St. Louis' Forest Park

                                                   Much more than just a park- Forest Park is home to  region’s major cultural institutions—the Zoo, Art Museum, History Museum, Science Center and the Muny Opera.
 

           St. Louis is home to many parks, but it is indisputable that Forest Park is one of our finest assets.

Forest Park was created in 1876 out of land just west of downtown St. Louis. In 1904 it was home to the St. Louis' Worlds Fair.The summer of 1904 it hosted the Summer Olympics. This was the first Olympics hosted by an English speaking country. At close to 1300 acres it is 500 acres larger than Central Park.

                                                  The Saint Louis Zoo                                           
 

                        The City of St. Louis set aside 77 acres in Forest Park for the St. Louis Zoo.

                        State legislation provided that "the zoo shall be forever free," which has kept

                                          the Zoo accessible to millions of visitors ever since.

                                                             The Saint Louis Art Museum

The art museum was founded in 1879 and was then called the St. Louis School and Museum of Fine Arts,  The Museum was originally located in downtown St. Louis but relocated to their current home in Forest Park following the 1904 World's Fair. The Museum's long-standing commitment to free admission makes it possible for everyone to have the opportunity to visit its galleries as often as they like throughout the year.

                                                            The St Louis History Museum  

                                Admission Fees -Adults: $5; Seniors $4; Students: $3  

                                                  
  Prescheduled School Groups: Free
     Children 6 and Under: Free
      Free admission on Tuesdays

                                                                  The St. Louis Science Center 

The Academy of Science of Saint Louis was founded in 1856, as the first scientific organization west of the Mississippi River. The Academy founded the Museum of Science and Natural History in 1959 and moved to Clayton's Oak Knoll Park. The museum outgrew these facilities in the mid-1980s. In 1984, the museum acquired McDonnell Planetarium from the City of St. Louis. After a $3.2 million renovation, the building reopened July 20, 1985 as the St. Louis Science Center.   

Following a $34 million expansion to construct the current main building, the Saint Louis Science Center opened November 2, 1991. General admission to the Science Center is Free.

                                                               The Muny
 

The Muny Opera is the nation's oldest and largest outdoor theater Free seats are available for every Muny performance. There are approximately 1,500 free seats in the last nine rows of the theater that are available on a first come, first served basis. The Muny's 2008 season begins June 16th with The Producers, and ends August 10th with Fiddler on the Roof. My Fair Lady, 90 Years OF MUNY Magic, Miss Saigon, and My One and Only are some of the other shows that will be playing in the 2008 season of the Muny.   

 The St. Louis Jewel Box
The regular hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Admission is $1. It is free from 9 a.m. to noon on Mondays and Tuesdays. The Jewel Box is located on Wells in Forest Park. The Jewel Box is an Art Deco floral conservatory built in 1936.

 The Jewel Box has had a 3.5 million dollar renovation and is open once again to the public. It is surrounded by rose gardens,lily ponds, monuments, and statuary.   It is listed on the National Historic Registry. The Jewel Box has different floral shows throughout the year. Some of which are the tulip show, the poinsettia show , easter lily's and the mums in October.

The Great Forest Park Balloon Race was founded by renowned balloonists Nikki Caplan and John O'Toole in 1973, and taken over by four, young, enthusiastic balloonists in 1977. It is the most well-attended, single-day balloon race in the country.
The race, celebrated its 35th anniversary last year,it is unique in that it originates from the middle of a major city, St. Louis. Attendance is free to more than 130,000 spectators who come out to watch 70 world-class balloon pilots compete in a race that is almost as exciting from the ground as it is in the air.

This years balloon "glow" will be September 19th

the race will be September 20th 2008.