Play St. Louis: Wild Wonder Outpost, St. Louis Zoo, St. Louis City- ONLY AVAILABLE FOR PRESCHOOL AND CAMPS

Location: One Government Drive, St. Louis, MO 63110

Amenities: indoor playroom

Website: https://www.stlzoo.org/visit/plan-your-visit

Designed for children ages 0-8, the Wild Wonder Outpost at the St. Louis Zoo is a great playroom with some unique features you won't find in other playrooms around the St. Louis area. For starters, each month, the staff changes up the theme of all the exhibits in the playroom. In the background, they play calming music which really seems to help the kids stay calmer and more focused on their play. There are cubbies to store coats and bags, and an area to park strollers inside the playroom, but separate from the play area. Hours are limited due to the fact that it's also the home of the zoo preschool.

There's an art area, an area reserved just for children 2 and under, then in the center of the room is the "Wildlife Theater" stage with plenty of puppets and animal dress-up costumes to go around. The "Build a Habitat" play area was a favorite for my daughter, with bins and bins of small plastic zoo animals, along with wooden blocks, felt "ponds", plastic molded rocks, and more to create your own zoo. The animal care area lets your little one play "zookeeper." The large water table is a hit with the kids and they have smocks to help keep the kids dry. However, when it's very cold out - the water in the table is FREEZING as well! The Backyard Wildlife area contains a playhouse and garden, plus a compost bin. Lastly, the sand table is really a fun sensory experience for kids, as the sand is "moon sand" which feels squishy to the touch and forms together to build castles. There are so many different things to play with, there's no way you'll get to play with everything in just one 45-minute session.

And since you can never get through a play session without your little one needing a potty break, there is a restroom inside the playroom, and it even has a small tot toilet.

The Wild Wonder Outpost is located on the lower level of the Living World building at the North end of the St. Louis Zoo. Sessions are 45 minutes and are $3 per person ($2 per person for zoo members). Children under 1 are free. See the website for session times.