Whether you live in the St. Louis area, are just passing through, or are making St. Louis your travel destination, you'll find some great kid-friendly attractions! And some of them are FREE!
I grew up in the St. Louis area, so I'm going to be biased towards the city and all it has to offer. But my daughter, who is a Jersey Girl, always enjoys our annual visits to Missouri because it means she can visit some of her favorite places. There are things in St. Louis that New Jersey just can't replicate.
St. Louis Zoo
The
St. Louis Zoo is a must-see attraction if you are visiting St. Louis. First off, admission is FREE. (There is a fee to park, however, you can get around that by parking in a street parking spot instead of the zoo parking lot.) Second, it was recently voted 8th best zoo in the country! And did I mention that you can get in for FREE?
Yes, there are a few attractions within the zoo that cost money - petting the stingrays, riding the carousel, and riding the train. But you don't have to do those things in order to enjoy a visit.
This zoo is huge, so be prepared for lots of walking around. And if it's a hot day, head over to the Penguin & Puffin exhibit to cool down. It's kept cold in that building! And, unlike other penguin exhibits, this one doesn't have plexiglass walls. So you might get splashed when the penguins dive into the water!
Clementine's Creamery
No visit to St. Louis would be complete without stopping at
Clementine's Creamery for some ice cream! There are multiple locations in the St. Louis area, so you're sure to find one near you. They offer naughty flavors (with alcohol) and nice flavors, some of which are dairy-free! Flavors rotate, so you'll find something different each time you visit.
St. Louis Cardinals Baseball Game
Summertime is prime baseball time, and you've got to root for the home team when you're in St. Louis! Going to see a
Cardinals game is a lot of fun. There's a kids' play area if your kids (like mine) aren't really that interested in baseball. And you might get to meet the team mascot, Fredbird!
The area outside of Busch Stadium is called
Ballpark Village. There you'll find a museum, restaurants, shopping, and other ways to watch the game.
Other Sports
Named the "Ultimate Sports City" by
ESPN Magazine, the Cardinals aren't the only team you can cheer for during the summer! While we haven't been to a game yet, St. Louis is now home to a soccer team:
St. Louis City SC. And, apparently, they're pretty good!
St. Louis also has a UFL team,
St. Louis Battlehawks, and the 2024 UFL Championship is being held in St. Louis!
There's also a women's basketball team. The St. Louis Surge is not part of the WNBA, but maybe it will be someday! Still, it's important to watch more women's sports, so if the Surge is playing while you're in town, go check them out!
St. Louis Science Center
From dinosaurs to Omnimax movies and a planetarium, the
St. Louis Science Center is a great way to spend a hot or rainy day indoors. There's a lot for kids to explore, plus exhibits and movies are always changing, so each time you go will be different.
Citygarden & Water Fountains
Citygarden is an urban sculpture park in downtown St. Louis. Spanning two blocks, visitors can freely explore sculptures, fountains, and gardens. We took my daughter when she was little, and she really enjoyed playing in the fountains because it was a hot day! This is a great and FREE way to spend a morning or afternoon.
St. Louis Arch
And after you do Citygarden, you're not that far away from the
St. Louis Arch! A trip to St. Louis is not complete without going up into the Gateway Arch. It's what makes the city the Gateway to the West! You take a tram ride all the way to the top and get a really good view of the city. The basement of the Arch facility has a museum and virtual reality theater.
The Magic House
We've been taking my daughter to
The Magic House since she was 18 months old. She's 8 right now, and she still requests a visit to The Magic House every time we visit. This children's museum has rotating and permanent exhibits. Some of my daughter's favorites: the big slide, the children's hospital, the grocery store, and the outdoor construction site.
Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House
The
Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House lets you get up close and personal with butterflies! Some might even land on you while you walk through. This is a pretty neat experience, and once you're done walking through the building, you can head over to a carousel in a separate building and/or play on the playground outside.
Forest Park Annie O'C. Nature Playscape
We visited
this 17-acre experiential playscape in December, so the scenery wasn't so pretty, but it was a pretty fun experience and a great way to get outside. In the summer, I can only imagine how beautiful everything looks when in bloom. But you're not really going for the trees and flowers, although that is a bonus. Instead, kids are playing through the natural landscapes, playing in sand, crawling through willow tunnels, leaping from stump to stump, and more.
I hope these 10 ideas for family fun in St. Louis help you plan your visit to this wonderful city! If you're from St. Louis, what else should I add?
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