kids fun in St. Louis this holiday season

Cold-Nosed Candids with Santa at Purina Farms

Gather your pack – your kids and your cold-nosed companions – for a pet-friendly visit with Santa this year at Purina Farms. Cold-Nosed Candids are for families and their cats and dogs to have their photos taken with Santa, have snowball fights, visit the gift shop and more.

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Supper With Santa at The Butterfly House

Santa is making a stop at The Butterfly House before he makes his trip around the world, and he wants to enjoy a meal with your family! Enjoy a delicious dinner, visit Santa's Workshop and Mrs. Claus's Cookie Kitchen, and have your picture taken with the guest of honor - Santa!

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Visits with Santa at The Magic House

Santa is coming to St. Louis and is parking his sleigh at The Magic House! Children can visit with Santa, deliver their wish list to him, and have their picture or their whole family's picture taken with Santa.

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Winterfest

The magical sights of the Gateway Arch Park Foundation's Winterfest return to downtown St. Louis this holiday season. Winterfest includes family fun, beautiful holiday lights, s'mores stations, ice skating and festive activities and fireworks, plus special character visits and a New Year's Eve celebration.

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Photos with Santa at Eckert's

Visit Eckert Farms in Belleville and have pictures taken with Santa.

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Holiday Lights at Grant's Farm: Drive-Through and Walk-Through Experience

Grant's Farm welcomes visitors this holiday season to the 2024 Holiday Lights Drive-Through and Walk-Through Experiences featuring dazzling light displays, Santa and Mrs. Claus, a 50-foot LED Christmas tree, Clydesdale photos, and more.

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Grinch Slime & Storytime

Join in on some Grinch-tastic fun at Play Street Museum! At Grinch Slime + Playtime, kids will enjoy a special storytime featuring the Grinch storybook, then make some Grinch-y slime!

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Things to Do

Not-So-Haunted House at The Magic House

Saturday, October 10, 2026

Sunday, October 11, 2026

It's the Not-So-Haunted House that is oh-so-fun, where storybook characters come alive! Kids are invited to dress in their most "boo-tiful" Halloween costumes and have a ghoulishly good time going on a spook-tacular scavenger hunt throughout The Magic House to find trick-or-treat locations and seeing their favorite storybook characters.

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Halloween Nights at Grant's Farm

Saturday, October 10, 2026

Get into the Halloween spirit with some spooky fun and celebrate with the animals at Grant's Farm. Enjoy Halloween tram rides featuring Halloween lights, spooky scenes, live actors, scare zones, a Halloween-themed show, monster mash party and more. Costumes are encouraged.

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Open Gym at Miss Kelly's Gym in Creve Coeur

Saturday, October 10, 2026

Friday, October 16, 2026

Kids can work on existing gym skills, learn new skills or just play around during Open Gym at Miss Kelly's Gym in Creve Coeur.

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Best of Missouri Market

Saturday, October 10, 2026

Sunday, October 11, 2026

The Best of Missouri Market at the Missouri Botanical Garden features more than 150 vendors offering handcrafted items, locally produced food, native plants, herbs, live music and local brews, plus a two-acre Kid's Corner with farm animals (like llamas, alpacas and sheep!), circus performers, face painting, crafts, and a pumpkin patch with decorating let by Perennial.

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Halloween Workshops at Yucandu Art Studio

Saturday, October 10, 2026

Friday, October 16, 2026

Saturday, October 17, 2026

Kids in kindergarten through 5th grade can fun evenings making spooky crafts. Parents can drop off their kids and enjoy an evening out. Enrollment is limited.

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Popular Stories

Dinoroarus Comes Roaring Back at the Saint Louis Zoo

The Dinoroarus exhibit brings prehistoric fun back to the Saint Louis Zoo this summer with 20 lifelike dinosaur animatronics and sculptures on the Zoo's Historic Hill.

Get Ready to Climb and Explore at These Free Big Truck Days

If your kids love to explore big trucks and vehicles, these upcoming Big Truck Days are a perfect weekend or weeknight outing. They'll get to climb on and explore fire trucks, police vehicles, bulldozers, bucket trucks, ambulances and lots more.

Travel Back in Time Every Friday at the Missouri History Museum’s Free Summer Family Fun Series

There comes a point every summer when all that “free time” isn’t so fun anymore. Your kids are bouncing off the walls, it’s too hot to hit the playground, and every activity seems to come with a big price tag. That’s when the screens come out, and parents find themselves counting down the minutes to bedtime. Thankfully, when Friday rolls around each week, your family can experience a mini summer getaway through history – no travel required.

City Museum's Stuff the Bus Campaign Provides School Supplies for 160 St. Louis Schools

Visit City Museum August 3-31, bring school supplies to donate, and get discounted admission! That's the idea behind City Museum's Stuff the Bus campaign.

Your Guide to Free Outdoor Family Movies this Summer

Seeing a movie at the theater is a magical experience, but when summer rolls around, it’s time to get outside and enjoy free movies under the stars! Free family movie nights abound across the St. Louis area, so grab your kids, a blanket or lawn chairs, and get ready for some cinematic fun. Here's where to find them:

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Find yourself at Forsyth on Sunday, October 25, 3:00–5:00 pm for All-School Open House! Perfect for families with candidates for any and every grade, All-School Open House is a wonderful opportunity to meet our classroom and specialist teachers, chat with current students and families, and hear from Head of School Rob Butler. Advance registration is required.

Forsyth School fosters a spirit of curiosity and joy, empowering children age 2 through Grade 6 to pursue challenges with confidence. At Forsyth, our talented and caring teachers encourage students to explore and question, enabling them to learn deeply. Each child's unique identity is known, celebrated, and nurtured by our supportive community. The results are profound: children take risks, pursue challenges, and find joy in learning. The "Forsyth experience" is enriched by the school's unique campus, location, and commitment to the natural world. LEARN MORE AND RSVP

Lace up and leash up for a great cause! You and your dog are invited to run, jog, or walk in the Purple Leash 5K & Fun Run at Purina Farms. Compete for top dog in the 5K race or take it easy in the 1-mile fun run. Put your paws to the pavement and then head over to the TAILgate after party for food, drinks, music and more all while raising awareness for the Purple Leash Project. All purple outfits and purple dog gear are highly encouraged! The Purple Leash Project was born out of the Purina mission to bring and keep pets and people together and the RedRover® mission to bring people and their pets from crisis to care. Your support of the Purple Leash Project assists domestic violence shelters on their journey to welcome family pets by funding pet-friendly renovations. Sunday, October 11. FIND OUT HOW TO REGISTER

The Missouri History Museum celebrates education and family learning with History Exploration Days! One Friday per month from September to May, homeschool families with kids of all ages can explore a different historical topic—together! All activities are FREE. Explore St. Louis history in new and exciting ways through interactive guided gallery tours, hands-on workshops, and community performances that align with each month’s theme, encouraging investigation, exploration, and creative fun. Activities are offered at various times throughout the day and are customized for specific grade-level groups.

Storytelling takes place in the morning, and all ages are welcome. Visit the craft room for fun learning experiences, with museum educators available to help learners participate in meaningful ways. Topics this school year include colonial St. Louis, baseball, Black history, and wildlife. Detailed schedules for each day will be posted to the Museum’s website. The program is offered on October 9, November 13, December 11, January 15, February 19, March 19, April 9, and May 14. LEARN MORE

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