Bigger than Central Park and twice as storied, Forest Park is the green heart of St. Louis: 1,326 acres opened in 1876 that hosted the legendary 1904 World’s Fair — the Louisiana Purchase Exposition — and the 1904 Olympic Games, and today hold an almost unfair share of the city’s treasures.
Within one park’s borders you can visit the free Saint Louis Zoo, the free Saint Louis Art Museum atop Art Hill, the free Missouri History Museum, The Muny under the stars and the glass Jewel Box conservatory — most of it free, all of it woven together by lakes, lagoons, trails and the Grand Basin at the foot of Art Hill. The nonprofit Forest Park Forever partners with the city to keep it immaculate.
Locals measure their lives here: first bike rides, wedding photos, sledding down Art Hill in January. Visitors should simply give it a day.
Forest Park anchors the city’s west end. Maps and events at forestparkforever.org.
