Four separate articles of Places to go, Things to do:

Reserve your Spring Break camp spots now

It doesn't seem possible, but spring break is almost upon us. And the St. Louis County Parks are offering two unusual 5-day Spring Break camps.

The first one is March 24-28 at Jefferson Barracks County Park in south St. Louis County. The other one is April 14-18 at the Bissell House in north St. Louis County.

Both camps are for kids 9 through 15 and will be on historic themes. The camps run from 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. for five consecutive days. There is a $100 fee for the week-long camps.

The St. Louis County Parks Department said it scheduled two spring break camp periods this year. That's so you would have a camp opportunity regardless of when your school has spring break.

The Best of the Barracks Camp for Kids will give kids a chance to sample military life from the 1800s through the mid-1900s. There will be games and other activities from those earlier periods.

The Bissell Spring Break Camp will give kids a taste of life in the 1700s through World War II. Costumed reenactors will visit. Kids will also play games and do crafts from those early periods.

If you want to attend the Jefferson Barracks camp, you need to make reservations by March 14. Reservations for the Bissell camp need to be made before April 4. For information and reservations, call (314) 544-8714.

To get to Jefferson Barracks park, you travel on I-255 to Telegraph Road in south county. Go north on Telegraph to when it becomes Kingston. The park entrance is about one mile north of where Kingston and Telegraph separate.

You can get to Bissell House on I-270 to Bellefontaine Road, then south about a mile to Bissell House.

 

Preparing for youth-only turkey hunt

If you're planning to hunt turkey this spring, March is the month for kids to prepare. Then, a youth-only turkey hunting season comes in early April.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) offers St. Louis area kids a couple good opportunities to prepare before the season.

The MDC is holding a one-day Youth Turkey Hunting Clinic on Saturday, March 15. Hours for the clinic are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. It will be held at the Jay Hentges Training Center and Ranges off I-44 in High Ridge.

There also will be a more complete two-day clinic at Upland Wings near Bourbon, Mo. That over-night camping experience will be on April 5-6. You need to get your reservation made before March 15. There are only 30 spots at that camp.

The Upland Wings camp includes a controlled turkey hunt on the second day.

The site is in Franklin County southwest of St. Louis. You get there by taking 1-44 to the Bourbon exist. The two-day camp costs $30.

The one-day Hentges clinic on March 15 is free. But, you should call for reservations because seating is limited.

To make reservations, call (636) 441-4554.

A total of 63,000 Missouri youth go hunting each year. In the youth-only hunts, state residents 15 and under get a head start on the adult hunters.

For instance, the youth-only spring turkey hunting season will be April 12-13. The adults don't get to hunt until later in the spring.

For details on the clinics, visit www.conservation.state.mo.us/areas/stlouis.

You can also learn about MDC hunter education classes. You probably can find one close to your home.

Non-resident kids can take part in the regular hunting seasons but youth-only season are open only to Missouri residents.

 

Gifted Resource summer camps schedule

The Gifted Resource Council has announced its schedule for the 2003 Summer Academies. These are two-week sessions.

It's not too early to think about summer camp possibilities. This spring, Young Saint Louis.com also will highlight other summer camp possibilities for kids 8 to 13 years.

The GRC sessions are in ecology/economics, ancient history and space science.

There is a $360 fee for each two-week academy session. There are some scholarships available. For information, reservations or scholarship information, call (314) 962-5920.

This year's summer academies include:

* ECO Academy, June 16-27, for kids in grades 3-8.

This session gives kids experience in running their own ecology-friendly business. The kids invent, develop, market, advertise and sell their ecologically friendly product.

* Ancient Academy, June 30-July 11 and July 14-25, for grades 3-8

These two sessions give kids a chance to explore life in ancient Rome, through the eyes of slaves, middle-class and rich Romans. The first session is titled "Politics, Patricians and Plebeians." The second session's title is "Mosaics, Mythology and Malls."

* GRC's Space Academy, June 30-July 11 and July 14-25, for grades 1-5.

There are two sessions for this subject also. The first is entitled, "Exploring Our Space Roots." It looks at the early days of the U.S. space program. The second is "Advancing Our Space Life." This looks forward to where the country's space program is headed.

* GRC's Advanced Space Academy, June 30-July 11 and July 14-25, for grades 6-8.

The first session is titled "From Timeline to Time Capsule." Kids develop a space shuttle mission timeline. They also look at hydroponic agriculture where plants grow without soil. The second session is "The Future of Space Travel." Kids in this section fly to Kansas City to visit that city's Challenger Learning Center. They get to simulate space travel in both mission control and a space station. (There is an extra $170 fee to cover the plane ride.)

 

New mountain bike trails open

The new mountain bike trail in Chain of Rocks Park will open Sunday, March 3.

The new bike trail was built in partnership between Trailnet, the City of St. Louis and the Gateway Off-Road Cyclists (GORC). That GORC is a local affiliate of the International Mountain Bike Assn.

The bike trail is located in Chain of Rocks Park. That's located just south of the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge in St. Louis, off Riverview Drive.

Planning for the new off-road trail began in early 2002.

The City of St. Louis' Water Division provided the land. The GORC provided the design and Trailnet supplied tools and materials.

Trailnet is a non-profit group dedicated to creating and operating multi-use recreational trails and greenways. The organization encourages walking and biking in the St. Louis area on both sides of the Mississippi River.

For more information, visit Trailnet's website at www.trailnet.org. Or you can call (314) 416-9930. The group's offices are at 3900 Reavis Barracks Rd., St. Louis, MO 63125.