Things I love about Saint Louis: Missouri Botanical Garden

This is the 6th post in my Things I love about Saint Louis Series. Check them out!

 ( This is a very picture heavy post. I can't help myself. I took 120 pictures. Consider yourselves lucky)

We are lucky enough here in Saint Louis to have so many amazing things to do, see, visit and eat. One of those is the Missouri Botanical Garden.   It is a beautiful  acre Garden and research center that you can walk through.

When J and I got engaged we knew we wanted an outdoor wedding since we felt closer to God out in nature than any other place we could think of.  But we weren't crazy,  we needed a backup area in case it rained.  We had been to the Botanical Garden before and heard there were a few areas to get married.  So we checked it out and decided on the Japanese Garden by the Lake and backup area in the auditorium.

The Missouri Botanical Garden is 79 beautiful acres in Saint Louis City that once belonged to a man named Henry Shaw. There is a Chinese Garden, the Climatron(big dome thing that is pretty warm and mimickes the rain forest), the Japanese Garden., the Children's Garden...there is a lot to see.  It is pretty much like walking into the prettiest park you have ever seen.  It is $8 for adults and kids 12 and under are free. Of course you can become a member and get discounts and free tickets to things. And if you are a Saint Louis City or County Residents and go before noon Wednesdays and Saturdays, you get in free. Not too bad.

We normally can spend about 2 hours there walking around, letting the kids play, and taking pictures.  This weekend we got to see the Lantern Festival. Of course we went during the day, not at night. I heard it was even better then (and it was pretty pricey) but I wanted to take pictures of the plants.

There were beautiful lanterns and sculpture all over the Garden. They were made from a satin material and flexible steel rods as the skeleton. So colorful and  intricate even in the sun.

They  had two dragons made out of china plates,cups, saucers and other plate ware.

See... plates, cups, saucers. Pretty amazing stuff.

The flowers, trees, and plants here were just beautiful. You can't even tell we've had a drought in this area.

There are two things that K looks forward to when we come here...the sheep sculpture to sit on...

 And the Children's Garden. There is a slide, cave, play store, jail, rope bridge, and other fun outside kids things to explore.

They also have some awesome sculptures there. And I don't know about you but I'm a sucker for a a sculpture. They are beautiful works of art and from a photography stand point, they are great models because they don't move :)

 

And she's my favorite...isn't she beautiful.  I want her in my backyard so bad. 

When my hubby and I got married here 6 years ago(ahh, the wedded bliss of it all)  There was an exhibit by Dale Chihuly. He makes gorgeous works of art out of glass in different forms. Here are two images from our wedding album to show what was there. Our photographer took these..not me.

They were able to purchase some of his work that is still there in the main building and a few around the garden.

They have a few big events here every year like the Whittaker Jazz festival, Japanese festival coming up during the Labor Day weekend and the Best of Missouri Market in October. They are crowded so get there as early as you can. And there is an additional charge because it is a special event. We really enjoy this place so much so that we signed up for a membership this year to enjoy more of what the Garden has to offer.


Monday
What is the Gunny Sack -Making the world Cuter -Debbie Doo -DIY Show Off
DIY Shop - Lines Across My Face -I should be mopping the Floor
Great Fun 4 Kids

Tuesday
How to Nest For Less - Tip Junkie - My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia -The Kurtz Corner
Sugar Bee - Romance On A Dime - Debbie Does Creations - Funky Polka Dot Giraffe
The Winthrop Chronicles

Wednesday
 Thrifty Home - Someday Crafts - Sew Much Ado
- Junk in Their Trunk  - Southern Lovely  -SNAP

Thursday
 Beyond the Picket Fence - Somewhat Simple - Live Laugh Rowe
Loving this Crazy Life - The Shabby Cottage
The Taylor House- House of Hepworths 
Two In Diapers-Mommy Brain Mixer


Friday
Naptime Crafters - Stay At Home Nation
Young and Crafty -  My Turn(ForUs)
Delicate Construction
Serenity Now
Here Comes the Sun

Saturday

Six Sister's Stuff

Cheerios and Lattes
Natasha in Oz -Say G'Day

Things I Love about St.Louis: St Louis Cardinals

( This is number five in the Things I Love About Saint Louis Series. Click here to read more.)

There is nothing more  Saint Louis and summertime  than  Saint Louis Cardinals baseball.  I've been  listening to, watching, and going to the games for all of my life.  I know there are plenty of people who live here who don't feel the same way as I do about our team and some others who are even bigger die hard fans than me.  I think if I moved somewhere else, I would still be a Cardinals fan.

There is just something about going down  to watch a baseball game with 40, 000+ of your closest friends, you are dressed alike, and you are ready to cheer on your team no matter what.  I am so proud that we are known as some of the best fans around. Most of us are not fair weather. We think they are going to win  the World Series every year. And as they did last year , it was magic.

Busch Stadium, home of the redbirds , is a great place to bring the family. There is a whole range of ticket prices from nose bleeds ( which are really nice ) to down on the field, almost. 

Around the stadium  are statues of great cardinal players : Lou Brock, Ozzie Smith, ad Stan Musial  to name a few.  When they built the new Stadium, they allowed fans to buy bricks  and have names and things engraved on them. It's really fun to walk around and look at them. I wish I would have done that when we were getting married.  It would have been fun to go and show the kids.

Getting There and Parking

Her legs "were tired" as soon as we got there...hmmm

There are a few ways to get to the game. You can drive or take the MetroLink . There are always buses and taxis too but I've never done those so I can't say how well they work.  Parking is  between $20- $10and less depending on how far away from the stadium you park.  There are garages and lots. We parked as close as we could so K wouldn't have to walk as far.

Watching the Metro Link train pull up right next to the stadium

The Metro Link is also great. She would have loved to ride the metro train but you need to factor in all the stops it makes and we didn't ,so not this time. It is a great way to not have to drive all the way downtown with stops throughout parts of the city ( not all)


Tickets and Promotional Items

There are always a bunch of great promotional days every year. This day happened to be  Kids T shirt day (15 and under) and North Star Ice Cream Sundays.  I would totally recommend  coming on one of these days.  Why not get a cool freebie with your ticket?  K got a Fredbird ( mascot ) t shirt and we went over to Ford Family Plaza got an free ice cream  and got our pictures taken with  the world series trophy for free. There is also the Family Pavilion on the first level with some family things you can do  like a batting cage.

Food

The tickets we got for this game were a special discounted price that also came with a hot dog and a soda with the price of the ticket. As soon as we got up to our level we got our free dogs and drinks. Remember when I talked about saving money buy bringing food to places when you can? I'm not sure how other stadiums operate but  it is OK for you to bring small soft coolers/ cooler bags full of  water and food if you want to cut down on costs. How great is that?  We saved so much money. We brought a cooler bag with 6 bottles of water, cheese sticks, and goldfish crackers. I love the  food there and there are some things that just taste better at a baseball game.  My hubby says beer is one of those things.  But it all adds up fast.

Souvenirs/Gifts
There a tons of places to buy Cardinal stuff including a Build a bear Store on site where you can build Clydesdales and Fredbirds. You  can't build them anywhere else in the city. You can find anything Cardinal and baseball you can think of. They even have the pressed pennies, one of K's favorite things.

 Kids and Baseball Games

We happened to go with some friends and family of ours so K had a whole group of people to talk to and play with.  You're probably noticing that S is not with us.  She doesn't sit well for more than 10 minutes at a time.  And with it being her nap time, she sat this one out. We hope she'll  be able to go next year. You'll see kids of all ages from  weeks old on up. It's all up to you and your kids.  There are plenty of rams so you can bring your strollers in if you need to.  She spent alot of the game looking for Fredbird, the mascot. He does walk around the stadium the whole game. He will even sometimes come and joke around with fans like put his beak over your head. It's pretty darn funny.

She really didn't watch the game too much but she loved the atmosphere,clapping along to the organ music and  when we scored. It was an exciting game. They won in the very bottom of the 9th inning.  There was such a roar that you could feel it. And they always set off fireworks when we win so that adds to it.

Cutest Cardinal Fan Ever

Go CARDS!

After the Games

There is so much to do after the games as well . Downtown has places to eat,  carriage rides to enjoy, and if you are without kids, casinos and awesome bars. Or you could always go to my  all time favorite frozen custard place, Ted Drewes. It;s just a shirt drive down highway 44. Well worth it.

Things I Love about St.Louis: The Saint Louis Zoo

(This is the fourth in the Things I Love about Saint Louis Series. If you want to know more, go here.)

Living in Saint Louis my whole life, sometimes I forget how lucky we really are having this awesome Zoo.  Not every city has a zoo and  not every zoo is free to get into. I know there are alot of other zoos around the country but I'm a little bias. The Saint Louis Zoo is just all around great.

I went to the zoo every year as a kid, not alot  but at least once a year. Ever since J and I had kids, we've been going to the Zoo ALOT.  Say... a few times a month alot. We started going to often that we decided very quickly to become members.  The Zoo is open year round and we have been there at all times except when it's 30 degrees or under or it has snowed which I'm kinda bummed about because I've heard it's pretty.

Hmm..... which kind do I want?

As a member( there are different levels), we get the free parking and so  many go- anywhere passes which get you on the train, the carousel, the children's zoo, and  the sea lion show. If they melt down after 30 minutes, I don't feel bad leaving because it was paid for along time ago. And  J's work donation-matches so we can  up our membership level, score! If you are from STL, look into if your work matches too. It's so worth it.

Price....mostly FREE...
If you are not a member or just visiting, you can go through the whole zoo for free. Yep, free ( if you can avoid the food and gift shop. I know, easier said than done)  If you get there the first hour of the day,  you can go into the children's zoo, carousel,and sting rays for free. FREE.  If you have a bigger family, that's a heck of a deal. You can also park for free along the streets  in Forest Park, which will be is it's own post of awesome-ness. As my friend Katrina over at Keys To the Magic Travel says about WDW....a very affordable option for souvenirs are the pressed pennies that you can find all around the Zoo. K loves them and for 51 cents. I can't beat it. 

If you get here after the first hour, they do have a Safari Pass. For $10 per person, this gets you one admission to the Children's Zoo, Zooline Railroad, Conservation Carousel, Movie and 4-D Motion Simulator and Stingrays at Caribbean. It maybe worth it, it may not be depending on what you want to see and do.

S  loves the squeezy applesauce.

Food
We usually bring some snacks for the girls when we go like squeezey applesauce, crackers, grapes, and  drinks.  The Zoo is cool with you bringing a cooler and  all the food/drink  you need with you.  How great is that? But if you don't want to worry about it, the food is great here.  It's the typical tourist prices. They have everything from BBQ to Ice Cream to Beer. There are 10 places to get food all around the Zoo. They have this deal for a Souvenir cup for $8 but then refills are only a $1. If you can share one of those, you're set. And if you come back, you can bring it back and reuse it again all season.

Attire
I always dress for comfort and a little sweating, especially in the summer here in St.Louis ( hot and really humid) Lugging two kids in a double stroller for 2-3 hours doesn't make for cute. I see plenty of cutely dressed people but I want comfort. It is a bigger place so I would recommend tennis shoes but again I  see people in all kinds of shoes.

Our Route
Our usual Zoo trip goes something like this....( and keep in mind this is a 4 and 2 year I'm taking )

We try to get there as early as we can to avoid the crowds and  the heat in the summer. We go through the south gates by Highway 40 and make our way to the right where we climb up the hill towards the big cats and large hooved animals.  There are many cool buildings with other animals that you can look at along the way but right now my kids have no interest in them and there are so many other animals to see that it doesn't matter. There are two baby lions that were out this morning and they are so cute you will want to take them home.

Mountain Bongo

Then we make our way back down the hill to the apes/monkeys,birds...

  around to the carousel.....

 

 ....bears, Living World ( not much for my two right now but tons of cool stuff),Children's zoo, Insectarium

and then on the River's Edge to see the hippos and Elephants, who are the girls favorite. There are folks all around the Zoo who are explaining the animals and will answer any questions that you can think of or will find out who can answer your questions if they can't. We finish up the day with a ride on the Zoo train which right now is the highlight of the trip, which is why it's left until the end.

New Baby Kenzie and her mom, Rani

Grandma Ellie, Mama Rani and  Baby Kenize- Three elephant generations. What a family.

My little photog K capturing the hippos

Being the ages they are, there is a bunch we don't do  but when they are older things will totally change I'm sure. I so recommend this place to anyone visiting from out of town with or without kids. It's one of my top 5 places to go here. I  have been in no way paid or compensated for this post at all. I just love this place and am so blessed that it is in the city where I live. Please come and enjoy it if you are ever in town.

Monday
What is the Gunny Sack -Making the world Cuter -Debbie Doo -DIY How Off
DIY Shop - Lines Across My Face -I should be mopping the Floor
Great Fun 4 Kids

Tuesday
How to Nest For Less - Tip Junkie - My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia -The Kurtz Corner
Sugar Bee - Romance On A Dime - Chronic Christian Crafter - Funky Polka Dot Giraffe
The Winthrop Chronicles


Wednesday
 Thrifty Home - Someday Crafts - Sew Much Ado
 Junk in Their Trunk  - Southern Lovely


Thursday
My rePurposed Life - Beyond the Picket Fence - Somewhat Simple - Live Laugh Rowe
Loving this Crazy Life -Scrappy Crafty Happy - Fireflies and Jellybeans - The Shabby Cottage
Quality Cheap Home  - The Taylor House
House of Hepworths

Friday
Naptime Crafters - Stay At Home Nation
Young and Crafty -  My Turn(ForUs)
Delicate Construction
Serenity Now
Family Ever After 
Here Comes the Sun

Saturday


Six Sister's Stuff
Be Different Act Normal


Sunday
Nifty Thrifty Things


Other Fun Blogs