Places to Go, Things to Do

Halloween, haunted and un-haunted houses
and more

Of course, a main component of October activities involve Halloween and haunted houses. But, there are plenty of other things for kids and their families to do during the month.

There's the St. Louis Route 66 Festival, the start of ice skating lessons at county recreation centers and the Planetarium Camp-in at the Science Center. The Children's Garden at the Missouri Botanical Garden will close for the year at the end of October.

If you're a tennis fan, the Dwight Davis Tennis Center in Forest Park will host the first-ever women's pro-circuit tennis tournament.

These are some of the Things to Do; Places to Go in the St. Louis metro area.

(Each month, Young Saint Louis.com finds activities and events that kids and their families might like to attend during the current month. Usually, we look for things with low admission or are free. If there is an admission charge, it is noted.)

St. Louis Route 66 Festival

The St. Louis Route 66 Festival will be held Saturday, Oct. 4, at Old Chain of Rocks Bridge. The event will be an activity-filled 10 hours from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

For information, call (314) 416-9930 Ext.104 or visit www.confluencegreenway.org. Admission is free.

There will be classic car and motorcycle displays. Four bands will provide music and there will be "sock hop" dancing. At dusk, there will be the showing of the classic movie, "American Graffiti."

A tent full of Route 66 artwork will be for viewing and purchase.

St. Louis County Parks start ice skating lessons

Ice skating lessons will be at the Greensfelder Recreation Complex in Queeny Park on Saturdays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Lessons at the Kennedy Recreation Complex in north county started late in September and continue in October.

These indoor rinks also provide ice skating sessions for the general public.

Registration is required for skating lessons.

For information about lessons and public skating, visit www.stlouisco.com/parks.

Or you can call Greensfelder at (314) 615-8GRC and Kennedy at (314) 894-2088.

Planetarium Camp-in

The St. Louis Science Center will hold an overnight Planetarium Camp-in on Friday. Oct. 17. This provides an opportunity to "sleep under the stars" as well as a chance to explore the center after dark.

This is an ideal opportunity for boy and girl school and youth organizations.

There is a fee for the camp-in.

For information, call (314) 289-4400 or visit http://www.slsc.org/content.aspx?id=366.

Children's Garden closes Oct. 31

The Children's Garden at the Missouri Botanical Garden will close for the season on Friday, Oct. 31.

The theme for the October sessions is "Celebrate the Harvest" and features all sorts of outdoor, end of season fun and learning.

For information on hours, call (314) 577-9400 or visit www.mobot.org.

Women's pro tennis tournament

The Dwight Davis Merrill Lynch women's Pro tennis championships will be held at the Dwight Davis Tennis Center in Forest Park Monday through Sunday, Oct. 12-19.

This is the first-ever women's pro-circuit tennis event in St. Louis.

Weeklong passes are $35 for adults and $20 for children. Day passes are $10 for adults and $5 for children.

For information, call (314) 361-0177 or visit www.stlouisaces.com.

Ride the Rivers Century bike ride

If you're in good shape, you might like to try the Ride the Rivers Century bicycle ride on Sunday, Oct. 12.

The 100-mile route is all in the St. Louis metro area. It features majestic Great Rivers, two universities, three parks, two ferry crossings, historic Route 66, five trails and the Gateway Arch.

The pre-registration deadline is Oct. 3. Ride fees are $25 for pre-register and $40 for those registering on the morning of the ride. Check-in is from 6:30-7:30 a.m.

Registration and the ride's start will be at the Ameristar Casino in St. Charles.

You can pre-register at www.trailnet.org/century.php. Or you can call for information at (314) 416-9930, Ext. 111.

Rockwood Reservation's Nature Adventure

The Rockwood Reservation's Nature Adventure will be held Satuday, Oct. 4. It will feature a full day of outdoor fun and activities.

You can have a historical tour of the Reservation, practice camp cooking, taste wild edibles and get help planning other Missouri outdoor activities. There will be a pond exploration, a Salamander Hollow adventure and a Cave Exploration.

You can also hike the Rock Quarry Trail and sharpen your bird identification skills.

To get information, call (636) 458-2236.

University City's Loop in Motion Festival

The 22nd annual Loop in Motion Festival will be held in University City on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 3-4. Hours both days are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The festival includes arts and crafts, a children's area, food and music and more.

For information, call (314) 727-8000 or visit www.visittheloop.com.

Movies Around St. Louis series

The Movies Around St. Louis series of neighborhood film showings continues in October. The movies start at dusk and admission is free.

The movies and the dates of the showings are:

Oct. 10: The Goonies, at Crown Square Plaza.
Oct. 17: Harry Potter, at Crown Square Plaza.
Oct. 18: Dreamgirls, at Hamilton School.
Oct. 24: Ghostbusters, at Crown Square Plaza.
Oct. 31: Psycho, at Crown Square Plaza.

For information, call (314) 664-4330 or visit www.fyfstl.com.

Scarefest's Haunted House website

If you like to get scared around St. Louis during Halloween, there is a neat website that lists the various haunted houses available.

For the latest in haunting, visit www.scarefest.com.

The Un-Haunted Halloween

If you'd just as soon not be scared on Halloween, you might want to try the Un-Haunted Halloween activity at the Shaw Nature Reserve on Saturday, Oct. 25, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

This will be at the Dana Brown Overnight Center. The Reserve is located off I-44.

The staff has set up a jack-o-lantern-lit path that leads to a Cat's Eye maze. You also can take a hay ride or sit by the fire and listen to stories.

Kids are urged to wear costumes. The event is for kids 3-10 years of age.

For information, call (636) 451-3512 or visit www.shawnature.org.

Bootterflies Halloween Party

There will be Bootterflies Halloween parties at the Butterfly House in Faust Park on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 18-19.

These afternoon parties are from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The staff has planned a "spooktacular" adventure sure to get the Halloween season off to a good start.

For information, call (636) 530-0076 or visit www.butterflyhouse.org.

Best of Missouri Market

The 17th annual Best of Missouri Market will be held Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 4-5, at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Over 100 Missouri food producers and craftsmen will offer fresh produce, baked goods, fresh and dried flowers, herbs, handcrafted items, baskets, wooden toys and custom jewelry.

Children 12 and under are admitted free.

For information call (314) 577-9400 or visit www.mobot.org.