The Lodge at Des Peres Outdoor Pool, Des Peres

Location: 1050 Des Peres Rd., Des Peres, MO 63131

Amenities:

• Family pool with zero-depth entry and children's slide oceanic entry
• cool water whirlpool
• sunning pad with just enough water to cover your feet
• lazy river (single and double tubes)
• flume slide and 75-foot speed slide
• splash pad
• concession stand

Website: https://www.desperesmo.org/150/Aquatic-Centers

The Des Peres outdoor pool is a very nice facility. The family pool is great, with slides for preschoolers - kids need to be able to go up the stairs and sit down on the slide by themselves. Parents can stand at the bottom of the slide to catch their kids.

photo credit: http://chah2o.com/projects/TheLodgeDesPeres.aspx

The splash pad area is wonderful for kids and has a ton of sprayers and moveable animals that spray water.  My daughter loved standing under the buckets waiting for them to dump water on her head.

The 2 big slides are for kids 48" and up and they are fun! The blue slide is slow and twisty and the yellow speed slide sends you flying straight down into the water at a very fast speed. It was intense and so fun!

Museum of Illusions, St. Louis City

 

Location: 3730 Foundry Way, St. Louis, MO 63110

Website: https://moistlouis.com/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwsuSzBhCLARIsAIcdLm53MdwRnHxBke7xR9CRMlVs5ucEMsU5N555QqnjmiUHViJHF5FVJO4aAtdYEALw_wcB

The Museum of Illusions is a global chain that started in Croatia. They opened this St. Louis location at the Foundry in 2024. It's a collection of rooms where nothing is as it seems, and it's mesmerizing for school-aged kids and up. From the website: "We've gathered the most incredible collection of perspective-changing rooms, enthralling installations, and spellbinding images. Immerse yourself into the fascinating world of illusions and let our captivating rooms play tricks on your mind! Get a glimpse of infinity, take a walk in the upside-down world, and grow and shrink your body all in one place. Nothing is impossible! Engage in mind-bending installations that will shock your senses, puzzle your perceptions, and astonish you. Hang out with your clones, swap noses with your friends, and serve your head on a platter. Dive into the amazing world of the unbelievable and the impossible!"

Pro tip- tickets are cheaper online than at the door!

This has different faces on it so you see different things when you walk past it. 

Looking through a kaleidoscope

There are so many holograms and optical illusions on the walls

This is the Beuchet chair, where you look teeny tiny when you're not

Mirrors make it seem like you're falling from the balcony

The vortex tunnel spins around and makes me dizzy

This magic box has pyramids on one side and when you turn the corner they are now boxes. So crazy!

The reversed room makes it seem like we're hanging upside down

These eyes are stationary, but they follow you, how do they do that??

The gift shop has a ton of cool brain teasers and 3D puzzles for sale. My daughter had a ball trying to solve them all. This is definitely a fun place to visit! It can be busy on the weekends but you can move around the exhibits at your own pace and come back if the line is long. There are employees everywhere to take photos for you and explain the exhibits.