Forest Park in St. Louis Photos + Guide

Narrowing down photos from our recent trips has been quite the undertaking! I’ve come home with 800-1200 photos per trip. Getting ready to do my two day travel guide from our recent trip to St. Louis (in addition to my Where to Eat in St. Louis Guide), I was overwhelmed again by all the beauty from Forest Park and knew I wouldn’t be able to do the park justice amidst a whole city tour guide. All its beauty really deserves its own post…

Forest Park in St. Louis

Arriving in the Gateway City, I was blown away by all the gardens. You’ll find them in downtown, around town, and on the edge of town. Similarly surprising was the love locals express for their city.

Every single person we talked to, started raving about what they loved in their city. The most common boasts were the St. Louis Zoo, and how it was recently selected by USA Today as the top free attraction in the country, and Forest Park.

We were on our way to missing both attractions (there really is a lot to do in the city) when our plans to visit the Botanical Garden fell through. It closed before we got there (twice!).

In lieu of the botanical garden, my friend took us to Forest Park. Forest Park is home to the zoo and a whole lot more. Initially, I was thinking we’d drive through the park and step out of the car for a few photos.

Then we got out of the car and ended up meandering around for nearly two hours, snapping photos at every turn.

What to do in St. Louis

In existence since 1875, the 1300-acre park hosted the World’s Fair in 1904. Since then, the gardens, landscaping, and attractions have been getting bigger and better.

In addition to the 45,000 trees, water features, boat club, beautiful bridges, pathways for miles, and a great shuttle system to get your around the park, there’s also the Saint Louis Art Museum, the Saint Louis Science Center, the Missouri History Museum, The Muny (an amphitheatre), and that fabulous Saint Louis Zoo.

We didn’t visit any of the museums, but my heart was so full after seeing all the beauty of the park – and it was the end of summer! I can’t even imagine the beauty in spring or fall with blooms and changing leaf colors. I absolutely understand why it’s the best city park!