With kids · St. Louis · United States
St. Louis with kids
Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: w_lemay, CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answer
St. Louis is outstanding for families, with free museums and a free zoo in Forest Park, the City Museum's climbing adventures, the Arch tram and Union Station's aquarium. Top picks: Saint Louis Zoo, City Museum and Gateway Arch. Families usually base themselves in Downtown.
Key facts
- Family picks
- 6
- Best area for families
- Downtown
- Rainy-day options
- 4
Best things to do with kids
Zoo · Forest Park
1.Saint Louis Zoo
One of the few major zoos in the United States with free general admission, the Saint Louis Zoo has more than 10,000 animals in areas such as Penguin and Puffin Coast, Sea Lion Sound with an underwater viewing tunnel and the River's Edge. Some extras, such as the train and carousel, cost a small fee.
Arrive at opening to find parking and see the animals before the heat, especially in July and August.
- Time needed
- 3–4 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Nature
- Iconic
Experience · Downtown
2.City Museum
Artist Bob Cassilly turned the former International Shoe Company warehouse into a giant playground of salvaged materials: caves, tunnels, a 10-storey spiral slide, an outdoor climbing structure of steel and aircraft fuselages called MonstroCity, and a school bus hanging over the roof's edge. Adults enjoy it as much as children.
Wear closed shoes, kneepads if you have them and clothes you can crawl in, and bring a torch for the caves.
- Time needed
- 3–4 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Iconic
- Rainy day
- Active
- Art
Landmark · Downtown
3.Gateway Arch
Eero Saarinen's stainless-steel arch, completed in 1965, rises 192 metres over the Mississippi and is the tallest arch in the world. Small five-seat tram pods climb inside each leg to a narrow observation room with views over the river and city. The museum beneath it tells the story of westward expansion and the arch's construction.
Book the tram for early morning or late afternoon, and arrive early for the airport-style security screening.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Book ahead
- Tram tickets often sell out on summer weekends and holidays; buy timed tickets online in advance.
- Iconic
- Views
- History
- Kids
- Architecture
Museum · Forest Park
4.Saint Louis Science Center
The free science centre has hands-on galleries on dinosaurs, space and engineering, the McDonnell Planetarium and a glass bridge over the interstate where children can clock passing cars with radar guns. Some attractions, such as the OMNIMAX theatre, charge extra.
Head to the bridge over Interstate 64 for the radar guns, then catch a planetarium show.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Rainy day
Park · Forest Park
5.Forest Park
Larger than Central Park, Forest Park covers about 525 hectares of lawns, lakes and woods and was the site of the 1904 World's Fair. It holds the city's free zoo, art museum, history museum and science centre, the Jewel Box greenhouse, the Muny outdoor theatre and paddleboat rentals on Post-Dispatch Lake.
Rent a bike or walk the paved loop of about 10 km to link the museums, and stop at the Grand Basin below the art museum.
- Time needed
- Full day
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Iconic
- Outdoors
- Kids
- Active
Architecture · Downtown West
6.St. Louis Union Station
Opened in 1894, this Romanesque railway station was once one of the busiest in the world. Its Grand Hall has a restored barrel-vaulted ceiling with light shows projected on it, and the complex now includes the St. Louis Aquarium, the St. Louis Wheel and a hotel.
Stop in the Grand Hall in the evening for the light show, then visit the aquarium with children.
- Time needed
- 1–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Architecture
- History
- Rainy day
Rainy-day ideas
- Missouri History Museum — Start with the 1904 World's Fair gallery to understand Forest Park before exploring the rest of the park.
- Saint Louis Science Center — Head to the bridge over Interstate 64 for the radar guns, then catch a planetarium show.
- City Museum — Wear closed shoes, kneepads if you have them and clothes you can crawl in, and bring a torch for the caves.
- St. Louis Union Station — Stop in the Grand Hall in the evening for the light show, then visit the aquarium with children.
Where families should stay
$$$ · Best for first-timers, families and nightlife
Downtown
Downtown has the Gateway Arch, Busch Stadium and Ballpark Village, City Museum and many of the city's larger hotels, plus restored warehouses along Washington Avenue. MetroLink runs from here to the airport and Forest Park, making it the most practical base for first-time visitors.
- Good
- Walk to the Arch and the ballpark; MetroLink to the airport and Forest Park; Wide choice of hotels
- Watch out
- Quiet streets at night outside game days; Paid parking
- Nearby
- Gateway Arch, Busch Stadium, City Museum, Citygarden
Family travel tips
- Spend a full day in Forest Park, combining the zoo, the science centre and a paddleboat ride.
- Dress children in comfortable clothes and closed shoes for the City Museum; adults may want kneepads.
- The Magic House children's museum in Kirkwood is aimed at younger children.
- In summer, bring swimwear for the Citygarden splash fountains downtown.
- Book Arch tram tickets ahead in summer; queues are long with children.
Day trips for families
- Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site (About 20 minutes) — Across the river in Illinois, Cahokia was the largest pre-Columbian city north of Mexico, peaking around 1100 CE.
- St. Charles (About 30 minutes) — Missouri's first state capital has a cobblestone Main Street of 19th-century buildings with shops and restaurants on the Missouri River.
- Grafton and the Great River Road (About 1 hour) — North of St.
- Hannibal (About 2 hours) — Mark Twain's boyhood town on the Mississippi has his restored home, the white picket fence of Tom Sawyer fame and the cave that inspired scenes in his novels.
When to go with children
The best months overall are April–May and September–October. Weather by month.
Questions travellers ask
+Is St. Louis good for kids?
St. Louis is outstanding for families, with free museums and a free zoo in Forest Park, the City Museum's climbing adventures, the Arch tram and Union Station's aquarium.
+What can kids do in St. Louis?
Saint Louis Zoo, City Museum, Gateway Arch, Saint Louis Science Center and Forest Park.
+Where should families stay in St. Louis?
Downtown: The Arch, Busch Stadium and the Washington Avenue loft district.