The Best Family St. Louis City Guide!

Image Credit: Missouri Botanical Garden

Also known as Shaw's Garden, the Missouri Botanical Garden is a wonderful way to spend the day in nature. In fact, the herbarium alone is home to over 6.6 million specimens, making it the second largest in North Amercia (only behind the New York Botanical Garden!)

Founded back in 1859, today the Missouri Botanical Garden offers 79 stunning acres of displays, including an amazing 14-acre Japanese strolling garden, as well as beautiful historic architecture, plus one of the world's largest collections of rare and endangered flora!

Image Credit: City Museum

St. Louis is a fascinating city, and at the City Museum you can learn all abouit it's rich history! Housed in the former International Shoe building, the museum is filled with exhibits that make it an all-ages architectural playground!

It's a fun place for kids as it's an ever-evolving, always-thrilling, artist-built playground with installations kids can climb up, spin around, slide down, and crawl under! They also have events across the year which are always great fun to participate in, so head on over on your next family day out and don't miss that Ferris Wheel!

Image Credit: JBTelMuseum

Located within the stunning 426-acre Jefferson Barracks Historic District (which fun fact was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972), the Jefferson Barracks Telephone Museum is a fascinating place for the family to visit!

This self-guided, accessible for all history museum has a number of hands-on, educational and fun displays which are great for the family to explore in your own time. As well as its extensive collection of telephones which were manufactured from the late 1800s through 2012, the Jefferson Barracks Telephone Museum also contains actual operator switchboards from the 1920s and 1960s, Military telephones from WWI through the Gulf War, novelty phones and so much more! A great history lesson for all.

Image Credit: Field House Museum

Walk through history at the Field House Museum!  A designated a National Historic Landmark back in 2007, the museum itself was actually opened in 1936 as the first historic house museum in St. Louis! How cool is that!? The Museum is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has also been named a City of St. Louis Landmark. But what is the Field House Museum?

This house was Eugene Field’s boyhood home, and during his time at the home his father Roswell M. Field actually served as the Attorney who took Dred Scott’s freedom suit into the Federal Courts. This led to the infamous Supreme Court decision in Scott v. Sandford. This exhibits depict life during the 19th century, and they also host fun events throughout the year you might not want to miss!

Image Credit: The Magic House

Since it's opening back in 1979, the Magic House St Louis Children's Museum has engaged children in fun, hands-on learning experiences that encourage experimentation, along with creativity plus the development of problem-solving skills, all within a place of beauty, wonder, joy and magic! Yes, it's true!

It's a museum that is MADE for kids, allowing them to spark their imaginations and well, just be kids! The museum features hundreds of interactive exhibits designed to pique curiosity, and foster a lifelong love of learning, as well as promote important 21st-century skills such as creativity, critical thinking and collaboration.

Image Credit: National Blues Museum

Blues music lives at the National Blues Museum in downtown St. Louis! This iconic museum explores the history and impact of Blues music, and celebrates the genre as the foundation of all modern American music!

The museum is a great way for the whole family to learn about the legacy of Blues, all in an entertaining environment that features high-impact technology-driven experiences, plus a state-of-the-art theater, as well as artifact-driven exhibits, AND robust public programming! You can even enjoy live music in the museum! An inspiring and fascinating day out for the family.

Image Credit: St Louis Aquarium

Get ready for a SPLASH-tastic great time at the fun St. Louis Aquarium, where the whole family can enjoy 120,000 sq feet of aquarium fun - 365 days a year!

Your journey through the very family friendly St. Louis Aquarium allows you to explore freshwater river, as well as the shallow waters of a salt marsh, before moving into the deep, dark abyss of the open ocean. It's a beautiful destination where children can uncover all the wonderful creatures of the oceans and waters - without getting wet!

Image Credit: Six Flags

Six Flags St. Louis was originally known as Six Flags Over Mid-America, and is an incredibly iconic amusement park for all ages, that features characters and rides from many Warner Bros. films and tv shows such as, Looney Tunes, DC Comics, and formerly Scooby-Doo!

From thrill rides for the very brave in the family, to kiddie sized rides for the youngest in the family, THEN family rides that you can all enjoy together AND water rides to make a SPLASH, Six Flags St. Louis has it all! Don't forget to explore the fun events they host across the year - you won't want to miss out!

Image Credit: Endangered Wolf Center

The Endangered Wolf Center is an amazing place to visit with the family, as this non-profit organization is dedicated to saving beautiful canid species from extinction such as American Red Wolves, Arctic Foxes, and African Painted Dogs, by educating all who visit about their importance in the ecosystem.

The a visit to this amazing center supports the animals survival and their reintroduction into their native habitats, which the center work towards through a combination of managed breeding, research and education. Don't miss the amazing tours you can take to make your day even more special, or the fun events they host! Reservations for your visit are required.