Places to Go, Things to Do

Fourth of July, All-Star game and more music

There will be all sorts of Fourth of July activities, baseball's All-Star game, and a lot more musical events during July. But, there also are plenty of things you can do by yourself or in small groups.

In downtown St. Louis, the Fourth of July weekend has Fair St. Louis, the Veiled Prophet Parade and the LaClede Landing's July 4th. But, there are other holiday activities at a variety of other cities in both Missouri and Illinois.

Major League Baseball is holding its All-Star Game in St. Louis for the first time in 43 years. Of course, tickets to the game itself on Tuesday, July 14, are scarce.

But there are plenty of other activities associated with the game. (For a complete rundown, click on All-Star story listed on the home page of this issue.)

Also, many musical programs listed in last month's column are continuing in July.

Among the activities that fit with a family outing rather than a big crowd are hikes and bicycle rides sponsored by Trailnet. For July, there are 31 rides and walks listed; that's one for every day of the month.

(Every month, Young Saint Louis.com looks for activities and events in the metro area that are good for kids and their families. When possible, we are on the lookout for activities that are either free or with a low cost.)

Here are some of the July activities:

Fair St. Louis

Fair St. Louis will be on the St. Louis Riverfront on Friday and Saturday, July 3 and 4. Hours are from 6 to 10 p.m. on Friday and from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday.

Admission is free and there is a Kids Zone for young people. There will be fireworks.

Featured artists are County Crews on Friday and Nat and Alex Wolff on Saturday.

For info, call (314) 431-3434 or visit www.celebratestlouis.org.

Veiled Prophet Parade

The 132nd Veiled Prophet Parade will be held in downtown St. Louis on Saturday, July 4, starting at 10 a.m. Admission is free.

The parade will feature giant balloons, floats and marching bands. Fredbird, the St. Louis Cardinals' mascot, is the honorary grand marshal.

For info, call (314) 436-6500 or visit www.vpparade.org.

July 4 at Lacledes Landing

The July 4 celebration on Lacledes Landing will feature bands and food. Admission is free.

For info, call (314) 241-5875 or visit www.lacledeslanding.org.

Area July 4 Activities

In addition to the Veiled Prophet Parade, you can attend July 4 activities in Webster Groves, Ferguson, Ellisville, Alton, Grafton, O'Fallon (MO) and St. Charles.

For information:

Webster Groves Community Days, call (314) 963-5300 or see www.webstergroves.org.

Ferguson Family Fun Festival, call (314) 521-7721 or visit www.fergusoncity.com.

Ellisville July 4th celebration, call (636) 227-7508.

Alton Fireworks, call (618) 465-6676 or visit www.visitalton.com.

Grafton Fireworks, call (618) 786-7000 or visit www.visitalton.com.

O'Fallon (MO) Heritage and Freedom Fest, call (636) 379-5614 or visit www.heritageandfreedomfest.com.

St. Charles Riverfest, call (636) 949-3200 or visit www.stcharlescitymo.gov.

Live on the Levee

Live on the Levee is back on the banks of the Mississippi River in downtown St. Louis, It had to go to higher ground last year because of flooding.

The programs on the Arch grounds are scheduled for Friday and Saturday on July 17 and 18, July 24 and 25 and July 31 and Aug. 1.

Admission is free and the concerts are from 6 to 10 p.m. each night.

For the schedule of entertainers, visit www.celebratestlouis.com.

Jungle Boogie at the Zoo

The Jungle Boogie Friday Night Concert series continues at the St. Louis Zoo to music on July 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31. The free concerts are from 5 to 8 p.m.

For info, call (314) 781-0900 or visit www.stlzoo.org.

Whitaker Music Festival at MoBot

The Whitaker Music Festival continues at the Missouri Botanical Garden during July.

The concerts start at 7:30 p.m. Garden admission is free after 5 p.m.

For info call (314) 577-5100 or visit www.mobot.org.

Contemporary Indian Art at Cahokia

The Contemporary Indian Art Show will be held at the Cahokia Mounds Historic Site in Illinois on Saturday, July 11.

Indian artists from across the country will display their works.

For information, call (618) 346-5760 or visit www.cahokiamounds.com.

Front Yard Movie Series

For the fourth summer, Frontyard Features will put on a series of free screenings of classic films in parks and other outdoor venues through Missouri and Southern Illinois.

The group has four inflatable screens and portable projectors that they will be moving from place to place.

For a listing of the venues and movies, go to www.fyfstl.com.

Trailnet's Rides and Hikes

July is at the height of the cycling and hiking season and Trailnet has something for just about everyone. And the activities are focused on both side of the Mississippi River in both Missouri and Illinois.

There are a total of 31 separate bike rides or walking hikes scheduled in July.

They range from the Summer Wildflower Walk in Hazelwood on July 6 to the Tour do Donut bike ride on Saturday, July 11, from Staunton, IL.

For details on these are other July activities, visit www.trailnet.org/calender.

Summer wildflower hike

The Busch Memorial Conservation Area is sponsoring a hike in the Weldon Spring area to give families a chance to see native wildflowers in their natural setting.

The hike is on Saturday, July 25, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Reservations need to be made, beginning on July 10. Call (636) 441-4554.

The outing starts with a natural wildflower video to get started. Then, that is followed by a walk to see prairie wildflowers in their natural setting.