Turtle Playground is a magnet for children of all ages who love climbing on the backs of the giant cement reptiles. Located across Interstate 64 and the St. Louis Zoo and not far from the intersection of Hampton and Oakland Avenue and part of Forest Park. History of Turtle Playground Represented in concrete are a snapping turtle, a soft-shelled turtle, a red-eared slider, a Mississippi…
Take a hike along a rocky creek, through forested hills, and around a clear lake in a loop walk in Kirkwood Park. This two-mile hike includes paved and unpaved sections, stairs, and a 102-foot elevation gain. Walker Lake I parked in the large lot behind Kirkwood Community Center near a bridge that crosses a brook that flows into the lake. First Paved Section After the…
Face the dare to climb a huge white rock mound containing radioactive waste along Highway 94 at the Weldon Spring Interpretive Center. This site seals radioactive waste and you can climb to the top for a workout and lookout from this World War II relic. History of the Site In the 1940s residents of the Missouri towns of Howell, Hamburg, and Toonerville were given 45…
See a variety of sculptures as you walk on the paved trails throughout Jeske Park in Ferguson, Mo., in St. Louis County. This is a .8-mile walk on a paved trail with only 26 feet of elevation gain. Start of the Walk I parked along Gerald Place and headed towards the park. Across the street in the neighbor’s yard is a metallic art piece with…
See a sandstone canyon with its cave-like rock shelter and cross-clear trickling streams at Don Robinson State Park.
Pere Marquette State Park has Illinois River lookouts, rocky cliffs, and springs among technicolor trees in the fall. Along with trails, it has a lodge with an indoor pool, cabins, campgrounds, horse riding, a restaurant, rock climbing, a gift shop, a winery, a tennis court, volleyball courts, shuffleboard courts, and a marina. You could easily spend a long weekend here not only hiking but doing…
Walk through grassy fields, among the trees, and by a historic family cemetery at Engelmann Farm Park in O’Fallon, Ill. This park is 143 acres and includes two homesteads circa the 1830s and 1880s. It is on one of the highest points in the Metro East. I hiked 2.5 miles at Engelmann Farm Park with 197 feet of elevation gain doing all the loops and…
Walk into a hideout used by the notorious Jesse James bank robber and find huge multi-colored stalactites and stalagmites at Meramec Caverns. On a cold and rainy autumn day, my son and I went underground on a tour of Meramec Caverns. This one-and-a-half-hour-guided tour is 11/4 mile long and includes going up steps and a few places where you have to lower your head. Although,…
Explore the castle playground which includes towers and boardwalks going in all different directions at Schranz Memorial Park in Swansea, Ill. Castle Playground The castle structure has secret passages and places to hide which allows the kids to have a fun game of Hide and Seek. This game was going on with the kids at the park when we arrived and my son happily joined…
See a Civil War general and president’s estate at the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site across the road from the Grant’s Farm entrance. A visit to this national historic site includes a visitor’s center, home, museum, and more. Short History of Ulysses S. Grant in Missouri Known as the victorious Civil War general who saved the Union. He first came to Missouri in 1843….
