
The stars may be light years away but you can get an up-close peek at them with the Gateway Arch National Park hosts this special stargazing experience for families. From noon to 4 p.m. in the Museum at the Gateway Arch, visitors can earn a unique "Night Skies" patch with a National Park Service Ranger, take a selfie in the star-studded photo booth, and explore the constellations with the flight crew from the Challenger Learning Center! Nature Cat will also be at the park to celebrate National Kids to Parks Day.
The evening program begins at 8 p.m. and features a ranger-led interepretive talk, followed by a St. Louis Astronomical Society-led telescope viewing of craters on the Moon, the planets Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn and other celetrial objects, weather permitting.
Saturday, May 18 from noon to 4 p.m. and again at 8 p.m. at the Gateway Arch National Park. Free.
Celebrating the history, culture, and people of Japan, the Japanese Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden is one of the largest and oldest festivals of its kind in the United States. Your family can enjoy guided walking tours, bonsai, cooking, martial arts and origami demonstrations, sumo wrestling, and special activities for kids.
Kids can work on existing gym skills, learn new skills or just play around during Open Gym at Miss Kelly's Gym in Creve Coeur.
Wagon rides, live entertainment, great festival foods, a petting zoo and much more make this an apple pickin' good time for the whole family. There will be pony rides, a children's carnival, opportunities to feed goats and other farm animals, caramel apples, funnel cakes and more.
See the Zoo's California sea lions perform acrobatic and athletic feats, including Olympic-style dives on a high-diving platform, flipper walks, frisbee tosses and plenty of surprises. While on stage with the sea lions, the Zoo's trainers explain sea lion behavior and positive-reinforcement training, in addition to the need for conserving the sea lion's ocean habitat.
Kids Night Out at Olympia Gymnastics is an evening filled with fun! Parents get a babysitter for the night and kids will enjoy gymnastics/ninja-themed activities, group games, crafts, and more! Members and non-members are welcome.