A look at neat St. Louis summer attractions

(Editor's note: Young Saint Louis.com asked local travel author Julie Douglas to select some nearby attractions that would be neat for kids to visit this summer. Here are a few selections from her book, "A Parent's Guide to St. Louis.")

St. Louis Surprises
By Julie Douglas

Buy this book from Amazon.com

When you go back to school in the fall, you may be asked to write a report titled "What I Did on My Summer Vacation." Would you like to have something really unusual to tell?

Your classmates might write about their trips to the Arch or the Zoo (which are great places to visit!). But, you can wow them with a story about one of the fun St. Louis area attractions listed below:

* Bigfoot 4x4, Inc., 6311 N. Lindbergh Blvd. Hazelwood, MO 63042. Tel. (314) 731-8112. Website: www.bigfoot4x4.com. Hours: M-F, 9-6; Sat., 9-3; Closed Sunday. Free.

If you're a monster truck fan, race up to Bigfoot 4x4, Inc., in Hazelwood. You can see a huge 4x4 truck on display in the parking lot. Inside you can learn about monster trucks, take a "virtual test drive" and watch a video about 4x4s. There's even a race track where you can drive mini-Bigfoot trucks.

* Brussels Ferry, Hwy 100 at Hwy 3, Brussels, IL. 62013. Tel. (618) 786-3636. Hours: Daily, 24 hours a day. Free. Directions: From Missouri, take I-270 to Hwy 367 and head north to Alton. Cross Clark Bridge and turn left on Hwy. 100. Take 100 to Grafton and watch for signs.

Did you know that we live in one of the coolest river towns in the country? The St. Louis area is home to the Mississippi, Missouri and Illinois rivers. Get up close and personal with the river by taking a free ride on the Brussels Ferry. The ferry crosses the Illinois River near Pere Marquette State Park. The ferry will take you and your car across the river to Calhoun County, Illinois.

* Chain of Rocks Bridge, Riverview Drive at I-270, St. Louis, MO 63137. Tel. (314) 416-9930. Website: www.trailnet.org. Hours: April-Nov. daily, sunrise to sunset. Free. Directions: From I-270 north, take Riverview Drive exit (last Missouri exit). Go south on Riverview Dr. Entrance and parking lot is immediately on left. .

Speaking of rivers, how would you like to tell your friends that you rode your bike across the Mississippi River? You can! The Chain of Rocks Bridge in north St. Louis County is no longer open to automobiles. It is a mile-long bike and pedestrian trail, which means you can bike or hike over the Mississippi.

* The Whistle Stop, #1 Carson Rd., Ferguson, MO 63135. Tel. (314) 521-1600. Hours: Mon-Thurs, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Fri-Sat, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sun, Noon-9 p.m. Closed Mon.

While you're in North County, make tracks to Ferguson for lunch and ice cream in a real train depot. Although trains still pass by, buying a ticket here now will get you a frosty treat instead of a ride.

* Laumeier Sculpture Park, 12580 Rott Rd., St. Louis, MO 63122. Tel: (314) 821-1209. Website: www.laumeier.org. Hours: Daily, 8 a.m. to one-half hour past sunset. Free.

It's a park. It's an art museum. It's fun! Hike past huge, imaginative sculptures at Laumeier Sculpture Park in south St. Louis County. Going for a walk at Laumeier can be an adventure because there are surprises around every bend in the trail.

* Lone Elk Park, I-44 North Outer Rd., Eureka, MO 63025. Tel: (314) 615-7275. Hours, daily, 7:30 a.m. to sunset. Free.

Animal lovers will go wild over Lone Elk Park. Take a drive through the park to see bison, wild turkeys, deer and elk.

* Alton Museum of History and Art, Loomis Hall, 2809 College, Ave., Alton, IL 62002. Tel: (618) 462-2763. Hours: M-F, 10-4; Sat-Sun, 1-4. Cost: Adult $2, kids, 50 cents.

Have you ever met a real giant? Many of the folks in Alton knew a man who was the tallest human on record. They have created an interesting museum dedicated to Robert Wadlow's memory, Stand in Wadlow's footprints and compare the size of your feet to his. Stand next to his silhouette to see how you measure up. (Robert grew to be 8'11".) The museum also is home to interesting exhibits about pioneers, the Underground Railroad, Abe Lincoln and riverboats.

* Melvin Price Locks and Dam, 2751 Berm Hwy, East Alton, IL 62024. Tel: 1-888-899-2602. Hours: Daily, 9-5. Tours must be pre-arranged. Free. Directions: From Missouri, take I-270 to Hwy 367 exit and head north. Hwy 367 will become Hwy 67 to Alton. Cross Clark Bridge and turn right on Rte. 143. Follow the signs.

Huge barges travel up and down the Mississippi every day. Have you ever wondered how and why they go through the locks? Find out at the largest locks and dam on the Mississippi River. You can view the locks on your own or call to schedule a tour.

* Soulard Farmers Market, 730 Carroll St., St. Louis 63104. Tel: (314) 622-4180. Website: www.stlouis.missouri.org/citygov/soulardmarket. Hours: Wed-Fri, 8-5:30; Sat. 6-5:30. Free.

Vegetables. You know you love them! Well, you just might if you found out how much fun it is to shop for them. Shoppers have been filling their baskets with fresh veggies, fruits and baked goods here since the mid-1800s.

If you feel like hitting the road for an adventure out-of-town but close-to-home, try these day trips:

*Giant City State Park, 235 Giant City Rd., Carbondale, IL 62958. Tel: (618) 457-4836.

Take a hike through huge sandstone rock formations. Many of the trails look like streets in the city of giants. Giant City is part of the Shawnee National Forest. A lake and camping also are available in the park.

* Bonne Terre Lead Mine, 39 Allen St., Bonne Terre, MO 63628. Tel: (888) 843-3483. Website: www.2dive.com. Hours: call ahead. Cost: Tours-Adult, $12-17.50; children under 11, $6-17.50.

Not many people can say they have gone into a lead mine. Head south to Bonne Terre and you can take a tour of the abandoned St. Joseph lead mines. You can walk through the top levels and take a boat tour of the Billion Gallon Lake below.

* Maramec Spring Park, Highway 8, St. James, MO 65559. Tel: (573) 265-7387. Hours: daily, daylight hours. Cost: $3 per car. Directions: From St. Louis, take I-44 west to Hwy 8 south. (About 105 miles from St. Louis at Maramec Spring Park. (Note: Maramec is correct spelling for the park.)

If your family likes to camp, Maramec Spring Park is a fun place. Once the site of an iron foundry, the park now has a trout hatchery where you can fish. Also, there's lots of roads and paths for bike riding. You can hike up to a natural fresh water spring and visit two museums on the property. Maramec Spring Park is privately owned.

* Onondaga Cave State Park, 7556 Hwy H, Leasberg, MO 65535. Tel: (573) 245-6600. Website: www.mostateparks.com. Hours: March-Oct, daily, 9-5. Cost: Adults, $9, kids 13-19, $7; kids 6-12, $5, kids under 6, free.

The state of Missouri is home to thousands of caves. Visit Onondaga for a peek at some amazing stalagmites and stalactites!

 

About author Julie Douglas

Julie Douglas

After visiting many local attractions as a teacher and mother, author Julie Douglas thought she had been everywhere in St. Louis. But, much to her delight, she discovered lots of exciting and educational places to go with kids while she was writing "A Parent's Guide to St. Louis"

The "Parent's Guide" book includes over 240 fun things to see and do in the St. Louis area. The book includes chapters on the city, the county, Metro-East and St. Charles County. More attractions can be found in the Daytrips and Calendar sections.

"A Parent's Guide to St. Louis" is available at area bookstores and on Amazon.com.