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
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!
