Forest Park, St. Louis, MO, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

Forest Park is a 1,371-acre public park in St. Louis, Missouri, and it is larger than New York's Central Park. It opened in 1876, hosted the 1904 World's Fair, and today holds the St. Louis Zoo, the Saint Louis Art Museum, the Science Center, the Missouri History Museum and the Muny outdoor theater.

The story behind it

In 1874 Missouri leaders set the plan in motion for a grand public park beyond the busy city center. They wanted something to rival the great parks of Europe and of other American cities, and they chose a large, heavily wooded tract, which is how Forest Park got its plain and honest name. The park officially opened on June 24, 1876, and accounts of opening day speak of a crowd of around 50,000 people.

Its biggest moment came in 1904, when the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, better known as the St. Louis World's Fair, took over the grounds and drew visitors from around the world. The Summer Olympics were held in St. Louis that same year. Over the following decades the park filled with the institutions it is known for, including the St. Louis Zoo, which opened in 1910.

What to look for

• Art Hill, the grassy slope in front of the Saint Louis Art Museum, whose building dates from the 1904 World's Fair and looks down toward the water below.
• The lakes, bridges and wooded paths, which show how much of the park still feels like the forest it was named for.
• The Muny, the large open-air theater where musicals are staged under the night sky in the warm months.
• The cluster of museums and the zoo, each a grand building or landmark in its own right, set within a short distance of one another.

Tips for your visit

• Plan on at least a few hours, or a full day if you want to go inside a museum or the zoo, because the park is far larger than it looks on a map.
• Morning and late afternoon are the most pleasant times for walking, especially in spring and autumn when the trees are at their best.
• The zoo and several major museums have been known for free general admission, but check current opening hours and any charges for special exhibits before you go.
• Wear comfortable shoes and pick one or two areas of the park rather than trying to see everything in a single visit.

See it on a quest

If you would rather explore with a purpose than wander, try Kid Quest: Solve the case of the lost senses in St. Louis, MO. You reach Forest Park on foot as one stop on a longer route through the area, the app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle in front of what you are looking at. It is a playful, detective-style way to bring younger travellers into the story of the park. One ticket covers the whole group, and you can start any time with no guide and no group to join.