Looking for fun and unique Valentine’s Day gift for the kids? Teach them the value of helping animals.
Through the Saint Louis Zoo’s Zoo Parents program, you can “Adopt a King Penguin” for your little Valentine. For a donation of $40, all of which goes toward the care and feeding of the animals, the Zoo will provide a Valentine’s Day adoption package including:
Pick up your adoption package through Feb. 14 at the Zoo’s Welcome Desk or call 314-646-4771 for more information. If you're picking it up on Sunday, be sure to check out the Mardi Gras festivities in The Living World from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a parade at 3 p.m. The free event offers live music, face painting and stage performances by Delta Dental, plus prizes for the best Mardi Gras spirit, best penguin float and best float celebrating the Zoo's centennial. (By "float" we mean wagon or stroller, not behemoth truck filled with revelers!) There will be beads for everyone, and no advance tickets are necessary.
Amy Burger is a mom, freelance writer and communications professional with nearly 20 years experience working in St. Louis. Her work has appeared in numerous publications and media outlets including STL Parent, Missouri Life magazine, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Town & Style and kdhx.org, among others. When she's not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two beautiful girls at home in Kirkwood.
Take your family to watch birds of prey fly right over your head, meet the wonderful bird ambassadors of the World Bird Sanctuary up close and much more.
The St. Louis African Arts Festival, held in Forest Park, celebrates the rich and diverse cultures of Africa and African people. Children's activities include storytelling, arts and crafts, mask-making and educational workshops. In conjunction with the festival, the Saint Louis Zoo will have special activities focused on a different African animal each day.
There are more than strawberries (but plenty of those too) at this festival! Kids can enjoy carnival rides, a petting farm, pony rides, the children's play area and lots 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.
Come face-to-face with mermaids at the St. Louis Aquarium during Mermaids on the Mississippi. Mermaids will swim the aquarium, and dive in shark canyon with the sharks, rays, sea turtles and other underwater creatures.