12 Best Things to Do in St. Louis with Kids: 2026 Family Travel Guide

12 Best Things to Do in St. Louis with Kids

These 12 picks cover the paid marquee stops, the free institutions, and the neighborhood day trips that round out a St. Louis with kids itinerary. They're grouped loosely by area below to help cut down on drive time between stops.

• City Museum (Downtown)
  • This former shoe warehouse works as a multi-story architectural playground, not a traditional museum, built from salvaged materials and welded-together structures.
  • Caves, tunnels, a rooftop bus, and a giant slide fill the space, and kids need to crawl and climb through most of it.
  • Budget at least three hours, dress in clothes you don't mind getting dusty, and see the survival kit section below before you go.
• Saint Louis Zoo (Forest Park)
  • General admission is free, so families can pop in for an hour or spend the whole day without feeling pressure to get their money's worth.
  • Arrive close to opening for the most active animals, since many species slow down once the midday heat sets in.
  • Some individual exhibits and add-on experiences charge separately, so check the official Saint Louis Zoo site for current pricing before you visit.
• Gateway Arch and Museum (Downtown)
  • The tram ride to the top is a paid add-on, and it's the main reason most families budget extra time downtown.
  • The museum at the base covers westward expansion history and gives kids an air-conditioned break between outdoor stops.
  • Confirm current tram ticket timing and pricing on the National Park Service's Gateway Arch site before your visit.
• Saint Louis Science Center (Forest Park)
  • Core exhibits are free to enter, with hands-on displays that work especially well for elementary-age kids.
  • The planetarium and some special exhibits carry separate fees, so budget extra if your kids want those.
  • Check the official site for any current timed-entry requirements before a weekend visit, since policies shift by season.
• Saint Louis Art Museum (Forest Park)
  • Admission to the permanent collection is free, making it an easy add even for a short stopover.
  • The building sits inside Forest Park, an easy walk or short drive from the zoo and science center.
  • Special ticketed exhibitions sometimes run alongside the free galleries, so check current listings if a specific show interests your family.
• Missouri History Museum (Forest Park)
  • Free admission and rotating exhibits on the city's history make this a solid rainy-day pick.
  • It sits inside Forest Park, so pair it with a walk through the surrounding grounds.
• Forest Park's Trails, Boating, and Carousel
  • Beyond the four free museums, the park has walking and biking trails, paddle boats, and a carousel for younger kids.
  • Forest Park Forever, the nonprofit that maintains the park, lists it at roughly 1,300 acres, notably larger than Central Park in New York.
  • Rent a paddle boat or ride the carousel to break up a long museum-hopping day.
• Magic House (Kirkwood)
  • This hands-on children's museum works best for toddlers and preschoolers who aren't ready for the City Museum's climbing circuits.
  • It sits in Kirkwood, a suburb outside the city center, so budget extra drive time from downtown or Forest Park.
• Union Station (Downtown Area)
  • The renovated train shed now holds an aquarium, an observation wheel called the St. Louis Wheel, and a free seasonal Fire & Light show.
  • It works well as a half-day, weather-proof stop paired with the Arch or a Cardinals game.
• Missouri Botanical Garden
  • The Children's Garden section is built for climbing and exploring, not just looking at plants.
  • It sits in the Shaw neighborhood, a short drive from Forest Park and downtown.
• Grant's Farm
  • This Busch family property mixes historic buildings with animal encounters, and it runs on a seasonal calendar.
  • Check the official site for current-year opening dates before planning around it, since hours shift by season.
• The Muny (Forest Park)
  • This outdoor summer musical theater offers free seats on a first-come, first-served basis, alongside paid seating options.
  • Arrive well before showtime for the free section, since it fills up fast on popular nights.

Exploring Forest Park: The Free Heart of the City

Forest Park anchors most of a family itinerary in St. Louis, since it holds four free institutions plus its own trails and playgrounds. Forest Park Forever, the nonprofit that maintains and maps the park, lists it at roughly 1,300 acres, notably larger than Central Park in New York. Start at the Saint Louis Zoo in the morning, when animals are most active, then walk or drive a few minutes to the science center, art museum, or history museum. Each institution has its own free parking lot, so plan a rough loop rather than crisscrossing the park repeatedly. Bring a stroller or wagon for younger kids, since distances between the park's institutions add up over a full day. Pack water and snacks, since food options inside the park are limited outside the zoo's concession stands.

Best Things to Do Beyond Forest Park

Not every good stop sits inside the park. The Magic House in Kirkwood is built for toddlers and preschoolers who need shorter, hands-on activities rather than the City Museum's climbing circuits. Union Station pairs an aquarium with the St. Louis Wheel and a free seasonal Fire & Light show, a useful option on a hot or rainy afternoon. Grant's Farm and the Missouri Botanical Garden's Children's Garden both sit further from downtown, so treat either as a half-day trip rather than a quick add-on. Grant's Farm runs on a seasonal calendar tied to the Busch family property, so confirm current-year opening dates before you plan around it.

Downtown Logistics: The Arch, the Cardinals, and Parking

Downtown St. Louis clusters the Gateway Arch, Busch Stadium, and the City Museum together, with Union Station nearby, so a single car trip can cover most of it once you've parked once. The Gateway Arch grounds and riverfront path work well as a free stop even if you skip the paid tram ride to the top. Game days at Busch Stadium add traffic and parking demand, so check the Cardinals schedule before booking a downtown hotel. Paid parking garages near the Arch and City Museum fill fast on weekends, so arrive early or budget for a short walk from a cheaper lot further out.

Free Attractions vs. Worthwhile Paid Upgrades

St. Louis's free attractions cover most of a family itinerary, but a handful of paid upgrades are worth the extra cost. Use this as a quick reference before you book anything extra, then confirm current pricing on each attraction's official site.

Where to Eat with Kids in St. Louis

St. Louis's food scene leans toward dishes kids already like, from barbecue to Italian classics, which cuts down on pre-meal negotiating. These four stops come up again and again in family itineraries.

• Fitz's Root Beer (Delmar Loop)
  • Tables sit beside a working bottling line that kids can watch while they eat.
  • It's a casual, order-at-the-counter stop good for breaking up a Delmar Loop walk.
• Pappy's Smokehouse
  • A straightforward St. Louis barbecue stop with ribs and sides that work for most kid palates.
  • Expect a line at peak lunch and dinner hours.
• The Hill
  • This Italian neighborhood is the place to try toasted ravioli, a St. Louis original.
  • Several family-run restaurants here run classic red-sauce menus that are easy with picky eaters.
• Ted Drewes Frozen Custard
  • A long-running local custard stop, best treated as a dessert stop rather than a full meal.
  • Seating is limited, so plan to eat outside or in the car.

Where to Stay: Choosing a Family-Friendly Neighborhood

Where you stay determines how much driving the rest of the trip needs. Three areas cover most family visits, each with a different trade-off between walkability, cost, and access to downtown attractions.

Getting Around: Car vs. MetroLink

St. Louis is spread out enough that most families rent a car or bring one, since Forest Park, downtown, and the suburbs sit a real drive apart. MetroLink, the regional light rail, connects downtown to some outlying areas, but coverage is limited compared with a car for reaching suburban stops like Kirkwood or Grant's Farm. Budget for parking at each attraction rather than assuming free street parking everywhere, since downtown and Forest Park both charge in certain lots. If your itinerary stays mostly within Forest Park and the Central West End, walking and short drives cover nearly everything you need.

Best Time of Year to Visit St. Louis with Kids

St. Louis gets hot and humid in summer and cold in winter, which limits how much time you'll want outdoors in either season. September through November and March through early June bring milder weather for park days and outdoor stops. A summer trip still works if you build in indoor breaks at the science center, art museum, or City Museum during the hottest afternoon hours. Check each attraction's current holiday and seasonal hours before a winter visit, since some outdoor stops like Grant's Farm scale back or close for part of the year.

City Museum Survival Kit: What to Pack

The City Museum asks more of your body than a typical museum, so pack accordingly. Read the full City Museum guide for age-specific routes before you go.

• Closed-toe shoes
  • Sandals and slides make crawling and climbing risky on metal and concrete surfaces.
• Long pants
  • Bare knees scrape on tunnels and slides, so pants beat shorts here.
• Knee pads
  • Optional, but worth packing if your kids or you plan to crawl through tunnels for hours.
• A small flashlight
  • Some tunnel sections run dark enough that a phone flashlight or small flashlight helps.

Safety, Timing, and Common Mistakes to Avoid

St. Louis's per-capita crime statistics look worse than the lived experience in tourist areas. That's partly because the city proper counts only about 280,000 residents while the metro area holds roughly 2.8 million. Sticking to the neighborhoods and attractions in this guide, and avoiding the area north of downtown after dark, covers most common-sense safety advice locals give visitors. Some venues, including the zoo and science center, have used timed-entry reservations during high-demand periods in the past, so check each official site before your trip. A handful of smaller museums close on Mondays or Tuesdays, so confirm hours for the week you're traveling rather than assuming daily operation.