St. Louis Attractions (Kirkwood, Sunset Hills, Fenton: house, to buy, school)

[Dolfan]

I'll be visiting St. Louis in June and am researching places to visit that would be good for a small child (3 years old). The St. Louis Zoo sounds interesting and there are numerous musuems. Any recommendations?

[dataman1]

You can go to the St Louis Science Center right across the highway from the zoo. Look it up online, there may not be a ton of stuff for really little kids
there I don't know.

My other suggestion is The Magic House 516 S. Kirkwood Rd St. Louis, Mo. 63122. That is really fun for little kids. Let us know of any other questions
you have for your trip.

[Soulardian]

Depending on what part of town you are visiting here are some suggestions:

Downtown-

*** The City Museum!! Awesome, wacky, surreal, natural/industrial seemingly acid-inspired creation. A must-see. Circus acts, model trains, crafts, art-- always changing and fun for everyone who can crawl. http://www.citymuseum.org/home.asp

Zoo- of course, esp the children's zoo.

Mo Botanical Garden (Shaw's Garden)-
Children's area in here, too.


West County-

The Butterfly House. If you kid can stand still while butterflies land on him/her, they'll have a good time.

The Magic house. Interactive science-based activities so fun they won't know they're learning stuff. http://www.themagichouse.com/ (broken link)


Aunt Judy

[LancasterNative]

There's a pretty cool sculpture park called Laumeier Park, featuring lots of funky/weird modern outdoor sculptures—which as I recall, kids are allowed to climb on. It's located just south of Watson & Geyer Rds. near the Sunset Hills shopping center.

Of course, a 3-yr-old would probably get a big thrill out of the zoo, and St. Louis definitely has one of the best.

Grant's Farm, located off Gravois Rd. in "south county" is roughly 280 acres and features the Anheuser-Busch Clydesdale barn; again, lots of fun for a child.

My family used to take me to all these places when I was a kid.

And of course, there's always the Arch. That one might be more enjoyable for your little one once s/he is more like 5-6 yrs old.

Hope this helps

[faulks303]

My Mom lives in St. Louis, and a great place to take your three year old when you visit is Grant's Farm. I believe they have a website also. It is a great atmosphere, with a nice train ride, wonderful petting zoo, and beautiful surroundings. They even have a Biergarten with a large number of tables where you can stop for lunch. The farm I believe was originally owned by Ulysses Grant, and is now owned by the Anheiser Busch family who reside in St. Louis. Definately worth the trip - we don't miss it whenever we go to St. Louis for a visit! My kids (ages 10, 7 and 5) look forward to going back again and again! (PS I think they are closed on Mondays!)

[HeatherBee]

Originally Posted by Soulardian

*** The City Museum!! Awesome, wacky, surreal, natural/industrial seemingly acid-inspired creation. A must-see. Circus acts, model trains, crafts, art-- always changing and fun for everyone who can crawl. http://www.citymuseum.org/home.asp

I LOOOOOVE the city museum. I took my (then) 2 year old there and he absolutely loved it. He was still kinda young so we had to go through the stuff with him, but now he's 3 and I am planning on going this summer with a large group. It is the best place for kids to run out energy. It does cost (unlike the zoo) but I think it's well worth it. It's also a place I would suggest if the weather is rainy or cold. Keep in mind that the average person spends at least 5 hours there.

The zoo is a nice place if the weather is nice and you want to be outdoors alot. It's free and has lots to offer. Best place to be if you're short on cash and still want your children to have fun.

Those are two places I definitely would go to. (and I will be soon)

[Dolfan]

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. My daughter is looking forward to it.

[Gigee]

Definitely the Magic House, Zoo, Science Center, and Grants Farm are excellent choices. My fave? City Museum, by far!! It's the most fun for everyone. Sometimes it's even more fun for adults than the kids. (3 might be a little bit young for the museum, but it would good to go.)

If you plan on visiting the Arch, let me give you some advice. (I work there.) DO NOT come between 10am and 7pm. We're open from 8am to 10pm. The lines and the wait time are outrageous! If you want to buy a ticket to go to the top, do it online and show up at least half an hour before the time on your ticket. Even if you don't want to go to the top, come inside, there's a lot of free and fun stuff to look at.

[Dolfan]

Originally Posted by Gigee

Definitely the Magic House, Zoo, Science Center, and Grants Farm are excellent choices. My fave? City Museum, by far!! It's the most fun for everyone. Sometimes it's even more fun for adults than the kids. (3 might be a little bit young for the museum, but it would good to go.)

If you plan on visiting the Arch, let me give you some advice. (I work there.) DO NOT come between 10am and 7pm. We're open from 8am to 10pm. The lines and the wait time are outrageous! If you want to buy a ticket to go to the top, do it online and show up at least half an hour before the time on your ticket. Even if you don't want to go to the top, come inside, there's a lot of free and fun stuff to look at.

Thanks. We do plan on visting the arch, but we'll plan on going in the evening on a weekday.

[northbayeric]

Hope I'm not too late in coming to this forum thread. I daresay your three-year old would love Purina Farms, located off Interstate 44 in Gray Summit. Take the Gray Summit exit as you're going west on 44, turn right and it's on County Road MM. My wife and I visited Purina Farms one year ago and loved seeing all the farm animals; and there was a cow-milking demonstration that a visiting parochial school class on a field trip enjoyed very much. It's a pretty drive along I-44 from Fenton to Gray Summit, too. Hopefully you'll have time to visit Purina Farms in addition to all the other excellent locations closer to St. Louis previously suggested in this forum string.