View Full List of Cities with Free Attractions

We evaluated the cost of admission for both adults and kids at zoos, science centers, art museums and history museums in cities like New York, Chicago and Seattle. And while many city attractions boast free admission for kids, there’s only a handful that offer no-cost entry for both kids and adults. And St Louis is the only city that offers free attractions in all four categories.

So, how exactly does St. Louis stack up? Take the San Diego Zoo. If a family of four visits this world-renowned animal paradise, it’ll cost them $148 to just set foot in the gate (adults-$42, kids-$32). If a family of four visits the St. Louis Zoo, it’s absolutely free. A pretty impressive fact considering there’s tons of world-class exhibits to explore—from the wildlife at the River’s Edge exhibit to the sub-Antarctic animals at the Wild exhibit. In fact, the St. Louis Zoo was ranked 3rd on Parents magazine’s list of top ten zoos for kids.

The St. Louis Science Center, known for the awe-inspiring OMNIMAX Theater and the James S. McDonnell Planetarium (which is one of the nation’s leading space education facilities), soared above the rest as the ONLY science center with free admission for both kids and adults. Even Kansas City’s Science City doesn’t have anything on St. Louis! Spending a day exploring attractions like the Planetarium or KC Rail Experience will set a family of four back about $50. And that’s before souvenirs or snacks.

And two of our top cultural institutions, the St. Louis Art Museum and History Museum, also top the list of budget-friendly destinations. A day at The Art Institute of Chicago costs a family of four with two children under age 14 $36. The same family can take in beautiful Monet masterpieces, expressionists’ landscapes and historical portraits for free at the Saint Louis Art Museum. Not to mention it’s free to park at our art museum—something you’d be hard-pressed to find in downtown Chicago.

So if you’re looking for world-class attractions at bargain-basement prices (FREE!), St. Louis is a natural travel destination. It’s just one of the many ways our city offers more (for less!).

One of the bridges connecting St. Louis with Illinois and all points east is the 6,442-foot long Eads Bridge, designed and built by James Buchanan Eads in 1874. The innovative structure was the world’s first alloy steel bridge and the first to depend entirely upon the use of the cantilever in the building of the superstructure. Across the river in Collinsville, Illinois, is the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, which was the settlement of the Mississippians between 800 and 1400 AD.

In addition to the iconic Gateway Arch, St. Louis is home to such celebrated landmarks as the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site, former 19th century home of the King of Ragtime, and St. Louis Union Station. The train station was completed in 1894 and was once the largest and busiest passenger rail terminal in the world.

Other prominent downtown landmarks include Christ Church Cathedral, designed in the early English decorated style by architect Leopold Eidlitz in 1867, and the 1892 Wainwright Building, a 10-story, red-brick, steel-frame building considered to be the first skyscraper ever built. The Anheuser-Busch Brewery is a historic red brick complex that includes the 1868 Lyon School and the Budweiser Clydesdale Stables, built in 1885.

White Haven was the home of Civil War General and United States President Ulysses S. Grant and his wife Julia during the 1850s. Grant married St. Louisan Julia Dent, the sister of his Jefferson Barracks roommate whom he met at the 1,000-acre plantation in 1843.

Missouri Botanical Garden (MBG), established in 1859, is the oldest functioning botanical garden in the country, and nearby Tower Grove Park, created by MBG founder Henry Shaw in 1868, features original Victorian ornamental pavilions, gateways and statues.