When St. Louisians think of Forest Park, thoughts of the Muny and summer nights may often come to mind. However, Forest Park has a lot to offer in winter as well.
Anna Johnson
– Staff Writer –
When St. Louisians think of Forest Park, thoughts of the Muny and summer nights may often come to mind. However, Forest Park has a lot to offer in winter as well.
Sledding on Art Hill is one tradition that many in the area have been a part of for many decades. The hill extends from the St. Louis Art Museum to the Grand Basin. According to http://stlouis.about.com, Art Hill “is considered by many to be the best sledding hill in St. Louis, or at least the most famous.”
Skating at Steinberg Skating Rink is another St. Louis tradition. Steinberg can be found near the Kingshighway entrance of Forest Park. The rink hosts many parties and events. STLCC-Meramec student Luke Barker said he had a great time while skating there in years past. “I went almost three years ago with my church. It was the first time I had ever been ice skating. Steinberg is a great place to have fun and chill,” Luke says. Manager of Steinberg, Jeff Casal says that bad weather doesn’t keep people from coming to the rink. On warm days and when it rains, the rink stays open, “the ice is a little wet; people skate in the rain.” Steinberg skating rink is celebrating its 52nd year of being the Midwest’s largest outdoor skating rink. Steinberg is open Sunday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to midnight.
Every holiday season, the Jewel Box has a display of poinsettias. The Jewel Box is a large greenhouse that houses different flowers for each season of the year. This year, the poinsettia display began Dec. 1 and will run through January. The Jewel Boxes hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $1. However, on Monday and Tuesday it is free between the hours of 9 a.m and 12 p.m..
The St. Louis Zoo exhibits a display of lights titled “US Bank Wild Lights Display.” Wild Lights is composed of hundreds of thousands of lights. It is made up several displays throughout the Zoo. These displays include Penguins Paradise, Gingerbread Village, the Flamingo Lagoon and Butterfly Garden. The cost for general admission at Wild Lights is $5, but Zoo members only pay $4 and children under the age of 2 are free. The display is open every weekend until December 27th from 5:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m.
If things outdoors get too cold, the Science Center and museums in the park are still showing exhibits indoors to give a little relief from the cold. The Science Center is offering a special exhibit called “Dinosaurs Unearthed.” The exhibit is on display from now until March and costs $12.50 for adults and $10.50 for children. In this exhibit, people can explore a replica of a real dinosaur dig site and see full- sized dinosaur models.
To many, St. Louis offers treasured memories of childhood and parenthood. The Forest Park area is a St. Louis Tradition that presents many opportunities to bring families together and create memories.
