Forest Park
There are not enough words in the dictionary to thank our city for Forest Park and definitely not enough words to thank the members of Forest Park Forever. Our Forest Park is often compared to Central Park in NYC. The St Louis Forest Park, officially opened to the public on June 24, 1876. It is approximately 1300 acres and attracts more than 12 million visitors a year.
The most recent addition (June 2021) to the many attractions at Forest Park is the Nature Playscape. It is seventeen acres designed for visitors, especially children to connect with nature and engage in exploring, discovering and learning.
The Nature Playscape has nine distinct areas to explore: the Sensory Garden, Spring, Meadow, Mounds and Wetland. The area also includes bike racks, benches, drinking fountains, 30 tons of sand in play areas, 1,500 tons of boulders and rocks and 1,500 wood stump steppers. Several of the workers were there when I was taking my hike through it and they said the kids are loving it.
Forest Park is a treasure trove for St Louisans of all ages. As children, our family would take the trip to visit the park several times a year (we lived in rural Missouri so it wasn’t easily accessible). Our mother always loved the Jewel Box. We went to the Muny and sat in the free seats (I still love the free seats). Another favorite was the Forest Park Zoo. The Planetarium was after we were older. But the list of attractions goes on: two public golf courses, the Norman K. Probstein Golf Course and the Highlands Golf and Tennis Center; the Dwight Davis Tennis Center; Steinberg Skating Rink, the oldest and largest outdoor ice skating rink in the Midwest;cultural like the Missouri History Museum, Saint Louis Art Museum, Saint Louis Science Center, Saint Louis Zoo, and The Muny, the country’s largest outdoor musical theatre. So much.
And a huge gratitude hug to Forest Park Forever for the constant beautification and improvements to Forest Park.
