Free Things to Do in St. Louis
As my daughter is interested in becoming a veterinarian, zoos are always a fun diversion on our radar. The St. Louis, Missouri zoo’s FREE admission invites everyone to see the well laid out animal exhibits. The parking is $15 but close to the north and south entrances so you don’t have far to walk. Limited free street parking is available within the boundaries of Forest Park. Vehicles over 24 feet long cannot park in the zoo’s lot.
With the zoo’s free admission, it makes seeing special attractions easy on the wallet. The fun sea lion show was an additional $4/person but we lucked out and a family in line had three tickets they couldn’t use and gave us their extras. I felt like I was at Sea World. We learned that sea lions are very intelligent animals and the zoo animals need the mental stimulation that training provides. The show was well done.
Another exceptional exhibit that we saw was the penguin and puffin exhibit. We had to get our timed tickets from the nearby zoo train station but it was instant access and a nice scrapbook souvenir.
The penguins acted like little kids hopping around and having fun and diving into the water. One named Lucy was super friendly and floated on top of the water close to the people. The docent called her name and she looked up at him in acknowledgement.
In the exhibit, we were amused by a puffin taking a bath and splashing in the water like a carefree toddler. Puffins look similar to penguins in their black and white tuxedos but differ from penguins as they live in the northern hemisphere whereas penguins live near and in Antarctica. Puffins are also much smaller than penguins and can fly. It was a joy to watch all the penguins and puffins.
Since three hippos were lounging in the water next to the glass, we enjoyed watching them laze about and could closely examine their short whiskers, puffy cheeks, and cute faces. Hippos spend up to 16 hours a day submerged in rivers and lakes to stay cool. They need to resurface every 3-5 minutes to breathe but the process is automatic and can rise and breathe without waking.
As the day was warmer, we watched in amusement as the elephants covered their bodies in dust with their trucks and picked up grass to munch with amazing dexterity. The docile animals were actively enjoying being outside with an audience.
I could post a photo and commentary on many of the exhibits but you get the drift. The St. Louis Zoo is a wonderful FREE attraction to visit the animals and to walk around in lush surroundings. It is a must see if you enjoy many diverse animals and a nice stroll outdoors.
After the Zoo we drove past the Gateway Arch and returned to the RV to rest a bit before heading to the nearby Cahokia Mounds across the Mississippi River.