Forest Park, St. Louis, Missouri

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This statue was the symbol of the city, until replaced with The famous Arch. Apothesis King Louis IX of France resides in Forest Park.

Forest Park:
City owned
Opened to the public in 1876
One of the largest parks in the country
500 acres larger than Central Park in New York (1,293 acres)
Location of The 1904 Worlds Fair
Historic Buildings
Golf...3 courses
Beautiful landscape
Trails for walking, biking, roller blading
Zoo
Art Museum
History Museum (Missouri Historical Society)
Birding paradise
Muny for opera, Shakespeare and more
Science Center
Ice skating rink (largest outdoor rink in the midwest)
fishing, boating, picnicing

No wonder 12 million people visit this fantastic park every year. My post is a bit unusual above, just listing some of things one can do or find to enjoy while visiting Forest Park. Winter, Spring, Summer, or fall....day or night or both. You really must tour this park, and really once is not enough.

I've lost, from computer to computer I think some of the many pictures I took on various trips there. Here though are a few I took at night. I highly encourage everyone, people of all ages, people with or without pets....come romp and enjoy!

St Louis Botanical Gardens

**click on picture to enlarge**

Henry Shaw's dream lives on 150 years later. This year, 2009 marks The Sesquicentennial of The St. Louis Botanical Gardens. The words, awesome, incredible, magnificent, beautiful, and wow all come to mind when I think of the visits we've had there. An Englishman, Henry Shaw felt there was more then just beauty to flowers and plants. He understood their importance and felt the science of, the study of to be necessary. His home was the beginning of this dream. He had an exotic orchid collection.

The St. Louis Botanical Gardens covers 79 acres, is opened all seasons with a wide variety of activities for all, regardless of age and interest. You can purchase your tickets on line, park free and rent a motorized scooter if walking presents a problem. The entire garden acreage is disability friendly, accessible for all to enjoy. Ticket prices vary based on age, whether or not you're a member, and a St. Louis county or city resident.

The list of activities to enjoy there is long. You can walk for exercise from 7-9 am, tour on your own, join a guided tour, line up a birthday party, take an educational class, experience special festivals; or summer evening concerts.

Every year 100,000 new specimens arrive at the gardens. The scientific exploration, preservation, and identification that Henry Shaw started so long ago has grown to a global effort. A temperature controlled vault and complete catalog of plant species is something the casual visitors doesn't see, but one that carries forward the importance of Shaw's dream. Plants and flowers provide more than just beauty for our eyes to behold, they improve the air quality we breath, provide medications, keep our soil from eroding. They sustain us in many ways.

I encourage everyone to put this on their list of things to do. I plan to return again, and again.

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