Places to Go, Things to Do

Basketball, geocaching and purple martins

If it's March, it must be college basketball tournament time. And St. Louis will be host to one of the most intriguing, the Missouri Valley Conference men's tourney.

But, that's just one of the interesting events this month that would be worth attending by local kids and their families.

How about learning to go geocaching? Or maybe how to bring purple martins to your backyard?

March is also the time Trailnet publishes its bicycle ride schedule for the coming season.

Each month, Young Saint Louis.com highlights upcoming events and programs in which kids and their families might like to participate. When available, we also provide other Internet links where you can find additional information.

Editor's note: In this edition, there also are three main articles that involve events you might like to attend. The Read, Right & Run and Earth Day stories tell about public events in April. The Shakespeare story tells of public performances early in March. Check those along with the events listed in this feature.

March Madness at Savvis Center

The Missouri Valley Conference's men's basketball tournament will get a lot of attention this year. That attention will be focused on the Savvis Center March 2-5 in downtown St. Louis.

The stronger national interest this year is because MVC is "hot." It's considered the strongest "mid-major" conference in the country. As many as four or five teams are under consideration for the NCAA's Final Four field.

Most years, a conference like the MVC would be lucky to get more than one team in the final field of 65 in the NCAA meet. But, this year, the league is stronger.

If you'd like to see some tournament action, you can visit www.mvc-sports.com or call the Savvis Center for tickets.

Learn "geocaching" at Shaw Nature Reserve

Have you heard of "geocaching"? It's a form of personal navigation using global positioning systems (GPS). And it's one of the fastest growing outdoor activities in the world.

There will be "Lets Go Geocaching" classes for families on Sunday, March 12. They will be at the Shaw Nature Reserve in west St. Louis County. The classes start at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

The classes start with a short lesson on how to operate the hand-held devices. Then, you go into the field to try to local "treasures" hidden throughout the reserve.

For tickets and reservations, call the Shaw Nature Reserve at (636) 451-3512.

Wetlands for Kids

The 11th annual Wetlands for Kids event will be held Saturday, April 1, at the Busch Conservation Area in St. Charles County. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

At the event, kids of all ages can see and feel wetland wildlife and fish. Also, they can crawl through a beaver lodge and identify ducks in the duck-wing maze.

You'll see dogs retrieve objects and you can try your skill on archery and gun ranges.

No reservations are needed and admission and parking are free. For information, call (636) 441-4554.

Purple Martins are coming

Purple martins are some of the most beautiful birds in Missouri. They are on their way north for the summer season.

With some care and attention, you can attract some of them to your backyard.

A class for kids 6 to 10 on the purple martins will be held Wednesday, March 15, at the Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center. The event is from 10 a.m. to noon.

Staff naturalist David Bradford will lead the class.

For reservations and information, call (314) 301-1500.

Go on a fossil hunt

A fossil hunt class will be held Sunday, March 5, at the Greensfelder Park Learning Center in west St. Louis County. The class is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

St. Louis County park naturalist Dennis Hogan will lead the class. He holds a short orientation meeting indoors. He then leads an outdoor walk in the park to look for fossils.

There is a $3 fee. For information, call (636) 391-0922 Ext. 10.

Trailnet's 2006 bike ride schedule

On Saturday, March 4, Trailnet holds its annual Chili Party at the Overland/St. Ann VFW Hall in Overland. The group announces its 2006 bicycle ride schedule at this event.

For information on attending or getting a schedule, visit www.trailnet.org.

Irish Step Dancing performance

A free Irish Step Dancing event will be held at the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park on Sunday, March 19. The event starts at 1 p.m.

The St. Louis Irish Arts group, based in Dublin, will perform. For information, call (314) 746-4599 or visit www.mohistory.org.

Art Museum's photography weekends

The Ford Family Sundays subject for March will be "Photography Frolic." Each Sunday in March, the event starts at 2:30 p.m.

Families visit the museum's "Impressionist Camera" exhibit and then experiment with creative photo techniques. On Sunday, March 26, the museum will provide costumes and props so you can create your own imaginary photos.

For information, call (314) 721-0072 or visit www.slam.org.