Familyman Roadtrip – City Museum, St. Louis, MO
Welcome to City Museum, where the imagination runs wild! And from what I can see…this is one bodacious place!! In fact, I can’t belive that I’ve never heard of it before.
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. The brainchild of internationally acclaimed artist Bob Cassilly, a classically trained sculptor and serial entrepreneur, the museum opened for visitors in 1997 to the riotous approval of young and old alike.
Cassilly and his longtime crew of 20 artisans have constructed the museum from the very stuff of the city; and, as a result, it has urban roots deeper than any other institutions’. Reaching no farther than municipal borders for its reclaimed building materials, City Museum boasts features such as old chimneys, salvaged bridges, construction cranes, miles of tile, and even two abandoned planes!
“City Museum makes you want to know,” says Cassilly. “The point is not to learn every fact, but to say, ‘Wow, that’s wonderful.’ And if it’s wonderful, it’s worth preserving.”
I’m going to be in St. Louis ina couple of weeks…and I’m thinking of going! Check out their website!
Roadtrip!!
Todd
From a mom –
FYI – you can get a group rate of $8 each with a group of at least 15 people with an advance reservation. (Non-profits can get in for $6 with proof of tax exempt status). The reservation process is really easy and can be done via email.
City museum is tons of fun. Tips: consider knee pads – lots of crawling. Bring pen lights, a head light to small flashlight for the tunnels. Monstrosity is outside and closes in rainy weather or storms, so watch the forecast and head outside when it is nice. Rooftop and aquarium are both five dollars extra. Haven’t done either but friends either love it or hate it. 🙂 parking is $5 for the lot adjacent to the museum. Parking meters are on the street close by. We often bring Walkie talkies to let the kiddos have a little freedom to explore but still keep tabs on them.
Don’t miss it! My husband takes our 5 year old all the time. If you’ve ever been to the Magic House it’s kinda like that . . . but on steroids. Just wear comfy clothes and closed toe shoes.