Jul
Cruelty-Free Family Fun in St. Louis
Posted in Advocacy, Lifestyle | No Comments »After yesterday’s post you might be wondering what a family-friendly outing in St. Louis looks like in lieu of the zoo and/or Grant’s Farm. Thankfully, our fine city offers up a plethora of fantastic cruelty-free options for family fun!
First up is my favorite:
In short, The City Museum is RAD. Somehow, I wasn’t even aware of its existence until a few years ago – well into my twenties. Needless to say, after my husband and I quickly disposed of an entire afternoon crawling through intricate crevices and zooming down giant slides, I gave my parents and earful for never taking me there! This place will keep the whole family entertained for hours on end. Most definitely an experience that will leave a lasting impression.
Saint Louis Science Center/The Magic House
Yes, I know these are two fairly different places. The way I hear it though, the magic at The Magic House has quite a bit to do with science. Imagine that! I haven’t been to the Science Center since elementary school, same goes for The Magic House. I have fond memories of both, but I’m told that nowadays, The Magic House is sort of a more age-appropriate version of the Science Center for younger children. Maybe (likely) your kids would enjoy both, but checking these out according to how big or little the youngins’ are might work well.
The options for family-friendly fun abound in Forest Park! Bigger than New York’s Central Park, Forest Park is one of the most gorgeous and expansive outdoor spots in the city. Great ideas for a summer afternoon here with fam include flying a kite (and/or rolling down the hill) on Art Hill, biking along the riding trails and paddle boating on Post-Dispatch Lake. And of course, what trip to the park is complete without a picnic lunch!
Speaking of Forest Park, another great place for cruelty-free family fun in St. Louis lies smack in the middle of it, The Muny! Always a fun place to take in a show, the outdoor ambiance of The Muny makes it especially appealing to little ones. More importantly, the lineup of shows that makeup The Muny’s summer season is always chock full of family favorites. Catch Disney’s The Little Mermaid showing now through the 14th!
Citygarden is sort of the new kid on the block when it comes to cool places to hang out with the family in St. Louis. Citygarden sits on nearly three acres between Eighth and Tenth and Market and Chestnut streets, right in the middle of downtown. Here you’ll find two dozen pieces of sculpture displayed amongst vibrant landscaping and a giant video wall. Not just cool to look at, most of what you see at Citygarden is interactive and child-friendly, full of fun features like a six-foot waterfall, a spray plaza with 102 computer-controlled spray jets and custom lighting and a “meander” wall that beckons you to try to keep your balance on the granite stones.
And finally, what roundup of family(and animal!)-friendly activities in St. Louis is complete without mentioning the Arch? Strangely enough, I know plenty of native St. Louisans who’ve never been up. How you can go to school in St. Louis and never take a field trip to the Arch, I do not know, but if you’ve never been, you’re missing out! Likewise, even if the view isn’t new to you, it probably is to your kid! It’s easy to forget just how cool the Arch is when you’ve spent your whole life looking at it – which is another reason to take a trip to the top if it’s been a while.
This is just a sprinkling of all the cool, family-friendly stuff there is to do in St. Louis with zero collateral damage. A similar list could be easily composed for nearly any city in the country. Giving Zoos the boot is easier (and more fun!) than you think!