The Wonders of Forest Park......

We continue our exploration of the St Louis Area with a look at Forest Park. According to the website, the park was "officially opened to the public on June 24, 1876, is one of the largest urban parks in the United States. At 1,293 acres, it is approximately 500 acres larger than Central Park in New York."  Put in perspective another way, that is right at two Square Miles of green space in the middle of a large industrial city. Quite an accomplishment actually when one thinks about it..... what is even more impressive is the list of activities that are available to one in the park. 

Probably the most famous attraction in Forest Park is the World famous St Louis Zoo! The zoo encompasses approximately 90 acres of the Park and in that 90 acres there are "more than 22,805 exotic animals, many of them rare and endangered. These 800 species represent the major continents and biomes of the world."

One of the nicest things about the St Louis Zoo is that it is free. You can enjoy all the animal displays for absolutely nothing. Now that's a deal! Most zoos are rather pricey to get into these days and rightly so but, not St Louis. Now in the Zoo, there are a number of attractions that have a nominal fee associated with them but even those are most economical  all things considered and for $10, you get a day pass for all of them except the 3-d Movie (another bank breaking $3) and save $5 on the sum of the individual prices. So basically, for less than the cost of a movie, you can enjoy a day at the zoo! That in my book is great and I wonder how many of the citizens of St Louis never take advantage of this wonderful facility!

I am sure that we can spend a day in the zoo alone and still not take in all it has to offer!

But Forest Park has much more to offer!!!! Another offering is the St Louis Art Museum.  And like the zoo, admission to the art museum is free. While it may be hard to keep a four year old's attention in an art museum, I think this will be an excellent place to start to instill a little bit of cultural appreciation in both kids. The art museum has an extremely diverse collection that ranges from pre-Columbian to contemporary and most medium from painting to sculpture. Given Illianna's artistic nature, I am sure that she will be interested and will be able to spark and interest in the kids...... And Again, the price is right!!!!