Family Fun in the Gateway City
St. Louis, Mo. — St. Lou is…chock full o’ family-friendly things to see and do! Here’s a list of extra special events and activities geared to families who are looking for some new and different ways to have fun at some of St. Louis’ most kid-friendly attractions this spring and summer.
Six Flags St. Louis may be turning 40 this year, but they still know how to entertain their inner child. They’re turning up their scream-o-meter this spring with the addition of SkyScreamer, a tower ride that’s guaranteed to take your breath away. The ride, which holds 32 guests at a time, features two open air swings that climb to the top of the SkyScreamer tower while spinning around and around. Brave souls who ride the new thrill ride will end up more than 230-feet into the air as they are swung around in a 98-foot circle at speeds more than 40 miles per hour. Opening day for the park is April 16.
If you head on down to the Saint Louis Zoo, there might be a few stingrays asking for you. That’s because “Stingrays at Caribbean Cove” returns to town April 23 -September 25. Visitors can watch, touch and even feed these fascinating ocean creatures as they glide through their tropical saltwater habitat. The 17,000-gallon pool includes cownose and southern stingrays as well as some newcomers for 2011: sharks. Yep, the stingrays brought some muscle with them this time – brownbanded bamboo and bonnethead sharks – so be nice to our wet ‘n’ wild visitors.
Let Mom pick out her own Mother’s Day gift during a visit to the annual Art Fair at Laumeier Sculpture Park. Held every Mother’s Day weekend, the nationally acclaimed fine art and craft fair takes place this year from May 6 – 8. In addition to ceramics, fiber/textiles, glass, jewelry, mixed media, painting, photography/digital, printmaking/drawing, sculpture and wood pieces by 150 artists from across the country, there are hands-on art activities for kids at Creation Location along with demonstrations by both performing and visual artists. Enjoy live music and entertainment on the Wine Garden Stage, which offers an array of jazz, blues, pop and eclectic music. Additional artists and entertainers will be performing throughout the park all weekend.
The Red Thread Project® takes place at Laumeier on May 12 from 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. The “connective” event features a collection of hundreds of knit and crochet hats that are attached to a half mile-long knitted red thread in a “performance” that celebrates community connections. After the exhibition, the hats are donated to such local charities as those assisting cancer patients, foster children, the elderly and the homeless.
ExploreStLouis.com for the full release.
