STL 250 Cake Quest - Grant's Farm

I know I went to Grant's Farm as a kid because I've seen pictures of me feeding the goats, however, I have no memory of being there. I am so glad that the STL 250 Cake Quest led us to Grant's Farm because we had the BEST day!

TIP #1: Go early. I should mention that this was our 2nd attempt at going to Grant's Farm. We showed up around 10am on a Saturday morning thinking we'd waltz right in.  Not even close.  In the summer months and especially on the weekends you need to get there right when the park opens if you don't want to wait in line for an hour. We got to Grant's Farm 15 minutes before it opened and we were not the first ones in line.  We did, however, make it on the first tram into the park which was key.

TIP #2: Bring your wallet. As my friend, Erin, pointed out: This attraction is one of the most expensive "free" attractions that St. Louis has to offer. You have to pay to park, pay for milk to feed the goats, pay to feed the birds, pay for the carousel ride, pay for the camel rides, pay for food and (non-alcoholic) drinks, pay to ride the paddleboats. If you are trying to cut back on costs, bring your own food or come on $1 hot dog days on Wednesdays. I also found a $5 off parking coupon too. Click here to print a parking coupon.

Now for the fun stuff!  

I was surprised that I didn't know that Grant's Farm is named after Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th president of the US.  He was gifted the land that Grant's Farm sits on by his in-laws and built a two-story log cabin (chopped the wood and everything) for him and his wife, Julia Dent, to live on.  He recruited some friends to help and the cabin was built in 3 days!  They named the cabin "Hardscrabble" referring to the harsh and difficult conditions because of poverty.  You can see the log cabin on the tram ride.

The tram ride is great (and one of the few free activities)! Everyone has to ride the tram to get into and out of the park. We saw cattle, deer, geese and horses from the tram.

When we got into the park, we first fed the goats.  Clara LOVED it! I wish I could figure out how to upload the video to Blogger, but no such luck. {Help, please?}  You might be able to click here to see it.

Sidney didn't enjoy the goats at all so as a consolation prize, we rode the carousel.

{Can you tell I discovered a new collage maker!?!?  It's piZap and I love it!}

Next we went to feed the birds.  Sidney took one look at all those people trapped in a giant bird cage with birds flying all over the place and said "Hell NO!"  Well, she's 4 so she probably just made a sad, nervous face and I got the message.  I asked Clara if she wanted to go feed the birds and she was practically scaling the bird cage trying to get in.

We walked around the park and saw the animals and then we went to have lunch in the Bauernhof, which is where the cake is located. This is also where you catch the tram to head back to the parking lot.

During the tram ride back to the parking lot, we learned that the Clydesdale stables are at the back of the parking lot.

There sure was a lot to see and do.  We didn't get to see the Animal Encounters show or ride a camel.  Guess we'll have to save up for another trip!

PS - Click here if you want to see some of our other STL 250 Cake Quests.

STL 250 Cake Quest - Citygarden & Midtown

This cake quest was so much fun - the kids are begging us to take them back! It was a perfect St. Louis summer day.

Click here for a printable PDF map.

Scottrade Center

Scottrade Center opened in 1994 and rests on the former site of Kiel Auditorium. It serves as the home of the NHL St. Louis Blues hockey team.

Ava and Sidney were too busy watch a movie in the car to get out for the first few cakes.

Stinkers!

Peabody Opera House

Peabody Opera House originally opened 80 years ago in 1934 as the Kiel Opera House. The Opera House stage has welcomed some of entertainment's greatest performers, including Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones.

Soldiers Memorial

Soldiers Memorial Museum officially opened on Memorial Day, May 30, 1938. The mission of Soldiers Memorial Museum is to honor the service and sacrifice of our military, our veterans, and their families and to facilitate learning and understanding about the military, veteran, and wartime (both battlefront and home front) experience.

Christ Church Cathedral

The construction of Christ Church Cathedral began in 1859 and the cathedral was dedicated Christmas Day 1867. On Sept. 19, 1901, the City of St. Louis gathered inside the Cathedral as the nation observed silence during the funeral of President William McKinley. A century later, on Sept. 11, 2001, the city came here once again to look for solace and God’s presence. The voices of Martin Luther King Jr. (50 years ago this March) and Desmond Tutu are just two of the power voices that have rung out from our pulpit.

St. Louis Public Library

St. Louis Public Library was built in 1912. Renovation and expansion of the building began in 2010 and finished in 2012 just in time for its 100th anniversary.

Campbell House

Campbell House, built in 1851, was the family home of Robert Campbell—a prominent figure in the history of St. Louis and of the American West Thousands of pages of family documents, including 60 photographs of the interior of the house taken around 1885, have been preserved.

St. Louis City Hall

Before "City Hall" existed, the town fathers met in private homes, banks, saloons, anywhere they could find a meeting place. Eventually a building was constructed for $13K on the Place D'Armes. The building was saved from the 1849 fire that destroyed much of downtown. However, the building was razed the following year. In 1851 another City Hall building was constructed using funds from a bond issue. Fire struck again in 1856, this time claiming the structure. A third "temporary" building was built in 1872 for $70K, known as "the barn". On Nov. 5, 1904, the current City Hall was officially completed costing $2M, double the original budget. The exterior was never fully completed due to lack of funds, however, it is praised for its "splendid architectural composition," and called "an impressive period piece of craftsmanship."

Old Post Office

Originally the U.S. Custom House and Post Office building in St. Louis, the Old Post Office is one of the most historically and architecturally significant buildings in America. The building was one of five grand U.S. Custom Houses built after the Civil War in America’s fastest growing cities: St. Louis, Boston, Cincinnati, New York and Philadelphia. These masterpieces of design and construction were built to last, but by 1942, all but ours had been demolished. Space in the Old Post Office is currently leased out to 10 tenants and is available for rental for special events.

I wish I could say that I took this picture. It's my favorite picture of the Old Post Office.  

Beautiful.

Citygarden

Citygarden was the highlight of our cake quest!  Sidney was so excited she couldn't even stay put long enough to be in the cake picture!

Citygarden opened in 2009. There are 23 contemporary and modern sculptures are currently on display. The plantings emphasize native Missouri trees, shrubs, grasses, ground covers and wildflowers and reflect our four distinct seasons.

You can also catch some live music performances at Citygarden.  
Here is a list of upcoming events:
August 15th –  Music by Root Diggers
August 20th – Music by Bottoms Up Blues Band
August 27th - Music by Miss Jubilee and the Humdingers
September 6th - Celebrate the anniversary of Citygarden at their Fabulous Flamingo Festival

Emmis Communications

We were pulling into the parking area at Union Station and I saw this cake. I thought it was the Union Station cake, which would have been odd considering the design. Turns out it the Emmis Communication cake. Emmis Communications owns several radio stations in the US and 4 in St. Louis. They are the presenting sponsor of the annual Moonlight Ramble, the longest running nighttime bike ride in the US. The ride that began with one rider has grown into an annual tradition with thousands of riders taking to the streets of St. Louis at midnight under the light of the moon.

Union Station

Finally we found the Union Station cake. You can tell from the picture that some of the kids are failing on us! Our plans to eat lunch at Union Station did not materialize.

Only the smiling kids are allowed on the cake. Sidney musters up a smile.

The following picture are courtesy of the Union Station website and Google images.

St. Louis Union Station opened on September 1, 1894 as the largest rail terminal in the United States.  The Station has three main areas:  The Headhouse, Midway and Train Shed.

Headhouse

The Headhouse originally contained the Terminal Hotel, railroad offices, ticket agencies waiting rooms and restaurants. The pinnacle of the Headhouse is the Grand Hall’s 65 foot barrel-vaulted ceiling and stained glass windows. Today, the Grand Hall’s original features are enhanced with comfortable seating areas and a Starbuck’s (ha!). 

Midway

The Midway is the large, roofed area connecting the Headhouse to the massive Train Shed.  During the 1940’s, more than 100,000 passengers a day crossed the tiled floor on the way to different destinations.

  

Train Shed

The great Train Shed covered 11.5 acres and 32 tracks and was the largest in the world at the time.

Today, Union Station is being re-energized as a unique destination; anchored by a conference center/exhibit hall and a Doubletree by Hilton Hotel, along with retail and entertainment amenities.

One of the most famous places in Union Station is The Fudgery. 

We, of course, got suckered in to buying 3 slices of fudge! I recommend the Chocolate Caramel Nut fudge. Yum! We may not have time for lunch but certainly there is time for fudge!

PS - Click here to see some of our other STL 250 Cake Quests.

STL 250 Cake Quest - Eureka

If you are looking to do something outdoors with your kids that is free, low-key and relatively stress-free, you should consider heading to Eureka. Lone Elk Park, World Bird Sanctuary and the Endangered Wolf Center are all located very near to each other and make for an easy and fun outing with the kiddos! 

Click here for a printable PDF map.

Lone Elk Park

Lone Elk Park opened to the public on October 17, 1971.  
It serves as a wildlife management area with bison, wild turkey, waterfowl, elk and deer.

While there are some places that you can get out of your car and look around, Lone Elk Park is mostly viewed from the car. My kids love to take off their seat belts and hang out the windows looking for animals. They take their cameras along to try to get some pictures of the animals too.

We stopped to see their cake. It is located behind the ranger/visitor center. 

World Bird Sanctuary

World Bird Sanctuary was founded in 1977 by Walter Crawford, Jr. Today, Crawford continues to direct the organization he founded with a full time staff of 25 and 305 acres of Missouri hardwood forest.

They have nice bird houses made of real wood that you can have for a $2 donation.  Check out my World Bird Sanctuary post from last year.  We got a couple of bird houses and took them home to paint them and hang them in the back yard.

Clara is relaxing with a drink at the amphitheater where they hold many of their events and demonstrations.  

Here's a list of some of their upcoming free events:

Keeper Talks: Every Saturday & Sunday @ 9am 

Amazing Animal Encounters: Every Saturday (11:30am and 2:00pm)and Sunday (1:30pm) from Memorial Day to Labor Day

Birds in Concert: Every Thursday evening in August @ 7 - 8:30pm

Bird Banding: 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month through August

International Vulture Awareness Day: September 6 @ 10am - 3pm

Annual Open House: October 18th & 19th @ 10am - 4pm

Endangered Wolf Center

The Endangered Wolf Center was founded in 1971 by Marlin Perkins, longtime director of the St. Louis Zoo, and his wife Carol. Their mission is to preserve and protect Mexican gray wolves, red wolves and other wild canid species. The dogs in the new Painted Dog exhibit at the Zoo came from the Endangered Wolf Center.

We didn't have time to check out the Endangered Wolf Center but after I took this picture, a car drove up and a mom and her son got out to take a picture with the cake.  We started talking and she mentioned that her son has attended their Wolf Camp for the past 4 summers and loves it.  They also attend a lot of the other special event that they have during the year and they really like the Wolf Howls.

Wolf Fest 2014, the Endangered Wolf Center’s annual open house, will be held Saturday, September 27 from 9am - 5pm.

PS - Click here to see some of our other STL 250 Cake Quests.

STL 250 Cake Quest - Forest Park (Part 2)

I know I said that the MO Botanical Garden/The Hill Cake Quest was my favorite, but our latest trip to Forest Park is a very close second, if not a tie for first.  The combination of amazing weather and well rested kids made the day near perfect.  If only my nieces could have come with us and if Clara hadn't fallen asleep right before we got to Turtle Playground...I guess that means we'll be back!

Here are the highlights from our trip:

St. Louis Zoo

We went to the Zoo with my niece, Elizabeth, a different day.  

The cake is near the ticket booths at the South Entrance.  

This is a great place to start your cake quest in Forest Park.  

Check out the map below for more details.

World's Fair Pavilion

There is lots of space to run around and play.

St. Louis Art Museum

The girls wanted their pictures taken by all the statues.

Families can visit SLAM every Sunday between 1-4pm for hands-on art activities and a 30 minute tour.  Click here for more info.

Forest Park Forever

There is a great playground (called Variety Wonderland) next to the visitor's center.

The girls found these rocks next door.

The Muny

Future thespians?

Jewel Box

We stopped to have lunch and blow bubbles.

Steinberg Skating Rink

This cake is dedicated to the Great Forest Park Balloon Race.  The next race will be held September 20 (Balloon Glow will be the evening of September 19).

Planetarium

There are some dinosaurs near the Blue Angels plane that we didn't get to see because an unhappy Security Guard asked me to please move my car as it had been parked illegally in the circle for almost 10 minutes. Sorry!

St. Louis Science Center

The girls really liked the rocket ship candle on the cake!

St. Louis Arena

The cake is located on "center ice" of St. Louis Arena. It was built in 1929 and demolished in 1999 and was home to the St. Louis Blues. It was also called The Checkerdome (after building owner Ralston Purina) from 1977 to 1983 and more commonly as "The Barn".

Clara is not pictured in this cake - she fell asleep in the car!

Turtle Playground

Unfortunately since Clara was asleep in the car and the parking lot was packed full of cars, we couldn't get out to take a picture with the cake.  

Guess we'll have to come back another time!

Dogtown

Dogtown cake (minus Clara) Dogtown is best know for it's St. Patrick's Day parade. In the mid-1800s, Dogtown was a small mining community and “Dogtown” was a term used in the 1800s by miners to describe a group of small shelters around mines.

The Cheshire

The Cheshire Inn started as a modest hamburger joint 80 years ago. It is now a luxury boutique hotel with 4 great restaurants and a pool.

Here is a map of the Forest Park cakes.  The streets in Forest Park are well signed so you should be able to follow it.

Click here for a printable PDF file of the map above.

Click here to see our Forest Park (Part 1) Cake Quest.

Click here if you want to see some of our other STL 250 Cake Quests.