Dedicated in 1876, Forest Park is a 1,300-acre green space in St. Louis that was created to give all St. Louisans a place to enjoy nature. The park then hosted the 1904 World’s Fair—and some of the fair’s exhibits were incorporated into the Saint Louis Zoo and Saint Louis Art Museum. Those two cultural institutions, along with Missouri History Museum, the Muny, and Saint Louis Science Center call the park home.
Read more: Find helpful information about visiting the Zoo and Science Center with kids in St. Louis Magazine’s guides.
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“One of the things that’s great about the park is that it’s this green space and natural space and landscaped space, but also it has several cultural institutions…which have all been there for basically 100 years or more,” says Dominik Jansky, director of Communications & Marketing for Forest Park Forever, a private nonprofit conservancy that works in partnership with the City of St. Louis to maintain the park. “That’s part of the signature of it.”
Do you plan to be one of the millions of visitors to the park this year? Here’s what you need to know to make the most of your day, with advice and suggestions from Jansky, who spends time in the park with his own children.
Must-See Spots for Kids in Forest Park
There’s so much to love about Forest Park: There are lots of spaces to kick balls around, fly kites, and walk through a forest in the middle of the city. But when it comes to visiting with kids, one of the best things is, “just about wherever you’re coming in, there’s a playground nearby,” Jansky says.
One of the best play areas is the Anne O’C. Albrecht Nature Playscape, according to Jansky. The 17-acre playscape is a place for kids to engage in experiential learning in nature. It features nine distinct activity areas—including a sensory garden, wetland, forest areas, and upland prairie—where kids can climb on logs and boulders, play in the sand, and get muddy. “I have two kids who are 7 and 9, and that’s been a great spot to bring them,” Jansky says. “Especially if you have kids who aren’t normally exposed to nature.”
Variety Wonderland Playground, located near the Dennis & Judith Jones Visitor and Education Center, was recently renovated to be a fully accessible playground. “It has equipment that’s great for kids of all abilities, and they can all play together and interact together,” Jansky says.
Forest Park is also home to two other playgrounds. The award-winning Oakland Avenue Playground was recently renovated. It features a giant climbable turtle made of tree stumps and accessible features. The Richard Hudlin Playground & Tennis Courts is located near Barnes-Jewish Hospital.
Over at the Boathouse, Big Muddy Adventures offers hourly rentals for single and double kayaks, canoes, paddleboats, stand-up paddleboards, and bikes. “The first time my kids ever canoed was there because there’s not really a current, and it’s low water. So it was a nice way to get them comfortable with the canoe in a kind of controlled environment,” Jansky says.
Hidden Gems
With so much to see and explore in the park, there are bound to be some hidden gems you might not know about. Just north of Steinberg Skating Rink is the Prairie Boardwalk, which goes out a bit over the water and skirts along the trees and nature reserve area. Jansky says there are a couple of neat spots along that walk. The Victorian Footbridge “looks like it’s out of a different historic era,” he says. It was built in the late 1880s to provide pedestrians a way to enter the park from the nearby trolley stop. Also nearby is a really old mulberry tree with a split trunk. “It almost looks otherworldly. Some people call it the Keebler Elf tree or the Harry Potter tree,” Jansky says. “It’s this neat little spot to climb around and under.”
Best Photo Ops in Forest Park
If you’re looking for that perfect spot to snap a pic for your Instagram feed, Forest Park is full of beautiful backdrops. Here are a few highlights that Jansky suggests:
Emerson Grand Basin is a popular spot because of the fountains, flowers, and lake with Art Hill in the background. Jansky notes that it’s a sought-after spot for prom and wedding pictures.
On the west side of the park, the Cascades is a picturesque waterfall. Built in 1937, the Cascades was designed to mimic the World’s Fair Cascades that once flowed down Art Hill. There’s a small pond with a stone walkway around it, and you can walk up the stairs alongside the waterfall. Forest Park Forever maintains the surrounding landscape, so there are different plants blooming throughout the growing season.
“The Victorian Footbridge I mentioned is kind of neat, just because it’s a little bit of architectural structure amid the natural landscape,” Jansky says.
Anywhere along the Taylor Kindle River, which runs east to west through the park, makes for a good background, too. “Places where you’ll see the water bend or go underneath a bridge, depending on the light of that day, it can be a really neat photo op,” he says, adding that sometimes you can catch an egret, heron, or other waterfowl in the background.
Special and Seasonal Events
Forest Park hosts a variety of events, from festivals and bird walks to concert series and opportunities to volunteer. You can check out Forest Park Forever’s calendar to see what’s coming up.
A new, free event this year is Play Day in the Park, which is scheduled for June 10. Head to Steinberg Skating Rink to celebrate National Children’s Day and enjoy bubbles, fishing, roller-skating, robotics, rock climbing, and more.
Want to get a little exercise while doing some good? The I Love Forest Park 5K & Kids Fun Run is scheduled for August 20, and all proceeds from the fundraiser go to support the park’s care.
In the winter, Steinberg Skating Rink, which is touted as the largest outdoor ice-skating rink in the Midwest, offers public skating mid-November through late February. In the warmer months, you can lace up a pair of roller skates and take a spin around the rink. This year, however, the rink is only offering roller-skating during specific times and events (check the website for more information).
Typically held in the spring, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources hosts WOW School St. Louis, a family event that introduces participants to and encourages outdoor recreation. Attendees can learn activities like paddling, archery, geocaching, fishing, and hiking.
Earlier this spring, Forest Park Forever partnered with St. Louis Public Library to host story times in the Nature Playscape on Monday mornings. “The library will choose a couple of books to read…but if [the kids] are distracted or if they want to go explore, that’s OK,” Jansky says. The story times were popular (typically attracting 70–90 people each week, according to Jansky), so the park plans to offer them again in the late summer and fall.
Tips for Visiting Forest Park
Jansky offers the following tips for spending the day in the park with your kids:
Bookmark the interactive map of the park on your phone. It’ll tell you where everything is, including the park’s bathrooms, and help keep you from getting lost in the green oasis.
Slather on the sunscreen before you leave your house and during your visit. After all, “you’ll probably be out and enjoying and exploring more than you maybe anticipated when you started,” Jansky says.
Visit on weekdays during the school year and early mornings on weekends if you want to take advantage of less-crowded playgrounds. That being said, while the playgrounds are usually well attended, they’re never overwhelmingly crowded, Jansky advises.
Plan ahead during the warmer months. The park and the zoo tend to get busy when it’s nice outside, so keep that in mind when heading to the green space. Designated parking lots can fill up fast, but there is plenty of street parking nearby. It’s also a good idea to know where the closest restrooms are to where you’ll be spending most of your time, especially with little ones.
Walking around the park can be kind of magical in the winter months. “If you’re walking through the park and the leaves aren’t on the trees…from almost anywhere in the park you can see Art Hill,” Jansky says.
Fast Stats
Good for: Anyone who wants to spend some time outside, soaking up vitamin D. Little ones will love playing in any of the park’s four play spaces, while older kids will get a kick out of cruising on a paddle boat or canoe.
Price: Free
Hours: Daily, 6 a.m.–10 p.m., year-round
Is there food? Yes. The Boathouse is the only free-standing restaurant in the park, and it offers casual dining. There’s also a concession stand at Steinberg Skating Rink, but it’s only open when the rink is open. There are cafés and restaurants located within some of the cultural institutions, like the zoo and museums. But your best bet might just be to pack a picnic for your park adventure. Check out Picnic Island on the west side of the park if you go that route.
Website: forestparkforever.org
Phone: 314-367-7275
