St. Louis Science Center

Tower Grove

view website

Forest Park, 5050 Oakland Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63110
800-456-7572
314-289-4400

You have successfully saved this Thing To Do.

See it in My Wishlist

Rate St. Louis Science Center:

Babies

Toddlers & Pre-K

School-Age Kids

Pre-Teens & Teens

St. Louis Science Center Description

Instead of demonstrating scientific concepts behind glass, the St. Louis Science Center creatively allows kids to experiment on their own. Watch medical transplant surgery while handling artificial organs, direct a fan to create dune erosion, take your own blood pressure, and solve geometric puzzles. Demonstration topics dare to cover the wacky, such as delving into the science of Peeps marshmallow candies. In addition to science exhibits, the center houses an IMAX movie screen and a planetarium with a two-level space station that illustrates how astronauts eat, sleep, and dress in space.

Kid Tips

Toddlers & Pre-K: Much of the museum is over their heads, but the Discovery Room (aimed at ages 3 through 7) engages them in science through play with magnets, a water table, and dress-up costumes.

School-Age Kids: The children's zoo, where engaging docents quiz the kids about everything from why an owl's face is bowl-shaped to the appearance of different kinds of animal dung, is completely captivating to this crowd.

Pre-Teens & Teens: Super engaging, hands-on experiments involving perception and brainteasers in the Human Adventure section delight kids 12 and up. Kids this age are also eligible for the Segway tours of Forest Park ($15-$35) that leave from the museum. If you don't have time for the full tour, the 5 minute sampler for $5 is still a riot.

Planning Notes

Either/or. Unless you've got a budding Einstein in your charge, visiting the general science exhibits and the planetarium may be too much stimulation for one day.
Open your wallet. While admission to the general museum is free, special exhibits are not, so if you've come for those, expect to pay nominal admission fees.
Bring your own food. Though there's a snack bar and a Pizza Hut, you'll save a bundle by bringing your own lunch. Leave it in the lower level rental lockers while you tour.
Make your own dinosaur. St. Louis-based Build-A-Bear offers a Science Center spin on designing your own plush toy: Build-A-Dino ($15-$20).

Related Vacations