Location: 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63110
Hours: The Garden is open Tuesdays–Sundays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (last entry at 4:30 p.m.).
Website: http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org
The Children's Garden has 4 paths, 2 of which are wheelchair/stroller accessible. There is also space to park strollers around the waterfall and pool just inside the entrance, as well as near the Splash area. The Children's Garden includes a cave, treehouse, rope bridge, secret garden with musical instruments, Midwestern prairie village, steamboat, Osage camp, and more. Many kids love to get soaked in the Splash area, so you may want to bring a swimsuit and towel. If kids and adults get separated, there is a meeting place at the entrance, right next to the ticket booth. Restrooms, drinking fountains, beverage vending machines, and hydration stations (to fill water bottles) are located near the Gazebo/Splash area, as well as in the Brookings Interpretive Center, just outside the Children's Garden entrance.
Cute photo ops near the Children's Garden entrance
Entrances to the 4 Paths - Children's Garden |
Waterfall just inside the entrance of the Children's Garden |
Rope Bridge - Discover's Path - Children's Garden |
Splash Area - Settler's Path - Children's Garden |
Tree Trunk Pavilion and Paths - Children's Garden |
Frontier's Fort - Adventurer's Path - Children's Garden |
So much fun playing in the big "tree house"
Koi Fish Feeding Bridge - Japanese Garden |
If you ever get the chance to tour Tea House Island do it! It's hard to get tickets though, they go on sale during the Japanese Festival every year and you have to get there early to get in line. They only allow 20 people per hour to go on the tour and there are 8 tours a day for 3 days out of the year. That's only 160 people per year that get to see it. I was thrilled to be able to tour it as it had been on my bucket list for years!
The Japanese Garden is so beautiful and serene
This campus is 79 acres and includes paths with various degrees of sloping. The staff in the Visitor Center at the main entrance has information regarding which paths have steep vs. gradual inclines.
A tram is also available April through October, for an additional fee of $5/person. It runs hourly on weekdays and every 40 minutes on weekends, beginning just outside the Visitor Center and stopping at the Center for Home Gardening, Japanese Garden, Tower Grove House, and returning to the Visitor Center. Strollers are allowed on the tram if they will fit in the available space. The tram is great if you want to hear all about what you're seeing, they talk about the history of all the buildings and plants.
Pick up a map on your way in to help you locate restrooms and drinking fountains scattered throughout the gardens. Dining is also available, with kid-friendly menu options. Picnicking and coolers are prohibited, but they don't search bags for small snacks. Patrons are encouraged to bring their own water bottles and be responsible about sun exposure.
A tram is also available April through October, for an additional fee of $5/person. It runs hourly on weekdays and every 40 minutes on weekends, beginning just outside the Visitor Center and stopping at the Center for Home Gardening, Japanese Garden, Tower Grove House, and returning to the Visitor Center. Strollers are allowed on the tram if they will fit in the available space. The tram is great if you want to hear all about what you're seeing, they talk about the history of all the buildings and plants.
Pick up a map on your way in to help you locate restrooms and drinking fountains scattered throughout the gardens. Dining is also available, with kid-friendly menu options. Picnicking and coolers are prohibited, but they don't search bags for small snacks. Patrons are encouraged to bring their own water bottles and be responsible about sun exposure.
Grocery store
Nature classroom! This area was added in 2007. From a press release, "Developed in response to the growing disconnect between children and nature, Nature Explore Classrooms are designed to help fill the void by educating young children using research-based principles for integrating nature into their daily learning. These Classrooms offer interactive elements - including climbing structures, musical instruments made of natural materials, wooden blocks, small waterways, and natural materials for building and creating art - that give children important and inspiring nature experiences. While connecting children with nature, such unstructured play and activities are shown to enhance concentration, develop creativity and problem-solving, relieve stress, and improve skills in many areas. Outdoor classrooms that are designed according to principles described in the Foundation's Learning With Nature Idea Book are eligible to become certified Nature Explore Classrooms. The Missouri Botanical Garden's space is one of the first among a growing network of certified classrooms that will be able to share best practices and ideas through an online forum.
The Missouri Botanical Garden's 3,000 sq. ft. Nature Explore Classroom is located at the south end of the Doris I. Schnuck Children's Garden: A Missouri Adventure, an area of the Botanical Garden especially focused on introducing children at their most impressionable age to the significance of plants and nature in fun and innovative ways. In the new Classroom, children can create visual masterpieces in a nature art area, climb and crawl on structures, build with natural materials, and practice their balance, agility, and creativity in areas designed for music and movement."
Overall this is a fabulous place to explore with your kids! There's so much history here and many things to do. They have great events throughout the year including the Japanese Festival, Whitaker Music Festival, Chinese culture days, and of course the Garden Glow.
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