Explore St. Louis

American humorist Robert Benchley wrote, “In America there are two classes of travel - first class, and with children.”

Obviously, Mr. Benchley and his offspring hadn’t visited St. Louis where kids and kids-at-heart can discover first class fun. There are dozens of tantalizing new and “old favorite” St. Louis attractions to tempt young travelers this vacation season. Once they learn about all of St. Louis’ kid-centric hot spots, parents will start hearing, “Are we there yet?” before the family leaves home.

No need to break open the piggy bank. Many of St. Louis’ kid-favorite sites are open free of charge.

What’s up at Six Flags St. Louis, Doc? The giant family theme park company celebrates its 45th anniversary with a new addition to its St. Louis site: Bugs Bunny National Park. The special area has rides and attractions for the whole family. Family rides include hot air balloon replicas which take riders up, up and away; a flying rocket ship; a miniature drop ride; spinning tea cups; a rocking tugboat and a miniature train. Parents and older tykes can also participate in a 3-story tree house play structure and an interactive water play fountain. If grown-ups just want to watch, pint-sized airplanes and a swinging ship are exclusively for the toddler set. The “Bugs” area includes the Character Café which serves family food favorites, a Ranger Station with souvenirs geared for younger guests and family restrooms so fun seekers don’t have to leave the area.

New Six Flags St. Louis rides and attractions for older kids and adults include the new Superman Tower of Power 230-foot extreme free-fall ride, a Justice League entertainment area and a daily parade featuring favorite Looney Tunes and Justice League characters, lights, music and fireworks. Here’s a money saving hint: buy tickets on-line at http://www.sixflags.com/ and save with a special Internet only rate on one-day admissions. Simply click, print and go.

It’s playtime! New, innovative and, most importantly, fun playgrounds are perfect places to burn megawatts of kid energy. The newest, largest and most elaborate St. Louis play area is nestled within the beautiful Missouri Botanical Garden. The new, two-acre Doris I. Schnuck Children’s Garden: A Missouri Adventure introduces youngsters ages two through 12 to plants and nature in an amusing, hands-on style. Rope bridges, a giant-sized tree house, a slide into a fossil-encrusted cave, a frontier town complete with jail, a three-story log fort, a moving steamboat paddlewheel, a wetland ecosystem, “root” swings cascading from a fabricated tree and many more imaginative, active options bring Missouri’s 19th century history and botany to life.

Flowering plants within A Missouri Adventure grow in a petal-shaped garden designed to attract birds, bees and butterflies. Kids can clamber inside a giant beehive. A Secret Garden hidden by tall hedges is accessible through a trick door. Little folks control water jets at a splash and play area set up beneath a prairie village water tower. Toddlers can “plant” and “harvest” plastic vegetables in a sandy plot. With so many playful features packed into this special garden, kids will never want to leave. A Missouri Adventure Children’s Garden is open at the Missouri Botanical Garden from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends only in April 2006. Beginning May 1, the garden is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through October, and weekends only in November and March (weather permitting).

Playgrounds have popped up all over town. Forest Park opened its first inclusive public playground designed for all children – able-bodied and those with disabilities – between the Missouri History Museum and the Dennis & Judith Jones Visitor and Information Center. Traditional swings and seesaws are adapted for all abilities, a musical chime section delights both sighted and blind children and special stretching stations to aid parents and children with cerebral palsy are just a few of the practical and playful features.

Faust St. Louis County Park has added a new, ADA-approved play area to its collection of family attractions. Adjacent to the playground, pretty live butterflies fly around visitors who stroll through the tropical rainforest within the glass-domed Butterfly House. A hop, skip and jump away from the playground, take a spin on the festive St. Louis Carousel, a vintage 1929 Dentzel amusement ride with beautifully carved and painted horses and deer and the requisite calliope music. Faust Historic Village takes park goers back in time with its collection of 19th century Missouri homes, barns and outbuildings or tour Thornhill, the historic home of Missouri’s second governor Frederick Bates.

Kids can pretend to sail a climb-on pirate ship, maneuver a fire truck and fulfill other transportation fantasies at the newly remodeled Creation Station indoor playroom at the Museum of Transportation. No pretending is required to hop aboard one of the museum’s two, new mini-locomotives for a mile-long ride along a looping track. And, of course, there’s always the joy of clambering in, on and out of dozens and dozens of historic railroad cars and train engines from the museum’s vast collection. Older kids get their motors running at the new automobile gallery, a “dealer’s showroom” with an ever-changing display of vintage vehicles. Interactive driving, braking and turning stations allow the under-16 set to test their behind-the-wheel skills.

Other unique St. Louis play stations include the crazy, climbing and all together cool MonstroCity outdoor playground at City Museum, St. Louis’ unusual warehouse of adventure. New additions inside include more multi-level caves to explore and the distinction of being named as one of the World’ Best Public Spaces. In neighboring Belleville, Illinois, a two-acre playground that is both creative and spiritual is on the grounds of The National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows. The lushly landscaped area was designed to be an inspiration to families to enjoy the outdoors while having fun together. Across I-64 from the St. Louis Zoo south entrance sits Turtle Playground, home to a traditional playground plus seven large sculpted concrete turtles just waiting to be climbed on, slid off and played among. The turtles range from seven to 40 feet long each represent a different species found in Missouri. Among them are a red-eared slider, a soft-shelled turtle, a snapping turtle, a box turtle, a Mississippi map turtle and “stinkpot” turtle.

Within the Saint Louis Zoo’s Children’s Zoo section, kids can climb on a rope spider web, slide through the river otter pond via a plexiglass tube, dance through squirting water fountains and clamber across a bridge suspended above a pretend alligator-laden swamp. Named the Top Zoo in the U.S. by Zagat Survey and Parenting Magazine, the Saint Louis Zoo has added weighty attractions in 2006. In addition to the impending birth of a new baby elephant, a 200-ton sculpture titled “Animals Always” greets park visitors at the Hampton Avenue entry to Forest Park. The massive metal work, to be installed in May, depicts 60 different animals of all types. Inside the Zoo, kids may be encouraged to eat their veggies after watching animal meals being prepared through oversized windows at the new Animal Nutrition Center. Families can picnic in the adjacent outdoor garden. The creepy, crawly constituents of the Monsanto Insectarium are now on view for free. The Zoo has permanently waived the nominal charge to this special exhibit that includes a tropical butterfly dome.

Haven’t been to the Saint Louis Zoo in a while? You’ll notice recent new additions. Chill out at the very cool Penguin and Puffin Coast habitat of the popular tuxedoed birds and playful puffins. Go ape at The Fragile Forest home of gorillas and orangutans. Circle the animal kingdom with a ride on an endangered species replica on board the Conservation Carousel and adventure through a Cypress Swamp teeming with wildlife in the giant steel bird cage that has marveled visitors since the 1904
St. Louis World’s Fair.

The charming, St. Louis-based Build-A-Bear Workshop opened special outlets at the St. Louis Zoo and new Busch Stadium this year. The St. Louis Zoo store, the first ever Build-A-Bear Workshop located inside a zoo, offers a jungle-themed environment where visitors can choose from a variety of furry friends including Humboldt Penguin, Tree Frog, Asian Elephant and Ring-Tailed Lemur. Once the critter is “built,” the “builders” have the opportunity to dress their new pal in adorable outfits such as a zookeeper and a Zooline Railroad engineer.

The Busch Stadium Build-A-Bear Workshop is safe at home near Section 153 on the main concourse at the St. Louis Cardinals’ brand new baseball palace. Fans can build the Cardinals’ huggable mascot, Fredbird the Redbird, and deck him out in the team’s official Major League Baseball clothing and accessories. Beary cute options include Cardinals Baseball bears, a stuffed replica of the new St. Louis ballpark and FANtastic Monkey. The workshop is open during all Cardinals home games.

One visit to The Magic House, St. Louis Children’s Museum and you’ll know why it was named the nation’s #1 attraction for child appeal by Zagat U.S. Family Travel Guide. This innovative participatory museum serves up special summer fun with three playful new exhibits: Toddler Traffic Town, Right in My Own Backyard and Making America’s Music: Rhythm, Roots & Rhyme.

Children can create their own sound and learn about American musical genres from blues to jazz to rock ‘n’ roll with a toe-tapping trip to the Making America’s Music: Rhythm, Roots & Rhyme exhibit. The musical merry-making takes place at The Magic House from June 10 through September 18, 2006. Youngsters learn about tempo and volume with a wave of their arms in the “You’re the Conductor!” area. A karaoke station turns tykes into hep cats as they perform jazz riffs. Fountains of light and color are created in the drumming gallery and the windshield wipers of a country western tour bus keep pace with the music on the bus’ radio. Kids can twist and shout to their hearts’ content and see themselves cutting the rug on a big screen at an American Bandstand-style school dance station.

Calling all cars! Toddler Traffic Town puts kids under the age of seven behind the wheel of vintage pedal cars to drive through kid-size city streets complete with storefronts, pint-sized construction sites and even a miniature Gateway Arch. The tiny town teaches wee drivers about the rules of the road and traffic safety. A Magic House favorite, Toddler Traffic Town pedals along from August 26 through October 8, 2006.

This summer, The Magic House outdoor Exhibit Patio springs to life as the new Right in My Own Backyard activity bubbles over with massive mushrooms, enormous ants and gigantic plants. The hands-on exhibit combines learning about nature with outdoor family play. Families can romp inside an amazingly vast anthill, toss balls at gargantuan spiders crawling on an extra-wide web and swoosh down a slippery, tubular slide. It’s super-sized fun for everyone…Right in My Own Backyard from June 17 through August 13, 2006.

Be a stage mother or dad and give the kids a live theatre experience this summer. “The Wizard of Oz” will bewitch young audience members when the MGM classic comes to life at The Muny in Forest Park, July 6 through 16. The Muny, St. Louis’ historic outdoor amphitheatre, has been delighting fans of Broadway musicals for more than 80 years. Snoopy and the entire Peanuts gang make merry in “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” August 9 through 20 at Stages St. Louis’ Robert G. Reim Theatre.

There’s theatrical fun on St. Louis’ big screens, too. Trek to the Pacific with explorers Lewis & Clark with a viewing of “Lewis & Clark: Great Journey West” at the Odyssey Theatre beneath the Gateway Arch. This National Geographic large format film showcases the spectacular scenery along the Lewis & Clark Trail and simply and eloquently tells the story of that incredible, historic journey. The domed Omnimax Theatre at the Saint Louis Science Center revs things up through September 4 with “NASCAR: The IMAX Experience.” The giant-screen film puts viewers in the driver’s seat with NASCAR drivers including Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jeff Gordon and more.

Another member of St. Louis’ incredible children’s attractions made Zagat’s Survey Top 10 list for Best Overall Attractions in the U.S. – Grant’s Farm. Visitors to this free attraction take tram rides through an animal preserve which pass the log cabin home built by President U.S. Grant. Buffalo, zebra, elk and other hoofed creatures reside on Grant’s Farm along with a petting zoo, an Anheuser-Busch Clydesdale breeding farm and trained animal shows featuring elephants and both exotic and birds of prey.
More animal-related fun happens at Purina Farms, where city slicker children interact with farm animals including baby pigs, chickens, cows and bunnies. Cat lovers adore the Victorian designed cat house filled with pretty felines of all shapes, sizes and colors. Kids and adults can learn how to care for their family pets, see a dog-training demonstration and special animal shows and exhibits at this free St. Louis attraction.

If a trip to the Gateway City gives kids the travel bug, take them to Worldways Children’s Museum where kids can explore another country without leaving St. Louis. World cultures are actively on display at the museum where children can dress in national costumes, shop in a Mexican market, learn how to use chopsticks and draw Chinese letters, float in a vibrantly painted boat like those from Saint-Louis, Senegal in West Africa and experience the values of foreign currencies.

Search www.explorestlouis.com for a list of free attractions, special family hotel packages and to book hotel rooms on-line. Or, call toll-free, 1-800-916-0040 for details on how St. Louis is a kids’ vacation haven. Be sure to download the St. Louis Family Attractions Card and other offers from the Tickets & Deals section of the site for special discounts at many of the Gateway City’s top spots for young visitors.

It's the last weekend before spring. What a great excuse to spend some quality time indoors at St. Louis' top theaters.

The touring company of the Broadway musical "Rent" sets up its modernized take on La Boheme at the Fabulous Fox Theatre (right) in the Grand Center arts and entertainment district of St. Louis with shows Friday, March 17 through Sunday, March 19. The curtain rises at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights and 2 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets start at $26. (Rent to Own)

Also in Grand Center, the St. Louis Black Repertory Company presents "Before It Hits Home," March 15 - April 9. Show times for this important contemporary drama are 7 p.m. on Thursday and 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday with a 3 p.m. matinee on both Saturday and Sunday. Ticket prices start at $17. (Get Details)

"Witness for the Prosecution" is on stage at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis through April 14. The Agatha Christie thriller has been chilling audiences for decades and the Rep gives this murder-mystery its own special treatment. (It would be a crime to miss this)

"Menopause, the Musical" is heating things up at the Playhouse at West Port Plaza.
The 90-minute production includes 25 parodied tunes from the '60's and '70's and culminates with a salute to women who are experiencing The Change. (Flash over to get a ticket)

Not technically a theatrical performance, but does it get any better than sinking back into the plush seats at Powell Symphony Hall for an orchestral program by the famous Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra? Performances take place at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights and 3 p.m. on Sunday. Maestro Oundjian, pianist Leon Fleisher and the SLSO present Mozart’s “Piano Concerto in A major, K. 414,” Hindemith’s “Klaviermusik mit Orchester,” Prokofiev’s “Lt. Kije Suite,” and Martinu’s “Fantaisies symphoniques, (Symphony No. 6).” (Mozart makes you smarter)

St. Louis Cardinals Tickets Go on Sale March 4 at 9 a.m.

Grab your telephone or log on to your computer. Don't do anything Saturday morning until you get your Cards tickets. St. Louis Cardinals single-game tickets go on sale at 9 a.m. central time this Saturday and they're expected to go fast.

The Cardinals move into their new baseball palace — Busch Stadium — on April 10 for the start of this season's 82 home games. The new stadium combines the best of new ballpark design with historic touches and the red brick look of St. Louis' architecture. Fans will enjoy amazing skyline views, great sight lines and upgraded concessions and activities along with some of the best baseball in America. The Cardinals always draw record-breaking crowds, but this year's debut of the new ballpark is expected to make tickets scarce later in the season.

Here's how to get your tickets:
Online through the Cardinals' web site
By phone at the Cardinals' new ticket sales number: 314-345-9000
In person at Schnuck's grocery stores or Cardinals Clubhouse locations

The Gateway City’s streets are paved with green this March in anticipation of St. Patrick’s celebrations in The “Too-Ra-Loo-Ra” Lou.

There are so many green-tinted festivities in St. Louis that it takes two St. Patty’s parades to satisfy all the Irish or “Irish-for-the-visit” revelers.

With more free attractions than anyplace in the Midwest and economical hotel packages, you won’t need a pot of gold to afford a March getaway to St. Louis.

Here’s a “Top of the Mornin’” and month-long list of Gaellic goings-on in the Gateway City this March:

If you love a parade, you’ll be twice as happy here: St. Louis’ Irish roots are showing with not one, but two St. Patty’s parades. The 37th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, one of the largest in the nation, marches through Downtown St. Louis starting at noon on Saturday, March 11. The green-strewn route begins at Broadway and Market Streets and continues west on Market Street to 20th Street. More than 100 units and 5,000 marchers including elaborate floats, bands, Irish dance troupes and character balloons make up the entertaining parade line. This year, plans include a special salute by the U.S. Army Green Beret Parachute Team who will descend over the parade route while carrying a large U.S. flag.

Run like the Snakes Out of Ireland: The 28th Annual Michelob ULTRA St. Patrick’s Day Parade Run precedes the Downtown parade on Saturday, March 11. More than 6,000 runners participate in the annual race that begins at 9:30 a.m. and covers a five-mile course. Runners, walkers and wheelchair racers of all ages are welcome. There are 11 different age categories for both male and female competitive runners, ranging from teens to 70-plus years. Register on-line. at http://www.active.com/.

It Takes a Village…: to offer Irish food, gifts and souvenirs, music, dance and a children’s play area. An Irish Village magically appears in Downtown St. Louis’ Kiener Plaza on Saturday, March 11 from 8:30 a.m. through 3:00 p.m. and during the Downtown St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Kiener Plaza is located on Broadway between Market and Chestnut streets.

Party On, Pat!..: or Jane or Mark or LaTonya. The conclusion of the March 11 Downtown
St. Pat’s Parade’s isn’t the end of the party. Irish celebrations continue with live music, food and refreshments at the historic Laclede’s Landing entertainment district along the Mississippi riverfront and at St. Louis Union Station’s festival marketplace at 18th and Market streets.

The Ancient Order of Hibernians' St. Patrick's Day Parade takes place on March 17, the official holy day of the legendary saint. The Irish heritage organization’s festive parade starts at 12:30 p.m. at Wells and Tamm Avenue near St. Louis’ famous Forest Park. A procession of lively bands, decorative floats and marching family clans travel through the streets of St. Louis’ traditionally Irish Dogtown neighborhood.

One of Ireland’s Own: Tour the St. Louis home of one of the Emerald Isle’s most successful emigrants – Robert Campbell. Born in County Tyrone in 1804, Campbell moved to St. Louis as a young man and became a famous fur trader, entrepreneur and the richest man in Missouri during his lifetime. The Campbell House Museum, at 1508 Locust Street in Downtown
St. Louis, was home to Robert and his family from 1854 until 1938. Hundreds of the Campbell’s original possessions including furniture, paintings, clothing and carriages take you back in time to see how a well-to-do Victorian family lived in St. Louis.

You say potato. I say spud: A céilidh is an Irish word that describes a party with music and dancing. You can tap your toes to the music of Dervish, a traditional Irish group from County Sligo in Northwest Ireland when they perform at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 18 at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center at the University of Missouri – St. Louis. From high energy reels to lilting Irish ballads, Dervish covers the gamut of Celtic musical genres. Or, celebrate at the music-filled Celtic Festival Céilidh at The Schlafly Tap Room, a brew pub at 2100 Locust, on Friday, March 31.

Wearin’ o’ the Green: Find a complete Irish wardrobe and a full Irish breakfast at The Kerry Cottage, St. Louis’ largest Irish import store at 2119 South Big Bend. The charming shop is brimming to its authentic thatched roof with all things Irish -- from Aran sweaters and Donegal tweed caps to shilleleghs and claddagh rings. Select from Irish music CDs, children’s christening gowns, toy sheep, Waterford and Belleek crystal and china for the perfect St. Patrick’s Day gift. The inventory also includes imported Irish specialty foods some of which is served up in the shop’s Tea Room. Homemade scones and brown bread are made fresh daily using the owner’s Irish-born mum’s personal recipes. Soups, sandwiches, salads and desserts are available from 9:30 a.m., Monday through Saturday. A full Irish breakfast of eggs, bangers (Irish sausages), Irish bacon, potatoes, grilled tomato, scones, brown bread and tea are served with advance reservations on Saturday mornings. Reservations: 314-644-6279.

Green Beer: Green beer is a Patty’s Day staple, but have you heard of a green brewery? Environment-friendly or “green” manufacturing practices are in use at the Schlafly Bottleworks and Schlafly Tap Room microbreweries in St. Louis. Minimizing waste, incorporating heat recovery devices, composting and using recyclable packaging are part of daily operations. Learn about “green” manufacturing during a free brewery tour at Schlafly Bottleworks, 7260 Southwest Avenue. Though it’s not emerald in hue, stout is definitely a favorite Irish drink. The Schlafly Tap Room at 2100 Locust Street, serves up three of the brewery’s stouts – Nitro Irish, Oatmeal and Coffee and more than 25,000 fresh oysters during its March 24 through 26 Stout & Oyster Festival. A Cod Fest is slated there on March 3 and 4 that features a Guinness Book of World Records-style challenge to create the largest single serving of fish & chips in Missouri.

For the Little People: Wee ones have plenty to celebrate in St. Louis. Kid-friendly attractions include the world famous Saint Louis Zoo; The Magic House, St. Louis Children’s Museum; Purina Farms; hands-on fun at the St. Louis Science Center; whacky City Museum and so much more. Click on the “St. Louis for Kids” section of http://www.explorestlouis.com/ for details.

Every Day is Patty’s Day: You’ll feel transported to a pub in Dublin if you stop for a jar (drink) at John D. McGurk’s Saloon in St. Louis’ Soulard neighborhood. McGurk’s is renowned on both sides of the Atlantic for bringing native Irish musicians in for nightly traditional entertainment “sessions.” Don’t be surprised to have your Guinness pulled by a Donegal lad while listening to fiddlers and bodhran (drum) players fresh from the Ring of Kerry. The bar, at 1200 Russell Boulevard, also boasts a lovely outdoor garden and taste-tempting full menu. Another Soulard establishment with Irish flair, great food and liquid refreshment is Norton’s Cafe at 808 Geyer. Norton’s cozy fireplace provides a welcome cool weather retreat and the large outdoor dining area teems with people and good times during fair weather.

Snakes Alive!: St. Patrick may have driven the snakes out of Ireland, but the beautiful and exotic creatures have a happy home with other reptiles at the Herpatarium habitat at the
Saint Louis Zoo. The free zoo has recently been named America’s Top Zoo by Zagat’s U.S. Family Travel Survey. The Zoo is one of the many free attractions located within the lush green space of St. Louis’ historic Forest Park.

Green Houses: The Emerald Isle doesn’t hold the exclusive on Mother Nature’s many shades of green. A visit to the Climatron tropical rainforest, the giant geodesic dome at the Missouri Botanical Garden, is brimming with exotic green hues. The Garden’s other green houses are packed with punches of verdant color, too. The Temperate House is filled with Mediterranean flora and garden features like bubbling fountains in a tiled courtyard, fish ponds and even insect-eating plants. Fragrant with blooming camellias and gardenias, The Linnaean House is the oldest working greenhouse west of the Mississippi. At 2:00 p.m. on St. Patrick’s Day at the Garden, St. Louis historian Rev. William Faherty will speak and sign his book, "The St. Louis Irish: An Unmatched Celtic Community."

Irish Drama: The renowned Irish literary heritage also runs through the veins of Irish-Americans. “The Iceman Cometh,” one of playwright Eugene O’Neill’s most masterful works is brought to life March 16 through 19 and March 23 through 25 at St. Louis Regional Arts Commission Studio, 6129 Delmar Boulevard.

Green House, Too: The EarthWays Center is a century-old Victorian home that has been renovated to demonstrate energy-efficient systems, recycled products and sustainable lifestyle choices. Features of the home can be readily copied by visitors in their personal home renovation plans such as installation of energy-efficient windows, water-saving features and nature-friendly landscaping options. Tours are scheduled at 11:00 a.m., Noon, 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, March 18 and 19. The home, located at 3617 Grandel Square in St. Louis’ Grand Center arts and entertainment district, is operated by the Missouri Botanical Garden. Admission is $2.00.