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Forest Park is the seventh largest
urban park in the United States, a natural oasis in the urban environment of
St. Louis, 500 acres larger than New York City’s Central Park. The Park
was created from in 1876 of 1,293 acres of land west of downtown St. Louis.
The Park contains many of St. Louis’ major attractions - the Saint Louis
Art Museum, the Missouri History Museum, the Saint Louis Science Center, the
Municipal Opera and the world-famous Saint Louis Zoo.
 The
western half of the Park was chosen as the site for the Louisiana Purchase
Exposition in 1904 with the stipulation the land would be restored as a park
afterwards. The Saint Louis Art Museum occupies the Fine Arts Palace (photo
left,) one of the few remaining structures built for the Fair. The Saint
Louis Art Museum is one of the nation's leading comprehensive art
museums, containing more than 30,000 works of art. The Jefferson Memorial
Building of the Missouri History Museum was built
using proceeds from fair. The Missouri History Museum pays tribute to
important moments in history including the Lewis & Clark Corps of
Discovery, Lindbergh’s flight across the Atlantic, and the history of the
St. Louis area. The new The Emerson Electric Center added new exhibit space
to the museum in 2000.
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 The
Saint Louis Zoo occupies 79 acres of Forest Park and
is widely recognized as one of the finest zoos in the world. The Zoo has
22,000 animals, many of them rare and endangered, which represent all the
major continents and habitats of the world. A railroad line circles the zoo
and provides visitors with an easy way to get around and view the animals.
The Rivers’ Edge, one of the Zoo’s newest attractions, gives visitors
the feel of walking along an African river and an opportunity to get up
close to the elephants (photo left,) rhinos, and hippos. Also new at the Zoo
is Penguin & Puffin Coast and a conservation carousel. The Fragile
Forest, a new habitat for Chimpanzees and Orangutans, opened in 2005. A
natural amphitheater near Art Hill was developed as the Municipal Opera in
1917 with proceeds from a theatrical production performed on a stage built
over part of the Grand Basin. The Municipal Opera (The Muny) is the
nation’s oldest and largest outdoor theatre.
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 The
Saint Louis Science Center is one of only
two science centers in the country with no admission charge. The Science
Center has two three buildings: the main Science Center Building and the
Exploreadome across from Forest Park, and the McDonnell Planetarium (photo
left) located in the Park. The buildings are connected by a covered walkway
that crosses over I-64. The main building houses a number of hands-on
exhibits, the Omnimax Theater, and The Exploradome, an inflatable structure,
which gives the Science Center more room for large traveling exhibitions.
The Boeing Space Station, which teaches about life in space, is located
inside the Planetarium.
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 The
Jewel Box, an Art Deco-style Conservatory that opened in 1936, is an
elaborate greenhouse that houses a permanent collection of displays of
tropical trees, foliage plants and flowers. The Jewel Box sits on a 17-acres
site surrounded by rose gardens, lily ponds, statuary and monuments, and
houses seasonal displays. The sparkling glass panes of the 50-foot tall
building give the structure a distinctive look, much like a crystal jewel
box and is listed on the National Historic Register. Peninsular
Lake, the Park’s only natural lake, was renamed “The Grand Basin,” and
reshaped and connected via a series of lagoons for the 1904 fair. A
lodge-style Boat House opened in 2003 where visitors can rent canoes and
paddleboats to enjoy gliding along the park’s enlarged waterways. The Park
has two 7.5-mile paths for walking, running, biking, and rollerblading. One
path has a soft surface and the other is paved. Steinberg Rink offers
ice-skating in the colder months and a variety of outdoor activities in the
summer. Numerous picnic sites dot the landscape, and the Park is a popular
place to picnic during the summer. The Park also has an archery range, ball
fields, handball courts, a a 27-hole golf course, and the Dwight Davis
Tennis Center. |
Visiting Forest Park
Visiting Hours
The Park is open
daily year round from 6 am - 10 pm
Admission to Forest Park is free. There are
fees charged for certain activities and attractions. Check the links above
for additional information on the major attractions or the link to the
Forest Park website below for additional details.
Directions: Forest Park is bounded by I-64, Kingshighway,
Lindell and Skinker, six miles west of downtown. The MetroLink light rail
system stops at the Forest Park exit. From the station, visitors can walk
one block south to the Missouri History Museum or catch a Metro bus to
travel to other parts of the park. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, the
Zip2 Forest Park shuttle takes visitors from Forest Park MetroLink station
to stops at the attractions in the park. Riders can use the shuttle all day
for just $1.
 Learn more about the
St. Louis area.
Forest
Park Forvever - Use this site of provided by Forest Park Forever for answers to all
the questions you may have.
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