Forest Park is already a seemingly boundless play area. In 2020, St. Louis families will have a new option to visit in between the Saint Louis Zoo and the Saint Louis Art Museum. On July 15, the park broke ground on the forthcoming experiential Nature Playscape in Forest Park, set to be kid-ready by 2020. Here are five things to know about the project and what it means for St. Louis families.
1. The almost oval-shaped Playscape will be a whopping 17 acres of Forest Park’s 1,293 acres, sat between the World’s Fair Pavilion and the Jewel Box. The $4.5 million project is funded by Forest Park Forever donors.
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2. Forest Park Forever says this is the first project of “this scale in the region.”
3. In addition to transplanting 20 existing trees, the park has is planting 280 majority native species tree, 20 existing trees, 600 native species shrubs, and 100-plus grass and flowering plant species.
4. The playscape will consist of eight areas for kids to enjoy, each giving their own opportunities for play. Take a turn at the sensory garden, a wetland, mounds, a spring, a bottomland forest, a gravel bank, an upland prairie, and, of course, a forest. In an interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Lesley Hoffarth, president and executive director of Forest Park Forever, says the park will change with the seasons, and of course, following the feedback they receive.
5. This family-friendly play area is also ADA-accessible, with stroller- and wheelchair-accessible paths bridging the eight areas together. In addition, there will be plenty of drinking fountains, places for kids to pump water, and even a spot to clean up their boots after a day filled true outdoor playing. As listed on the website, the first goal of this new family-friendly spot is to “connect children and families of all backgrounds and abilities with nature and promote their physical, mental, and emotional well-being.”
