Giant Squid, St. Louis Zoo

Giant Squid suspended at St. Louis Zoo; (c) Soul Of America

St. Louis Family Attractions

Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
DESCRIPTION: The park is a memorial to President Thomas Jefferson’s role expanding America’s taking of the West, as memorialized by the Gateway Arch to Anglo-Americans pioneers who changed the history of the West, and to Dred Scott who sued for his freedom in the Old Courthouse adjacent to the park. It includes the Museum of Westward Expansion. Visitors to the Gateway Arch must pass through a security checkpoint before entering.
DAYS & HOURS: Gateway Arch and Museum of Westward Expansion open daily 9a-6p
ADDRESS: 1 North 4th Street, St. Louis, MO MAP
PHONE: 314-655-1700‎
WEBSITE: http://www.nps.gov/jeff

Busch Stadium
DESCRIPTION: Opened 2006, this grand retro-style stadium seats 46,800 fans, hosts the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team and has more concession stands and restrooms than you can shake a stick at; Tours depart from Gate 5, daily.
BOX OFFICE: during normal business hours and until Cardinals game time
DAYS & HOURS: daily tours 9:30a, 11a, 12:30p and 2p except during home day games or other special events
ADDRESS: 420 South 8th Street, St. Louis, MO MAP
TRANSIT: MetroLink Stadium Station
PARKING: garages and paid lots nearby
PHONE: 314-345-9000
WEBSITE: http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com

St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum
DESCRIPTION: Located in Ballpark Village, across the street from Busch Stadium
ADMISSION: Adult $12, Seniors $10, Age 15 and under $8, Age 3 and under Free
DAYS & HOURS: daily 10a-8p
ADDRESS: Ballpark Village across from Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO MAP
RAPID TRANSIT: MetroLink Stadium Station
PARKING: garages and paid lots nearby
PHONE: 314-345-9600
WEBSITE: St. Louis Hall of Fame

City Museum
DESCRIPTION: Opened in 1997 and housed in the 600,000 square-foot former International Shoe Company, artist Bob Cassilly and a crew of 20 artisans have constructed an eclectic mixture of children’s playground, carnival fun house, and an architectural mishmash of found objects and reclaimed building materials. The museum boasts features such as old chimneys, salvaged bridges, construction cranes, and abandoned planes in attractions such as Enchanted Caves, MonstroCity, Cabin Inn. The ever-popular museum of Mirth, Mystery and Mayhem delight. Avoid being slowed as you explore the museum, you can drop your bulky, burdensome bag or winter-storm worthy coat at City Museum’s Store 4 Coat Check.
ADMISSION: modest fee for age 3 and up
DAYS & HOURS: Sun 11a-5p, Wed-Thu 9a-5p, Fri 9a-1a, Sat 10a-1a
ADDRESS: 701 North 15th Street, St. Louis, MO MAP
RAPID TRANSIT: MetroLink Convention Center Station
PARKING: Car and van parking $5 in the lot at 16th & Delmar Blvd
PHONE: 314-231-2489
WEBSITE: http://www.citymuseum.org

Edward Jones Dome
DESCRIPTION: Opened in 1995 as the home of the former NFL St. Louis Rams, he building has hosted major conventions, NCAA Final Four basketball, religious convocations, trade shows, concerts, motocross races and monster truck rallies. It was the site of the 1999 Mass celebrated by Pope John Paul II. The stadium seats up to 65,000 people during football games.
BOX OFFICE: during normal business hours and until Rams game time
DAYS & HOURS: varies by football games and special events
ADDRESS: 701 Convention Plaza, St. Louis, MO MAP
RAPID TRANSIT: MetroLink Convention Center Station
PARKING: garage and lot on Seventh Street between Washington Avenue and Convention Plaza
PHONE: 314-342-5201
WEBSITE: http://www.edwardjonesdome.org

Forest Park
DESCRIPTION: As one of America’s great urban parks, it features as many attractions as Central Park in New York in its 1,300 landscaped acres. In 1904, the Louisiana Purchase Exposition and World’s Fair drew more than 19 million visitors to Forest Park. Widely considered to be one of America’s great urban parks, it contains the St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis Zoo, St. Louis Science Center and planetarium, St. Louis History Museum, Missouri River Aquarium, Jewel Box Greenhouse, a golf course, tennis courts, baseball and soccer fields, a 7.5-mile biking, jogging and skating trail, Steinberg Ice Rink, three lakes and a boathouse. A Shuttle Bug conveniently travels throughout the park.
ADDRESS: bounded by I-64 Freeway, Kingshighway Blvd, Lindell Blvd and Skinker Blvd, St. Louis, MO MAP
WEBSITE: http://www.slfp.com

St. Louis Zoo
DESCRIPTION: Considered one of America’s Top zoos; the 6 major Zoo zones occupying 90 acres are breathtaking in their scope and sublime in their execution: River Edge for elephants at play, as cheetahs and hyenas jockey across a dry plain. The Wild spans from a polar setting to tropical rain forest with a seriously wide expanse of animals in between. Red Rocks, which hosts the big cats keep as well as zebras, giraffes and antelope in naturalistic settings. Discovery Corner, a child-friendly petting area filled with bunnies and goats and small winged creatures. Historic Hill emphasizes 1920s architecture but modern habitats for primates, birds and reptiles. Lakeside Crossing, which gathers all the refreshments to souvenirs in a nice cohesive bundle to tie a ribbon around your Zoo experience. The zoo also plays a large role preserving certain endangered species. Ages 3-7 can investigate, create, pretend and play at the ZOOmagination Station.
ADMISSION: Free entrance, but Children’s Zoo, Conservation Carousel, Zooline Railroad, Motion Simulator and 3-D Movie have separate fees
DAYS & HOURS: daily, except June 17 and December 25; Memorial Day-Labor Day 8a-7p; Otherwise 9a-5p
ADDRESS: 1 Government Drive in Forest Park, St. Louis, MO MAP
RAPID TRANSIT: none
PARKING: $11 per vehicle all-day parking is available on the Zoo’s North Lot on Government Drive and South Lot on Wells Drive
PHONE: 314-781-0900 or 800-966-8877
WEBSITE: http://www.stlzoo.org

St. Louis Science Center
DESCRIPTION: In 1856, it began life as The Academy of Science of Saint Louis and later moved to Clayton’s Oak Knoll Park. The museum outgrew these facilities and in 1984 acquired McDonnell Planetarium from the City of St. Louis. In 1991, St. Louis Science Center was greatly expanded for more exhibits. Then in 1997, the Science Center added the Exploradome, an air-supported building to provide additional space for large traveling exhibitions and to better accommodate school groups. This outstanding venue offers more than 700 hands-on exhibits including an OMNIMAX Theater, numerous permanent and traveling exhibitions, a Planetarium, Discovery Room for children, and galleries ranging from dinosaurs to innovative science demonstrations; wheelchair accessible.
ADMISSION: Free entrance, but OMNIMAX Theater, Lego MINDSTORMS, Discovery Room, Segway courses and Science Cafe require separate fees
DAYS & HOURS: Mon-Thu & Sat; 9:30a-5:30p, Fri 9:30a-9:30p, Sun 11:30a-4:30p; Planetarium Mon-Sat 10a-3:30p, Sun Noon-3:30p
ADDRESS: 5050 Oakland Ave in Forest Park, St. Louis, MO MAP
RAPID TRANSIT: MetroLink Central West End Station
PARKING: Limited free parking adjacent to building
PHONE: 314-289-4444
WEBSITE:  http://www.slsc.org

The Magic House
DESCRIPTION: Despite being one of the nation’s oldest Children’s Museums, this award-winning venue provides modern, engaging learning experiences designed to be fun, stimulating and memorable. Interactive exhibits include Math Path, Children’s Village, TV Studio, A Little Bit of Magic, Expericenter, and a toddler house. An average visits last 2.5 hours. In October 2008, it doubled in size with improvements to all aspects of the museum experience including a light-filled Welcome Center, new galleries and permanent exhibits that appeal to curiosities in science and literacy, an Education Center, and the Star-Spangled Center designed to help students grow into informed citizens. It contains an imaginative and interactive Play Garden, a café, a Rooftop Garden and a grand spiral staircase that leads to a Fairy Tale Tower.
ADMISSION: $8.50 Ages 1 and above
DAYS & HOURS: Mon-Thu & Sat 9:30a-5:30p, Fri 9:30a-9p, Sun 11a-5:30p; School Year Hours are shorter
ADDRESS: 516 Kirkwood Road, St. Louis, MO MAP
PARKING: Free on premises
PHONE: 314-822-8900
WEBSITE: http://www.magichouse.org

Grant’s Farm
DESCRIPTION: Ancestral home of the Busch family and still operated by Anheuser-Busch; features 281 acres of train rides, Ulysses S. Grant’s cabin, and 1,000 animals representing more than 100 different species from six continents. Open April-October. Grant’s Farm Carousel was added in 2009. Stroller rentals are available.
ADMISSION: Free, $2 for carousel ride
DAYS & HOURS: April 13–May 15, May 17–August 21 and August 24–October 30
ADDRESS: 10501 Gravois Road, St. Louis, MO MAP
PARKING: $6 per vehicle
PHONE: 314-843-1700
WEBSITE: http://www.grantsfarm.com

Six Flags St. Louis Theme Park
DESCRIPTION: Known for having many of the world’s most innovative roller coasters and multifaceted interaction rides. Maximum thrill rides include Superman, Mr. Freeze, Ninja, Screamin’ Eagle and Excalibur. Tony Hawk’s Big Spin and Evel Knievel” roller coaster are Moderate thrill rides. There are over a dozen Moderate and Mild Thrill rides for families and young children. The Ark hosts popular Contemporary Christian and Gospel concerts on various days, which may impact parking availability.
ADMISSION: $$ Purchase online, Age 2 and under enter Free
DAYS & HOURS: 10:30a-7p May-Sept
ADDRESS: 4900 Six Flags Road, Eureka, MO MAP
PARKING: $15 per vehicle
PHONE: 636-938-4800
WEBSITE: http://www.sixflags.com/parks/stlouis/index.asp

Six Flags St. Louis Hurricane Harbor
DESCRIPTION: 12-acre tropical paradise that features a 560,000-gallon wave pool, five-person raft adventure ride, multiple slides, and a children’s play area. Maximum thrill rides include the Tornado, Speed Slides, Tube Slides and the new Wahoo Racer. Hurricane Bay, the only moderate ride presents a four-foot rolling wave in tubes in this 30,000 square-foot pool while enjoying the view of an 80-foot-tall steaming volcano. The 4 Mild Rides appropriate for little kids are Big Kahuna, Gulley Washer Creek, Hook’s Lagoon, Pirate Ship Slides and Tree House Slides.
DRESS: Thong bathing suits, regular shorts (including khaki and cargo styles) or long pants are not permitted; shower facilities are available near Monsoon Marge
ADMISSION: Free with admission to the Theme Park
DAYS & HOURS: May 23-Sept 7 10:30a-7p
ADDRESS: 4900 Six Flags Road, Eureka, MO MAP
PARKING: One-Day Parking
PHONE: 636-938-4800
WEBSITE: http://www.sixflags.com/parks/stlouis/index.asp

National Great Rivers Museum
DESCRIPTION: Explores America’s waterways with exhibits and a visitor center — very interesting to see in a flood prone-region of our country. As expected, its strong suit is dedicated to telling the story of the Mississippi River from her history, ecological importance and role as a transportation corridor.
ADMISSION: Free
DAYS & HOURS: daily 9a-5p
ADDRESS: 2 Lock and Dam Way, Alton, IL MAP
PARKING: on premises
PHONE: 618-462-6979
WEBSITE: http://www.mvs.usace.army.mil/rivers/museum.html‎

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