The Top 8 Essential Events for St. Louis Families This July

1. Fourth of July Festivals (7/1-7/4)

July always kicks off with a bang – literally – thanks to the many fireworks shows and festivals that take place over the 4^th of July holiday. Nothing says summer like carnival rides, parades, funnel cakes and fireworks, and you’ll find all of this (and more) at local celebrations like Fair St. Louis, St. Charles Riverfest and Webster Groves Community Days.

For details about all the local fairs and festivals you can visit over the holiday weekend, check out our list of the Top 10 Fourth of July Festivals for St. Louis Families.

2. Children’s Concert Series at the Piper Palm House (7/1, 7/8, 7/15, 7/22, 7/29)

Spend Wednesday mornings in July in beautiful Tower Grove Park enjoying the Children’s Concert Series at the Piper Palm House. Designed to introduce kids to different musical styles, these free interactive concerts feature a different theme each week. Concerts begin at 9:30 a.m. (with doors opening at 9 a.m. and seating offered on a first-come, first-served basis.) Weekly themes are as follows:  

• July 1 - Peter and the Wolf

• July 8 - Stringing Along

• July 15 – Is It Baroque?

• July 22 – The Bremen Town Musicians

• July 29 – Elephant and Friends

3. Grooving in the Garden at the Magic House (7/10)

Grooving in the Garden kicks off at The Magic House on the evening of Friday, July 10 from 4 to 7 p.m. Families can listen to live music from Neil Salsich & Friends while kids play in the museum’s front garden. The band will perform a mix of covers and originals that range from country to funk to bluegrass and folk and specials from the Picnic Basket Café will be available for purchase.

Grooving in the Garden will also take place on August 14 and September 11, and is included with Magic House admission. Also, check out the new Summer Outdoor Movie Series at the Magic House. 

4. Bug Hunt at The Butterfly House (7/11)

Children ages 2 and up and their families are invited to The Butterfly House on Saturday, July 11 to explore the amazing world of backyard insects. Catch all kinds of fascinating creatures on the grounds of Faust Park, and then have staff entomologists help identify the bugs you capture. Games and crafts will also be part of the fun for kids, and adults will learn how to attract butterflies to their gardens and how to build native bee houses. The Bug Hunt at The Butterfly House runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is included with regular admission. No advance registration is required.

Also at the Butterfly House in July: Breakfast with the Very Hungry Caterpillar. Your little book lovers can enjoy a fun brunch and meet the hungry caterpillar himself!

5. ROBOTS at the Saint Louis Science Center (Daily, 7/1-7/31)

Need to escape the heat? ROBOTS – the newest OMNIMAX film at the Saint Louis Science Center – runs daily during the month of July, with multiple show times available. Learn about the latest developments in the field of robotics and what it takes to create a humanoid robot in this fascinating film, and go on an amazing tour of what’s taking place in robot labs around the world.

OMNIMAX films are a great way to add an educational element to your summer vacation, and with a running time of about 45 minutes, they’re perfect for kids with short attention spans. Journey to Space and Humpback Whales are also both still playing regularly on the OMNIMAX screen, and older films from the OMNIMAX Film Library are shown weekly during the Throwback Thursday Film Series, which is new this year. Click here for show times.  

6. Let’s Learn about St. Louis (7/16)

Bring your preschooler to The Wilson School in Clayton on Thursday, July 16 for a morning of storytelling and St. Louis-themed activities, and even a visit from Fredbird! Let’s Learn about St. Louis is free and open to the public, and celebrates The Wilson School pre-kindergarten teacher Linda Noel’s newly published “Let’s Learn about St. Louis” curriculum. June Herman, local author of the book Goodnight St. Louis, will also be featured during this event, which is geared toward kids ages 2-6.

To attend, RSVP via email to jthompson (at) wilsonscool.com.    

7. Free Family Fridays at the Old Courthouse (7/3, 7/10, 7/17, 7/24, 7/31)

Add a bit of history to your summer with a trip to the Old Courthouse in downtown St. Louis on Friday mornings in July from 10 to 11 a.m. Free Family Fridays are presented by the National Park Service, and are designed to give kids and families a hands-on opportunity to learn more about St. Louis and the westward expansion of the 1800’s. A craft project is also included in the one-hour program, and reservations can be made by calling 314-982-1410. Weekly themes for the month of July are as follows:  

• July 3 – Lewis and Clark
• July 10 – Mountain Men
• July 17 – Pioneers
• July 24 – Plains Indians
• July 31 – Colonial St. Louis

8. Free Summer Concerts (Various July Dates)

When the weather cooperates, summer concerts are the perfect place for parents to relax and unwind while the kids run and play outdoors. And from summer lunchtime concerts at the CityGarden Summer Concert Series (don’t forget to bring your swimsuits so you can splash in the water features) to evening concerts like the Sounds of Summer Concert Series at Chesterfield Amphitheatre to the always popular Friday night Jungle Boogie Concerts at the Saint Louis Zoo, July is the peak month for free summer concerts series throughout the St. Louis area.

Visit our Things to Do calendar for the dates and times of even more free concert series – and lots of other kid-friendly events – taking place throughout St. Louis this July. It’s the perfect place to find all the fun you need to make this your family’s most memorable summer yet!