Our Vision

Forest Park is a gathering place for St. Louisans and our guests, an urban park filled with people, institutions, and activities that reflect our interests, culture, and history. It is a place to experience wonders, great and small, natural and man-made; it's an inspiring vista, an endangered species, an Old World masterpiece with new world technology. Here we may walk barefoot in the grass, hear the sweet song of a migratory bird, or watch young children catch their first fish. We may contemplate a piece of art, come face-to-face with a giant turtle, or take a journey back in time. We find reasons to celebrate our heritage, our hopes, and our happiness. Forest Park is more than a symbol of the beauty and tradition of St. Louis. It is a place we share, and for which we share responsibility.

The Glory of Forest Park

From its inception, scarcely more than a decade after the end of the Civil War, Forest Park has been a glorious place - beautiful and serene, full of excitement and discovery. It has been called the soul of St. Louis, the community's gathering place, and our regional back yard.

No other place is as uniquely St. Louis as Forest Park. It has witnessed our greatest achievements--from the 1904 World's Fair to family reunions each weekend, from the welcome home celebration for Charles Lindbergh to a grade school class discovering the wonders of nature, from world-renowned performers at the Muny to a young couple drifting quietly on a summer's lake. We are drawn to Forest Park, and it rewards us with a richness of sights, sounds and memories that reflect the greatness of the region and its people.

Its glory comes from the simplicity of its natural beauty and the diversity of uses that attracts millions of visitors each year. Where else can we do so many things ... or nothing at all? Where else can we go to get away without ever leaving? Where else can we experience what life used to be, or what it can be?