LOCAL AREA

Visit Purina Farms to enjoy live canine performances, up-close encounters with farm animals, wagon rides, and more! You can also check out our event calendar to join us for a special event, plan a field trip for your students, or even throw your child’s or pup’s next birthday Paw-ty. Our event center has a lot to offer Dog and Cat Shows. Many dog breeds have national and regional dog shows. Contact Holiday Inn Sales office for group rates. 636-938-6661 x 7710.

Santa's Magical Kingdom where reindeer soar overhead, elves frolic in their village in the trees, and millions of lights dazzle your senses. Visit with Santa in his workshop at Kringle's General Store. Ride the Santa Express Train or take an Old Fashioned Holiday Wagon through the Kingdom for a fun filled adventure the entire family will enjoy.

Lone Elk Park is a wildlife management area, with bison, wild turkey, waterfowl, elk and deer. Lone Elk is full of things to do including hiking trails, fishing, picnic areas and a chance to view some of the largest wild animals you will see in Missouri.

The World Bird Sanctuary rests peacefully on 305 acres of Missouri hardwood forest, next door to Lone Elk County Park and Chubb Trail. We are open daily from 8am - 5pm, and closed only on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Free entry and parking.

The Endangered Wolf Center is located on 63 isolated wooded acres with in Washington University's Tyson Research Centerapproximately 20 miles southwest of St. Louis, Missouri. The isolation allows our wolves and other canids the opportunity to become candidates for reintroduction into their native habitats through the coordinated efforts of the US Fish & Wildlife Service. For special events and tours see the Endangered Wolf Center website.

An amazing theme park featuring awesome rides, great shows, and incredible attractions, plus Hurricane Harbor waterpark. New is 2013 guests will enjoy the Boomerang Roller Coaster and Paintball. Paint ball is an additional charge.

The Magic House will engage all children in hands-on learning experiences that encourage experimentation, creativity and the development of problem solving skills within a place of beauty, wonder, joy and magic. The Magic House’s innovative and interactive exhibits and programs have been recognized by Nickelodeon, Orbitz, FamilyFun magazine and Zagat, which named The Magic House the nation’s top family attraction in “child appeal.” Hours change daily. Please refer to www.magichouse.org.

The nation’s tallest monument at 630 feet, the Gateway Arch has beckoned visitors for more than 40 years with its iconic, awe-inspiring shape. Winter hours 9 am to 6 pm. Summer hours (Memorial Day to Labor Day) 8 am to 10 pm.

Forest Park is known as the "heart of St. Louis" and features a variety of attractions, including the St. Louis Zoo, the Saint Louis Art Museum, the Missouri History Museum, and the St. Louis Science Center. Hours vary by season. Summer hours 8 am to 5 pm Monday through Thursday and 8 am to 7 pm Friday through Sunday. For more information see their website at www.stlzoo.org.

Housed in the 600,000 square-foot former International Shoe Company, the museum is an eclectic mixture of children’s playground, funhouse, surrealistic pavilion, and architectural marvel made out of unique, found objects. Summer hours Monday through Friday 9 am to 5 pm, Friday and Saturday 9 am to midnight and Sunday 11 am to 5 pm.

Go on a guided tour of this seven-level natural wonder, the possibly the oldest stop along historic Route 66. Tours are conducted along well-lighted walkways. Cavern tour takes one hour and twenty minutes, covering 1¼ miles. Meramec Caverns has been a tourist attraction since 1933. The cave is reputed to have been used by Jesse James and his gang as a hideout. Also enjoy Canoe or raft rentals, Jesse James Wax Museum, and Caveman Zipline.

Shaw Nature Reserve is a private nature reserve that is operated as an extension of the MO Botanical Garden. The Nature Explore Classroom is an outdoor play area with logs to climb over and through, bamboo to build with, music instruments to play, pieces of wood to build with and animal bones and skulls to study. Perfect for children ages three to ten. There are several docks around Wolf Run Lake where you can see what little critters are in the water. Don't miss the many trails for all ages.