
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.
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.
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.
See the Purina Incredible Dog Team perform extraordinary feats of athleticism and skill right here in St. Louis at Union Station this summer and early fall. Performances are free and take place at the Purina Performance Plaza in front of the St. Louis Wheel Thursdays through Sundays at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.