fun things to do with kids in St. Louis

See the amazing sea lions at the Saint Louis Zoo perform for the crowd and cheer them on from the bleachers as the popular Sea Lion Spring Training Shows return. You'll see these beautiful animals perform flipper walks, ball balancing, Olympic-style dives on a high-diving platform, lots of splashing and even more surprises! 

Dine with animal royalty at Grant's Farm at Animal All-Star Lunch and Meet & Greets! Kids and the young-at-heart will cherish this opportunity to spend time with some of the most popular animals at Grant's Farm. 

Explore the Saint Louis Zoo in the evenings at the Chinese lantern festival Animals Aglow! Animals Aglow returns to illuminate the Saint Louis Zoo for the second year with dozens of new, towering lanterns and light displays. 

Local mother-daughter author duo Arika Parr and Ava Johnson’s picture book comes to the stage in But What Can You Do? from Metro Theater Company. This story includes themes of positive thinking, growth mindset, co-parenting, music, and more, and is best enjoyed by ages 4 and up. 

Find yourself immersed in a sea of blue as the Tropical Conservancy at The Butterfly House is flooded with 1500 Blue Morpho Butterflies during Morpho Mardi Gras. Join the party at the Bugs on Parade, make a masquerade mask, and inaugurate the season with the majestic creatures. The Opening Weekend Carnival also includes the Frog Princess, crafts, games, and a musical "petting zoo."

Visit The District in Chesterfield for an afternoon of BIG fun at Big Truck Day at The Hub. Kids can explore and learn about massive trucks, from firetrucks to big earth movers and more. 

The annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in downtown St. Louis is comprised of more than 120 units, including marching bands, floats, huge cartoon character balloons, more than 5,000 marchers and lots of clowns.