Parks and Playgrounds

Running around a splash pad on a hot, sticky St. Louis summer day is a joy for little kids. And, let’s face it–it’s a cheap outing for you! There might be a few good splash pads hidden behind gated areas–I’m looking at you St. Louis Children’s Zoo–most are located in totally free public parks.  Mitch …

The Butterfly House in Chesterfield is one of the top children’s attractions in the metro St. Louis area. It’s home to a couple thousand butterflies plus a few bugs and spiders. Don’t worry, the bugs are behind glass! But the butterflies are fluttering loose in an 8,000 square-foot green house for you and your kids to explore. …

The kids are bored…again…and your wallet is empty…again. You’ve been to the local park three times already this week. And if you have to sit on that same playground bench and make small talk with Perfect Becky one more minute you might just snap… When we go out of town I’m shocked at how much …

Tired of the kids bouncing off your walls? I’ve got a better idea: let them bounce around Monkey Joe’s fabulous collection of inflatable slides, bounce houses and obstacle courses instead! What is Monkey Joe’s? I’m not sure what you call a place like Monkey Joe’s. Is it a gym? A fun center? A magical playland full …

You already know that visiting a state park is pretty awesome, but on the third Saturday in May 16–in celebration of Kids to Parks Day–you can have even MORE fun! This national event is sponsored by the National Park Trust and endorsed by Missouri State Parks. More than 100,000 parks throughout the county will be participating! …

Playgrounds are, hands down, the best form of free entertainment for kids in St. Louis. And boy oh boy, do we have some of the BEST playgrounds in this town! St. Louis families have tons of awesome parks to choose from! Some are city parks, others are county parks. A lot of them are super awesome, …

(There is no festival planned for 2019, this is a post from the archive) Every year park rangers show kids where maple sugar comes from by tapping trees in Rockwoods Reservations. The trees are tapped in sometime in January when weather conditions are just right. The 2018 Maple Sugar Festival takes place Saturday, Feb. 3, …