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 

Six Flags, Eureka

Location: 4900 Six Flags Rd, Eureka, MO 63025

Website: https://www.sixflags.com/stlouis

We all know Six Flags is great for tweens and teens, but what can they do there if you have little guys? Well, I will break it down for you now! First up are all the rides in Bugs Bunny National Park (specifically for little kids), then gentler rides in the park, then Hurricane Harbor rides & slides.

Kid Rides:

1.)Bugs Bunny Fort Fun- a huge play structure. Must be 42" to go down the slides, 54" max. There is a person inside who will measure the kids. There are several slides, chain climbers, bars, poles, bridges, mesh floors to walk over, and more. 

2.)Bugs Bunny Ranger Pilots- Airplanes that go in a circle. If you push your propeller forward you will go up in the air a bit.

3.)Daffy Duck Stars on parade- Gentle swings

4.)Elmer Fudd Weather Balloons- This seats 4 people and you spin around and go up in the air. Probably one of the scarier kiddie rides.

                                         

5.)Marvin The Martian Camp Invasion- This is a rocket-looking ride that goes up in the air in a circular motion.

6.)Taz Twister- Teacups that spin. Must be 36" to ride this one.

7.)Tweety Twee House- This is a bouncing tower lift that raises you straight up and drops you down.

                                              

8.)Yosemite Sam Tugboat Tailspin- A boat that zigs and zags back and forth.

9.)Foghorn Leghorn Train- Very slow and just goes around in a circle. Not scary at all.

Also in Bugs Bunny National Park is the splash pad.

Family Rides:

1.)The Train- There are only 2 stops on the Tommy G. Robinson Railroad, one at the front of the park and one at Bugs Bunny National Park, but it's still fun and relaxing to go all the way around Six Flags on the steam engine. You can even ride in the caboose.

2.)Colossus- The 18-story Ferris wheel offers great views of the park and a nice breeze.

3.)Log Flume- A classic! 

4.)Thunder River- Must be 36" with an adult. It's a white water rafting experience and you will get wet.

5.)Tsunami Soaker- Must be 36" with an adult. Riders sit in circular tubs and spray each other with water canons while turning and spinning in a circle. Passersby can also shoot you and are encouraged to do so! You're like a sitting duck while people spray you and you can't hide. We didn't like it at all.

6.)Shazam- Must be 36" with an adult. A Scrambler ride.

7.)Justice League- Battle For Metropolis- Must be 42" with an adult. This is a 4D interactive dark ride. It's inside and air-conditioned so that's a bonus! You get to sit and shoot lasers at bad guys.

Images from themeparks.about.com

8.)The Buccaneer- This ship swings back and forth almost to the point where you think you're gonna go upside down. It definitely makes your tummy do flip-flops! 

9.)Rookie Racer- Must be 36". Guests are in the driver’s seat as the Formula 1-designed coaster cars careen along the steel track. This rookie circuit is made up of a series of maneuvers including winding curves, drops, and a horizontal loop that is perfect for thrill seekers of all ages.  Another mild coaster that younger kids will be able to ride and enjoy. 

10.)River King Mine Train- Must be 42" with an adult. This was the first roller coaster built in this park, and the end is really fun! It's really like a baby roller coaster.

11.)Pandemonium- Must be 42" with an adult. 4 people sit in a car that spins 360 degrees around and around the track. It's intense!

12.)Screamin' Eagle- Must be 42" with an adult. This is a huge roller coaster that has 10-story drops and goes 62 miles an hour.

13.) Sky Screamer- Must be 44" with adult. Very tall swing and the breeze and views are fabulous!

Lastly, we have the water park, Hurricane Harbor. Entrance is included with your admission to Six Flags. There are several different areas, but the most popular one for the littles is called Adventure Cove. It's a huge interactive play area that includes a pirate ship and a large play structure with 4 different slides that range in height. Only kids under 54" can play here. Max 48" on the pirate slides, and min 42" for the bigger slides.

                              

The old "Hooks Lagoon" structure was replaced in 2021 with the one above. There are 71 different manipulatives that kids can play with on the new structure.  

There is sand here for the kids to play with and a little shower where they can wash it off. They offer free life vests for everyone to use while they are here.

 

Gulley Washer Creek is the lazy river. An inner tube is required and they'll hand you one when you are next in line.

Hurricane Bay is the wave pool. You can recognize it because of the 'volcano'.

They clear the pool out for 10 minutes every hour for a safety check at the wave pool. Small kids should definitely wear a life vest or puddle jumper in here. It gets pretty deep and the waves are strong. The water here is warmer than in the kiddie area so my kids like swimming here. The waves start out strong and you are signaled that they're starting by a loud buzzer. They get weaker as time goes on and then they start over again.


Big Kahuna is a 5 story raft ride. Must be 42" or taller and a raft is provided.

Wahoo Racer is a 6-lane triple drop slide. Must be 42" with an adult. It's 262 ft long and you go 35 miles an hour!

So that's everything that little kids can do here. It's enough to last all day. My daughter turned 4 in May and was able to do all these things with me this summer. We had a blast!

The big thrill rides include:
1.)American Thunder- 2,700 ft long wooden coaster.
2.)Batman- Inverted looping steel coaster.
3.)Ninja- Looping steel coaster.
4.)Mr. Freeze- Linear induction, reversing steel coaster.
5.)The Boss- 5,051 ft long wooden coaster.
6.)Fireball- This is a coaster loop that just goes in a circle several times.
7.)Boomerang- Launch head over heels 6 times forward and backward steel coaster.
8.)Skyscreamer- 236 ft swing ride at 43 mph.
9.)Catwoman Whip- Unique dual spinning ride that catapults guests 164 ft in the air around & around. 

10.)Spinsanity- Lose your mind on this spinning ride. 

11.)Supergirl Sky Flyer- Spin and tilt on this whirling wheel. 

 

In Hurricane Harbor:
1.)Bonzai Pipeline- Twin 290 ft looping slides with launching capsules.
2.)Speed Slides- 2 high-speed body slides
3.)Tornado- 132' funnel slide. Rafts provided.
4.)Tube slides- 4 400 ft slides, tube required.

5.)Typhoon Twister- A 2 in-one hybrid, zero-gravity slide complex. 

Map of Hurricane Harbor from Google Maps

Six Flags is expensive, so we do the Labor Day Flash Sale. You get a gold membership which includes free parking for every visit and we paid about $55 per person for the 3 of us. We got in the rest of last year and all of this year with that. It's normally $36 per person to get in, and parking is $30! So for me and my 2 kids to go ONE TIME, it would cost $138. That's insane.  They have monthly memberships too.