Forest Park, St. Louis

State: Missouri. Type: large urban public park in western St. Louis. Size: 1,326 acres, larger than New York's Central Park. Dedicated June 24, 1876; transformed for the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition (World's Fair). Free admission and open year-round. Draws roughly 13 million visits annually, more combined than Busch Stadium and the Gateway Arch.

Forest Park sits on the western edge of St. Louis, bordered by Washington University, Skinker Boulevard, Lindell Boulevard, Kingshighway Boulevard and Oakland Avenue. Dedicated in 1876 and designed by Maximillian Kern and Julius Pitzman, the park was reshaped dramatically for the 1904 World's Fair, when landscape architect George Kessler drained wetlands to create the park's five connected lakes and the fair also hosted Olympic swimming, diving and water polo events. Today the park anchors several of St. Louis's major cultural institutions, all free to enter: the Saint Louis Zoo, the Saint Louis Art Museum, the Missouri History Museum and the Saint Louis Science Center. Add-ons like the Muny outdoor theater, a golf course, a boathouse with paddle boats, the art-deco Jewel Box greenhouse and Turtle Park round out the grounds. In 2022 USA Today named it the nation's best city park, and it remains one of the most-visited green spaces in the country.

Forest Park is in western St. Louis, Missouri, adjacent to the Central West End and Washington University in St. Louis. The Dennis & Judith Jones Visitor & Education Center, the park's main orientation point, is at 5595 Grand Drive, St. Louis, MO 63112. The park spans roughly 1,326 acres bounded by Skinker, Lindell, Kingshighway and Oakland.

St. Louis has a humid continental climate with hot, humid summers and cold winters, typical of the mid-Mississippi Valley. Spring and fall bring mild, changeable weather, while summer days regularly reach into the high 80s and 90s Fahrenheit with high humidity, and winter can bring freezing temperatures and occasional snow. Because the park's major museums are indoors and climate-controlled, a visit is workable in any season, though outdoor areas (the zoo, trails, lakes) are most comfortable in spring and fall.

Spring and fall offer the most comfortable temperatures for walking, biking and outdoor museum-hopping across the park's large footprint. Summer is the busiest season, especially around the Muny's outdoor theater season and zoo visits, while winter is quieter but colder, with some outdoor amenities (like paddle boats) seasonal or closed.

Forest Park was dedicated on June 24, 1876 in front of a crowd of about 50,000, after years of proposals and legal disputes over the site. Its defining transformation came in 1904, when the park hosted the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (the 1904 World's Fair); George Kessler redesigned much of the landscape for the fair, draining marshland to form the park's chain of lakes, and Olympic aquatic events were held on the grounds that same year as part of the 1904 Summer Olympics. Several of the park's landmark museums, including the Saint Louis Art Museum (originally the fair's Palace of Fine Arts) and the Saint Louis Zoo, trace their origins or major growth to this fair-era period. The nonprofit Forest Park Forever now partners with the City of St. Louis Parks Department on maintenance and restoration.

Visitors can explore the free Saint Louis Zoo, Saint Louis Art Museum, Missouri History Museum and Saint Louis Science Center, all located within the park. Outdoor options include paddle boating and canoeing from the park's boathouse, rounds at the Forest Park Golf Course, walking or biking the park's trail network, and catching a summer outdoor musical at the Muny amphitheater. The art-deco Jewel Box greenhouse and the sculpture-filled Turtle Park are popular shorter stops, and the park hosts seasonal festivals and events throughout the year.

Key sites include the Saint Louis Zoo (opened 1910, free admission), the Saint Louis Art Museum, the Missouri History Museum, the Saint Louis Science Center, the Muny outdoor theater, the Jewel Box conservatory, the park's five interconnected lakes, and the Dennis & Judith Jones Visitor & Education Center.

Forest Park is served by MetroBus routes and by both the Red and Blue MetroLink light-rail lines, which have stops within or adjacent to the park; the Loop Trolley also connects to the park's eastern edge. Drivers can reach the park via Skinker, Lindell, Kingshighway or Oakland; several free and paid parking areas serve the individual museums and attractions.

The park grounds are open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. year-round. Individual attractions inside the park (the zoo, art museum, history museum, science center) each keep their own separate hours, so check each venue directly before visiting.

Forest Park itself is free to enter, and its four major museums (zoo, art museum, history museum, science center) all offer free general admission, per Forest Park Forever. Some special exhibits, the Muny theater, golf course rounds and paddle-boat rentals charge separate fees set by their individual operators.

A single major attraction (e.g., just the zoo or just the art museum) can be seen in two to three hours, but because the park is so large and hosts four major museums, a full day is realistic for visitors wanting to sample multiple sites, and repeat visits are common among locals.

The Central West End, immediately east of the park, offers a range of hotels within walking distance and a walkable neighborhood of its own. The Delmar Loop, near the park's northern edge, and the wider Clayton and University City areas also have hotel options a short drive away. Downtown St. Louis, a few miles east, has a larger concentration of chain hotels for visitors who don't mind a short MetroLink or car ride to the park.

The Central West End is the closest dense dining district, with a mix of upscale and casual restaurants within walking distance of the park's eastern edge. The Delmar Loop offers a lively strip of restaurants, bars and shops near the park's north side. Inside the park itself, the Forest Park Visitor & Education Center area has a café (Forest Park Café), and some attractions like the zoo and science center have their own on-site concessions.

The Delmar Loop's shops, restaurants and the St. Louis Walk of Fame sit just north of the park. Washington University in St. Louis borders the park's western edge. Downtown St. Louis and the Gateway Arch grounds are a short drive or MetroLink ride east.

The Forest Park-DeBaliviere and Central West End MetroLink stations (Red and Blue lines) serve the park directly, and multiple MetroBus routes stop nearby; the Loop Trolley connects to the park's northeastern edge. St. Louis Lambert International Airport is a roughly 20-25 minute drive from the park via I-70 and local roads, with MetroLink also connecting the airport to the city.

Forest Park Forever works with the City of St. Louis Parks and Police Departments, along with dedicated Park Rangers, who patrol the grounds daily; visitors should stay in well-traveled, well-lit areas after dark as with any large urban park. Because the park is so extensive, keep a map or the forestparkmap.org site handy to avoid getting disoriented between attractions. For any emergency, dial 911.

Comfortable walking or biking shoes are essential given the park's size, along with water and sun protection for warmer months. A park map (physical or via forestparkmap.org) helps with navigation between the zoo, museums and lakes, which are spread across more than a mile in places.

Because the park's major museums (zoo, art museum, history museum, science center) are spread out, plan which one or two to prioritize rather than trying to fit all four into a single visit. Renting a bike or driving between attraction clusters saves time compared to walking the whole park. MetroLink is a convenient, traffic-free way to reach the park from downtown St. Louis or the airport.

Dial 911 for any emergency. For general park questions, Forest Park Forever can be reached at 314-367-7275 or info@forestparkforever.org.

Forest Park Forever - https://www.forestparkforever.org

This section is being updated and will be available shortly.

This section is being updated and will be available shortly.

This section is being updated and will be available shortly.