Des Peres Park, Des Peres

Location: 12325 Manchester Rd., Des Peres, MO 63131

Amenities: 

• 3 Baseball / Softball Fields (April - July)
• Bike / Jogging Trail (one mile, half mile, and quarter mile tracks)
• Reservable Gazebo
• Lake / Fishing (2 acres, lake stocked with blue gill, bass, and catfish)
• 6 Lighted Tennis Courts
• 3 Lighted Pickleball Courts
• 1 Multi-Purpose Court
• Nature Area
• Parcourse Fitness Trail
• Reservable Picnic Pavilion with Grill (Reservable April - November)
• Picnic Sites
• Play Fountain (Memorial Day-Labor Day, controls by bathroom entrance)
• 2 Playgrounds (tot playground and 5-12 year-old playground)
• Rest Rooms (year-round)
• Shuffleboard Courts
• 2 Soccer Fields (Second week in August - Second week in November)

Website: http://www.desperesmo.org/87/Des-Peres-Park

Playground ground cover: Rubber mats, poured rubber, and astroturf

Des Peres Park has 2 very nice playgrounds fairly close to each other. One is designed for younger children, and the other is for kids 5 and up.  The larger playground has several slides, a climbing wall, a zip line, a pretend window, maze boards, ramps, and a splash pad (seasonal).  The button to turn on the splash pad is by the restrooms - there is no sign to direct you to the button. There's also a great little trail that goes around a lake, with a wooden boardwalk. There are usually ducks and geese to watch in the lake.

The tot playground was replaced in 2024. It has many wonderful features including a we-go-round (modified merry-go-round for kids of all abilities), a roller slide, astroturf hills, and more!

These astroturf bumps are fun!

This webbed structure is cool with lots of options for climbing.

There are 2 sling swings, an ADA swing, and 2 baby swings.

The play structure has a gear board, a bubble window, slides, a small rock wall, a steering wheel, a tic-tac-toe board, and lots of bars and poles. 

The larger playground for kids over 5 has a large play structure with slides, tunnels, maze boards, ramps, drums, and lots of bars and poles for climbing. 

Overhead photos from their website 

Tower Grove Park, St. Louis City

Location: Bordered by Grand, Arsenal, Magnolia, and Kingshighway in South St. Louis City 63110

Amenities: Playground, Picnic Shelter, Trails, Sprayground/Water Feature, Fitness Trail, Outdoors, Restaurant

Website: http://www.towergrovepark.org

Playground ground cover: Poured Rubber and Wood Chips

This is a very historic lovely old park in the city. This park has a lot of amenities including 11 pavilions dating from the Victorian era, a lily pond and ruins, the Piper Palm House, a bandstand, tennis courts, a wading pool, softball diamonds, and soccer fields, trails for walkers, joggers, and cyclists, and tall specimen trees and a great variety of bushes. The park has been designated a National Historic Landmark.

It is frequently used as a setting for professional photos, family BBQs, weddings, parties, and festivals. Festival of Nations and food truck Fridays are especially fun. Since 2005, from May through October, a farmers' market is held on Saturday mornings just west of the Wading Pool Pavilion. It features local and organic farmers offering fresh produce and meats, baked goods, and preserves, as well as prepared foods and drinks, teas, and coffees, with stalls for craftsmen and artisans as well.

There are 2 playgrounds, the East playground near Grand, and the larger Central playground next to the fountain.  The restroom is in the Piper Palm House for the Central playground, but there is no restroom near the East playground. You'd have to drive down Grand to a restaurant. There is a Panera nearby.

The Central Playground has 2 sections with the Muckerman fountain in the center. One section is for older kids and one is for younger kids. It has a play structure with slides, a small tunnel, and lots of bars and poles.

There are free-standing turtles to climb on, a dino climber a geodome, a baby swing and sling swings, some spinners, and another climber. 

balance beam

The older kid's playground has swings, a play structure, a spinner, a geodome, and another free-standing climber. 

The Muckerman wading pool & fountain

The water is usually on from 10 am - 7 pm 

The wading pool is definitely still there, this photo was taken on 7/8/24.

The East Playground has just one play structure surrounded by a fence. It has slides, a rock wall, a little bridge, some stepping stones, monkey bars, and lots of bars and poles. 

In the summer of 2022, they started creating a natural playscape by the Stupp Center in the east end. 

Push the button here to get the water to turn on. 

The "ruins" across from the wading pool is also fun to explore, and I see people fishing in that lake frequently.