Forest Park Forever – Free Fun in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri is probably one of my favorite cities in the Midwest. St. Louis is a great place to explore with families. The city of St. Louis offers so many experiences, food, and fun. When traveling and exploring money can add up between attractions, food, lodging, and more. Forest Park is a huge city park and everything within the park is free. Planning a trip to St. Louis, Missouri? Plan a trip of free fun at Forest Park. Voted as the “Best City Park” in the United States according to a USA Today poll.
Here are other fun St. Louis, Missouri resources:
- St. Louis City Museum Tips and Tricks
- The Gateway Arch – Details Before You Go
- St. Louis Union Station Entertainment Complex
- Family Road Trip: Your Guide to St. Louis
Forest Park Overview
Forest Park is the heart of the city. It is a giant park filled with streams, lakes, museums, and more. Fun fact, this urban park is 1,300 acres which is almost double then Central Park located in New York City! Central Park comes in at 842 acres.
Forest Park holds five cultural institutions that are all free to the public including:
The park offers a ton more options for outdoor recreation and fun including:
- Tennis courts
- Jewel Box – Forest Park Conservancy (flowers and native plants) – A popular place to host a special event!
- Historic buildings such as Cabanne House and Art Hill
- Playgrounds including a natural playground
- Picnic areas with picnic tables
- Archery range
- Ice skate park – Outdoor skating rink – the oldest and largest in the Midwest
- Soccer fields
- Basketball courts – coming soon!
- Forest Park Golf Course
- 5.6 bike and pedestrian trail
- 30+ miles of trails for visitors to hike and explore
Plan your entire experience using their interactive Forest Park map. You can click on specific attractions to learn more details. Learn more here.
Transportation
Planning to spend the day traveling through Forest Park? The park offers the Forest Park Explorer which you can take from each institution. It cost $2/$1 fare Monday through Friday. Saturday and Sunday are free! Take a look at the details and plan your trip through Forest Park by using their interactive map.
Note: The Forest Park Explorer is not currently in operation and the return date is unknown at this time.
Saint Louis Zoo
The Saint Louis Zoo offers about 17,000 animals and you can easily spend an entire day viewing all of them!
Admission to the zoo is free but you can pay a small fee for additional attractions such as The Sea Lion Show, Children’s Zoo, Conservation Carousel, and more. If you are planning to participate in multiple attractions the Adventure Pass is the best value.
BONUS: If you are a member of a reciprocal AZA-accredited zoo (Blank Park Zoo, Des Moines families) you can receive 50% off the Adventure Pass.
Saint Louis Science Center
The Saint Louis Science Center is pretty amazing! I still cannot get over how much they offer and it is all free. They had some great exhibits including a whole area of current and old games, a dinosaur dig, a NASA exhibit, and so much more.
The kid’s favorite was the bridge that went over the busy highway in St. Louis. This bridge connected the two parts of the science center. On the bridge, they had speed scanners so the children could point and see how fast the cars were driving below.
Forest Park offers many free fun options for the family. Whether you visit one of the five institutions, have a picnic in the park, or bike on the trails there is something for everyone. Forest Park is the perfect option to experience St. Louis, Missouri for free.
