ST. LOUIS FAMILY ATTRACTIONS
St. Louis, MO
Busch Stadium
DESCRIPTION: Opened 2006, this grand retro-style stadium seats 46,800 fans, hosts the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team and has more concession stands and restrooms than you can shake a stick at; Tours depart from Gate 5, daily; it hosts the 2009 MLB All-Star Game
BOX OFFICE: during normal business hours and until Cardinals game time
DAYS & HOURS: daily tours 9:30a, 11a, 12:30p and 2p except during home day games or other special events;
ADDRESS: 420 South 8th Street MAP
TRANSIT: at MetroLink Stadium Station
PARKING: garages and paid lots nearby
PHONE: 314-345-9000
WEBSITE: http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com
St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum
DESCRIPTION: As of November 2008, the Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum has closed as it enters a transitional period in which a new museum staff is being designed for construction in Ballpark Village, across the street from Busch Stadium
ADMISSION: TBD
DAYS & HOURS: Coming 2010
ADDRESS: Ballpark Village where the old Busch Stadium was torn down MAP
TRANSIT: at MetroLink Stadium Station
PARKING: garages and paid lots nearby
PHONE: 314-345-9600.
WEBSITE: http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/stl/history/stl_history_halloffame.jsp
City Museum
DESCRIPTION: Opened in 1997 and housed in the 600,000 square-foot former International Shoe Company, artist Bob Cassilly and a crew of 20 artisans have constructed an eclectic mixture of children's playground, carnival funhouse, and an architectural mishmash of found objects and reclaimed building materials; the museum boasts features such as old chimneys, salvaged bridges, construction cranes, and abandoned planes in attractions such as Enchanted Caves, MonstroCity, Cabin Inn and the ever-popular museum of Mirth, Mystery and Mayhem; avoid being slowed as you explore the museum, you can drop your bulky, burdensome bag or winter-storm worthy coat at City Museum's Store 4 Coat Check
ADMISSION: modest fee for age 3 and up
DAYS & HOURS: Sun 11a-5p, Wed-Thu 9a-5p, Fri 9a-1a, Sat 10a-1a
ADDRESS: 701 North 15th Street MAP
TRANSIT: MetroLink Convention Center Station is 9 blocks away
PARKING: Car and van parking $5 in the lot at 16th & Delmar Blvd
PHONE: 314-231-2489
WEBSITE: http://www.citymuseum.org
Edward Jones Dome
DESCRIPTION: Opened in 1995 as the home of the NFL St. Louis Rams; the building has hosted major conventions, NCAA Final Four basketball, religious convocations, trade shows, concerts, motocross races and monster truck rallies; it was also the site of the 1999 Mass celebrated by Pope John Paul II; seats up to 65,000 people during football games
BOX OFFICE: during normal business hours and until Rams game time
DAYS & HOURS: varies by football games and special events
ADDRESS: 701 Convention Plaza MAP
TRANSIT: at MetroLink Convention Center Station
PARKING: garage and lot located on Seventh Street between Washington Avenue and Convention Plaza and other lots around downtown
PHONE: 314-342-5201
WEBSITE: http://www.edwardjonesdome.org
St. Louis Zoo
DESCRIPTION: one of America’s Top zoos; the 6 major Zoo zones occupying 90 acres are breathtaking in their scope and sublime in their execution: River Edge for elephants at play, as cheetahs and hyenas jockey across a dry plain; The Wild spans from a polar setting to tropical rain forest with a seriously wide expanse of animals in between; Red Rocks, which hosts the big cats keep as well as zebras, giraffes and antelope in naturalistic settings; Discovery Corner, a child-friendly petting area filled with bunnies and goats and small winged creatures; Historic Hill, emphasizes 1920s architecture but modern habitats for primates, birds and reptiles; Lakeside Crossing, which gathers all the refreshments to souvenirs in a nice cohesive bundle to tie a ribbon around your Zoo experience; the zoo also plays a large role preserving certain endangered species; ages 3-7 can investigate, create, pretend and play at the Zoo’s new ZOOmagination Station
ADMISSION: Free entrance, but Children's Zoo, Conservation Carousel, Zooline Railroad,
Motion Simulator and 3-D Movie have seperate fees
DAYS & HOURS: daily, except June 17 and December 25; Summer Hours (Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day) 8a-7p; Non-Summer Hours 9a-5p
ADDRESS: 1 Government Drive in Forest Park MAP
TRANSIT: MetroLink to Forest Park/DeBaliviere station, then take Metrobus route #90 Hampton south or walk 8 blocks from the station
PARKING: $11 per vehicle all-day parking is available on the Zoo's North Lot on Government Drive and South Lot on Wells Drive
PHONE: 314-781-0900 or 800-966-8877
WEBSITE: http://www.stlzoo.org
St. Louis Science Center
DESCRIPTION: It began life as The Academy of Science of Saint Louis in 1856 and moved to Clayton's Oak Knoll Park; the museum outgrew these facilities and in 1984 acquired McDonnell Planetarium from the City of St. Louis; aAfter renovation, the building as the St. Louis Science Center, the public gleefully responded, leading to a $34 million expansion in 1991; then in 1997, the Science Center added the Exploradome, an air-supported building to provide additional space for large traveling exhibitions and to better accommodate school groups; today this outstanding venue offers more than 700 hands-on exhibits including an OMNIMAX Theater, numerous permanent and traveling exhibitions, a Planetarium, Discovery Room for children, and galleries ranging from dinosaurs to innovative science demonstrations; wheelchair accessible
ADMISSION: Free entrance, but OMNIMAX Theater, Lego MINDSTORMS, Discovery Room, The Space Show, Segway courses and Science Cafe have seperate fees
DAYS & HOURS: Mon-Thu & Sat; 9:30a-5:30p, Fri 9:30a-9:30p, Sun 11:30a-4:30p; Planetarium Mon-Sat 10a-3:30p, Sun Noon-3:30p
ADDRESS: 5050 Oakland Ave in Forest Park MAP
TRANSIT: MetroLink Central West End Station is 8 blocks away
PARKING: Limited free parking is available adjacent to this building and in the park
PHONE: 314-289-4444
WEBSITE: http://www.slsc.org
The Magic House
DESCRIPTION: Despite being one of the nation’s oldest Children’s Museums, this award-winning venue provides modern, engaging learning experiences designed to be fun, stimulating and memorable; interactive exhibits include Math Path, Children’s Village, TV Studio, A Little Bit of Magic, Expericenter, and a toddler house; an average visits last 2.5 hours; in October 2008, it doubled in size with improvements to all aspects of the museum experience including a light-filled Welcome Center, new galleries and permanent exhibits that appeal to curiosities in science and literacy, an Education Center, and the Star-Spangled Center designed to help students grow into informed citizens; an imaginative and interactive Play Garden, a café, a Rooftop Garden and a grand spiral staircase that leads to a Fairy Tale Tower
ADMISSION: $8.50 Ages 1 and above
DAYS & HOURS: Mon-Thu & Sat 9:30a-5:30p, Fri 9:30a-9p, Sun 11a-5:30p; School Year Hours are shorter
ADDRESS: 516 Kirkwood Road MAP
PARKING: Free on premises
PHONE: 314-822-8900
WEBSITE: http://www.magichouse.org
Grant’s Farm
DESCRIPTION: Ancestral home of the Busch family and still operated by Anheuser-Busch; features 281 acres of train rides, Ulysses S. Grant’s cabin, and 1,000 animals representing more than 100 different species from six continents; open April-October; Grant's Farm Carousel was added in 2009; stroller rentals available
ADMISSION: Free, $2 for carousel ride
DAYS & HOURS: April 13–May 15, May 17–August 21 and August 24–October 30
ADDRESS: 10501 Gravois Road MAP
PARKING: $6 per vehicle
PHONE: 314-843-1700
WEBSITE: http://www.grantsfarm.com
Eureka, MO
Six Flags St. Louis Theme Park
DESCRIPTION: Known for having many of the world's most innovative roller coasters and multi-faceted interaction rides; Maximum thrill rides include Superman, Mr. Freeze, Ninja, Scremin' Eagle and Excalibur; Tony Hawk's Big Spin and Evel Knievel” rollercoaster are Moderate thril rides; there are over a dozen Moderate and Mild Thrill rides for families and young children; The Ark hosts popular Contemporary Christian and Gospel concerts on various days, which may impact parking availability
ADMISSION: $31 purchased online, Age 2 and under enter Free
DAYS & HOURS: 10:30a-7p May-Sept, but some days run longer
ADDRESS: 4900 Six Flags Road MAP
PARKING: $15 per vehicle
PHONE: 636-938-4800
WEBSITE: http://www.sixflags.com/parks/stlouis/index.asp
Six Flags St. Louis Hurricane Harbor
DESCRIPTION: 12-acre tropical paradise that features a 560,000-gallon wave pool, five-person raft adventure ride, multiple slides, and a children's play area; Maximum thrill rides include the Tornado, Speed Slides, Tube Slides and the new Wahoo Racer; Hurricane Bay, the only moderate ride presents a four-foot rolling wave in tubes in this 30,000 square-foot pool while enjoying the view of an 80-foot-tall steaming volcano; the 4 Mild Rides appropriate for little kids are Big Kahuna, Gulley Washer Creek, Hook’s Lagoon, Pirate Ship Slides and Tree House Slides
DRESS: Thong bathing suits, regular shorts (including khaki and cargo styles) or long pants are not permitted; shower facilities are available near Monsoon Marge
ADMISSION: Free with admission to the Theme Park
DAYS & HOURS: May 23-Sept 7 10:30a-7p
ADDRESS: 4900 Six Flags Road MAP
PARKING: One-Day Parking $15
PHONE: 636-938-4800
WEBSITE: http://www.sixflags.com/parks/stlouis/index.asp
Alton, IL
National Great Rivers Museum
DESCRIPTION: Explores America's waterways with exhibits and a visitor center -- very interesting to see in a flood prone-region of our country; as expected, its strong suit is s dedicated to telling the story of the Mississippi River from her history, ecological importance and role as a transportation corridor
ADMISSION: Free
DAYS & HOURS: daily 9a-5p
ADDRESS: 2 Lock and Dam Way MAP
PARKING: on premises
PHONE: 618-462-6979
BLACK CULTURAL TRAVEL MADE EASY