
A Missouri Adventure: The Doris L. Schnuck Children’s Garden at the Missouri Botanical Garden kicks off its fifth season with a number of opening-week festivities April 1 through 4 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The spring festivities, presented by Macy’s, include live music, storytelling, face painting, crafts and educational activities in the Nature Explore Classroom. Kids will have the opportunity to learn about plants we eat and the power of pollination, and they can make a seed packet to take home.
If you have yet to take your kids to the Children’s Garden, you must put it at the top of your list for "nice weather" things to do. Occupying nearly 2 acres west of the Climatron® conservatory, A Missouri Adventure brings botany and 19th-century history to life through a variety of interactive themes with appeal for both kids and adults. Venture into a limestone cave, glide down Spelunker's Slide, explore the wetlands, board a steamboat, climb to new heights in the tree house or visit a Midwestern prairie village.
The Children’s Garden is open April 1 through Oct. 31 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission is $5 per child ages 3 to 12; adults' entry is included with general Garden admission. New this year, St. Louis City and County residents get in free on Wednesday and Saturday mornings to the Garden AND the Children's Garden. Click here for a full schedule of opening-week festivities.
By Amy Burger, events blogger for SmartParenting
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.