St Louis - Pitstops for Kids

Aerial adventure in St. Louis: Go Ape-St. Louis

June 9, 2017 By Amy Hagstrom

Driving through beautiful Creve Coeur Lake Memorial Park in St. Louis, you could be forgiven for thinking you’ve stumbled across an Ewok village. Actually, it’s Go Ape-St. Louis, an aerial obstacle course with ziplines.

The Go Ape experience

Our treetop adventure began with check-in at the red barn, where the attendant holds keys, wallets, and phones behind the counter for safe keeping. Before we headed out, a guide took us through safety training. Participants are responsible for securing themselves to the lines at every point during the adventure. That sounded intimidating to me, but the training was straightforward and thorough.

We started with a ground-level mockup of the safety systems used throughout the course, including the instructional signage posted at every crossing. Once the guide had checked our comprehension, we walked to the first station. It is low to the ground; for those who are unsure if they’re going to be able to handle the experience, this serves as a test site. If, after going through this first station, you don’t want to proceed, Go Ape offers a refund.

None of us quit, though. We went through one at a time so the guide could ensure we knew what we were doing. Then we were released to explore the course at our own pace.

Think of Go Ape as an aerial obstacle course. Each site begins with a rope ladder and ends with a zipline, but in between, we navigated bridges, swinging platforms, hanging rings, and more. (You do get a rest between—there are platforms between every component). As our guide said, what makes this fun is having to earn the zipline rides.

Obstacles are rated from easy to extreme, and any time there’s an “extreme,” there’s also an easier option. We took all the “extreme” paths, and I found it more physically demanding than I had anticipated. But I never felt in danger or even particularly aware of the height, because at all times, I was tethered to a safety line. I knew if I lost my balance, I’d only fall a foot or two at most. In fact, most of the time you can choose to take the easy way out and glide from one tree to the next, using the safety harness. But where’s the fun in that?

The single exception to the “short fall” is Go Ape’s central attraction: the Tarzan swing, which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: a long arc across open space that ends in a net you have to climb to achieve the platform on the far side. There are actually two, and the first is a warmup for the second. That second is a doozy, but if you chicken out at the last moment, there’s a bypass. (I’m proud to say I made the jump. Although my 12-year-old showed me up by doing it twice.)

Video of the Tarzan swing:

Note age limits: Although some Go Ape locations have a course for younger kids, St. Louis does not—yet, at least. Here, it is open to ages 10 and up. One adult (18+) must be in the treetops for every two children ages 10-15. 16-17 year olds don’t need a chaperone on site, but they will need a waiver signed by a parent or guardian.

Ground Level at Go Ape:

If your family is like mine, your spouse and most of your kids wouldn’t touch an aerial obstacle course with a ten-foot pole. Never fear. Adjacent to the red barn is a spray park and a really nice playground. And if the family wants walk along at ground level and watch their more adventurous counterparts, they can do that, too. You’ll also find employees roaming the course to offer support and suggestions to those in the treetops.

The rope ladders at the start of each site are enclosed within a locked fence; you have to have a code to enter. Inside, Go Ape provides water and paper cups as well as educational signage about conservation, endangered species and information about the trees and undergrowth surrounding you.

Making a day of it:

A treetop adventure lasts 2-3 hours. But because Go Ape partners with state and local parks, there’s always more to do in the immediate vicinity. In St. Louis’ Creve Coeur Memorial Park, you can supplement your treetop adventure with fishing, kayaking, canoeing, dirt biking, or disc golf.

Preparing for your treetop adventure:

Wear jeans and sneakers, and bring gloves. You can go without, but your skin will be happier if you have them. If you forget, Go Ape sells gloves on site.

Hours/Admission:

Hours vary, but Go Ape is generally open March through November. Your best bet is to book online ahead of time. Walk-ins are accepted, but having a reservation guarantees a spot when you arrive. Check out their FAQ page to get more details.

Location:

Go Ape is located at 13219 Streetcar Dr., Maryland Heights, MO 63043. Parking is free on site.

My son and I enjoyed our treetop adventure as guests of Go Ape, but our enthusiasm for the experience is all ours.

Where to stay in St. Louis: Drury Inn-Forest Park

June 5, 2017 By Amy Hagstrom

St. Louis, Missouri is known around the Midwest as a great family destination because of the many free attractions it offers. You’ll need a few days to do justice to all the city has to offer. Wondering where to stay in St. Louis? While you’re in town, make the Drury Inn-Forest Park your home away from home. With its its proximity to a number of major attractions, the Drury-Forest Park offers much more than a comfortable place to sleep.

Room amenities at Drury Inn-Forest Park:

Our family was given spacious and exceptionally comfortable adjoining rooms, one of which was designed for guests in wheelchairs. Both bathrooms had handlebars in the bathtubs, but the accessible room had three. Each bed had four pillows of varying firmness to choose from. The rooms feature St. Louis images rather than generic artwork, and all the table lamps include extra outlets for charging electronic devices. We also had a safe, a microwave and a refrigerator in the rooms.

The Drury’s contribution to environmental stewardship involves permanent refillable shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel dispensers in the showers, which replace the single-night-sized bottles you find many places.

The hotel offers a 24-hour business center off the lobby, conference rooms, and free (open) wifi. There’s also a laundry room in the basement, and a climate-controlled garage beneath the hotel.

During our stay, we had a chance to visit with a family that has spent quite a bit of time in St. Louis for medical appointments and procedures. They told us the Drury-Forest Park is far and away their favorite place to stay.

What to do on site:

On site, you’ll find a 24-hour fitness center with new, quiet machines. The indoor-outdoor pool opens at 9 a.m. It ranges from 3 to 5 feet, with a rubber divider separating the indoor from the outdoor sections. The deepest part is here at the center; it gets shallow again outside. The indoor portion includes a spacious deck, a hot tub, and a pool lift.

Off-site, the Drury-Forest Park is just over a mile away from Forest Park, site of the 1904 World’s Fair, whose zoo, science center, and museums have free admission. In the winter, there’s also ice skating in the park. The hotel is also a mile from “the Hill,” the historic neighborhood known for its authentic Italian restaurants and grocery stores. The Missouri Botanical Gardens, one of the top three public gardens in the world, is also nearby, and the downtown attractions are only six miles by interstate.

Read a review of the Missouri Botanical Gardens and FREE zoo!

Dining:

Free hotel breakfasts are becoming more common, but the Drury’s was among the more extensive we’ve experienced, adding flour tortillas and biscuits and gravy to the standard offerings. The Drury also offers “5:30 Kickback” in the afternoons, with a rotating menu that includes soup and salad along with more substantial fare. And don’t forget the popcorn and free soft drinks available until 10 p.m.

If you’re in the mood for sit-down food, try Bartolino’s restaurant, housed inside the hotel. Bartolino’s offers appetizers, pizzas, salads, sandwiches and pastas at under $15.

Rates:

Rooms start as low as $129 in the off season and around $179 at peak times, but rates vary depending on the Cardinals schedule and other major events or festivals.

Location:

The Drury Inn-Forest Park is located at 2111 Sulphur Avenue, in St. Louis, Missouri, close to Forest Park as well as St. Louis’ famous “Hill” area and the Missouri Botanical Gardens.

Our family stayed at the Drury Inn-Forest Park as guests of Explore St. Louis in return for an honest review.

St. Louis with kids: Missouri Botanical Garden

May 31, 2017 By Amy Hagstrom

The Missouri Botanical Garden, established in 1859, is regarded as one of the top public gardens in the world. This 79-acre paradise, located only five miles from downtown St. Louis, exists thanks to local 19th-century businessman Henry Shaw, who admired the great public gardens of Europe and wanted to offer his hometown a similar resource.

The gardens are exquisite, with pools, ponds, and fountains to please the eye. You can easily spend a full day there, although the visitors’ guide provides a helpful list of what to see if you’re short on time. The tram tour, available April through October, lets you see the whole garden in half an hour without wearing out the little ones. The spherical Climatron houses tropical plants, and next door, the Brookings Exploration Center offers hands-on learning about plants, trees and the environments in which they grow.

If you have time for a more in-depth visit, you can wander the beautiful grounds, which are set up to showcase gardening styles from around the world. A few don’t-miss-this spots include:
Feeding Koi fish in the spectacular and often-photographed Japanese garden
Walking through Tower Grove House, Henry Shaw’s Victorian home, housed in the park (April-December)
The observation tower and maze beside the house (My kids played tag in it—which might not be wise or even possible if the crowds are big, but it was quiet in that part of the garden when we visited.)

Children’s Garden:

But without a doubt, the highlight of the Missouri Botanical Garden for families is the Children’s Garden. Open April through October (and requiring a separate admission of $5 for kids 3-12; little ones and adults are free), this extensive play area is one part garden, one part children’s museum, and one part playground. But your local park never had a playground like this! Each area represents a piece of Missouri history or geography: steamboat, tree house, cave, fort, Native American camp, and general store stocked with toy food, to name a few. There’s even a splash pad in the summer. (See this map to get a sense of the scope.)

Staff offers daily programming from 10:30-2, giving kids an interactive look at tree identification, wetland biodiversity, and more. Your kids will not want to leave this area. Even my preteen boy wasn’t ready to go.

Note: The Children’s Garden is large and when there are a lot of kids around, as there were the day we visited, it can be easy to lose track of your children. Set up a meeting spot and make sure your kids have your mobile number with them in case they need to ask an adult for help finding you.

Getting the most out of your visit:

Keep an eye on the weather. There are things to do indoors, but you will probably spend most of your time outside. On certain days, the garden offers interpretive and educational programming, and in the summertime there are concerts in the amphitheater. Large-scale exhibitions are also hosted in the summer—in 2017 the Climatron will be home to a collection of large glass art—and other festivals are scattered throughout the year. The garden can be crowded during some of these events, so plan accordingly.

Picnicking is NOT allowed on the grounds, but re-entry is permitted. Keep a cooler in the car or take time to enjoy one of the authentic Italian restaurants on The Hill, just a few blocks away. Easier still, eat on-site, at the Sassafrass Cafe, which offers mostly locally-sourced soups, salads, sandwiches and kids’ fare for $10 and under.

For a lasting keepsake of your visit, check out the large Garden Gate Shop, which sells plants, home furnishings, books and tools both for growing plants and for cooking up the fruits of your labor.

Accessibility:

By and large, the garden is accessible to wheelchairs and strollers, including much of the Children’s Garden. Walkways are wide and smooth. Parents with nursing or easily overstimulated children might want to take advantage of the “calming corner” inside the Brookings Exploration Center. For kids with sensory issues, check out the “Pre-Visit Guide” prepared by the garden.

Location, Parking, Hours/Admission:

Missouri Botanical Gardens is open 9-5 daily and is open in the early mornings and Wednesday evenings for walking. Admission is $12 for ages 13 and over; kids are free, and residents of St. Louis County get half-priced admission every day and free admission on Saturdays.

The Children’s Garden ($5 ages 3-12) and the tram ($4 ages 3-adult) require separate tickets, and during some special events, garden admission may be higher, so again—check the garden calendar.

The garden is located at 4344 Shaw Blvd., St. Louis, MO, 63110. Parking is free on site, and there is quite a bit of it, but on busy days cars are parked for several blocks up the surrounding streets. Using public transportation will earn you a $1 discount on admission.

Our family visited the Missouri Botanical Garden as guests of Explore St. Louis, in exchange for an honest review.

Photo credit

St. Louis with kids: Visiting the free St. Louis Zoo

May 17, 2017 By Amy Hagstrom

Voted the #1 free attraction in the United States in 2016, the St. Louis Zoo is a “must-see” for anyone visiting the area. With no admission costs, well-kept grounds, beautiful sculptures and water fixtures, and the large collection of animals, this is a great place for cost-conscious families to visit. Did we mention it’s free?

What you get for your free admission:

The zoo is housed in historic Forest Park, the site of the 1904 World’s Fair, and in fact you can still walk through the 1904 Flight Cage, which was built for the fair and is now home to many bird species.

The park is largely accessible to strollers and wheelchairs, and is divided into areas. The Red Rocks, home of the big cats as well as the zebras and giraffes, is a perennial favorite. On Historic Hill you’ll find primates, some of the indoor exhibits, and the 1904 Flight Cage. The Wild’s headliners are the polar bear, the penguin house, and the gorillas—the gorilla habitat is particularly impressive. Here, too, is the coming-soon Grizzly Ridge. Discovery Corner is the home of the children’s zoo (more on that below). At the Lakeside Crossing you’ll find Sea Lion Sound, where glassed-in tunnels allow you to see these animals play underwater. The River’s Edge offers visitors a mostly shady and beautifully landscaped walk through large habitats for cheetahs, elephants, and more. (Don’t miss Hippo Landing—another chance to see an animal underwater!)

Extra perks:

Although the majority of the park is free, the zoo does offer some extras for a fee:

The Children’s Zoo ($4) has an indoor education center where kids can interact with guinea pigs as well as see some animals not on display in the main zoo. Goat brushing is always a fun activity for kids, too, and there’s a fabulous play area, including a plexiglass tunnel slide through the otter habitat, and an outdoor theater where more educational programming is offered. If there are programs going on, you can easily spend a couple of hours in this area alone.
What kid doesn’t like a zoo train ($7.95 for a full day)? The St. Louis Zoo is fairly hilly in places—pushing a stroller up the Historic Hill to get to the Red Rocks area, for instance, can be quite a workout, so the train is a good investment, especially with young children.
The Conservation Carousel ($3) is operated for free during the first hour of zoo operation every day.
Stingray petting pool ($4).
The Sea Lion show ($4) is a perennial favorite.
The 4D theater ($5) runs short programs continuously.

Food/Shopping at the St. Louis Zoo:

At the many kiosks and concession stands, families will find all the favorites, from popcorn to funnel cake and ice cream. We ate lunch at the Lakeside Cafe, which offers outdoor seating beside the swans’ home as well as plentiful indoor seating. They have an impressive system of composting and recycling which patrons are invited (but not forced) to make use of in disposing of their trash. Silverware is compostable, and lids and straws are not provided at all. As we were going meatless that day, we ordered a kids’ PB&J meal and two quesadillas, one with cheese only and one with vegetables. The quesadillas were very big and very tasty.
Several of the newer attractions, including the penguin house, the River’s Edge, and the bear exhibit, have dedicated gift shops, and kiosks around the zoo supplement the primary gift shops, so there are plenty of options for bringing home souvenirs.

Hours/Admission:

During the school year, the St. Louis Zoo is open daily 9-5; from Memorial Day to Labor Day, hours are Monday through Thursday 8-5 and Friday through Sunday 8 – 7. Admission is free, but the train, the sea lion show, the carousel and some other activities do require an admission fee. See details here. If you live close enough to visit even 2-3 times over the course of a year, it might be worth purchasing a family membership, since that provides passes for some of the most popular “extras” kids want. If you only plan to visit once, consider an adventure pass. For $12.95 per person, this gives you access to the top “extras.”

Location/Parking:

The St. Louis Zoo is located at the south edge of Forest Park, along I-64 in St. Louis, Missouri. On-site parking costs $15, but if you’re willing to walk, you can often find street parking for free along Forest Park’s roadways. And here’s a fun tidbit: if you have an electric car, the zoo offers two recharging stations in the South parking lot—for free!

The St. Louis zoo is free, but our family enjoyed adventure passes courtesy of Explore St. Louis in exchange for an honest review.

The Magic House: St. Louis Children’s Museum review

May 15, 2017 By Amy Hagstrom

In the last few years, our family has visited a number of children’s museums around the country. Generally speaking, you can’t go wrong, but The Magic House: St. Louis Children’s Museum stands out. Boasting 55,000 square feet of play-based learning, The Magic House ranks among the city’s top attractions for families.

St. Louis Children’s Museum review:

What to do:

Here’s the thing about the Magic House: it is huge. It is housed in a Victorian house that has been expanded on both sides, so there are two wings, each two stories plus a basement, plus the original house, which has a third level as well.

Inside, you’ll find all the usual suspects—a children’s village with a tree house, restaurant, grocery store, and hospital; a make-it workshop; a “balls in motion.” But you’ll also find a number of other interesting exhibits:

A sports training room where kids can try on football gear and test their strength and balance like college athletes.
“Recollections,” where a motion detector and a big wall allow you to make rainbow-colored art simply by moving your body (my daughter’s favorite).
Magnetic shavings choreographed to music and a “musical chairs” where simply sitting down and standing up turns on and off different sections of an orchestra.
“Wonder Works,” an extensive STEM area aimed at the younger set.
A three-story slide, climbable “beanstalk.” There’s an outdoor play garden.
The electrostatic generator, where you can make your hair stand on end—a Magic House classic.

One particularly notable area is the “Star Spangled Center.” Here, you will find a mock-up of the Oval Office, with a replica of the Resolute Desk. Kids can pretend to be the President and learn trivia about presidents present and past by looking inside the drawers or picking up the desk phone and dialing. My 8-year-old loved standing at the podium and reading portions of presidential speeches to a closed-circuit TV.

Getting the most out of your visit:

The above barely scratches the surface, so it probably won’t be a surprise to hear that this place is crowded—all the time. Be prepared for it. The attendant at the admission desk told me most days there’s already a line when the doors open. The quietest time of the week is Friday evening, when the Magic House stays open until 9 p.m. This was when we visited, and it was pleasant and relaxing. The space, however, was clearly designed to accommodate many more people than were there that night.

In my opinion, the Magic House is ideal for kids between 3 and 10. Our 11-year-old enjoyed himself, but he would have been ready to go long before his younger siblings. The museum offers special programming for preschool and elementary kids, and that is the age range that will enjoy it most.

Plan to spend at least 3-5 hours, and allow most of the day if you can. Make sure you have enough adults for the number of kids you’re bringing, and set up a meeting place in case someone gets lost. It’s a quirky building with a lot of nooks and crannies. Although it is fully accessible, it’s technically two additions connected to the main house only on certain levels, so you have to go up and down quite a bit to see everything there is to see.

Take advantage of the “calming corner” in the lower level. This is a space set up for nursing mothers and families with kids who need a break from the stimulation. It’s set up with quiet activities to keep littles busy while Mom nurses.

Admission is good for the whole day, so you can pack a cooler and eat lunch in the garden or in your car and return afterward. (Proof of admission is the sticker you receive upon admission, so don’t let the kids lose them.)

Food/shopping:

Food is available at the Picnic Basket Cafe, offering sandwiches and salads for $6.75 and snacks and drinks for a couple dollars. The museum store offers toys–good ones! The closest thing I saw to the usual commercial fare was a Batman spy kit. Otherwise, expect to find really good, brain-building, mostly non-electronic playthings.

Location/parking:

The Magic House is at 516 S. Kirkwood Road in St. Louis, Missouri. Directions and public transit info are available here. Parking is free on site; when school is not in session, overflow parking can be found at a nearby school and church.

Hours/Admission:

Hours vary seasonally, but the website posts the current week’s schedule. Admission is $11 for everyone over the age of one. The Magic House also offers membership options, starting as low as $25 for one child or $80 for a “value” membership that covers weekdays only.

Our family visited the Magic House as guests of Explore St. Louis, in exchange for an honest review.

A Visit To St. Louis’ City Museum

December 16, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

When you hear the words “City Museum,” you might picture a building devoted to recording and educating the public about the history of a city—in this case, St. Louis, Missouri. You would be wrong. The building does contain bas-reliefs and barrels, retired safe deposit boxes and a vault—pieces of the city’s history. But you won’t find a single interpretive sign, because the City Museum is a three-story indoor-outdoor adventure playground built from salvage items.

Inside City Museum, you will find:

a three-story tree house with spiderweb netting and tunnels around the roots
hidey-holes, under-the-floor tunnels, behind-the-walls mazes, and wire mesh tube passages linking lower floors to upper floors, and from one play area to the next
a ‘circus’ with trapeze performances
a kiddie train and art area
a skateboard-like park (without skateboards)
the ‘enchanted caves’ featuring a pipe organ played by a live musician as well as a central shaft with spiral staircases to access the 5-and 10-story slides

The outdoor courtyard offers:

Two suspended airplanes, with wire-mesh cage-ladders and staircases leading to them
a castle tower with dungeon
slides
ball pits

On the roof (open weather permitting; requires an additional fee):

a Ferris wheel
more slides
a school bus protruding from the corner
a three-story dome with a cage fitted to the underside for climbing

The City Museum is an explorer’s paradise. Tunnels, hidey-holes and mazes are packed into every nook and cranny. Your kids (and you!) can spend all day exploring and not see everything.

Safety at City Museum:

About now, readers are probably wondering about safety. Rest assured, the museum is exceptionally well-designed. Yes, you will be very high off the ground. Yes, the cage-ladders are wire mesh. But they are very sturdy. The only two mishaps in our day involved head bumps at ground level; both times, staff members had ice packs on hand.

Getting the most out of your visit:

Adults: Come with an openness to adventure! Most pathways are big enough for adults (though they’re definitely a better size for kids). It’s a big place, and virtually everything is connected to everything else via tunnel or hidey hole. You can’t sit in one place and see every possible exit point, so plan to explore alongside your kids.
If you or your kids have severe issues with heights or enclosed spaces, this place might not be your cup of tea.
Lose the jewelry and wear long pants and sneakers. You’ll be on your knees a lot, and sandals will get caught on the wire mesh. In the winter, make use of the coat check to travel light.
In certain areas, even teens must have an adult on hand for entry.
Identify a meeting place in case someone gets lost.
Use the sharpies at the front desk to write your phone number on the admission wristbands, so if a child does get lost, s/he can ask an adult to call you. (Keep your phone in your pocket on vibrate. You’ll never hear it ring.)
Plan to spend as much time as you possibly can. My crew and I spent six hours there. My four-year-old had his fill after about four, but the older kids would have stayed until the museum closed.
There ARE some height restrictions. Check them out here.
There are no maps, because there is no point. The matrix is fabulously complex. It’s a place to be explored, not navigated.
Explore the website before going; it has lots of useful information.

Accessibility:

A few areas can accommodate a wheelchair/stroller, but in general, expect to be on foot. We didn’t bring our daughter, who wears knee-high orthotics; she would have had trouble getting around. During our visit, however, I did see a family with a visually impaired child navigating the outdoor matrix with the help of a touch cane.

Shopping/Food:

The gift shop offers souvenirs and clothing. Parents—one particularly useful item offered is knee pads! Those wire meshes can be rough on grownups! Also check out the Shoelace Factory for brightly-colored laces made using vintage factory machines.
Five eating establishments run the gamut from “circus fare” (popcorn, cotton candy, hot dogs) to sandwiches, salads, pizzas, and doughnuts. One even offers alcoholic beverages. Some are only open seasonally, so check the website.

Hours/Admission:

The City Museum is open Wednesday and Thursday from 9-5, Friday and Saturday 9 to midnight, and Sunday 11-5. Admission is $12 for ages 3 and up, with an extra $5 fee to visit the roof. Admission is discounted after 5 on Friday or Saturday, and annual memberships are available. The outdoor areas are open only in good weather. There’s lots to explore indoors, but if you can, plan around the weather.

Getting there:

The City Museum is at 750 North 16th Street, St. Louis, MO. Two parking lots are available adjacent to the building for $5.

My family and I visited as guests of the City Museum; our opinions are our own.