Places to Go,
Things to Do
NCAA men's soccer championships and more
This month, Young Saint Louis.com is providing a bonus
for readers of the regular Places to Go; Things to Do
feature. We've added recommendations for a whole list of great
places to go for local holiday visits.
Local author Ann Seebeck has recommended her top 12 holiday
attractions from her book, "Favorite Places to Go with
Kids in St. Louis." (Access that article from the Home
Page of this YSL.com edition.)
Other December activities for kids and families included
in this article are a Mother-Daughter overnight at the Shaw
Nature Reserve, the NCAA men's national championship, puppet
shows in Faust Park and a "free night" at the Magic House.
(Each month, YSL.com collects information about
activities and events that are especially for kids and their
families. The following are activities that kids can participate
in during December. Some of them are free.)
NCAA national men's soccer championships
St.
Louis will be the host for the 2006 NCAA men's soccer championships.
The tournament will be in St. Louis December 1 and 3.
The City of St. Louis long has been the home to some of the
nation's best soccer players. SLU is a frequent competitor
in the national championships.
The city also has been successful recently in attracting
major college championship tournaments.
For information on soccer teams, schedules and tickets,
visit www.stlouissports.org.
Mother-Daughter Overnight
The Shaw Nature Reserve will be the site of a mother-daughter
overnight on Dec. 8-9. The reserve is located southwest of
St. Louis just off I-44.
The reserve has delightful accommodations at the Dana Brown
Overnight Education Center. The event starts at 6:30 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 8, and runs through 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec.
9.
The overnight's craft activity will be the making of nature
journals with handmade paper. The mother and daughter do all
the work, from making the paper to designing the journal covers.
The overnight is for girls who are at least 9 years old and
their mothers. The cost is $50 per person (or $40 for reserve
members). For reservations call (636) 451-3512.
Winter Puppets at Faust Park
Faust Park in west St. Louis County will have winter puppet
shows on Wednesday, Dec. 27, and Thursday, Dec. 28. The morning
shows start at 9:30 a.m. and include a ride on the famous
carousel at the park.
Park officials recommend that you be in your show seats by
9:15 a.m.
Tickets are $5 each and are on sale at the St. Louis Carousel
Gift Shop. For information, call (636) 537-0222.
Storytelling at History Museum
The
Missouri History Museum's "Storytelling at the Galleries"
series will be held on five Saturdays during December. The
storytelling starts each Saturday at 1 p.m.
The schedule topics are: Dec. 2-Hats off to the Chef; Dec.
9-Winter Wonderland; Dec. 16-Holiday Hullabaloo; Dec. 23-Traveling
Tales, and Dec. 30-Happy New Year.
For more details, call (314) 746-4599. The 45-minute
sessions are free.
Magic House's Free Family Night
The
Magic House in Kirkwood holds its Free Family Night on the
third Friday of each month. In December, that's Friday, Dec.
15.
The free admission covers two adults and up to four of their
children.
For information, call (314) 822-8900.
Old Chain of Rocks Bridge
Although
winter is here, there will be some mild, sunny days to try
the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge over the Mississippi for a bike
or walking tour. The bridge recently was honored by American
Trails as an outstanding example of cooperation in trail development
by different private and public groups.
The bridge is a key link in the expanding local network
of hiking and biking trails on both sides of the Mississippi.
One of the more popular trails from the bridge is 11 miles
of paved trail from the Gateway Arch on the Missouri side.
On the Illinois side, the MCT Confluence Trail takes visitors
to Alton. Ill.
For information on the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, visit
www.trailnet.org.
Of course, you'll probably want to come back in January for
eagle watching during Eagle Days Jan. 13-14.
