Play St. Louis: Shaw Nature Reserve, Gray Summit

Location: 307 Pinetum Loop Rd, Gray Summit, MO 63039

Amenities: playground, trails, picnic areas, wildflower garden

Website: http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/visit/family-of-attractions/shaw-nature-reserve.aspx

Playground ground cover: wood chips

The play area for kids is called the Nature Explore Classroom. It opened in 2008 and it is comprised of different outdoor areas or "rooms." The Shaw Nature Reserve website explains theses "rooms" really well, but it appears the climbing and crawling area is now called the action area. It used to be free for everyone but now costs $5 per adult (kids still free)

My kids really enjoyed the sandbox, and the big logs you could climb all over. They have a bunch of habitats you can explore, including wetlands, woodlands, and prairie. It's a great place for older kids to learn more about nature, and they have a nice gift shop with some great books.

This is a list they compiled of all of the things you can do there!

Hiking
Play with your kids
Picnic
Bird watching
Look at flowers
Walking
Nature journaling
Photography
Painting
Jogging
Meditation
See a prairie
Take a class
Observe nature
Spend time with family
Buy nature books
Make memories
Cross-country skiing
Use your GPS
Volunteer
Take family photos
Read a book
Play in the creek
Biking
Observe wildlife
Spend time with friends
Take a date

Very close to the Shaw Nature Reserve is Purina Farms. We visited both on the same day, because we drove all the way out there I figured we should make the most out of our journey!

Shaw hosts tons of classes and events throughout the year. They are both informative and fun. I highly recommend checking out their calendar of events.

The Sense of Wonder Woodland was added in 2015 and it has some really cool features including a butterfly swing, a dragon log, a beautiful lake, storybook walk, butterfly garden, fairy house, and more!