A Weekend in Sainte Genevieve

We explored Sainte Genevieve for the weekend and it was unbelievable! It is just one hour from St. Louis and this city is full of so much history and charm. Lots of great restaurants, attractions and outdoor hikes. 

We’ve visited the area around Ste. Gen for their trails (Hawn State Park, Pickle Springs and Hickory Canyon). But, we haven’t gotten a chance to explore downtown. We loved it. 

We started out Friday night with Braden & Friends Challenger Playground, Audubon’s Restaurant and checking into Crown Ridge Tiger Sanctuary. 

Braden & Friends Challenger Playground

Address: 1 Challenger Drive, Ste. Genevieve, MO 63670

We drove to Sainte Genevieve after school and stopped at Braden & Friends Challenger Playground. This is an inclusive playground that is handicapped accessible. It is fenced in and has a great farm themed. The playground is 16,000 square feet and has everything from zip lines to slides to a variety of climbing options. Named after Braden Schott, this playground was designed as a place for children of all abilities to play side by side. 

Audubon's

Address: 9 N Main St, Ste. Genevieve, MO 63670

We ate dinner at Audubon’s in downtown Ste. Gen. Located in a century old building, this hotel and restaurant are located in the historic Downtown District. Audubon’s has a first-floor upscale hotel restaurant and the 7-room boutique hotel is above the restaurant. The salmon was fantastic and our kids loved the kids’ menu (the mac and cheese was a hit). It has a great view of the sunset too!

Crown Ridge Tiger Sanctuary

Address: 19620 Crown Ridge, Ste. Genevieve, MO 63670

Crown Ridge Tiger Sanctuary (The Scott Foundation) is a Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, a verified 501 (c) 3 non profit big cat rescue and an educational facility. They provide permanent lifelong care for abused neglected or unwanted big cats. As a true sanctuary, they do not buy, sell, breed or trade any of their animals. Right now, there are three tigers here. 

We stayed at Tiger View Lodge in the sanctuary! We could actually see the tigers from the kitchen window. There were two sun rooms, a game area with a puzzle table and a bar and poker table in the basement. There were 5 bedrooms in the home, but you can also rent out one room at a time instead of the whole home. They have several other housing options as well! All of the proceeds go straight back into funding the sanctuary. 

On Saturday morning, we had an Early Bird tour before the park opened to the public. It was wonderful to hear the tigers’ stories and learn how much they have overcome. Thor, Sebastian and Shakira have had all different experiences that led them to Crown Ridge. Thor was born at a roadside zoo and did not receive the proper nutrition and was severely underweight when she was rescued. Shakira’s small zoo in Dodge City, KS was closing their zoo for a whole renovation, so Shakira found her new permanent home here. Shakira had paint on her face the morning on the tour because she was painting for enrichment! Sebastien was rescued from the well-known Tiger King Park. In total, 68 cats were rescued from this facility. Sebastian arrived slightly underweight and showed aggression towards all men. He is continuing to build trust at Crown Ridge.

Charleville Brewery & Winery

Address: 16937 Boyd Rd, Ste. Genevieve, MO 63670

Located in the western part of Ste. Genevieve County, Charleville Brewery & Winery has handcrafted wines and beers in a relaxed atmosphere since 2003. The tasting room and patio features a breathtaking view high above Saline Creek Valley. 

This was our first time using the iPourIt Wall and it was so fun! It has 24 taps that flow beer, wine and Charle-ritas with a touch of a wristband. Our kids enjoyed getting root beers and orange sodas from the wall as well. 

The patio area is amazing and has so many tables and heaters for all weather. The overlook is beautiful too. They had live music, brewery tours and great food! We enjoyed the pizza, and the pizza crust had yeast from the Charleville brewing process. 

On the property, there is also a beautifully refurbished 1860s log cabin adjacent to the brewery and winery tasting room that serves as a two-room lodge for guests. They also are adding a unique Airbnb that is inside the brewery!

Centre for French Colonial Life

Address: 198 Market St, Ste. Genevieve, MO 63670

We explored the Centre for French Colonial Life. This museum had great exhibits and was very hands-on. My kids loved laying the wood floor! The Centre for French Colonial Life is headquarters for the French Colonial America museum campus. This building has changing exhibits and a gift shop. We learned more about the area and the life of those that once lived here. This museum is open 7 days a week and has a living museum campus (several historic homes to tour). We then headed to the yard of one of the historic homes and met Justine and Ron from “Early American.” They recreate their 1800s life in Ste. Gen. Justine taught our girls to make butter and bread and Ron gave us a demonstration of the musket. We walked through the living museum campus of historic homes. 

We especially loved walking through the Linden and Buldoc homes. After completion of the restoration, the Louis Bolduc House was noted as one of the best restored examples of French Creole-style architecture in the United States! This led to a National Historic Landmark designation for the house in 1970!

Baetje Farms

Address: 8932 Jackson School Rd, Bloomsdale, MO 63627

Baetje Farms is owned by the same family as Charleville Brewery and The Kozy. We had a tour with the cheese maker, Mitch, and got to feed the goats! Mitch was incredible and took us through the process of cheese making from their goat milk. The tour goes through the word famous creamery, goats, bard and complete with a complimentary cheese tasting. Farm Tours are $20 a person and last roughly one hour. We fed the goats and then had a taste testing of all the cheese selections.

The Kozy

Address: 710 US-61, Bloomsdale, MO 63627

The Kozy has good food and friendly staff! One half is this family restaurant and the other half is Dew Drop Inn, a historic BBQ joint! They had a great outdoor space with yard games. The same family that owns Baetje Farms and Charleville Brewery also owns these restaurants. The two brothers and one sister also have a construction company and the beautiful bar tops are created from them!

Sainte Genevieve Parish

Address: 49 Dubourg Pl, Ste. Genevieve, MO 63670

On Sunday, we checked out of Crown Ridge Sanctuary. Highly recommend this one! It was such a unique stay. We attended Mass at Sainte Genevieve. Founded in 1759, Ste. Genevieve Parish lays claim to being the oldest parish West of the Mississippi River. The current church was built over the original church. The foundation is still visible in the basement (not open to the public). As the construction was being completed, the second church was dismantled and carried out of the front door. Even if you are not Catholic, the architecture is so neat to check out and neat to check inside!

Mimi's

Address: 675 Ste Genevieve Dr, Ste. Genevieve, MO 63670

We had brunch at Mimi’s after Mass. This is family-friendly, has home-style cooking and is family-owned too. The food was very tasty and the prices were reasonable.

Saint Genevieve Museum Learning Center

Address: 360 Market St, Ste. Genevieve, MO 63670

After church, we explored downtown Ste. Genevieve more. We loved exploring Saint Genevieve Museum Learning Center. The curator here believes in involving kids in tactile experiences to help with learning and it was just so hands-on. My girls loved touching all of the rocks and the replicas. We enjoyed meeting a paleontologist who was working on a Hypsibema missouriensis (Missouri’s state dinosaur found near Cape).

The dinosaurs are all hand painted and there are interesting exhibits, including some on the history of Ste. Genevieve. 

Hickory Canyons Natural Area

Hickory Canyon Natural Area East Trail is a trail that is heavily impacted by the season. It boasts a waterfall in wet months (needs a lot of rain to flow), which can freeze into a spectacular ice display in the winter. It is a must see when frozen!!

From the parking lot, go straight down the trail (East trail). At the split, if you go to the right, you will have a view looking down at the waterfall canyon. If you go to the left, you can walk right down to the base of the waterfall. When we were there, there was not much water flowing, but the canyons were still so beautiful! 

Make sure to check out Pickle Springs and Hawn State Park as well! These are two of our favorite trails and are just so breathtaking.

Overall, we LOVED Sainte Genevieve. What a gem! Only one hour from St. Louis, Ste. Geneveive is a city full of food, attractions and history. I definitely recommend visiting!

A to Z Playgrounds Bucket List 2025

A to Z Playgrounds: Download this freebie for an A to Z Bucket List of playgrounds around St. Louis! There is also an empty copy in this download so you can create your own too. Happy exploring!
 

 


    A to Z Trails Bucket List 2025

    A to Z Trails: Download this freebie for an A to Z Bucket List of trails around St. Louis! There is also an empty copy in this download so you can create your own too. Happy exploring!

    Download here

      A Weekend in Springfield, Missouri!

      We traveled to Springfield, Missouri for the weekend. Being just 3 hours from St. Louis, this was a perfect distance for a family-friendly weekend trip! I’ve compiled our favorite activities, hikes and restaurants below. We really enjoyed visiting Springfield, MO and we are looking forward to another trip there soon! 

      Snapshot of our weekend:

      Friday: 

      • Drove down from St. Louis (3 hours)
      • Checked into our hotel (Tru Hotel)
      • Dinner at Black Sheep Burgers
      • Walked around downtown to view their murals

      Saturday:

      • Gailey’s Breakfast Cafe
      • Springfield Conservation Nature Center (Boardwalk trail)
      • Smallin Civil War Cave
      • Discovery Center
      • Cider Days on Historic Walnut Street (and grabbed lunch here)
      • Hitsory Museum on the Square
      • Treats at Modern Sips Acai Bar
      • Dinner at Pappos Pizza
      • Wizard of Oz at Springfield Little Theatre

      Sunday:

      • Mass at St. Agnes Cathedral
      • Breakfast at Aviary Cafe
      • Bass Pro Shop
      • Springfield Botanical Garden
      • Giant Hamburg’s for lunch
      • Dickerson Park Zoo
      • Fantastic Caverns
      • Drive back to St. Louis!

      Table of Contents

      Smallin Civil War Cave

      Smallin Civil War Cave was used by ancient Native Americans. Arrowheads found here date back to 9000 years ago! Later, both Union and Confederate soldiers used the cave to hide Civil War supplies. It was also a common spot for soldiers to cool off while the Company H Union Camp was being built close by. This was a paved trail into the cave and the guided tour was a little over one hour. We saw 8 cave salamanders, 11 leopard frogs and 1 blind bristly cave crayfish! This was our family’s first time seeing the frogs and crayfish inside of a cave, so we were excited!! 

      Springfield Conservation Nature Trail

      We loved exploring this nature trail and conservation center! The center is free and there are fun nature-themed exhibits, as well as reptiles to view! We hiked on the Boardwalk trail (blue trail marker), which was so lovely! It was a nice walk through the woods with a beautiful boardwalk over the water. The trails here are family-friendly, for example, this trail was just .4 miles. 

      Discovery Center

      Discovery Center in Springfield is a non-profit organization and such a great science and children’s museum. It is all community supported and their mission is to inspire a lifelong love of learning. Our favorites here were digging fossils at the dinosaur exhibit, story time from space and working at the grocery store! There were also water tables, a cloud machine and so much more!

      Cider Days

      We loved walking along Historic Walnut Street to experience Cider Days! There were many stands set up to view art, shop and grab food…of course yummy apple cider! There were several stages set up on the street with musical performances going throughout the day. Check out Visit Springfield’s website to view future events and festivals. 

      Fantastic Caverns

      This was such a neat experience! Fantastic Caverns is one of the only complete drive-through caves in North America! This cave was accidentally discovered by a dog! The dog was lost, so the dog’s owner started looking for him. To the owner’s surprise, the dog had found a cave! We loved this guided tour to learn more about Missouri.

      Dickerson Park Zoo

      Dickerson Park Zoo is AZA certified, just like our St. Louis Zoo. We loved feeding the giraffes, who were SO friendly and came right up to us! My kids also loved feeding the goats and riding the train. My kids were in awe of the many peacocks walking around the zoo too!

      Springfield Botanical Gardens

      The Springfield Botanical Gardens located at Nathanael Greene/Close Memorial Park are FREE! There are dozens of themed gardens and it connects to the South Creek Greenway. There is a main playground behind the Botanical Garden’s Visitor’s Center, but if you walk along the trail around the lake, there are 5 mini playgrounds, called playpods. They are small, nature-themed playgrounds right along the trail. There are also fun facts listed at each playground based on that theme. We walked to the tree and leaf playpods and had a great time!

      History Museum on the Square

      This is a great local museum that explores the area’s history through a variety of permanent and temporary exhibits. Because Springfield is the official birthplace of Route 66, they have a wonderful exhibit. My girls loved sitting in one of the classic cars! They also had signs throughout the exhibits saying “please touch” which was SO cool and so inviting. Some highlights were walking into a teepee and staying warm by the pretend fire or driving through time on a trolley!

      Springfield Little Theatre

      Mark took our older daughters to see Wizard of Oz one evening. It was a great show, very family-friendly and it had the most aerials that our family had ever seen. There was fake snow and they shot out streamers too! After the show, they got invited up to the stage for a picture with the cast! Check out the rest of their season here!

      Lodging

      We stayed at Tru hotel, which was in downtown Springfield. It was in walking distance to restaurants, which was so great! We had a connecting room with one King bed in one room and 2 Queen beds in the other room. There was a pool and a great lobby (all decorated for Halloween)!

      Overall, we had the BEST time here as a family. There was a great mix of indoors and outdoor activities, and we loved exploring more of this area. We can’t wait to come back!

      A Weekend in Kansas City

      weekend in Kansas City

      Looking for the perfect weekend trip from St. Louis? Just 3.5 hours away, Kansas City makes the ideal family-friendly getaway. 

      This was our family’s first time exploring Kansas City! We had been last year visiting Great Wolf Lodge, but had yet ventured throughout the city. We were frankly blown away by all of the options to choose from!

      Weekend in Kansas City

      Kansas City Lodging

      We stayed for two nights at Hilton Kansas City Country Club Plaza (779 W 47th Street, Kansas City, MO). Our room was very comfortable with 2 queen beds on one side of the room and one pull-out couch on the other side. A main highlight for our kids (and parents too!) was the fun panel to swim in between the indoor and outdoor pools!

      There is a free, public parking garage across the street from the Hilton. We chose to self-park in the garage attached to the hotel–which was super easy to take the elevator from the lobby to our van. 

      We overall loved this location because we enjoyed walking up and down the Country Club Plaza. This area is 15 city blocks with dozens of fountains, restaurants and shops! All of the architecture is Spanish-inspired and it was just so peaceful!!

      Day 1

       

      We arrived in the afternoon and checked into our hotel. We saw the outdoor pool from our hotel window and quickly changed into our suits! After swimming to our heart’s content, we walked to dinner from the hotel. We walked around the Country Club Plaza and were happy to eat at Brio Italian Grille. The service was quick, the food was great and in large portions and my kids loved the bendable plastic straws that could move into silly shapes.

      Day 2

      Breakfast: Messenger Coffee Co 

      We started our morning here at the Country Club Plaza location just up the street from our hotel. Our favorite pastry was the blackberry crumble! Right outside of the shop is a warthog sculpture (replica of one in Florence), which we rubbed for good luck. 

      Address: 318 W 47th St, Kansas City, MO 64112

      LEGOLAND Discovery Center

       We arrived a little before 10am (when they opened). I’d allow for some time to park in the parking garage near Crown Center. I really liked this plaza because LEGOLAND and SeaLife are located in the same building, and then our lunch spot was just right across the street at Crown Center. There are over 2 million LEGO bricks in this one-story center. I appreciated the one story because it was easier to keep an eye on our kiddos. Highlights for us were the Earthquake Table (where we designed buildings and then placed on a mat that shook) or the LEGO Pizzeria (where my daughters could design their own LEGO brick pizzas and even slide them in a LEGO oven). There was a separate room to see Kansas City in LEGO bricks and there was a switch to see day and night! The interactive car racing was a blast. The “Design-your-own Quilt Square” was a blast too, where we designed a square out of LEGO bricks and added it to a wall next to other decorated squares. 

      Address: 2475 Grand Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64108

      Lunch: Fritz’s Railroad Restaurant

      All aboard!! After LEGOLAND, we walked across the street to Crown Center. Every table in this iconic train restaurant gets food delivered by an overhead train! We ordered by phone and had fun watching the train carry a basket of burgers for us. There were even fun conductor hats to wear!

      Address: 2450 Grand Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64108

      weekend in kansas city

      SEA LIFE Aquarium

      After lunch, we walked back across the street to enter SEA LIFE. This is the same entrance as LEGOLAND, so it was easy to navigate and figure out where to go. Each day around 1pm, the larger tank with sharks, sting rays and larger fish are fed. We all had fun watching this! The aquarium is all one level (similar to LEGOLAND), but it was extensive and seemed large. There were many exhibits to view and it was hands-on, especially with the touch pool! My favorite exhibit was the seadragons! We could have spent much longer here than we initially thought. 

      Address: 2475 Grand Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64108

      Science City at Union Station

      This is one of the top 25 science centers in the country…and I was shocked. 92,000 square feet with over 300 interactive exhibits. It is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2024 and there is just so much to explore here!! We really could have spent all day here and not seen everything. There is an extensive indoor and outdoor space to explore here, as well as a new robotics exhibit, illusions experience and dinosaur dig. We all created art in the Makerspace, we walked through a cave and my husband rode the SkyBike! There is a kids’ climbing area, a mirror maze, a water table exhibit and so much more. 

      Address: 30 West Pershing Road, Kansas City, MO 64108

      weekend in kansas city

      Disney100: The Exhibition

      After Science City, we went downstairs at Union Station to the new Disney exhibit. This exhibit goes through the history of Disney over the past 100 years. Walt Disney began his animation career right in the heart of Kansas City. Kansas City is one of the first three cities to host the historic North American tour!

      There were so many different props and artifacts, like Cinderella’s slipper. There were also some interactive exhibits where we could listen behind-the-scenes to different movies, like Frozen and The Little Mermaid. My kids’ favorite exhibit was hearing different languages while watching Moana and Encanto (they could select the language to listen to)!! It was so interesting to see the actors and voices behind each language presented. My favorite was seeing the history of Walt Disney and how he built Disney and the creation of his story boards. The exhibit ends with Disney’s quote: “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”

      Address: 30 West Pershing Road, Kansas City, MO 64108

      Dinner: Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que

      This is one of Kansas City’s best barbecue restaurants and Joe has earned national recognition. Originally sold from this gas station location, there was a line out of the door and many tables inside to sit and enjoy. After our very fun day of exploring, we definitely built up an appetite. The ribs were the best we had ever had. Seriously, they were incredible. 

      Address: 3002 W. 47th Avenue, Kansas City, KS 66103

      Day 3

      Breakfast: Mildred’s

      We woke up feeling rested after yesterday’s fun and busy day (the kids slept through the night- yay!). We checked out of our hotel and ate breakfast at Mildred’s. It is a family owned and operated cafe that serves delicious home-made pastries. Their cinnamon rolls or the gooey butter pastry were winners in our books! We loved the relaxing vibe here. It was a tasty and great stop. 

      Address: 1901 Wyandotte St, Kansas City, MO 64108

      Penguin Park

      Our original plan was to make a stop at Penguin Park after breakfast. This park has a 26-foot kangaroo slide and a 23-foot penguin to play inside! Due to the pouring rain, we were unable to play here, but I did walk around to get some of these pictures to show you. 

      Address: 919 E 14th Ave, North Kansas City, MO 64116

      North Kansas City Public Library

      Since we had time before The Rabbit hOle opened, we stopped at the nearby North Kansas City Public LIbrary. There were some animals on display, many toys and books, as well as relaxing chairs by multiple cozy fireplaces. What a lovely and peaceful library!!

      Address: 2251 Howell St., North Kansas City, MO 64116

      The Rabbit hOle

      I would have come to Kansas City just to experience this gem. As an elementary school teacher now turned stay-at-home mom, I’ve read a fair amount of children’s books. So I was just thrilled to see this brand new literary experience in North Kansas City. To enter the exhibit, you climb down into a huge cave-like rabbit hole and then emerge into a magical immersive museum.  Your favorite children’s books are brought back to life!! They have copies of children’s books by each exhibit, so you can sit and read the book together as a family. Some of our favorites were Strega Nona, Caps for Sale, Frog & Toad and My Father’s Dragon. Make sure to check out the Goodnight Moon exhibit behind the bookstore/gift shop. This truly is a world of wonder and reminded me so much of the City Museum, but all book-themed!

      Address: 919 E 14th Ave, North Kansas City, MO 64116

      Lunch: Chicken N Pickle

      This is Chicken N Pickle’s original location, which opened in North Kansas City in 2016! There is now a second operation now in Overland Park. There is also a location that opened recently in St. Louis (which we haven’t visited yet), so we loved checking this out. It was great food and a fun family-friendly environment. The rain let up after lunch and we played outside after eating lunch. There are lots of yard games here (Bean bag toss, Battleship, Jenga) in addition to pickleball courts!

      Address: 1761 Burlington St, North Kansas City, MO 64116

      Kansas City, you were so good to us!! We quickly fell in love with this beautiful city. From the unique museums to immersive experiences to great food, Kansas City is so family-friendly. Not to mention, it was just a quick car ride from St. Louis. We are already looking forward to our next trip!

      St. Louis Summer Bucket List Part 2

      St. Louis Summer Bucket List

      Missouri is full of great spots and attractions to enjoy in the summer. After writing Part 1, I couldn’t stop adding more places! Here is part 2 of yet more summer sports to explore. 

       

      Gateway Arch Riverboat Cruise

      50 S. Leonor K. Sullivan Boulevard.,

      St. Louis, MO 63102

       

      We love taking the historic paddleboat cruise along the Mississippi River. Not only is it an amazing view of the Gateway Arch, but we learned so much history on the tours as well! They have dinner cruises, live music and tours. My personal favorite is the Skyline Dinner Cruise!

      Parking is available on the levee and payment is by card only. 

      City Museum

      750 N 16th St

      St. Louis, MO 63103

       

      This is a former warehouse of the International Shoe Company, the City Museum is a must to visit! Artist Bob Cassilly purchased what would become this STL gem in 1993 and opened the doors in 1997! We love visiting here in the summer because we can enjoy the outdoor climbing and rooftop even more. There are 29K artifacts from all around the world, a 10-story spiral slide and a 3 story cave.

      There are old chimneys, salvaged bridges, construction cranes, miles of tile, fire truck, school bus and even two abandoned planes!

      We went recently on the rooftop for the first time with our kids…and we all loved it!! Our favorites were the variety of slides (featuring sliding below while people are climbing up it on steps right above you), the giant praying mantis & the out-of-commission school bus!!

      Union Station

      1820 Market St

      St. Louis, MO 63103

       

      All under one roof at this historic train station turned into an epic vacation spot!! There are some awesome attractions here to enjoy. There are two free shows daily! There is a beautiful free light show in the Grand Hall. These are projected on the ceiling every night at the top of the hour from 5-11pm. The fire show is at the koi pond every night at the top of the hour from 5-11pm. It was set to songs and was so fun! There is also the St. Louis Wheel (we love to go while the sun is setting), a ropes course, the St. Louis Aquarium, mini golf, carousel and a mirror maze. 

      Laumeier Sculpture Park

      GPS Coordinates: 38.54993° N, 90.41413° W

      (Off of Laumeier Park Rd)

       

      We park at the south end of the parking lot at the trailhead and we like to hike through the woods on the Eastern Woodland Trail (where there are sculptures along the trail). We then come out to the big field with mounds to climb.

       

      After the mounds, you can keep walking along the paved trail toward the children’s sculpture garden or circle back to your car. We love the central lawn with my kids’ favorite being the large eyeball! It is a perfect spot for a picnic.

      Grant’s Farm

      7385 Grant Rd.

      St. Louis, MO 63123

       

      It doesn’t feel like summer without a visit to Grant’s Farm! Open for 70 years, this historic farm is a long-standing staple here in St. Louis. From tram rides to bottle-feeding lambs to viewing the beautiful Clydesdale horses, Grant’s Farm has it all. They offer behind-the-scenes tours, where we were able to feed camels and tortoises! Seasonal events are always a blast here too. 

      Missouri Botanical Garden

      7385 Grant Rd

       St. Louis, MO 63123

       

      Missouri Botanical Garden has 79 beautiful acres in St. Louis and it was founded in 1859! It is one of the oldest botanical institutions in the United States and a National Historic Landmark. Extended summer Thursday evening hours, the incredible Children’s Garden and free concerts make the summer here extra special. One of our favorite spots is the Japanese Garden. We like to bring quarters to feed the Koi fish along the bridge and boardwalk!

       

      If you have a membership through the Botanical Garden, you also have admission entrance to Shaw Nature Reserve and the Butterfly House. 

       

      Pickle Springs

      Dorlac Rd

      New Offenburg, MO 63670

       

      This is an outstanding 1.9 mile unpaved loop in Sainte Genevieve. There are waterfalls, shallow caves and bluff overlooks. The trail is mostly shaded with some steep inclines. Between the vistas and box canyons, this has a little bit of everything. I call this one the perfect family hike because it has so many fun things to climb, and has creeks and views too! Pickle Creek may be flowing in some spots and it is more rain-dependent. The layered sandstone dates back to 500 million years old, and this Natural Area is a National Natural Landmark!

      Mastodon State Historic Site

      GPS Coordinates: 38.379370, -90.394553

       

      This is one of our favorite creeks to explore in the summer! We park by the area called the Mastodon State Picnic area (.8 miles off Seckman Rd, not the museum entrance). It is in the rear parking lot past the playground.

       

      More directions from Mastodon’s website:

      Located off of 1-55, the Imperial Exit (exit 186 if heading South bound). Next take W Outer Rd, and Seckman Rd will be your second Left. Follow Seckman Rd for about .8 miles. Park in the rear parking lot, to the left of the bathrooms (past the playground).

       

      We took a short hike (about 3 minutes) along the trail and then set up camp! The creek is shallow, shaded and has so many rocks—so perfect for little kids. We like to set up a picnic blanket on the side of the creek. 

       

      I recommend getting there early in the morning to avoid crowds. Just a heads up that Seckman Rd will be having construction for most of the summer of 2024 and you will have to pass through the back roads. 

      St. Louis Summer Bucket List

      Elephant Rocks State Park

      7390, 7406 MO-21

       Belleview, MO 63623

       

      It’s not every day you can see 1.5 billion-year-old granite! This area is known for massive boulders. Located in Belleview, this state park has unbelievable views. There is a 1.0 mile paved Braille trail here, as well as lots of opportunities to climb the beautiful granite. We also like to see the old engine house! Instead of hiking on the trail that goes on the perimeter of the boulders, we love to hike up the incline in the middle. The view from up here is breathtaking! 

      On our last visit, we had the place to ourselves by arriving at 8am. The parking lot was more packed by noon, but it was still pretty spread out on the boulders. The main restrooms are located by the parking lot, and a portable bathroom is across from the playground.

      There are many wonderful areas to explore in St. Louis and Missouri! Make sure to check Part 1 as well. Happy summer exploring!!

      St. Louis Summer Bucket List Pt 1

      Summer in St. Louis is the best. Yes, I know I am biased with living here and raising my kids here, but I strongly believe that summers are magical in STL. There are so many family-friendly activities happening during these warmer months. 

      If the hot and humid weather may deter you from exploring more of Missouri in the summer, try exploring first thing in the morning. I like to pack up our car the night before and sometimes even have breakfast packed, so we can be ready for an adventure first thing before the heat kicks in more! 

      Here is Part 1 of the list of our family’s favorites, which include some parks, trails and attractions. This list includes both paid and free experiences as well. 

       

      Paddle Forest Park

      6101 Government Dr.

      St. Louis, MO 63110

      Experience Forest Park on the water!! There are 22 acres of waterways in Forest Park and I think this is the more iconic way to see beautiful and historic Art Hill. Big Muddy Adventures (Paddle Forest Park)’s location is right next to the Boathouse (a great spot to grab some food after paddling). They have paddle boats, canoes, single kayaks, double kayaks and stand up paddle boards to rent on site. No reservations, just first come, first serve. They are open daily!

      We have rented paddle boats and canoes, and it was very family-friendly (no age limit). I brought our kids’ life jackets along and it was about .5 miles to famous Art Hill. My kids wore swimsuits so we could get close to the fountains! 

      Wabash, Frisco & Pacific Mini Railroad

      101 Grand Ave.

      Glencoe, MO 63038

      The Wabash, Frisco and Pacific Railroad is a two mile round trip ride along the 12 inch gauge mini railroad! Established in 1939, it is celebrating 85 years this year!! It is about 40 minutes of a ride (riding into the woods along the Al Foster trail, the engine turns around, and then ride back the way you came). You book by train car, not by person. Our family of six easily fit into one train car (open-air). Each train car is $20, which I thought was very reasonable, especially because all of the proceeds go right back into the trains! It is completely volunteer-operated. 

      Hours:

      11am-4pm

      Sundays, only May through October

      Closed November through April

      Book Tickets Here 

      Saint Louis Zoo

      1 Government Dr.

      St. Louis, MO 63110

      Home to 16,000 animals, this is 90 acres in the heart of Forest Park…and FREE. With the extended summer hours, check out this sweet opportunity to hand-feed the giraffes. 

      The timings for the giraffe feedings are 11:30am and 2:30pm daily (if the weather allows and the giraffes choose to come up to be fed). Each ticket gets you 2 leaves to feed ($5/zoo member and $7/non member). Make sure you have a credit card on you because the payment is cash-free. 

      Last year, we fed the giraffes from long sticks holding leaves. Because of the new fence this year, you can hand-feed the giraffes. No reservations, but make sure to head to the giraffe area and kiosk next to the exhibit for about 10 minutes before the feeding time. It is so much fun!

      I like to park at the South entrance (which is $15 for admission), but there are other options of free parking on the street especially if you arrive early in the morning. The zoo is very stroller-friendly and I love the lactation room and family restrooms by the Carousel.

      Purina Farms

      500 William Danforth Way

       Gray Summit, MO 63039

      From dog performances to farm animals to wagon rides, Purina Farms is such a blast. When you enter the visitor’s center, there are some interactive areas and adoptable animals before entering the animal barn. There are tunnels, rope swings, trikes on the top floor and lots of animals (goats, pigs, horses, cows, bunnies, etc) on the bottom floor. We always look forward to the live cow milking in the barn. They even invite kids to come up and try milking the cow!

      Also, it is right down the street from Shaw Nature Reserve, so this is a great place if you feel like hiking afterwards! 

      Lone Elk Park

      1 Lone Elk Rd

      St. Louis, Missouri 

      This unique St. Louis safari is a county park that has elk and bison. You can hike a trail among the elk or drive through the 546 acre park to view animals and the beautiful nature. This park is free to enter, but there is a cup for donations by the entrance. I recommend arriving right when the park opens at 8am. The rangers and the feed truck go through the park at 6am, so the wildlife is still usually close to the road for easy viewing. The elk and the bison are separated, and it is so fun to watch the herds. My lucky place to spot elk is near the Ralph Foley shelter. You can book the behind-the-scenes tour following the feed truck on the St. Louis County Park website. While it is very early, it is SO worth it. 

      Lone Elk Park

      1 Lone Elk Rd

      St. Louis, Missouri 

      This unique St. Louis safari is a county park that has elk and bison. You can hike a trail among the elk or drive through the 546 acre park to view animals and the beautiful nature. This park is free to enter, but there is a cup for donations by the entrance. I recommend arriving right when the park opens at 8am. The rangers and the feed truck go through the park at 6am, so the wildlife is still usually close to the road for easy viewing. The elk and the bison are separated, and it is so fun to watch the herds. My lucky place to spot elk is near the Ralph Foley shelter. You can book the behind-the-scenes tour following the feed truck on the St. Louis County Park website. While it is very early, it is SO worth it. 

      Brentwood Park

      2924 Brazeau Avenue

      Brentwood, MO

      Check out this beautiful 32 acre park in Brentwood. There is a 2.7 acre playground and 2 unique climbing structures (one targeted for more younger kiddos). 6 swings, 4 slides, 2 zip lines, this place is a gem. It also connects to the Deer Creek Greenway and has 3.2 miles of paved trails here.

      The big silo next to the splash area is the water capture system. It’s the biggest sustainability feature in Brentwood Park! It takes the water used at the splash bad and recycles it to use throughout Brentwood Park to keep the grass and plants green. It’s going to capture about 200,000 gallons per week (which is 4,000,000 a year!).

      Restrooms are open, as well as a drinking fountain (located by the pavilion)!

      Kress Farm Garden Preserve

      5137 Glade Chapel Road

      Hillsboro, MO 63050

      Kress Farm Garden Preserve is a little bit of a drive (located in Hillsboro), but this is one of my favorite trails which ends at a cliff cave!! There are five family-friendly trails here. It is free admission and volunteer-run. The summer hours are daily 9am- 3pm, but make sure to call ahead of time to double-check a volunteer is there. 

      The one-mile blue trail (clips shown in the reel) starts by the pavilion. It is an unpaved trail that is not stroller-friendly. No dogs are allowed on the preserve.

      The hike is mostly flat, but has some gradual hills. It is .5 miles to the cliff caves (which has a spur trail to the caves), and then we turned around for .5 miles back at the pavilion.

      Magic House

      St. Louis’ Children’s Museum

      516 S Kirkwood Rd

       St. Louis, MO 63122

      55,000 square feet in the heart of Kirkwood! From the waterfall patio to the creek area to the sandcastle beach, we love exploring outdoors here. The mud kitchen has muffin tins and my girls love making some great recipes!

      The indoors are amazing as well. We always seem to gravitate to the science lab and art studio (right next to the member entrance), as well as the Lego tables by the construction exhibit. It is never too crowded right at opening hours at these spots.

      Make sure to check out the new permanent exhibit, Story Time Magic, which brings beloved stories to life!! 

      Columbia Bottom Conservation Area

      801 Strodtman Rd

       St. Louis, MO 63138

      Columbia Bottoms is one of our favorites to visit in summer…and it is free.

       When you enter the Conservation Area, follow the sunflower signs until you arrive at the current field in bloom. The fields will be rotated through a few weeks as they bloom (usually until mid-August)!

      Since the fields are planted in rows, the girls and I had fun walking between the flowers. It was so peaceful! Load on all the mosquito spray and sunscreen!! 

       

      Have you checked out these great spots? Our family loves spending time together around St. Louis, especially in the summer. 

      Check out Part 2 for more summer bucket list ideas!