is free, although there is a parking fee.
Six Flags
End your family’s St. Louis vacation with a bang by visiting Six Flags St. Louis. The theme park’s new Tsunami Soaker, which arms riders with giant water pistols as they spin around in six-passenger boats, is just the thing for a warm summer day. Everyone, even onlookers, gets wet. Your whole group can fit into a covered gondola and ride the 180-foot Ferris wheel; the fearless in your family will want to experience Batman The Ride, where you’ll overturn many times in an almost-3,000-foot-long spiraling, looping track. If you have young children, head for Bugs Bunny National Park, where rides include Yosemite Sam Tugboat Tailspin and Elmer Fudd Weather Balloons.
Find more information about St. Louis, including places to stay, at explorestlouis.com.
Barbara Carrow is a freelance writer who specializes in parenting issues and travel.
