It was no question for me what I’d write about with the letter “F” but obviously I am a little delayed. I let the size of the topic overwhelm me a little. While there are a few things that start with F that I think should be pointed out for St. Louis, Forest Park overshadows everything in my opinion.
Forest Park
Long before I moved to St. Louis, I was hearing about Forest Park. And you can’t help but notice it if you drive around St. Louis a few times. The park covers more than 1,300 acres in the heart of the city. The park was started in the 1800s and has had an incredible plan behind it that both prizes community involvement and great outdoor spaces.
Two places within Forest Park really stand out for me — The St. Louis Zoo (which is one of the top three family adventures in St. Louis) and the Boathouse. But there are lots of other awesome places! Some of them I have had a chance to enjoy and others I need to check out closely. There is a really long list of these kinds of things on the Forest Park Forever site, but I decided to trim it & show focus here.
Cultural Institutions
I couldn’t possibly delete any of these! These different venues are all pretty amazing. And to think they are all in one big park! But don’t think you can cover too much in one day as each one is enormous and filled with great things! Lots of choices and in the spring months, lots of school field trips!
- Missouri History Museum (314) 746-4599, http://mohistory.org — have to admit, I haven’t been yet and this is on my must see list for the summer. I have heard great things!
- The Muny (outdoor musical theatre) (314) 361-1900, http://www.muny.org — I need to go more often because everytime I go, I love it. Seeing Broadway plays under the stars… it is a walk back in time and what a great walk it is!
- Saint Louis Art Museum (314) 721-0072, http://www.slam.org — I’ve seen some exhibits but need to see more.
- Saint Louis Science Center and James S. McDonnell Planetarium (314) 289-4400, http://www.slsc.org — totally cool
- Saint Louis Zoo (314) 781-0900, http://www.stlzoo.org — As you saw above, this is something that keeps me coming back time & time again!
Landmarks
- Cabanne House The first brick farmhouse west of the Mississippi River, this was built in 1819. More information. Guess I should check this one out!
- Dennis & Judith Jones Visitor and Education Center Visit our Visitor’s Center page. Never been here either….
- The Jewel Box With its unconventional, cantilevered, vertical glass walls rising majestically 50 feet high, the Jewel Box opened in 1936 to national acclaim. Truly special event and wedding space. More information. Love this place!
World’s Fair Pavilion This magnificent open-air shelter has been one of the Park’s most popular and impressive attractions since it was built in 1909 with proceeds from the 1904 World’s Fair. To check availability of the Pavilion, call (314) 289-5344 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. or visit this website. So pretty and you can’t miss it if you go to the Boathouse and Zoo cause it’s right between them!
Recreation & Fun
- Bike Tours & Rentals (314) 616-5724, http://www.citycyclingtours.com
- Bird Watching See FPF’s Bird Watching page
- Boating (314) 367-2224, http://www.boathouseforestpark.com
- The Norman K. Probstein Golf Courses (314) 367-1337, http://www.forestparkgc.com
- Dwight Davis Tennis Center (314) 361-0177, http://www.dwightdavistennis.com
- Fishing Fishing is permitted in the lakes and lagoons in Forest Park except where restrictions are posted. The primary fishing lake is Jefferson Lake, located just south of Steinberg Ice Skating Rink. A valid Missouri fishing license is required. Visit http://mdc.mo.gov/fishing.
- Handball Four handball and four racquetball courts are available on the north side of the Dennis & Judith Jones Visitor and Education Center and available on a first-come basis.
http://www.fphcbigblue.com - The Highlands Golf & Tennis Center (314) 531-7773, http://www.highlandsgolfandtennis.com
- Picnics Visit FPF’s Picnics page.
- Sledding Is there currently snow on the ground? if so, there are likely people sledding on Art Hill, located between the Emerson Grand Basin and the Saint Louis Art Museum.
- Steinberg Skating Rink (314) 361-0613, http://steinbergskatingrink.com
Check out the Forest Park post my friend Karen made too
Fox Theater
The Fox is a historic theater that gets some truly awesome Broadway touring productions! I have seen lots of them as they come through town and never refuse tickets if someone mentions the possibility. The theater is from the golden age and has been fully restored. It is so awesome it is generally referred to as The Fabulous Fox.
Farmers Market at Schlafly’s St. Louis
Farmers Markets
Like most American cities, St. Louis has had a growing presence of farmers markets over the past few years. There are lots of them in different areas of town on different days. My friend Karen has a guide to St. Louis farmers markets that she updated for 2014 so give it a look!
Frostbite Ice Cream
I have written about a local ice cream maker that serves up his lactose-free awesomeness at special events — with that in mind, Frostbite Ice Cream definitely deserves a shout out in the A to Z series!
Faust Park
My friend Danielle said I should have Faust Park on my list… it is one of the things I haven’t gotten a chance to check out. Looks like there is a neat historic village and a great carousel that I should be checking out. While I’m there, I’ll be checking out the Butterfly House!
More A to Z
I have to admit, I got way behind on the A to Z series about St. Louis but I am going to try and get this back on track! Feel free to suggest topics for the upcoming letters — I have a bunch to do as I should have posted K today! You can also call me out for missing a critical piece on today’s post. You can see what else in St. Louis gets a shoutout in the A to Z or check out last year’s post for F in my A to Z of Agriculture — it was F is for Farmer!
[…] This is one of the St Louis items my friend Danielle mentioned…. I haven’t gotten to the planetarium yet but will! It is another of the great sights in Forest Park! […]