The Ultimate St. Louis Summer Checklist

Baseball fan or not, the energy at Busch Stadium is palpable, the excitement of Cardinals Nation intoxicating. Get tickets to see the birds at bat and experience the magic of ballpark franks, Arch views and cheering fans.

A summer rite of passage for locals and visitors alike, float trips offer an easygoing escape full of natural wonders, fascinating wildlife and next-level fun. At Brookdale Farms, your crew can rent canoes, kayaks, rafts or inner tubes for an unforgettable journey down the Meramec River.

Created by Ted Drewes in 1959, the concrete stars frozen custard and your choice of mix-ins – think butterscotch, pistachio, tart cherry and cookie dough. Thick enough to serve upside down, concretes are best enjoyed on the custard stand’s asphalt parking lot along historic Route 66.

Free for all, the Saint Louis Zoo is a wild adventure at any age. As you meet pouncing tigers, swinging monkeys and preening penguins, you’ll learn about the zoo’s work to save endangered species and their habitats around the world. Enhance your visit with a train ride or sea lion show. 

Starting at the banks of the Mississippi River, Gateway Arch National Park is a hotspot for history buffs, architecture enthusiasts and thrill seekers. If you just want to relax among the beautiful park grounds, pick up picnic essentials at The Cobblestone STL on Laclede’s Landing.

Paradise is a paddle away, and Big Muddy Adventures can prove it. Whether you want to board a riverfront adventure, embark on a full moon float or add a bike ride along the Katy Trail, river trips top our bucket list of things to do during a St. Louis summer.

Summer where the lawn rocks! Every year, Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – St. Louis welcomes a diverse lineup of major artists who put on epic shows, rain or shine. And thanks to affordable lawn seats, you can see more than one this season.

Refreshing suds, reenergizing snacks, relaxed socializing and reliable fun – you can’t go wrong with a St. Louis summer day at the biergarten. Local breweries, including 4 Hands Brewing Co. in Kirkwood, Anheuser-Busch Companies in Soulard, Rockwell Beer Co. in Francis Park and Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. in Midtown, appeal to a variety of imbibers.

Take flight at Adventure Valley, where 10 zip lines propel you through a beautiful, wooded ridge located 40 minutes from downtown St. Louis. On one zip line – which is more than 1,100 feet long – you can reach speeds up to 50 miles per hour!

In Maryland Heights, RYZE Adventure Park offers more than 100 obstacles, plus a heart-stopping zip line and a death-defying free fall, on its four-story Adventure Tower. Are you up for the challenge? The Adventure Tower isn’t linear, so you can make your own course, picking and choosing the activities that you want to do.

Welcoming guests from one to 100, Fitz’s delivers Americana excellence at its restaurants in the Delmar Loop and South County. Fitz’s makes more than 20 flavors of craft soda – all of which can be turned into gigantic ice cream floats – but you can’t go wrong with Fitz’s Root Beer Float. 

“All the world’s a stage” – including Forest Park, where the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival dazzles audiences with unparalleled masterpieces summer after summer. Performances are “free forever to everyone always,” with local eats and drinks available for purchase.

Families with kids flock to Grant’s Farm – and for good reason. The St. Louis treasure boasts more than 900 animals, from antelopes to yaks and camels to Clydesdales, along with storied architecture. People love to feed the goats, but be careful – those little guys can be aggressive!

For more than 105 years, The Muny has filled Forest Park with the sounds of Broadway. Staged at the largest outdoor musical theater in the country, the shows are enchanting, electrifying and empowering, and every night, there are free seats available on a first-come first-served basis.

Everybody scream! Six Flags St. Louis boasts nine exhilarating rollercoasters with more than 22,000 feet of combined track. Need to cool off? Head to Hurricane Harbor, a water park inside Six Flags St. Louis, where beach vibes and wild waves abound.

Water slides, wave pools and lazy rivers – Raging Rivers Waterpark specializes in sun-kissed bliss. Sail down the Mississippi Monster, Cascade Body Flumes and Swirlpool and then relax in a rented cabana with an ice-cold drink.

You’re never too old to play in the dirt. Eckert’s Orchards took root in 1837, and today, there are three farms just across the river in Southern Illinois, where you and your family can pick everything from strawberries to peaches and apples to pumpkins.

Let’s go to the beach-each! Sandcastle Beach at The Magic House is open until July 6. At the children’s museum, you and your little ones can take a stroll along the boardwalk, search for seashells in the sand and snap photos with a 65-ton sandcastle!

Follow the glow of the neon sign to enjoy the latest Hollywood blockbusters under the stars. Open in Belleville, Illinois, since 1949, Skyview Drive-In dazzles film lovers with retro charm and modern amenities.

Where the Mississippi and Missouri rivers meet, the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area offers a natural playground for outdoor enthusiasts. Among the wetlands, forests and open fields, the seasonal sunflowers are the showstopper. Come July and August, their sunny faces star in thousands of selfies.

Serving tasty fare to hungry visitors, The Boathouse is a vibrant Forest Park pit stop. Once you’ve refueled, rent a paddleboat, canoe or kayak from Big Muddy Adventures for a miniature expedition of Post-Dispatch Lake.