Sunday, September 4, 2016

Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum, Maryland Heights




Location: Creve Coeur Airport- 3127 Creve Coeur Mill Rd, Maryland Heights, MO 63146

Website: http://www.historicaircraftrestorationmuseum.org/

Adults cost $10, kids under 12 are $5, and kids under 5 years old are free.  I would call before you go, as they have seasonal hours. During the school year they are only open on the weekends.

Why is it called Creve Coeur Airport if it's in Maryland Hgts? Well it gets its name from nearby Creve Coeur Lake.

They are a non profit and have over 50 antique planes in 4 separate hangars.


We saw about 6 different planes take off, the kids loved watching them!



You can sit on their porch swing and watch the planes take off and land.


The tour guide takes you through the hangars one by one and tells you about some of the more interesting planes. He was 19 years old and you could tell he was really passionate about aviation. I only know this because I asked how long this museum had been here and he said he was 19 and it had been here since he was little because he loved coming here with his grandpa as a kid.



These little planes are RC planes





In the 3rd hangar there is a plane the kids can climb in. This made the trip for them. They LOVED sitting in the cockpit acting like they were flying.


My daughter figured out how to make the ailerons go up and down. It blew her mind. 




This is an old Cardinal baseball team plane!



In addition to old planes they have some old cars too. 


This is the only time they'll ever be in a Mercedes lol.


This old game was a huge hit. It's like an arcade game from the 1950's. You make the helicopter fly around and you try to hit certain targets. They could have played this all day.







This plane was in the Robert Redford movie of the same name, and also appeared in the Rocketeer.


Spinning the propeller



If you have kids who like airplanes I think they would enjoy this place very much. There are a few other options around town for planes but I think this is the best one. There is the Greater St. Louis Air and Space Museum in Cahokia, and the Prologue Room in Berkeley. Both of those places are mostly planes you can't touch or play in which may be more suitable for older kids. Every year an air show comes to town also, usually at Scott Air Force Base or at Spirit of St. Louis Airport in Chesterfield.






Sunday, August 28, 2016

St. Ann Park, St. Ann



Location: 4445 N. Ashby Rd, St. Ann, MO 63074

Website: http://www.stannmo.org/256/Parks

Playground Ground Cover: Wood Chips & Pea Gravel

Amenities:
  • Acres: 33
  • Ball diamonds: One
  • Barbeque grills: 7
  • Basketball courts: Half court
  • Comfort stations: Two
  • Horseshoe pits: Two
  • Mini shelters: Two
  • Pavilions: Two
  • Playgrounds: One
  • Walking trails: One
  • Roller hockey rink: One
The website says they only have one playground but i don't know why they say that because they very clearly have 2. They are circled in red on the map:



The southwest playground is right by a nice pavilion with restrooms.



I don't know what this bouncing tire thing is called but my kids love it!


There is just one play structure, but it's large. It has a bridge, several slides, a rock wall, and lots of bars and poles. It is best suited for kids over 5 because of it's height.









The other playground is also for big kids and has even more options.



View of the other playground from this one


There are 4 sling swings and 2 baby swings. 


There are 5 different slides, a bridge, a rock wall, a tic tac toe board, and tons of bars and poles.




Saturday, August 27, 2016

Livingston-Wright Park, St. Ann



Location: At the corner of Livingston and Wright Aves, St. Ann, MO 63074

Website: http://www.stannmo.org/256/Parks

Playground Ground Cover: Pea Gravel

This playground was my least favorite of all the St. Ann parks. There are 4 sling swings and no baby swings. There are no restrooms here either. There are 2 slides and some bars and poles. The structure is kind of small and there were some sketchy men hanging out there at the small pavilion.