By Ann Seebeck

(For more about her book, see sidebar below)

Summer is about here. School will be out soon.

This is the time of the year kids can think of all the fun places they'd like to go in St. Louis.

Some days are perfect to spend the whole day outside and enjoy the weather. Some St. Louis summer days can be so hot it would be nice to have some fun in an air-conditioned building.

Here is a "Top 12" from the latest edition of my book, "Some Favorite Places to Go with Kids in St. Louis." Some places are free and some have a small cost.

1. Grant's Farm, 10501 Gravois. (314) 843-1700. Days and hours May-August are: Tuesday-Sunday, opening at 9 a.m. Admission is free. Parking is $4.
   
   This is a very fun place to go! You ride a tram to the main part of the farm. But, first your tram passes a cabin built by Ulysses S. Grant, our 18th president. Then, you travel through 160 acres of open land where over 100 kinds of animals roam.
   
   When your tram arrives at the main farm, you get off and walk at your leisure. You can see the famous Clydesdale horses, monkeys, turtles, bears, kangaroos, pigs and even bottle-feed the goats. There is a free elephants and bird show. There are several refreshment areas with lots of hot dogs and soda. When you are done with your day, you board another tram to go back to the entrance.
   
   
2. Purina Farms, Gray Summit, Mo. (636) 982-3232. Reservations are required but admission is free. Days and hours are Tuesday-Sunday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
   
   Directions: This is a 45-minute drive from I-44 and Lindbergh interchange. Take I-44 west to Gray Summit exit, go north two blocks to Highway 100, turn left on County Rd MM and proceed one mile to farm entrance.
   
   This is a demonstration farm with various breeds of cows, horses, sheep, chickens, pigs and more. There is a petting area, a hayloft to play in with a rope swing and straw tunnels to crawl through. There are dog shows, a special dog and cat house and, at certain times of the day, you can milk a cow. There is a snack bar available.
   
   
3. St. Louis Zoo in Forest Park. (314) 781-0900. Hours and days: Open seven days, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. Zoo parking is $7.
   
   Every part of the Zoo is fun! Visit Raja the elephant at The River's Edge. Walk through the Jungle of the Apes. Hear the lions roar in Big Cat Country. Ride the Zoo train ($4 per person) all around the zoo. Go into he Children's Zoo ($4 per person) and see the Koalas, feed the lorikeet birds, see the otters swim and play in Hip Hop Swamp.
   
   Go into the new Insectarium ($4 per person) and see lots of bugs and butterflies. There are two restaurants in the Zoo and several snack stands.
   
   
4. The Science Center, 5050 Oakland across from Forest Park. Hours and days: Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is free. Parking in Oakland lot is $5.
   
   The Science Center is spectacular! There are many hands-on exhibits, life-size dinosaurs, computers to work, an Omnimax Theater ($6.75 for adults; $5.75 for kids) and many more exhibits.
   
   The Planetarium is scheduled to re-open June 22, with a whole new look. See images of the night sky continually projected on the dome of the planetarium, including planets, stars, the Milky Way and other objects. The lower level will look like an airport of the future and also what it's like to live on a space station. Planetarium admission is free.
   
   
5. City Museum, 701 N. 15th Street in downtown St. Louis. (314) 231-CITY. Hours and days: Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is $6.
   
   This is a wonderful new museum with so many things to do and look at! There are cave tunnels to crawl through. You can walk into the mouth of a whale or wander around the root system of a tree. You can climb into a bird's nest or watch fish in a 35,000-gallon tank.
   
   On another level, you can watch a circus, watch hand-blown glass being made, see how shoestrings are made and see exhibits in a carnival midway. You can spend the whole day here! There is a snack bar available.
   
   
6. Amtrak Train Ride, from Kirkwood station to downtown and back. 1-800-872-7245. Adult tickets are $12 round-trips; kids under 12 are $6 round-trip.
   
   Train leaves Kirkwood station 12:36 p.m. daily, arriving at St. Louis Station, 550 S. 15th St., at 1:10 p.m. You can walk two blocks over to Union Station Plaza at 18th and Market, spend two hours shopping around and find great snacks! Then, at 3:30 p.m., catch the Amtrak back to Kirkwood and arrive at 3:59 p.m.
   
   
7. Busch Stadium, on Broadway, downtown. (314) 241-3900. Call for schedule of days the Cardinals are in town and times of games. Ticket prices vary.
   
   Everyone in St. Louis loves to watch the Cardinals play ball. What a great way to spend a summer evening. There is a special Kids Corner, where Fredbird, the mascot, will come out to visit you. There is also a special family section called Homers Landing, where you can try hitting a ball pitched by pros on a video.
   
   
8. Prologue Room, in Boeing Building 100, at McDonnell Blvd. and Airport Rd, adjacent to St. Louis International Airport. (314) 232-5421. Hours and days, Tuesday-Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.
   
   This special display room is open to the public only during the summer months. This exhibit shows the history of flight with models from the earliest planes to the present. Some models are hanging from the ceilings and others are in cases. There is even a real space capsule you can look inside.
   
   
9. Aquaport, 2344 McKelvey Rd. in Maryland Heights. (314) 434-1919. Hours are daily, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. For non-residents of Maryland Heights, admission is $10 for adults and $5 for kids 4 to 15.
   
   This is a great place to be on some of those hot St. Louis days! It is a waterpark with several kinds of pools to play in. There are five different slides, a lazy river to float in on a tube, a fountain area and a children's pool area. There are changing rooms and snack bar.
   
   
10. Family Golf Center, 3717 Tree Court Industrial Blvd. in Kirkwood, off Marshall Rd. (636) 861-2500. Summer hours, 7 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Admission $5 per person.
    
    This is a great 18-hole miniature golf course with waterfalls, fountains and fun little buildings to play through. Fun for the whole family. There is even a driving range and 9-hole par-3 course for parents and teenagers.
    
    
11. Ted Drewes Frozen Custard, at 6726 Chippewa and 4224 S. Grand, both in St. Louis. Chippewa number (314) 481-2652; Grand number (314) 352-7376.
    
    This has been a St. Louis tradition for years! Great ice cream. The lines look long but it really only takes a few minutes to order.
    
    
12. Many Parks for Picnics.
    
    There are many, many local parks in the St. Louis area. Summer time is a great time to enjoy a picnic in the park. Before or after the meal, many parks feature special play areas and activities for kids. Make your own meal or just stop by a fast-food place. But, any way you do it, just relax and have fun!

Here are a few of my favorite parks:

• Suson Park, 6050 Wells Rd. (314) 615-7275. Take I-270 south to Tesson Ferry Rd. (Highway 21). Go west three miles, turn left on Wells Rd and go one more mile.
       There are playgrounds, fishing lakes, a petting farm and picnic tables.
  
  
• Faust Park, 15185 Olive Rd. (636) 537-0222. Highway 40 west to Clarkson/Olive exit. Turn right on Olive and park is a few miles down on the left.
       There are playgrounds, picnic tables, a wonderful merry-go-round ($1 a ride) and the Butterfly House.
  
  
• Turtle Park, Oakland and Tamm Ave., across from Forest Park Zoo.
       There is a playground and very large cement turtles for kids to climb on.
  
  
• North County Recreation Complex, on Redman Rd. Take I-270 north to Highway 367 north to Redman Rd.
       There is a playground, pool, ice skating, tennis courts and picnic tables.
  
  
• Pere Marquette State Park, in Illinois. It is past Alton and Grafton, Ill., on the Great River Road. (618) 786-2331.
       This is a wonderful state park with picnic tables, hiking trails and a lodge.