Two years ago in May, we decided to take a vacation to St Louis. This was an atypical decision for us. We live only two hours away from St Louis and can go any time we want, so we usually vacation at the beach or well, usually it’s just at the beach. This particular year, however, we had a newborn on our hands. Our third child was only two and a half months old but we were dying to take the older kiddos somewhere before my maternity leave expired. We obviously didn’t want to venture far and away so we decided we would take advantage of all the great things St Louis has to offer for the kids. It did not disappoint. Here’s the 5 things we did with our kiddos and I would recommend each and every one of them (although some of them I would wait to check out until your kids are older; see explanation below).
Grant’s Farm
We had the greatest experience at Grant’s Farm! I hadn’t been since I was a youngin’ myself and didn’t remember anything about it. It was perfect for the age of our older kids at the time (5 and 3) and was a great way to start the morning. Admission to the park is free but you will have to pay to park. You’ll take the tram to the actual park area and get to see lots of different animals on the way. We saw a baby buffalo born right in front of us during the tram ride, which was (obviously) pretty amazing to see. Throughout Deer Park, animals of all kind roam free. This is so great because the animals don’t have the caged in type of life they have at the zoo. The kids rode a camel, fed the parakeets, saw the Clydesdales. Mom and Dad had a beer or two on the house… That’s right! Because Grant’s Farm is owned by Anheuser-Busch, they offer two drinks to each adult, free. So the mommies and daddies can sit in the courtyard and enjoy a cold drink while the kiddos check out the Clydesdales. Perfection! You should plan for 3-4 hours at Grant’s Farm but, of course, you can tailor your day to how much or little time you have to spend. Click here to go to the Grant’s Farm website and plan your trip. Be sure to view their calendar, as they are open seasonally.
The Magic House
I can’t tell you how many trips I made on field trips to The Magic House as a young kid, but I can tell you that I have nothing but fond memories of this place. The Magic House was the first stop on our journey two years ago. We arrived just shortly after they had opened the doors. I was happy we didn’t wait until later; nearly all the parking spaces were already taken. Just as we entered into the large foyer, we immediately saw how packed the place was. It was really, really loud (lots of kids and lots of things making noise) so our initial response as a parent was more of a “Dear Lord, what have we gotten ourselves into?” and not a “Oh this will be so much fun!” kind of thing. Luckily enough, once we survived the complete and utter chaos of the ground level entrance, people seemed to be dispersing about more and it wasn’t quite so hectic. The kids ended up loving the imaginative play areas (fishing in the stream and shopping in the grocery store) and this was probably one of their favorites of the whole trip. I would highly recommend The Magic House for any kid aged 3-10ish. You can spend as much or as little time as you want here but I would plan for 4-5 hours. For more information about The Magic House, click here to log on to their website.
The St Louis Science Center
Another staple to my life as a child growing up in rural Missouri, were annual trips to The Science Center. Located right off one of the major highways in St Louis, The Science Center couldn’t be easier to get to. They charge a very reasonable rate for entrance but you can stay all day if you wish. Of course, I only (again) remember great things about The Science Center but apparently forgot that those memories were from my older part of childhood and not my 3 & 5 year old childhood…. We quickly realized our kids were far too young to enjoy much at all about the center. While it’s absolutely packed full of amazing demonstrations and exhibits, it’s truly meant for kids ages 10 and up, I believe. Our children couldn’t read any of the plaques (and there are lots of them) and didn’t know what a lot of the exhibits were. We only stayed for maybe an hour and saw how bored our poor children were so we left early, with plans to return when the children get older. Much older. However, for any child around 10 or older, I would HIGHLY recommend The Science Center. There is so much interesting stuff to learn and see here, but you just really need to be of a certain age to enjoy it. My favorite was always the OmniMax Theater and if you don’t take your kids to see a show while you’re here, you’re not doing the Science Center justice. Click here to access The Science Center’s website to learn more.
The St Louis Zoo
I don’t know that there’s many more sacred traditions in Missouri, than that of taking your children to enjoy a day at the St Louis Zoo. It was recently voted Best Zoo and America’s Top Free Attraction and once you get here, you’ll see why. Admission to the zoo is free but you will have to pay for parking, drinks/food, feeding the animals, any additional shows you attend (such as the Sea Lion Show), a ride on the train, and the like. The zoo is divided regionally and makes it easy to maneuver. The mostly flat walking paths make it so easily to push the kiddies stroller around all day. My kids love riding the train, which is fairly cheap admission, and takes you around a large section of the park allowing views of the animals dens that you can’t see from every other angle. You should absolutely plan to spend the entire day at the zoo, and know that you’ll likely not see it all either. Hop over to their website, here, for listings of lots of fun activities that the zoo hosts. Sometimes they’re open later or have other events, such as Halloween themed entertainment. Just within the last couple of years, they installed a grand, new exhibit for the polar bears, which has proven to be a huge hit with the Missourians. You haven’t fully experienced the zoo unless you’ve sat at the Sea Lion stage for a performance of these absolutely adorable creatures.
The Butterfly House
Of all the things we did and places we went to, the highlight of the trip for me was when we visited The Butterfly House, on our way out of town. The Butterfly House is located in Chesterfield and owned by the Missouri Botanical Gardens. Although small in size, The Butterfly House has beautiful outdoor gardens to stroll through, a small gift shop, and a few exhibits to check out. The main attraction, of course is the huge greenhouse that houses all the many species of butterflies. Everything is in bloom and is a luscious shade of green with colorful blooms on every plant. There are thousands of butterflies that flutter around the room, occasionally landing on an arm or shoulder of a passerby. Inside this room, there is a peaceful aura that envelopes you, inviting you to sit down and rest a while. Since we had three tired and cranky kiddos in tow, we didn’t get the pleasure of sitting down and truly enjoying the quiet calmness of the space but even still, this was my favorite attraction. For more information about The Butterfly House, see their website here.
