St. Louis City Museum
City Museum
A visit to St. Louis wouldn’t be quite complete without a stop at City Museum, one of the top attractions throughout the entire city! This entire complex, located on Washington Avenue in the Loft District, was established in 1997 as a new museum, though it was for a much longer time an International Shoe Building factory. This repurposed architectural wonderland is filled to the brim with reused industrial objects from the city, as well as from the old factory. City Museum is a "constantly evolving art installation, playground, and discovery center," a truly magical experiment in marrying education with entertainment, learning with playing. While everything in this museum is one hundred percent safe, it is oftentimes jokingly suggested that visitors bring knee pads, with an incredible amount of tunnels, slides, and places meant only for crawling that may just provide some wear and tear for all of us above the age of 12.
The St. Louis City Museum is an impressive total of 600,000 square foot complex, so be sure to wear comfortable shoes and save plenty of time for exploration here. The objects found and repurposed inside provide an eclectic mix of an established playground, funhouse, and recycled architectural marvel. The entire museum is the brainchild of respected artist Bob Cassilly, a locally popular sculptor and entrepreneur. Among the many stories of the museum, your group will see old chimneys, salvaged bridges, concrete cranes, old tiles, and even two abandoned planes! Stop at the Shoe Lace Factory section to pick up newly made (though with the same old technique) laces or necklaces, or perhaps the museum gift shop for your very own unique and fun City Museum souvenir. If you work up an appetite while here don’t worry, there are five different full eateries within, from the fun Rooftop Cantina to the popular Cabin Inn or Tony’s BBQ!
