Tucked under an iconic American landmark sits one of the most impressive cities in the Midwest and it’s perfect for families to learn and create memories. We were invited to experience all the fun things to do in St. Louis with kids in tow by Explore St. Louis and, if I’m being honest, I had no idea how many St Louis kids activities existed! Once you get there, you can spend very little or nothing at all when exploring St Louis with kids. These 5 St Louis attractions were our favorites and were rated two thumbs up by both of our kids.
I wrote all about our family fun in downtown STL for ExploreStLouis.com. Be sure to check it out and browse their website for kids events in St Louis! Explore St Louis was the best resource for planning our St Louis family vacation. This post breaks down our list of favorite St Louis attractions for kids. Whether you’re in STL for a few days or just looking for free things to do, here are my favorites for exploring the beauty of St Louis culture and history.
Things To Do In St. Louis With Kids
Lovely Downtown St Louis
Our family stayed in the Hyatt Regency St Louis at The Arch in downtown St Louis. Its central location was hard to beat with a stunning view of the lovely downtown area and a great size for our 4 person family. Especially because downtown STL is extremely walkable, a central location is a must when choosing St Louis hotels for kids in tow.
We walked almost everywhere while on our weekend getaway to STL and for the times we didn’t, Uber was quick and efficient. If you’re looking for where to stay with kids in St Louis, I totally recommend the Hyatt Regency or another hotel with a central location to allow your family to get around the city while keeping transportation costs low.
Right outside our front door were many fun things for kids to do in St Louis, such as exploring the Gateway Arch National Park, The Old Courthouse and Old Cathedral, Kiener Plaza, and city gardens. You can even walk to Busch Stadium to catch a game or learn all about their baseball legacy at the Cardinals Museum from downtown STL!
The Gateway Arch: St Louis for Kids
My kids learned so much while in STL! All the fun places for kids in St Louis doubled as lessons in American history. An icon of exploration and westward expansion, The Gateway Arch is a 630-foot monument built in the1960’s. Did you know you can travel by tram inside the arch to an observation tower high above the city? This was by far one of my kids’ favorite experience and a must visit for fun places to for kids in St Louis.
With breathtaking views of the Mississippi River below, kids are fascinated by the engineering marvel and inner workings of The Arch. Crawling into a small, oval-shaped tram and climbing hundreds of feet into the air was super exciting! Tram tickets sell out fast! Buy yours online ahead of time to avoid missing out. The new National Park was opening this summer, so be sure to schedule time to explore the museum too.
Once back on the ground, be sure to watch the informative 30-minute video telling the tenacious story of impossible odds that were overcome to create the stunning monument. Honestly, one of the best St Louis things to do with kids that inspires and educates.
Kiener Plaza + Old Courthouse
The heart of downtown STL can be found right in Kiener Plaza, where kids play at Malcolm W Martin Memorial Park and city gardens before exploring the restored Old Courthouse. Among the best things to do with kids in St Louis, there’s no way you can miss this area while on your St Louis vacation with kids. This area has so much family fun and kids stuff in St Louis!
Kiener Plaza has playgrounds and splash pads perfect for kids, young and old. Kiener Plaza is a hub for local events and is definitely one of those places to take kids in St Louis all year long. The ambiance is a perfect mix of urban and small town (we live in Los Angeles, so in comparison this downtown area is small). And while it is an urban hub, Kiener Plaza offers of stuff for kids to do in St Louis. Be sure to check out Explore STL for things to do in St Louis today with kids. And before you leave, be sure to have a picnic lunch in the plaza and take a bunch of quintessential STL photos!
The Old Courthouse anchors downtown STL with its rounded dome that makes it feel like we’re at the U.S. Capitol building. There are exhibits depicting cultural and historical events, like the Dred Scott case, which was ultimately heard by the Supreme Court and named as an event leading up to the American Civil War. We loved the FREE self-guided tours and learned so much about this area’s impact on American history.
St Louis Forest Park: Zoo + Museums
STL kids are super lucky to have this amazing resource in their backyard! There is no shortage of things for kids in St Louis Forest Park. Prepare to spend all day (or multiple days!) exploring the 1,300 acres of St Louis’s Forest Park. Approximately 6 miles from downtown STL, Forest Park is considered one of the nation’s greatest urban public parks and is a true civic treasure. Forest Park is home to four favorite STL cultural institutions: Missouri History Museum, Saint Louis Art Museum, Saint Louis Science Center and the Saint Louis Zoo. Of all our favorites ideas of what to do with kids in St Louis, the variety of Forest Park ranks high at the top.
Young kids will love The Saint Louis Zoo, older kids will be fascinated at the History and Art Museums, and parents will appreciate that admission is free at each of these attractions!
When it’s time for lunch, use the Forest Park Trolley to head over to the Boathouse where you can enjoy great eats with a great view.
STL’s City Museum
Oh my goodness, this is the most amazing St Louis kids museum you can imagine. City Museum is perhaps the most unique and adventurous kids’ museum we’ve ever been to! What once was an international shoe building now houses exhibits made largely of repurposed architectural and industrial objects created for the purpose of play and exploration. Don’t miss this place when looking for fun for kids in St Louis!
At the City Museum, kids can climb out of airplane 20 stories above ground, slide into underground caves and sit in a school bus suspended off the edge of the building. It’s not free, but if you’re looking for ideas on what to do with kids in St Louis the City Museum is a great bet.
Designate a family meeting spot as soon as you get checked in because getting separated from your kids is very likely. There’s plenty of places for adults to sit while kids play, but you’ll want to communicate how to link up again after you’ve certainly lost track of one another.
Cherokee Street: New STL Places to Explore
After telling our Uber driver that we were craving tacos, my family ended up in a thriving scene of art, restaurants and specialty grocers. A quick drive from downtown, Cherokee Street is known as St Louis’s Mexican-food mecca and is the largest concentration of Latino-owned businesses in the city.
We strolled around and checked out all the familiar sights and smells of Latino culture…. right there in the Midwest!
After getting our taco fix at the highly rated LaVallesana, we strolled down Cherokee Street to find discover more delicious treats and sweets, including colorful grocers with all of our favorite Mexican candies. For dessert, we came upon a family owned restaurant of an unlikely flavor combination, The Taco and Ice Cream Joint. Super trendy and modern, this colorful eateries is the perfect place for families to order a quick dinner infused with the best flavors of Latino culture followed by sweet treats to take on the road.
The kids’ loved building their custom ice cream taco, made with a taco-shaped waffle cone, while mom and dad enjoyed sweet and tart mangoladas. Definitely colorful places to take kids in St Louis!
Best Things to Do With Kids in St Louis
There’s so much kids stuff in St Louis that I totally did not expect. From baseball games (which we actually went to, also!) to lessons on American history and how the west came to be, our family vacation in St Louis was super fun, low key and filled with all the quality time my family needed.
