St. Louis, MO is about a five hour drive from the Madison, WI area and offers so much for families looking for a vacation, road trip or weekend getaway! Best known for the Gateway Arch — St. Louis has a TON to offer!
Family Friendly Activities
Adventure Valley Zipline: Adventure Valley is a zipline tour & paintball park. The tour includes 10 ziplines. The paintball park has 8 fields and a 2 zipline aerial assault field.
Amp Up Action Park: The attractions include pro kart racing, axe throwing, laser tag, virtual reality, high-ropes ninja course and lots of arcade games and prizes.
City Museum: City Museum is a hundred-year-old warehouse in downtown St. Louis in which artists have repurposed the pieces of old cities to build miles of tunnels, slides, climbers, bridges, and castles. There are secret passages and grand galleries. Playgrounds and ball pits. A circus and a train. A rooftop school bus and a Ferris wheel.
Gateway Arch Riverboats: Enjoy some of the best views of the Gateway Arch and St. Louis’ working riverfront on a riverboat cruise.
Go to the top of the Gateway Arch: Bringing together art, nature, history, and adventure, the Gateway Arch is an inspiration as well as a destination. Ride to the top in a tram and experience views 30 miles in each direction.
Missouri Botanical Garden: Founded in 1859, the Missouri Botanical Garden is one of the nation’s oldest botanical garden in continuous operation and a National Historic Landmark.
Missouri History Museum: The Missouri Historical Society (MHS) was founded in St. Louis in 1866 “for the purpose of saving from oblivion the early history of the city and state.”
National Blues Museum: The National Blues Museum explores the Blues and celebrates the genre as the foundation of all modern American music. The facility educates guests in an entertaining environment that includes high-impact technology-driven experiences, a state-of-the-art theater, artifact-driven exhibits, and robust public programming.
Raging Rivers Waterpark (40 minutes north of STL): Raging Rivers Waterpark features tube slides, speed slides, a lazy river and a brand new Aqua Play area.
RYZE Adventure Park: Ryze Adventure Park is the ultimate outdoor urban adventure for all ages, anchored by a 4-story obstacle course and includes an 18 hole mini-golf course.
Saint Louis Science Center: The Saint Louis Science Center offers 700+ interactive experiences, the GROW agricultural pavilion, McDonnell Planetarium and an OMNIMAX® Theater. (FREE ADMISSION)
Saint Louis Zoo: This world renowned, 90-acre zoo is home to more than 12,000 animals; many of them are rare and endangered. (FREE ADMISSION)
Six Flags St. Louis: Six Flags St. Louis is an amusement park featuring characters and rides from many Warner Bros. films and tv shows such as, Looney Tunes, DC Comics.
St. Louis Blues or St. Louis Cardinals Sporting Event
St. Louis Union Station: St. Louis Union Station is a National Historic Landmark train station. In addition to restaurants, it features attractions such as the St. Louis Wheel, the St. Louis Aquarium, Fire & Light Show, a ropes course, mini golf and more!
- St. Louis Aquarium
- St. Louis Wheel: a 200′ high observation wheel, with fully enclosed gondolas that seat up to eight riders each.
The Magic House – St. Louis Children’s Museum: The STL Children’s Museum is unique as it offers striking Victorian-style architecture and whimsical, interactive exhibits surrounded by enchanting gardens
Westport Plaza: Offers good dining options.
World Chess Hall of Fame: The World Chess Hall of Fame presents world-class exhibitions that explore the connection of chess to art, culture, and history. Suggested donation of $3-$5 for admission.
Notable Parks
Forest Park: Forest Park is one of the nation’s greatest urban public parks. The Park’s 1,300 acres feature beautiful landscapes sprinkled with forests, ecosystems, lakes & streams and also contains St. Louis’ major museums, as well as the Saint Louis Science Center, Saint Louis Zoo, and The Muny.
Citygarden: Citygarden is an urban sculpture park located in downtown St. Louis. The park is an oasis of free interactive art, fountains and gardens spanning two blocks
Laumeier Sculpture Park: Laumeier presents more than 70 works of large-scale outdoor sculpture in a 105-acre park located in the heart of St. Louis – FREE admission.
