Places to Go, Things to Do

A premiere play, Eagle Days and more

The U.S. premiere of the play, "Hana's Suitcase," will be held in St. Louis in January as well as the viewing favorite, Eagle Days on the Chain of Rocks Bridge.

Another annual activity in January with special appeal for kids is the Minority Scientists Showcase at the St. Louis Science Center.

Read about these and more in this Places to Go; Things to Do feature.

(Each month, Young Saint Louis.com gathers news about events that are of special interest to kids and their families. Here are a sampling of events and activities that are going on in January.)

Metro Theater's "Hana's Suitcase"

The Metro Theater Company will stage the U. S. premiere of the play, "Hana's Suitcase," at the Edison Theater. Performances are Jan. 11, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20 and 21.

The play tells the story about a search for answers when a child's suitcase arrives from Germany at the Tokyo Holocaust Education Resource Center. The teacher of Japanese kids sets out on a world trip to find answers.

This is a story about tolerance and acceptance.

There are both matinee and evening performances.

For information visit www.metrotheatercompany.org or call (314) 935-6543.

Student tickets are $12. Adult tickets are $15 and for groups of 10 or more, $8 each.

Eagle Days in St. Louis

Eagle Days at the Chain of Rocks Bridge over the Mississippi River will be held Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 13 and 14. The bridge is open for watching from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Viewing scopes will be set up on the bridge to aid people in seeing the eagles. In addition, spectators can get an up-close-and-personal look at a bald eagle during educational programs. The shows will be held every 20 minutes from 10 a.m.-2:40 p.m.

The Chain of Rocks Bridge is an excellent viewing point because eagles like to nest in trees close to the bridge. They hunt for fish in the open water below the Corps of Engineers locks and dam at Alton.

An added attraction of Eagle Days is a nearby encampment of Lewis & Clark re-enactors. They have set up a camp reminiscent of the 1804-06 Corps of Discovery Exhibition.

There is free parking on both the Missouri and Illinois sides of the bridge. However, parking at the bridge entrance on the Missouri side is $5.

For information, you can call Trailnet at (314) 416-9930, Ext. 111 or the Missouri Department of Conservation at (636) 441-4554, Ext. 235.

Minority Scientists' Showcase

The 15th annual Minority Scientist Showcase will be held Saturday, Sunday and Monday, Jan. 13, 14 and 15. The event is held at the St. Louis Science Center.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Monday and noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Schools will be closed Monday for Martin Luther King Day.

Scientists from major St. Louis companies and organizations are on hand to show science exhibits and give hands-on experience to kids.

The event is free.

For information, you can visit www.slsc.org.

A Maple Sugar: Tree Tapping

The Missouri Department of Conservation's Rockwoods Reservation will present a "Maple Sugar: Tree Tapping" program on Tuesday, Jan. 23. The event is 10-11:30 a.m.

The event is recommended for kids 10 and older.

By late January, the maple trees can sense the coming of spring and start to pump sap into the tree limbs to provide food for growth of new leaves. That's when humans intercept some of the sap to make delicious maple syrup.

This January exhibit is to show the techniques and equipment needed to tap into the trees. It's not to teach how to make maple syrup.

You can come back to Rockwoods in February for syrup-making demonstrations.

For information, call (636) 456-2236. For information on our MDC events in January, visit www.mdc.mo.gov/areas/stlouis.

Hike West Tyson Park's Crescent Hills

One of the neat activities during January in St. Louis County Parks is hiking the "crescent hills" in West Tyson Park along the Meramec River. The 6-mile hike will be Saturday, Jan. 20. Hours are 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

A park naturalist will lead the riverside hike. The fee is $3 per person.

Bring water and a snack. Advance registration is required. Call (636) 391-0922.

For other St. Louis County activities and programs, visit www.stlouisco.com.

How do bugs do that?

Lots of kids have a fascination about bugs. If you do, the Butterfly House in Faust Park has some neat information for you in January.

On Saturday, Jan. 3, a program called "Amazing Insect Feats" will explain how bugs can do things that look hard to us but are easy for them.

For instance, how is a fly able to walk upside-down on a ceiling? Or, how can a grasshopper climb a blade of grass?

For hours and to register, call (636) 530-0076, Ext. 13. For other programs at the Missouri Botanical Garden, visit www.mobot.org.

City Museum's Every Day Circus

If you like to go to the circus, you'll like the chance to go to a circus any day you want.

That's because City Museum in downtown St. Louis features EveryDayCircus every day.

The miniature circus features clowns, stilt walkers, jugglers, and magicians, performing parrots and dancing dogs.

The circus program is free with your admission to the City Museum. For details, call (314) 645-4445.