Why the City Museum in St. Louis is “Better than Disneyland”

Sharing is caring!

“Better than Disneyland” Jackson, age 10 after a day spent at City Museum.

What is City Museum? When I think of museums I think of places to memorialize history.  Or perhaps a place to celebrate children, science or cultures.  Museums our family attends are places of learning, experimenting and creating.  But none of these descriptions accurately illustrate what the City Museum in downtown St. Louis is.

Even after spending 8 hours at the City Museum, I am still struggling to find the words to describe what you will experience here.

However, I will attempt to explain it.

What is the City Museum?

The City Museum is a giant warehouse in Downtown St. Louis.  From one side, it looks like an old dilapidated 10-story building.  But as you come around to the front, you’ll see an exciting scene. 

A maze of welded tubes, bridges, airplanes hanging in the metal, slides, a bus on the roof, ball pits and castle towers.  This labyrinth of fun will have you climbing and sliding up and down all around. Inside the warehouse, you’ll find 600,000 square feet of fun to explore.

The City museum was mostly the brain child of Bob Cassilly who was a sculptor and engineer. It is built completely from reclaimed building material from around St. Louis.  Although the original engineer has recently passed away, new elements and areas are constantly being added to the museum. 

You won’t find any maps or guides when you get inside.  When I asked for advice on how to best do the place, those in charge stared blankly and just said, “Go explore!” You are free to discover where ever and however you want to. The kids and I were allowed to touch and climb on nearly everything.  The slides do have a height requirement, but besides that, nothing is off limits. 

City Museum: The Outside

Access to the outdoor area is from Level 1, through the cabin. Once outside, climb up the stairs or take the more scenic way through tunnels of metal poles.  My kids referred to them as “slinkys” because that is just what they looked like. There are 3-4 slides and 2 ball pits outside.  All roads lead to 3 entrances/exits. So let the kids go free.  When you are done squeezing your body through the spaces you can sit in the courtyard and watch your kids enjoy the climbing and sliding.  

My toddler did not enjoy this area much because she could see the ground and was fearful she would fall from such a height.  But as you climb in the tubes of metal, you will find that you are completely enclosed and falling is not an option.  It is completely safe, even if you can see miniature cars parked below.  Just keep little shoes on!

What will I find on Level 1?

Ocean 

The main area here has a giant whale, an aquarium, and other fish structures.  The white hanging from the ceiling makes you feel like you are swimming right in the ocean.  Climb up metal spirals right into the ceiling.  There is also an underground tunnel that comes up underneath the whales mouth.

Tree Forest  

At first sight this just looks like a couple of trees with some fallen logs.  Don’t be deceived.  Under the tree trunks, inside the logs and above the branches there are multiple exploration areas.

Caves

While my boy was enthused about this dark, cavernous area, my girls were too scared to explore.  There are several dragons lit up in various locations.  The cave opens up to large caverns but also has small tunnels and crawlspaces to investigate. Since the only way to the 10 story slide (see below) is through the caves, my girls braved the dark, dragons to get there.

Why stop on the Mezzanine?

Our family doesn’t usually buy food at museums because it is overpriced and usually poor selection and quality.  However, we were having so much fun playing at the City Museum, we didn’t want to waste any time to go find food elsewhere. 

We opted to eat-in at the Mezzanine food court called Samwiches.  There was a large selection of kid-friendly and delicious food.  The pizza, which was served in classic St. Louis style: thin crust, cut into squares, was delicious! 

After hours of playing, only when we stopped to fill our bellies did my kids notice all the art surrounding them.  They pointed out the mosaics in the pillars, the floors, and the ceilings.  They also took the time to contemplate how much effort, expertise and creativity went into this amazing structure and artwork.  I loved hearing their gasps at discovering the inlaid floor, the lizard wrapped around the pole and the art hanging from the ceiling. Taking a moment to pause and breath it in enhanced our experience.

Where to Visit on Level 2?

By the end of our stay we had slid, climbed and ran through level 2 a couple of times but hadn’t actually stopped on level 2.  My son was curious so we quickly looked around.  We found a giant vault with a mirror walk through that reflected our family in a million directions. 

Just when we thought the level was complete, we found a small, unassuming stairway that opened up into another underground labyrinth of climbing metal and levels. We could’ve spent another hour here, but we were out of time, so we left with level 2 barely touched.  When we return Level 2 and the Roof will be our first stop.

Our Favorite Spaces on Level 3

Circus

There were multiple showings of a circus.  This is a free show, mostly of a funny guy trying to juggle, do acrobatics and stunts.  It was entertaining and a nice sitting break from all the climbing around.  My toddler was a handful in here, but you can easily view from the glass-paneled walls outside the room.

Although it is free, they do ask for donations since they volunteer their time to perform at the museum.

Train and Bar

There is a small area for climbing and exploring behind a bar area.  My kids climbed over my head (and over the train tracks) to end up inside the miniature town display. 

I saw the train running earlier in the day so I think you can get a ride around the miniature town and in the tunnel, but it wasn’t running when we were there.

Toddler Area

Even though I have kids 2-10, we spent a large chunk of our time in the toddler area.  The place was empty when we arrived at around 6 pm.  This might not be the case on a busier day.

Even though it is reserved for the smaller folk, all 3 of my children spent time building with giant legos while our toddler climbed and explored to her heart’s content.  Finally, a place that was made especially for my 2-year-old.  She was a bit intimidated and nervous about some of the bigger climbing areas.  So this was perfect!

In the Toddler area, You will still find metal structures and slides, but on a smaller scale for the littlest ones.  If I were to re-do our day with the toddler I would start here to get her going on something more age appropriate.  I think she wouldn’t have been so nervous on the bigger structures if she I eased her into it more.

There is a small ball pit, several slides, a castle, giant legos and some chairs for a short rest for mom.

Ropes, Skateboard Ramps and Circular Pits

I don’t know how to describe this area, but basically it looked like a skateboard park, but there was no skateboards. There were no rules or explanation for how to play so my kids slid face first, ran up the ramps to grab the top and tried to keep their balance running on the steep inclines. 

Around the outside of the room, we swung from ropes across a small valley. 

The topsy turvy spinning chairs were a favorite in this area.  As an adult, the feeling of losing control and possibly falling backward is unnerving, but once you let go, spinning around and around can be exhilarating.

And wouldn’t you know it, there was so much movement, I only took video. No photos. Ha!

What to do on Level 4?

Art Room

When you need a short break from physical movement and play, take your turn creating in the art room.  The Art table here is the most odd shape on top.  This is because the paint hasn’t been cleaned off for over 10 years.  If you spill a bit , you just left your small mark at City Musuem that may just be there for another decade! 

The Art Room had several projects we worked on.  All of my kids enjoyed painting, as did the group of college girls sitting across from us.  Creating is a human experience that we all love.  Take time to make something great.  When you’re done, leave it to dry and pick it up as you leave the museum.

Architecture museum

For those attending without kids there are several exhibits to learn from.  I didn’t personally experience the museum of architecture due to my kids over desire to explore, but it is there for those who have time or interest.

10-story slide & 5-story slide

Height requirement for the 10 story slide is 48”. The 5 story slide is free to all.  But you must go one at a time with feet first so its up to you if you child is old enough to handle it. 

Through the cave area on the first level,  you will find a few signs to begin to ascend 10 floors to the 10 story slide.  It is a cool climb because looking down you can see the warehouse from top to bottom.  The slide itself is a twisty slide of sheet metal in varying degrees of steepness. There are a few parts you have to push yourself down and others you will be flying down.  I was very dizzy as I disembarked.

After going down the 10 story slide, turn around and climb up 1 story.  You are now at the 5 story slide.  Do both! 

Theres more? The Roof

The activities on the roof are only open seasonally (May-Sept) so we weren’t able to experience them. But not to worry, we will definitely be back for more.  Seeing the bus overhanging as well as a Ferris Wheel and multiple other structures on the top definitely made us curious!

Tips for Visiting the City Museum

• Go on Friday when there are fewer visitors and it is open late (until midnight!) Trust me, you’ll want lots of time there.
• Bring comfortable clothes that you can move freely in.  No skirts or dresses.  No headbands, jewelry or other accessories that might get in your way or be dropped.
• Let go of helicopter parenting and let the kids be kids. Be ok with allowing free exploration. You might lose sight or exact location of them for a while, but the tracks lead back to the main area eventually. 
• Set a meeting spot for the family in the case of getting lost on each level.  Don’t move levels without going together.
• Kneepads.  It might look strange, but your body will thank you later
• Be a kid again.  Get into the tunnel, climb through the tree roots, slide down the slides.  Experience the exhilaration of play again.
• Expect some head bumps and knee scrapes.  Bring bandaids and some kisses.  It only took a few minutes of sadness before my kids were on to the next thing.
• If you have a toddler, start in the toddler area on level 3.
• Eat on the Mezzanine for a quick, rejuvenating break.

Why go to the City Museum? 

We took our kids to Disneyland a month ago and emptied our savings account to do so. We had a full day of fun, excitement and magical experiences.  But a month later, after visiting the City Museum in St. Louis, my son enthusiastically declared,

“The City Museum was better than Disneyland!” 

When I questioned why, he replied,

“Nothing was off limits. I could touch everything, climb on everything, no waiting in lines.  I was free to explore and get lost.  There was something to look at everywhere.” 

Jackson, 10

I had to agree. 

We took a day trip to St. Louis in 2018.  We enjoyed the free zoo, free science center and incredible Gateway Arch.  Because St. Louis offered so many free venues, as a budget traveler, I couldn’t justify the expense of a museum for $15 per person.  However, after our experience at City Museum, I would gladly pay again and again to experience this delightful museum.

 As a family, we have visited multiple museums around the country and none compare to the unique, variety offered at the City Museum in St. Louis. 

So What is City Museum? You’ll have to go see for yourself!

You must add this to your bucket list!

If you liked this, you may like these posts, too!

Absolutely Free Science Center Free Zoo in St. Louis | Tips and Tricks for the Best Zoo Day A Day in St. Louis |Budget-Friendly Itinerary for Kids Children’s Museums | Tour of Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas