Sunday, March 14, 2010

Turtle Park, St. Louis, Missouri (Dogtown-Forest Park)

Remember to click to see pictures larger
freeway exist 34A sign for parkExit 34A, Skinker and Clayton Roads is the spot. The walk bridge you see is at the intersection of Tamm and Oakland Avenue's in St. Louis, Missouri. Some will argue this is Dogtown, some will say it's the far southern end of Forest Park. At the very least it is were the two neighbors join and come together.
small cement turleCute little turtles lining the walking paths make a good place for children to sit.
large cement sculptured turltedAnd who could resist climbing on such a large repile? Seriously, there are children of all ages here. Climbing, walking, photographing.
front view of turtle sculptureFunny the small children didn't seem to be afraid of this large creature with it's mouth opened. These fantastic cement sculptures are the work of a local artist, Robert Cassilly on land donated by Mrs. Sonya (Sunny) Glassberg.
Turtle Playground SignAnd yes, the park is in-fact named Turtle Playground. In August of 1996 it was officially opened. There's parking on the street and plenty of place for bikers, walkers and those with strollers on a sunny afternoon. You could try your hand at identifying a Snapping Turtle, Soft-Shelled Turtle, Mississippi Map, Box Turtles or a Stink Pot as they all reside here in cement form. There's even a long snake which makes a place to sit, or climb along side the walkway.

With the covered walkway over the freeway there's easy access to the park. Though I must admit this is the first time we've actually visited the park; we've seen the large turtles from the freeway many many times in our travels there. Take time, get off the freeway and enjoy it; it's well worth the effort.

The park is open daily til 10 pm and is free!

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19 comments:

  1. That looks like a great place to visit especially with children. Those cement guys are really big. Wonder if it scares any of the children. Guess they are mose interested in climbing all over them. Great pictures.

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  2. Good Morning Sandy, I linked your Traveling Suitcase and blogged about your March contest. Aren't you glad you taught me how to link? Love all you Turtle pictures. Aren't turtles symbolic in some cultures?

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  3. That looks like a fun park! What a great, creative idea it was to have those big ol' critters to play on!

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  4. Round of applause for the sculptor artist!

    The huge cement turtle figures are not easy to create. How detailed the reptiles were formed is impressive.

    It feels so relaxing to sit on the backs of these turtles.

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  5. What a fun place to visit. That turtle is awesome!

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  6. The images are too cool. I am liking the place from the pics itself. Hope I will go there once. Great place to spend time and enjoy.

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  7. Just wanted to let you know that I did a post on my blog this morning about the contest. Http://www.margsanimals.com/blogs

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  8. Oh! I wish I had known about this the last time we passed through St Louis, my daughter absolutely adores turtles! Well, maybe next time!

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  9. This is too cool. My niece and nephew would love this.

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  10. Having a turtle park is really awesome. I wish I can visit the place too. My niece would definitely love this place.

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  11. I like turtles, so this looks like a neat place to go checkout. Kids must have a blast here.

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  12. That looks like a great place to visit especially with family, It feels so relaxing and happy there

    thanks for travelling info buddy

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  13. Wow! I haven't been there in years. This must be new since I was there. guess I will have to make plans to check it out.

    BrendaLea
    prpldy (at) comcast dot net

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  14. I always love the traveling information buddy. Love the way you have shared the useful and informative information with us. Its hard to find the quality information but you have done this job buddy.

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  15. Hey great stuff, thank you for sharing this useful information and i will let know my friends as well.

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  16. I hope I don't break your rules by posting the Facebook page. We take our kids there all the time. It's another great FREE thing to do in St. Louis, where you can entertain a family all day long without spending a dime!

    http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Turtle-Park-St-Louis-MO/251857734829992

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