Special Interest Museums & Family Fun Attractions
Metropolitan Saint Louis
Saint Louis is home to a variety of attractions which provide activities for people visiting or for those who are having a Staycation at its many unique museums and local attractions such as the Gateway Arch and the Saint Louis Zoo.
Anheuser-Busch Brewery Tours
Saint Louis, MO
Anheuser-Busch offers the public an opportunity to see how its products are made during complimentary tours of five of its 12 U.S. Breweries. Visitors on the tour of their Saint Louis headquarters are taken through several buildings where they learn about the company, the famous Clydesdale horses, and the brewing process. Following the tours, guests 21 years of age or older are invited to enjoy complimentary samples of Anheuser-Busch products including the latest in seasonal brews.
City Museum
Saint Louis, MO
Housed in the 600,000 square-foot former International Shoe Company, the City Museum is an eclectic mixture of children's playground, funhouse, surrealistic pavilion, and architectural marvel made out of unique, found objects. The brainchild of internationally acclaimed artist Bob Cassilly, a classically trained sculptor and serial entrepreneur, the museum opened for visitors in 1997 to the riotous approval of young and old alike. With an enchanted forest, secret caves and passageways, a giant aquarium, a small circus, an architectural museum, a museum of oddities and plenty of slides, City Museum is a delight for people of all ages.
Grant’s Farm
Saint Louis, MO
Grant's Farm is the former homestead of President Ulysses S. Grant. It is the only house still standing that was hand-built and occupied by a U.S. president. It is also the ancestral home of the Busch family of the Anheuser-Busch brewery. The property features a 281-acre wildlife preserve with more than 1,000 animals from six continents. Visitors can travel by tram through the wildlife preserve and then visit the Tier Garten area which has a petting zoo, animal exhibits and shows. and the Bauernhof courtyard complex, a 19th century farmstead with stables and a carriage house.
Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum
Maryland Heights, MO
The Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum is located at Creve Coeur Airport and has on display one of the largest collections of flying antique, classic and sport aircraft in the country. The Museum specializes in planes from the Golden Age of Aviation - planes built from 1916 to 1946 – and there are usually 30 to 40 aircraft in the hangar and at least that many scattered throughout the airport.
Holocaust Museum & Learning Center
Creve Couer, MO
The Saint Louis Holocaust Museum and Learning Center provides a chronological history of the Holocaust augmented with personal testimonies by survivors and witnesses who immigrated to Saint Louis. Photographs, artifacts, text panels, and audio-visual displays guide visitors through pre-World War II Jewish life in Europe, the rise of Nazism, events leading up to and including the Holocaust between 1933-1945, and post-War events.
Magic House
Kirkwood, MO
The Magic House is a hands-on children’s museum located in a three-story Victorian home. The museum specializes in providing creative learning experiences for children. That has translated into “fun” for children for almost 25 years. Zagat Surveys’ U.S. Family Travel Guide named The Magic House the number one attraction for child appeal, besting Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom. It has been voted best children’s museums in the country by FamilyFun Magazine and it was on that magazine’s list of the top 12 family destinations.
Miniature Museum of Greater St. Louis
Saint Louis, MO
The Miniature Museum of Greater St. Louis features dollhouse miniatures in all scales, rooms and other items. The Museum also sponsors two miniatures shows each year and conducts workshops on miniatures. The museum has a gift shop and a library devoted to miniatures.
Missouri History Museum
Saint Louis, MO
The Missouri History Museum is dedicated to documenting and interpreting the history of the Saint Louis area. The museum is housed in a building formerly called the Jefferson Memorial in honor of President Thomas Jefferson. In 2000 the addition of the Emerson Electric Center to the building gave the Missouri History Museum more exhibit space and additional facilities.
MOTO Museum
Saint Louis
The Moto Museum is housed in an old printing factory in the Locust Business District and is a private collection of motorcycles, obtained from nearly 20 countries around the globe celebrating the form, function, evolution, and elegance of the motorcycle. The collections spans almost eight decades (1900-1975) of mostly European motorcycling.
Saint Louis Science Center
Saint Louis, MO
The Saint Louis Science Center is one the largest science centers of its type and one of only two science centers in the country with no general admission charge. The Science Center has three buildings – the main Science Center Building, the Exploradome exhibition hall, and the James S. McDonnell Planetarium. The Science Center has more than 700 hands-on exhibits and the OMNIMAX® large screen theatre.
Saint Louis Zoo
Saint Louis, MO
The Saint Louis Zoo has been named #1 zoo by Zagat Survey's U.S. Family Travel Guide in association with Parenting magazine. The Zoo is home to more than 22,000 exotic animals, many of them rare and endangered. The over 800 species represented at the Zoo come from all the major continents and biomes of the world. Set in the rolling hills, lakes and glades of Forest Park, the Saint Louis Zoo is always a great place to be. Features include the Fragile Forest, the River's Edge, the Cypress Swamp with the 1904 Flight Cage, the Insectarium, and Big Cat Country.
Schlafly Bottleworks
Maplewood, MO
The Schlafly Bottleworks is the first new bottling brewery in Saint Louis since the end of Prohibition. The brewery offers free guided tours where visitors learn how each batch of Schlafly Beer is handcrafted. From the milling and mashing of grains, to the production and fermentation of wort, to the filtration and bottling of beer, you'll witness the fascinating art of brewing. The tour includes a tasting of Schlafly Beers and features an exhibit dedicated to the rich brewing history of the city of Saint Louis.
Six Flags St. Louis
Eureka, MO
Six Flags St. Louis is a major amusement park featuring eight themed lands of adventure. The park features more than 40 attractions and game areas, more than 25 food outlets and gift shops, live shows and a tropical paradise water park called Hurricane Harbor.
Soldiers Memorial Military Museum
Saint Louis, MO
Soldier's Memorial Military Museum is dedicated as a memorial for veterans and as a museum for preserving a historic collection of military artifacts. The building's entrance is flanked by four Bedford stone sculptures by Walker Hancock. Two exhibit rooms hold collections of military items--uniforms, photographs, weaponry, war souvenirs and regalia, posters and medals as well as mannequins wearing uniforms.
Wabash Frisco & Pacific Steam Railway
Wildwood, MO
This 12-inch gauge steam railroad is operated by the Wabash, Frisco & Pacific Association, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to keeping the railroading tradition alive in America. Visitors can take a picturesque 30-minute round trip along the Meramec River on the miniature train.
World Chess Hall of Fame
Saint Louis, MO
The World Chess Hall of Fame opened in September of 2011 in Saint Louis’ Central West End, a bustling neighborhood located directly across the street from the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. The World Chess Hall of Fame is housed in a historic three story 15,900 square-foot residence-turned-business and features the U.S. and World Chess Halls of Fame, displays of artifacts from a permanent collection, and temporary exhibitions highlighting the great players, historic games, and the rich cultural history of chess.
For Travelers Heading Up River
Meeting the Missouri River
The two longest rivers of the United States, the Missouri and the Mississippi, meet at Saint Charles County, Missouri. The Historic Saint Charles downtown area offers visitors a variety of attractions including the Lewis and Clark Boat House and Nature Center, The Foundry Art Centre, and Missouri’s First State Capitol. Nearby is Confluence State Park and the Daniel Boone Home.
For Travelers Heading Across the River
Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway
The Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway area is one of America’s newer scenic byways. With over 20,000 acres of forest and wetlands at the heart of the Mississippi Flyway, it is a nature lovers paradise. Visitors will find spectacular colors in the fall and bald eagles in the winter. History abounds in the region ranging from the prehistoric Cahokia Mounds to sites on the National Register of Historic Places.
For Travelers Heading Down River
French Colonial Country
Down river of Saint Louis and the Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway area is Ste. Genevieve, Missouri and Randolph County, Illinois. This area was heavily influenced by the French fur traders who inhabited the region from 1700 to 1840.
