STL 250 Cake Quest - Purina Farms

I don't remember ever going to Purina Farms as a kid.  Surprising because this was a very fun and FREE day!

We started out in the Pet Center checking out the cats and dogs.  Ava and Sidney were a bit scared of the dogs, but not Clara. She was practically climbing in their cages.

They also had trainers demonstrating some of the dogs' tricks.

Next we went to the Barn and Play Area.  Ava surprised me and asked if she could milk a cow!

The barn had all kinds of animals to look at/pet.  There was also a play area in the barn's loft with tunnel mazes and corn/hay tables.

Lastly, we saw a dog show in the Dog Arena.

Like I said, everything was free except food and gift shop items.  After the dog show we sat at the picnic tables and had lunch. Such a fun day!

Unfortunately, when we visited, their STL 250 Cake had been taken to Forest Park for the Fourth of July events so we missed seeing their cake.  I'm still counting it though!

Here are some upcoming events from their event calendar that you may be interested in:
- Back to School Stock Up: August 2-3, 2014 @ 9:30am - 4pm
- Petapalooza: August 24, 2014 @ 11am - 4pm
- Howl-oween Canine Costume Contest: October 12, 2014 @ 11:30am
- Haunted Hayloft: October 17-19 & 24-26, 2014

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

STL 250 Cake Quest - Clayton

The Clayton cake hunt turned out to be a lot more fun than I expected.  Here is my map:

If you want a printable PDF version of this map, click here.

We found the cake at The Cheshire during our second Forest Park cake quest so today we started out at Concordia Seminary.

Concordia Seminary

Concordia Seminary is beautiful as was their cake. 

It is the second oldest Lutheran seminary in the U.S. 

We walked around the grounds for a while before heading out.

Francis Field

Francis Field was the home of the 1904 Olympic Games.

The cake was right next to the main gate.

Historic Hanley House

I love the giant tree stump that served as the cake's base.

This house was built in 1855 and remains the oldest structure in the City of Clayton.  It once stood on 104 acres of farmland.  Mr. Hanley and his wife lived in this home with their 11 children.

Centene Corporation

Centene Corporation is a national leader in the healthcare services field.

St. Louis County Courthouse

This cake was located between the St. Louis County Police Headquarters and the County Courthouse near the big grassy area.

Brown Shoe Company

Brown Shoe Company is a $2.5 billion global footwear company.

This stop was so much fun!  The girls played on the giant high heel shoe statue forever!

Everyone had to try on a pair of heels.

Shaw Park

This is the stop we've been waiting for...Shaw Park!

Established in 1935, this is Clayton's oldest park.

We headed straight to Tree Top Playground.

One of the great things about this playground/sprayground combo is that it's entirely fenced in.  As long as the gates stay closed, the kids will have a hard time escaping.  Another great thing is the picnic area.

After a quick refueling, the kids were ready to go back and play some more.

This is the map I used to get around Shaw Park.  

The cake is located outside the Aquatic Center on Brentwood Blvd.

Click here for a printable PDF version.

Sweetology

On the way home we drove by Sweetology.

Unfortunately, Clara and Sidney couldn't eat the delicious cupcakes because of their food allergies so the girls picked out some fancy lollipops instead.  The lollipops are so pretty that they don't want to eat them!

Clayton is such a beautiful city.  I can't wait to come back again!

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

STL 250 Cake Quest - Busch Stadium

Tim and I have not been to Busch Stadium since the opening of Ballpark Village.  It is pretty incredible!

There is a mini baseball field outside with some food vendors and tables around the perimeter, but otherwise, I'd say it's geared toward adults.

The inside provides some great people watching and there are lots of great restaurants.

You can buy tickets to sit in the Cardinals Nation AT&T Rooftop seats and the Budwiser Brew House Deck.

And if you're near the stadium, you have to find the STL 250 Cake. It's down by the statues near the 33rd base side.

Here is a map of some other STL 250 cakes near Busch Stadium.

If you want to download a printable PDF version of this map, click here.

Here are some upcoming promotions from their calendar that you may be interested in:

- Cards vs. Brewers August 2 @ 6:15pm: Free kids backpack

- Cards vs. Brewers August 3 @ 1:15pm: Mini Clydesdale by Build-A-Bear Workshop (first 12,000 fans age 15 and under)

- Cards vs. Pirate September 1 @ 1:15pm: Kids Run the Bases and Kids growth poster

- Cards vs. Rockies September 14 @ 1:15pm: Six Flags free ticket day (kids 48" and under)

- Cards vs. Reds September 19 @ 7:15pm: Fireworks Night (after the game)

Go Cards!

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

STL 250 Cake Quest - Delmar Loop

I hadn't been to the Loop in a long time.  In some ways, it hasn't changed a bit.  There are some new restaurants and new buildings, but the place I associate with the Loop were still there - Blueberry Hill, Vintage Vinyl, Tivoli Theater and Fitz's Rootbeer.  My parents and my two nieces came with us to explore the Loop while finding STL 250 cakes.  We had a blast!

We parked our cars by the Lion Gates since all the cakes were in walking distance.  Here is a map of our walking route:

Click here for a printable PDF map.

Lion Gates

The cake is painted in chalkboard paint and asks "So where did you go to high school?"  There is a box for chalk attached to the cake (it was empty) so you can write where you went to high school.  I think I prefer SJA's cake more ;)  

COCA

I was surprised that the COCA cake was so simply decorated since they are a national leader in innovative community arts education.  Less is more, maybe?

Vintage Vinyl

The store has a pretty neat history.  Click here to read about how they started by selling records at the Soulard Farmer's Market to make enough money to rent a store front.

St. Louis Walk of Fame

There are 140 brass stars along the Walk of Fame.  The individuals inducted into the Walk of Fame fulfilled two criteria:

1. They must have been born in St. Louis or have spent their formative or creative years here.

2. Their accomplishments must have had a national impact on our cultural heritage.

Chuck Berry is the only inductee that also has a statue!

I was so surprised by all the famous names I recognized.  Here are just a few:

Click here to see all of the inductees and read about their accomplishments.

Blueberry Hill

The gradual turnaround of The Loop began in the early 1970s when nationally renowned Blueberry Hill opened.

Tivoli Theater

The Tivoli opened in 1924, 90 years ago, and was renovated in 1995.

Moonrise Hotel

The Moonrise Hotel has the world’s largest man-made moon rotating above the Rooftop Terrace Bar with great views of the city.

The Moonrise Hotel is also next door to Pin-Up Bowl!

We had a great time bowling and we had the whole place to ourselves!

Regional Arts Commission

The Regional Arts Commission is "a generous sponsor of STL250".

We worked up quite an appetite so we walked over to Fitz's for some HUGE treats!

Ava drank her entire chocolate shake!

Note to self: Sit outside on the patio next time.  Sidney was so cold (and she wasn't even eating ice cream!) that she tucked her arms inside her shirt and stuck her little hands out one sleeve so she could eat her Oreos!  Nana kept her arm around Sidney to try to keep her warm too!  Ha!

We also checked out the bottling factory before we left.

We are all still dreaming about our desserts - we will be back Fitz's!