11 FREE Activities in St. Louis, Missouri
11 FREE Activities in St. Louis, Missouri
We really enjoyed our visit to St. Louis this year. We were able to spend a lot of time on a variety of activities without spending much money. St. Louis is a large city with many family-friendly attractions, many of which are FREE. The most surprising thing was that these free activities were high-quality places and experiences. I would definitely recommend St. Louis as a great city for a family vacation.
Here are 11 of our favorite FREE Things to do in St. Louis:
St. Louis Zoo
I still can’t believe this beautiful zoo is FREE! It is a very large, well-maintained zoo and it is one of the best in the country. We really enjoyed our visit here. The kiddos loved seeing elephants, rhinos, penguins, and a red panda. Our family’s favorite animal was the polar bear!
Some attractions cost a fee, but if you arrive early, you can ride the carousel, feed the stingrays, and enter the Children’s Zoo for FREE from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
The parking lot at the zoo charges $15.00, but there is a lot of FREE parking spots on the nearby streets. We parked on the street near the north entrance between the zoo and the art museum.
More information about St. Louis Zoo:
- Location: St. Louis Zoo // One Government Drive – St. Louis, Missouri 63110 //314.781.0900
- St Louis Zoo WEBSITE
- See more pics of the St. Louis Zoo and our visit HERE
St. Louis Science Center
This hands-on museum is a lot of fun. From the energy exhibit to the dinosaur/fossil dig exhibit, the kiddos had so much fun while we were there. General admission to the St. Louis Science center is FREE, but there are extra some activities available for a fee.
More information:
- Location: St. Louis Science Center // 5050 Oakland Avenue – St. Louis, Missouri 63110 // 314.289.4400
- St. Louis Science Center WEBSITE
- See More from our family’s visit to St. Louis Science Center HERE
City Garden
Visiting this city park is FREE and the splash pads and wading pools are perfect on a hot day! There is a coffee shop and several food trucks along the street by the park. Or, you can bring a picnic lunch and enjoy an hour or two here with the kids.
More information about City Garden:
- Location: Citygarden is located along Market Street between 8th and 10th Streets in downtown St. Louis. It is open daily from sunrise to 10 p.m.
- Address: Citygarden // 801 Market St, Saint Louis, MO 63101
- Citygarden WEBSITE
- See more photos from our visit to CityGarden HERE
Forest Park
I think Forest Park could be its own city. It is a beautiful, peaceful park, and it is full of family friendly activities. The park has the St. Louis Zoo, the St. Louis Art Museum, the Missouri History Museum, the Jewel Box, the St. Louis Science Center, the Grand Basin, the Boathouse Restaurant, and the World’s Fair Pavilion.
You and your family could also just go for a stroll or a bike ride through this large park. There are several paths and hiking trails in Forest Park.
Forest Park WEBSITE
The Jewel Box
Above photo via
The Jewel Box is a large Art Deco greenhouse that is situated in Forest Park. It is open to the public on Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m., and on Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is $1 per person, but admission is FREE on Monday and Tuesday from 9 a.m. until noon.
Jewel Box WEBSITE
St. Louis Botanical Gardens
The St. Louis Botanical Gardens is absolutely beautiful! It is a lovely place to get some fresh air and exercise while exploring the gardens and conservatories. Admission to the gardens is $12.00, but children 12 years and younger are FREE. During the summer, everyone gets FREE admission on Wednesdays after 5 p.m.
More information on St. Louis Botanical Garden:
- St. Louis Botanical Garden // 4344 Shaw Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63110 // 314.577.5100
- St. Louis Botanical Garden WEBSITE
Museum History Museum
The Missouri History Museum is a very nice museum, and it is completely FREE. My kids could have stayed in the History Clubhouse all day. It was a fun little play area just for kids.
More information about the Missouri History Museum:
- Missouri History Museum // 5700 Lindell Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63112 // (314) 746-4599
- St. Louis History Museum WEBSITE
- See more photos from our visit to the Missouri History Museum HERE
The Budweiser Brewery Tours & Samples
The St. Louis historic Budweiser Brewery offers FREE tours (45 minute General Brewery Tour) and FREE beer samples. This is not really a “kid” thing to do, but thought it should be mentioned.
To see the Budweiser Clydesdales, visit Grant’s Farm (more info below). Entrance into Grant’s Farm is FREE.
More information about Budweiser Brewery Tours:
- Location: Budweiser Brewery // 12th and Lynch Street – St. Louis, MO 63118 // 314.577.2626
- Budweiser Brewery WEBSITE
Grant’s Farm
Grant’s Farm is a 281-acre farm, and it cares for than 900 animals from all around the world. It is actually a former home of the Busch family and the land was once farmed by President Grant (and where the farm got its name).
If you want to see the Budweiser Clydesdales, they are located in the stables at the end of the parking lot. The Stables are separate from the other attractions at Grant’s Farm, and some prefer to make it the first or last stop during their visit.
More information about Grant’s Farm:
- Grant’s Farm admission is FREE, however, it costs $12 to park.
- Grant’s Farm // 10501 Gravois Road – St. Louis, MO 63123
- Grant’s Farm WEBSITE
Municipal Theatre
Above photos via
St. Louis locals lovingly call this “The Muny”. It is actually the oldest and largest outdoor theater in the country! The theatre puts on family-friendly productions at their outdoor theatre. There are tickets for seats available for purchase, but there are over 1450 seats that are FREE of charge. The FREE seats are first come, first served and are available beginning at 7 p.m. (shows begin at 8:15).
More information on the Muny:
- The Muny // #1 Theatre Dr. – Saint Louis, MO 63112 // 314.361.1900
- The Municipal Theatre WEBSITE
St. Louis Art Museum
The St. Louis Art Museum. It is very nice and FREE (Admission to the Museum is free every day. Admission to featured exhibitions is free on Friday. Limit 6 tickets per person). If your kiddos appreciate and enjoy art, they’ll have a great time there.
More information about St. Louis Art Museum:
- Location: Saint Louis Art Museum – One Fine Arts Drive -Forest Park // Saint Louis, Missouri 63110-1380
- St. Louis Art Museum WEBSITE
Have you visited St. Louis? What were your favorite things to do there? Any other suggestions for free things to do? Let us know in the comments!
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KristyB
Wife. Mom. Graphic Designer. Photographer. Professional Nap Taker. Part-time Traveler (with kids in tow, of course!)
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Ah, this is so timely! We were just talking about trying to plan a trip to St. Louis and this list is going to be such a great resource for us. We probably won’t get there til the Fall but I’m excited to visit.
I’m so glad to here it, Ashley! I feel like St. Louis is a great city for families and a great affordable vacation, especially if you have kids. You will have a wonderful time!
It sounds like there are plenty of things to check out in St. Louis. I love the fact that there’s a lot of activities for the kids to experience, that definitely makes the vacation more worthwhile.
Yes, Alison! You could entertain the kiddos (and yourself) for a whole week and spend very little money.
What a great list of free activities! This saves me so much time in researching things to do. We are planning a trip to St. Louis soon, as it is in driving distance of our house. So cool that they have free admission to zoos and museums. I am especially intrigued by the Jewel Box. Love art deco style and those flowers look very pretty!
You will love St. Louis! It is one of my favorite vacation spots. The kids were able to have so many wonderful experiences and it didn’t cost us a fortune.
I have never been to Missouri, but I hope I’ll be able to! I would love to go the museums and gardens. It looks beautiful!
It really is an amazing city, Lisa! We had a great time while we were there.
We have family in st. Louis so we should definitely check it out. It isn’t that far for us to travel to.
You will love it, Rachel! You can visit your family and check out this cool city -Win Win!
Good idea to keep a list of free places – I imagine travelling with kids would get very expensive!
Yes, it does, Megan! We found a reasonable hotel with a generous free breakfast and all of our activities were free, so it was really inexpensive in St. Louis.
I didn’t realize all of the amazing things that one could do for free in St. Louis! I’ve not yet been, but it’s on my bucket list of American cities to visit one day. 🙂
Yes, and the free attractions are top quality and very nice! I hope you get to go, Emily!
I love that all these suggestions are free, and they look like really fun and visually stunning places to visit to boot!
I know! I was impressed with how nice these free activities, zoo, and museums were. They were beautiful and so nice!
Oh man would my husband love that brewery! If we are ever over that way we will have to check it out for sure, and the botanical gardens look breathtaking!
You both would love it, Kansas! And, it wouldn’t be an expensive trip since these things are free.
These are indeed great activities for the whole family. I can definitely see myself having fun everywhere!
We had a lot of fun while there, Cristina! You will love it!
I was going to say that the highlight for me would be The Jewel Box and Botanical Garden but as I kept reading my jaw dropped. St. Louis does have so many great free places to visit. I, now think my fave would be the Missouri History Museum! I know my grandchildren would love many of the places especially a different zoo. They love zoos, although, the ones within our tri state area are now old news to the older ones.
I know, Gladys! There is a nice variety of things to do with the whole family. Your grandkids will have a great time.
We were in St. Louis last year and absolutely loved it! Now I need to plan a trip to come back!!
I’m glad to here that you love it too, Lindsay! It’s one of my favorite cities that we have visited.
How fun! There’s so much to do!
You’re so right! Our days were packed full of fun activities while we were there. Never a dull moment in St. Louis!
We love the Science Center. There are a couple of these we haven’t visited and will be sure to include on our next trip! Thanks!!
Thank you Susi! I hope ya’ll Have a great time!
Me too. I tend to add the free places to visit to my to-do list to stretch my dollar whenever I travel. My family enjoys spending time at parks.
I was really impressed with the high-quality free activities in St. Louis.
Travelling is expensive and the more people you have with you the better it is to have free places to visit. Most are educational too.
I agree with you Cairine! I like to mix in a few free activities with the paid activities to keep the kids entertained while keeping costs down. And the educational aspect is just a plus!