I have a lot of love for Lafayette Park. Actually, this might be my favorite park in St. Louis, and…read moreI will happily defend that opinion. It has the gorgeous lake, many winding walking paths, beautiful historic buildings, and, of course, the famous swan, Sofia. She's my favorite. Here's a fun fact: Lafayette Park is considered the oldest developed urban park west of the Mississippi. The land was originally part of the St. Louis Common, where people could graze livestock and gather firewood, before it became a public park. It even survived a devastating tornado in 1896. Today, you can stroll through the park, admire the historic iron fencing and statues, watch the water, or simply sit around pretending you don't have 37 things to do. The location is perfect. You're surrounded by the Lafayette Square neighborhood, with restaurants, and coffee shops. Make a day of it: coffee, a walk, lunch, a little shopping, another walk because you ate too much, and dinner somewhere nearby. There are plenty spot to explore.

We love Lafayette Park. The perfect size for a nice walk, huge pond with ducks you can watch for…read morehours, walking trails and free concerts. A gorgeous bridge and plenty of beautiful things to see. We took our engagement photos here and also enjoyed coffee together the morning of our wedding, so it has so much meaning to us. We love walking around, especially in the spring and fall, and enjoying this beautiful city!

Another beautiful St. Louis County "park"/trail. There are a couple of picnic tables near the…read moreparking lot along with portable toilets. Otherwise, this "park" is really just a trail head and parking lot. The trail is open to bikes, horses, & pedestrians. Take the gradually descending path a half mile from the parking lot to the scenic overlook. From there, the terrain changes from a steep bluff into a gradual slope resulting in a leisurely hike through the woods. Two miles from the scenic overview, the Bluff View trail ties into the Al Foster trail. It was a great family hike and I can see this trail becoming one of our family's favorites.

This is one of those "pocket parks" in the city, not too far from Central West End and the…read moreCathedral Basilica. If you ask me, it's in a very odd place, but I'm sure that's the way it was intended to be. It's not in a busy area, although you can still hear traffic going by on Lindell. Supposedly it's a relaxation/meditation park. I'm not really into that sort of thing, but hey maybe I should take it up! I wasn't there when the fountain(s) were going off, but I'm sure it's a more valuable experience.

This small park is actually on Taylor Ave. tucked between Maryland and Lindell Aves. It is…read moreconsidered a meditation park with a short labyrinth running around it. A place for you to stroll and collect your thoughts. In the middle is a fountain with benches where you can think about the thoughts you collected. There is a place to put your bike and strollers inside the park. It is very well kept and almost always empty of human company. I wish I had remembered to take a picture of it because it is very nice.

This park on the city's north side has some unique features. However, judging from the trash and…read moreovergrown fields in mid-summer it doesn't get much regular maintenance. There's a playground, picnic pavilion, and ball field. But, Penrose also has handball courts and a velodrome--a concrete, oval inclined bicycle track. An asphalt jogging path has fitness stations along its route. Some stations sat among overgrown grass. The park is just off I-70 between the city's Penrose and Mark Twain neighborhoods.

I love Grant's Trail!…read more This trial is a great spot to get outside and enjoy the fall weather we're starting to have. It's 10 miles long and stretches from Orlando's in south county to I-44 in Kirkwood. I ran a half marathon a couple of years ago, and did a lot of my training runs here. Here's what I really liked about it: - the miles are marked; made it super simple to keep track of where I was - very little hills, great for endurance training! - scenery was amazing, I was training in the fall time. My favorite spot was the Gravois Road to Pardee Road. You get to see Grants Farm and the Clydesdales. It was beautiful with the changing leaves. - I felt super safe. - if you go early-ish in the morning, it isn't packed. - they've got a great layout of the trail online, section by section. It explains points of interest, Peking, facilities, and pictures. It's a great opportunity to get outside!

It's nice that I live here, I'd probably die without this place. It's nice and clean, and great for…read moreactive movement. Scenery is also jaw-dropping. Shoutout to the horses, I went with my little sis and we both agreed they were cool. The entire trail is a nice break from everything, and I would recommend this trail.

The park was perfect for a picnic in a shaded area. SUCH an extensive visitor center & gift shop…read more Jackets, shirts, bags, puzzles, pot holders, games, art, etc. Note - the river separates the park & the visitor center is not on the side gps takes you to. Leaving the park you get back on the highway & take the first exit (266) to get to the visitor center. Super knowledgeable staff & tons of info!

Friendly staff at the museum/gift shop. It's the old motel turned into museum! Little picnic areas…read moreand a grove to explore. Lots and lots of wild park land. FYI: directions don't take you to the visitors center, so you'll need to put that in the GPS instead of the park itself.

Beautiful park with even better views great place to come walk some trails and relax. Secluded and…read moreoverlooks the Missouri River. There is a nature lodge nearby that you can rent out. Plenty of parking. My family rented out the nature lodge to host our family reunion. Plenty of space and has an upstairs and downstairs. Very clean and security/staff on sight to empty trash and make the check in/check out process easy.

Great park in north county. Accessible, clean trails and lots of opportunities for picnics. Hike…read moreto the river and admire the view.

Serra Sculpture Park is located west of Citygarden and complements it well. Together, Serra…read moreSculpture Park and Citygarden offer two distinct public art experiences: one centered around a single large-scale sculpture, the other featuring a diverse collection of 29 works by a variety of internationally renowned artists. Serra Sculpture Park is devoted to a single monumental work: Twain by Richard Serra, installed in 1982. Unlike a traditional sculpture that is meant to be viewed from a distance, Twain is intended to be experienced from within. Designed specifically for this location, Twain interacts with its surroundings and with the movement of each visitor. Weighing 269 tons, the sculpture is constructed from eight weathering (COR-TEN) steel plates that form three massive walls arranged in a subtly distorted triangular configuration. The sculpture invites each visitor to walk inside, where the changing perspectives, shifting acoustics, towering weathering steel walls, and framed views toward the historic Old Courthouse, with its French Second Empire-style architecture and distinctive mansard roof, create an immersive experience. Some visitors find it meditative, while for others it feels almost transcendental. Twain has become one of St. Louis' most significant and discussed works of public art. It is widely regarded as one of Richard Serra's most important site-specific sculptures and remains a landmark of modern sculpture. Serra Sculpture Park is currently closed while Twain undergoes $500,000 in privately funded conservation and restoration work and is expected to reopen in late 2027.