You’ll find world-class museums, historic landmarks, open-air theater performances and the call of wildlife in this sprawling green lung of St. Louis.
It’s hard to beat Forest Park as a destination for a day, or week, of family-friendly fun. This has been one of St. Louis’ most-loved outdoor attractions since 1876. It even hosted events during the 1904 Summer Olympics. Incredibly, this lush oasis with some 45,000 trees is just a short drive from Downtown St. Louis, so spend some time here for the opportunity to forget for a short while that you are still in a Mississippi metropolis.
Forest Park offers some of the best things in life, if the best things are free activities. For example, it’s free to enter the Missouri History Museum and the Saint Louis Art Museum and of course you’ll pay nothing to check out stunning gardens and architectural landmarks such as the historic World’s Fair Pavilion. But don’t just spend your time looking at motionless objects because there are 17,000-plus wild animals waiting to meet you at the zoo, and yes, it also has free entry.
So what’s the best way to get around this mammoth area of attractions? For starters, you could use your own two feet to walk along the miles of paved pathways and interpretive trails. Get some useful insights into the park on free guided walking tours. Yes, that’s correct; more free stuff. In summer, the Forest Park Trolley is available for a small fee when those legs get weary.
When you want something different, a hot-air balloon race in September will have you gazing in awe at an array of colors and shapes. Get your thespian geek on at the summer celebration of Shakespearean classics and lace up your skates to hit the icy rink in winter. It doesn’t matter what season you come to this great American urban space because, as you’ll discover, Forest Park is forever.