City Museum Reviews

We did not know what we were getting into and we are so glad we went! Our kid is the youngest (by far) of his cousins and did a great job keeping up with all the family fun so on our last day of vacation we took him to the City Museum because we were told it was "kid friendly." Um...this is a giant indoor/outdoor playground, climbing, activity park which was perfect for blowing off a bunch of steam before getting in the car the next day for a six hour drive home. Our only regret is not having a friend with us for even more fun.

The place is dark, smells dirty, and appears impossible to keep clean... It's an accumulation of all kinds of junk, reused, which in and of itself is not bad, but it's a hodgepodge, jumbled up, with touches of whimsicality but mostly just unsightly. One adult in our party loved it, but she loves old things and junk and antiques. The other three adults were bored and had to go outside because of the smell. I think the amusement company that now owns this is milking it and not keeping it up.

We were in town for a soccer tournament and I took 3 14 year old boys. We left within 30 min of being there. We had been there before 4 years ago and had a better experience. This time it was way to crowded. I thought they were limiting people coming in (bought tickets online) but if that was limited it is crazy. You could not hardly walk around or move. Many things were blocked off and not open. I was so glad I had older kids that could go off on their own and come back to me. I would have been a nervous wreck trying to keep track of little kids.

Took a 6 year old granddaughter and 4 adults, we all found something of interest. Slides and tunnels for the younger set and architecture for the older crowd. Liked the vintage shop for unique International Shoe mementos. The International Shoe Company v. Washington case is the first case in Civil Procedures for all first year law students, and this was their corporate headquarters.

This place was crazy confusing. There’s a lot of cool things in there but no directions. People just went everywhere. It’s dark in most places so was scared I’d lose my 7 year old. The dinosaur park upstairs was fun along with the spinny chairs. The arcade was small and costs $6 per person. Several of the pinball machines weren’t working. They do have other arcade games like mrs pacman and space invaders. I think it’s suitable for mostly 10 and up. It was super crowded and hot inside. There’s several places to get food but expensive. Get tickets ahead of time to avoid long lines. They don’t take cash for anything inside.

You really cannot go wrong with this place I’ve been pre covid and during covid and it’s amazing there isn’t much you can say you just have to experience it it’s like nothing else

This was our first trip to the City Museum. We got there about 20 minutes after they opened. Wow! We were amazed at the number of slides and climbing areas for kids AND adults! We easily spent 6 hours here and our 8 year-old, 9-year old and two 15 year-old teenagers were exhausted. I was concerned that my teenagers wouldn’t like it, but they loved it. Even if you have older kids that aren’t into the climbing, slides, etc., there’s 1/2 of a floor that has about 60 different old fashioned pinball machines that the kids can play for a flat fee.
Would have given it 5 stars, but deducted one star for the following:
-The employees were rude
-Only 1/2 of the pinball games were working at the time
-No maps, so you really don’t know what’s there or what you missed.

If you haven’t been- go! It’s a great experience!

1st, bring knee pads. 2nd, have a blast in the world’s foremost human sized game of Chutes and Ladders. seriously. Where was this when I was a kid?! As an adult, I’ve never shoved myself thru such tiny spaces and had such fun! Innovative and creative. More cities need something like this for kids to experience a sense of wonder. [adult side note: the collection of architectural pieces and art is so cool!]

This place is like a big children’s museum for adults and kids. You need to buy tickets online. We parked in the lot at the museum for $10 which was convenient but the lot is small and fills up quickly, so get there early. When we arrived we had to wait in line about 30 minutes before we got into the museum, the museum opens at 10 and we were there about 10 minutes before 10. Once inside we bought the roof top experience. The view from the roof top is amazing. We climbed up the preying mantis and then slide down the slide. The Ferris wheel was closed due to high wind, but we enjoyed all the other roof top experiences. We went back inside to explore and we especially enjoyed the caves. We went on the 10 story slide, which is really only 7 stories long. The line for the slide was about an hour long and the slide is circular, so if you get dizzy, either do it last or don’t do it. I was so dizzy after getting off the slide I crawled over to the wall to rest before getting up. We went outside to the other climbing features which were very cool. Everything about the museum is artistic so it was fascinating to explore. You cannot leave the museum and come back, so either be prepared to eat there or maybe pack a lunch and leave it in a locker. We spent about 4 hours exploring the museum.

I would describe this place as a kids fun zone vs. a museum. I appreciate the concept - repurposing and salvaging things from the city of St. Louis to create the entire place, but with all the kids running around playing it was very challenging for me to actually admire and take in the beauty of the work and design elements that went into this. Would have been helpful to have a guide or brochure that explained each of the pieces and the materials they were made out of and where from. This is recommended as a "must do" while in St Louis, but for our group, it was just okay

I am not really sure how to explain it, you just have to experience it. The day we visited it was raining so the roof and outside were closed. Still there was plenty to see and do and we had fun. If you are concerned about Covid, DO NOT come here as it is crowded and you must touch shared surfaces.

Getting the disclosure out, this is like a play house back in the day before anything was virtual. Yes you could say it is a real life "Shoots and Ladders" but it also have cool architectural detail and a mismatch of styles and periods. It has an old school arcade, modern art display and did I say a lot of slides and climbing apparatus. They are quick to tell you there are no maps and the goal is to get lost. A little hint, DON'T TRUST any directional sign you read other than the line to pay.

With that said, it is refreshing to have an old school place to simply have fun. People 50 and older will remember these concepts when we did not have anything virtual. This building is open for you to simply explore and wander. Go and have fun.

Amazing time and creativity. So much for all age groups. Exercise and play time challenging all age groups. Special sale of passes is a great idea.the art center has something to give all especially the art paintings and weave work which is free.make sure to carry your credit card for the $5 momento.i could not get one for my lovely granddaughter as the attendant was not allowed to accept cash.
Also the 5 and 10 storey slides were not operational..we went up and down aimlessly as no data was available. The food court by lizard lounge is amazing. Macy has a great you attitude and was very helpful. The cauliflower base pizza order was accepted but at time of delivery callout the executive said they are out of stock for it..so a plain cheese pizza was given...overall the city museum is a must visit for every visitor...

Me, my husband, and our twelve-year-old daughter visited on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I read reviews stating it’s not super clean and you’ll get hot, so we arrived dressed appropriately. Cargo pants with zip pockets were perfect for carrying our keys and my phone so I didn’t have to use a purse or a backpack.

It wasn’t terribly busy when we arrived. I wish we had taken advantage of the Black Friday deal for an annual pass. Although we’re from Michigan, we plan to come back for sure!!

I find it hard to describe how great this place is. The day pass was $20/ea + $8/ea for roof access, which I encourage! That price is totally fair considering we spent a solid three hours here and could have easily spent more, but there’s a nearby diner that we wanted to try out before they closed for the day.

A headlamp or glove-flashlights isn’t totally out of the question for some aspects of this place! I think knee pads are excessive, but that’s just me.

If you are overweight, out of shape, or have anxiety, this venue is likely to be something that you will not enjoy. There are a lot of very tight spaces, loads of stairs/climbing, and it’s very easy to get disoriented/lost if it’s your first visit.

For fans of Meow Wolf for the art & exploration, the City Museum is WAY better in my book! I would choose to visit here a thousand times over before any of the Meow Wolf locations.

I can’t wait to go back!!!

This place is a one of a kind experience, and it was my kids' and husband's favorite thing we did on our vacation to St. Louis! We took our two children ages 6 and 3.

Pros: So much to look at, see, and explore! Everywhere you looked there was a new "hidey hole" or tunnel to journey through. We spent the entire day from 11-5:30 there and never got bored. That didn't even include going down the 10 story slide, down the 5 story slide, or on to the roof top. We also didn't even explore all the tunnels as we are bigger people. I really don't know how to explain this place other than to say it is like stepping into a child's imagination. Everywhere you looked there was artistic detail to see. We got a lot of good exercise and didn't even notice it. In addition to the slides, climbing and playing structures, and artistic touches, there was also architecture from historical buildings, fish aquariums, and a taxidermy collection to view. Staff was friendly and helpful. The pizza at one of the restaurants was made in a brick fire oven, and it was delicious! Once our kids started getting overwhelmed by the crowd, it was easy to find a place to sit and eat that was tucked away from people. Parking was across the road which made it easy to get two kids in and out. Very unique experience! For us it was also a plus that they strictly require masks for ages 5+.

Cons: It is difficult to keep track of your children at times as they are so excited to see all the neat things and adults who are of a larger size can't fit through all the little areas.

Recommendations:
Bring as little as possible. I brought a small backpack with pull ups and wipes, and I did ok with that.

Bring a headlamp or a small flashlight.

If you plan to craw through tunnels with your kids, you may want knee pads.

Have one adult for each younger child (ages under 5). Our 6 year old was good at finding her way back to us if she went down a tunnel, but our three year old was not. One of us had to keep our eyes on the little one at all times.

Dress in comfortable athletic clothes and tennis shoes. If you have to wear a jacket in, they have lockers you can rent.

What a fun eclectic place this. It is a place you can only dream of except here it is. Nonstop adventure, fun and laughs here. One man's dream came true and he made it and nothing was skipped. Big kids, little kids it is for everyone.

I don't know how to review this experience. This place all depends on who you are with and what age your kids are. I was a NERVOUS WRECK the whole time I was here. I had a 6 year old, who was able to literally get lost in the ceiling and required a 45 minute search with an airtag to find and a 2 year old who almost fell into literal holes in the floor. However, the 6 year old had fun and the 2 year old was mad because he couldn't follow his sibling. There is so much to do and older kids would be perfectly fine. After a long car ride this was a perfect place to spend time. But it is A LOT!

Absolutely worth a visit. If I lived in St. Louis, I'd get a season pass for my grandkids. We spent six hours here and they did not want to leave. So much for the grandkids to see and do. I'm sure we missed some things. We'll be back.

Such high hopes- completely dashed. My 15 year old son and I were both completely pumped to tackle this attraction. We were both almost instantly sorry we had chosen it upon arrival. Due to the pandemic, I was expecting some type of crowd control or regulation of visitors. Let me just say, if my experience included what is the City Museum’s version of capacity control, I NEVER want to see it when we are not in a pandemic. People were EVERYWHERE. There is no way any sanitization of this museum could be managed. (& please don’t misunderstand. I work in an elementary school. I am not afraid of coronavirus- but this place appeared to have needed a good cleaning for a long time! It smelled musty and dank in almost every room we visited.) It is primarily dark with extremely poor ventilation. The staff I encountered were despondent and somewhat rude. They sincerely acted as if they loathed their jobs. When my children were young, this place would have scared me to death (it was even hard to keep track of my 6 foot tall 15 year old as he climbed up into darkness and disappeared!) I really wanted to love this experience, but I did not! If you like cleanliness, friendliness, and walking without bumping into people, I HIGHLY recommend you skip the City Museum.

This was our first visit to City Museum. My teens/tweens and I (mom) loved it. It is worth the time and money to go here. We crawled through caves, played on the stateless skate park, had our hands exfoliated by the red gates fish, and went down loads of slides. We also watched the circus show, which made us laugh a bunch. We spent about 7 hours here (with breaks for eating). We parked in the museum lot, which was worth it to be able to go out to our car for lunch, snacks, and dropping off layers.

This would have been less fun for my husband as crawling through the caves requires flexibility and being in tight places, so not everyone will fit through all the caves spaces. You are on your hands and knees a lot, so I was bruised up, but it was so worth it.

The rooftop was closed for weather when we were there. We didn’t eat any of the food, so no comment on the food.

We loved City Museum! Definitely our favorite part of visiting St Louis and one of our funnest experiences in the Midwest.

I have never particularly wanted to go back in time and be younger, until here when my 8 year old disappeared into a tunnel that would require an extraction team for me.

I wish we had more time - it was a really nifty space. Due to the ice storm and winter, the outside areas were all closed. And all the doors were securely locked. Sigh.

Since we had so little time, we did not eat there but the offerings were interesting.

The art was amazing. I loved the aquarium area! We are already planning to go back this summer. (I bought memberships for each of us.)

Note: I felt this was a positive, but YMMV - they were very strict about the mask mandate. You must be wearing it, and wearing it correctly over your nose, or their personnel WILL correct you. If taking basic precautions to protect other people during a global pandemic is an issue for you, stay home.

Pro-Tips:
Bring flashlights for the kids. Every time my kid went down the tunnels, she came back with a gaggle of kids who followed her light.

Bring walkie talkies. (If they need batteries, bring those too. Batteries in the gift store were $1 each and there wasn't any store in walking distance.) It was very disconcerting for me because you have to just trust that you'll find your kid again once they disappear down a hole. The walkie talkies reassured both of us that she was okay.

Pick a landmark as a meeting place. We picked the big shiny rock in the middle of a cavern. All else fails, get back to the shiny rock.

Especially for younger kids, make sure they know how to climb. The tunnels are sometimes metal ribs or slats, and I watched a kid repeatedly put his foot through and get stuck.

If you must bring a bag, I recommend a backpack - something you can get out of the way and not have to lug around.

This is a bucket list must with kids of all ages!!! What an experience. FIRST, double check your parking lot. THEIR parking lot is the one with the giant serpent and fence. The other parking lots around there are deceptive and use their name and do not have a fence and a guard. Once you go inside, its off to explore like you never have before. This place is basically like an interactive art exhibit. We chose to start to the right of the gift shop and check in at the caves. There are mosaics, fish, greenery. You make new friends as you go, which is really one of the best parts. We continued up to the aquarium and more caves. We loved the circus. This was absolutely the most magical experience for my child. Briland put on a wonderfully interactive enchanting and whimsical performance. Most of the adults in our party also chose to do the caves and slides, which was awesome that we could be kids again too. This, this place you must go to and experience!

My favorite place in the world..your are exploring a massive piece of art. The whole building is amazing and words cannot describe it. It is a bit dangerous but they have taken steps to make it safer. Be careful there!! I don't recommend it for very small children but we went there with them anyway and they did have a lot of fun! You can easily get lost.

It’s June and there is zero air conditioning and minimal fans on each floor. This place is a neat concept, and some parts are well done. For the most part it’s a large indoor play structure. There are several things out of order or under renovation. Many of the areas are too small for the teens we brought.

We paid extra for the pinball area. I would not recommend that to anyone. There are not many games and most do not work. I also think the price of admission is not really worth it for what my family got out of it. We were on the fence about coming. Half of us liked it, half of us did not.

We are from East TN and visit Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg attractions frequently. Our expectations were pretty high. If I had to make the choice again, we would not have paid admission to enter. I would recommend saving your money and go elsewhere. Counting the minutes until we can go back to the hotel pool.

The city Museum is a great place to take your children. There’s a ton to do you can spend the full day and our children are always excited to return. Plus there’s lots for parents to participate if they want or just walk around and you and view.

Such a creative, unique mix of great play areas and unique craftsmanship of museum pieces. The teens loved the rooftop area, huge climbing areas, and multistory slides. It was a wonder way to spend the afternoon.

We have been there several times with grandchildren. Really fun place and interesting for all ages. It can get really crowded on weekends so plan accordingly. This is like no other museum you have ever visited !

We had been hearing about the city museum for awhile so we decided to road trip there for spring break. My kids are 11 and 14 and it was great for them. If I had kids under 8 I wouldn’t go. We walked in and the kids immediately climbed into a tunnel and I didn’t see them for an hour. Luckily the older one has a phone so I could find them. If I had younger kids it would absolutely stress me out.

I think calling it a museum is a stretch. It’s more like a huge metal playground with tunnels and caves.

We ate lunch there which was not good. We are at the pizza place and it’s not worth it. If you can pack a lunch, do that.

The kids loved it an thought it was fun. I was neutral.

This was the 4th or 5th visit to the museum and every time has been a treat. There are so many things to do for parents and kids. It has never been the same trip two times in a row. There is always something new to see or do. It has so much creativity to it. The decorating of some of the rooms is very quirky and clever. It is truly an escape from the day to day. Don't ask for a map because you are supposed to "explore" your way through the building. (The workers will give you directions.) Wear older clothes because you will get dirty. It might take multiple trips to really see the entire place, but it is a great journey. It is such an incredible place. I would be interested what people 200 years from now would think if this was uncovered in some archeological project.

Family stopped at this location as we were heading through the St. Louis area. Some of our friends raved about going to the City Museum, so we were interested in checking the place out. This 10-story structure has so many wondrously bizarre aspects that words don’t adequately describe it. We were amazed by the various designs and decorative interpretations that the place has. Plus, most of the areas have many nooks and crannies to explore.

There were a couple downsides of our visit, though. First and foremost, the temperature on the day that we visited was around 101 degrees Fahrenheit. The interior does have fans and some sparce air conditioning, but it was very warm while climbing, crawling, and exploring. Second, the museum seems to be a popular attraction, which means there were a lot of other people there as well. Lots of space within the building to spread out, but there were pretty long lines for the more popular things (i.e., the 10-story slide).

Admission can be a bit pricey at about $20 per person. We spent almost 3½ hours exploring everything, so not an unreasonable cost for the amount of time and entertainment that we got. Would have probably stayed longer and enjoyed more of the museum if the heat wasn’t so unbearable.

One of the most enjoyable experiences out there it feels like your in a different world in some places and it’s a museum that you can go to without the kids being bored with all the amazing places and activities I can’t give this place any lower than a 10/10 I would 100% go again

I cannot imagine anyone giving this a negative review. We had a total blast. We went on a beautiful fall day and wasn’t hot. Wear PANTS is the only thing I regret not doing. You will be climbing and sliding and definitely don’t want to be in shorts. Enjoy! We will definitely go back the next time we are in Missouri.

Kids loved it until they went down into the tunnels/caves..when they turned on their flashlights-they found filth! Trash and stink..it was like no one had cleaned down there and because it is nearly black, without a flashlight, you would not have known. If you are medium --> large size, you will not fit through most of the spaces!! As their grand parent, I wish I would have known before getting in the car to drive home. Also the workers---do not work...on their phones, when asking directions to a specific place-they had no clue where that was and had to get back to their phone...of course...

This place is an original. My kids have always loved this place. There are areas closed right now so you can't get the whole experience. It is called a muesem but it is a huge playground. When it is open all the way it takes time to get through everything. Highly recommend.

Our family of 3 (parents/teen) just finished up a visit to this unusual “museum”. First, the word museum is very misleading. This place is really more of a wild playground, that could have been depicted in a Dr. Seuss book. It has 10 stories of tunnels, slides, incredibly narrow spaces, and very high, heights to to climb through and explore. These tubes, tunnels and slides are both inside and outside fo the building. But, there is nothing museum about this place, no learning experience, is just wild jungle gym with a Ferris wheel on the roof. While this was fun for our family which includes a 13 year old boy, parents should be prepared for a lot of climbing yourself, and it hurts. And you should probably bring knee. It is also not an ideal location for anyone who is afraid of heights, or anyone who may be tall and wide. Also not an ideal location for smaller children, it is dark, lots of small tunnels easy for littles to get lost, and possibly hurt. There is zero staff support, unless you are outside on the top of the roof., and no map. So, once you enter, you are on your own. Honestly shocked that this place is even allowed to operate, and curious how they found an company to provide insurance. While we would never visit again, if you are family with older kids, and have a sense of adventure, it something to interesting to experience. Good Luck!

We walked alot. Our trip to St Louis was for two hockey games. We also walked to the Gateway Arch and Union Station. The city garden was unique and free.
We stayed at the Residence Inn by Marriott.
Great trip.

Wow

My daughter and I have been thinking about this place and wanting to go back for about 15 years and we finally did.

Generally - First of all, this whole place should be considered an art installation. The creativity in the use of seemingly random objects to create an absolutely incredible experience is amazing. If you buy tickets online in advance, you skip the physical line and if saves a bit of time. There is general admittance. The roof is a separate cost but there IS an outside area. There is also a pinball hall - about 15 diff machines and a few video games - another additional cost.

Food - there are a few eating establishments inside - think along the lines of an overpriced foodcourt in a mall. The people working the restaurants did not care about your experience. The food was fine.

Safety - There are a lot of rough edges. A lot of rebar. I saw a LOT of people wearing knee-pads, elbow-pads, headlamps. They were serious and they were smart. As 2 grown adults, there were a couple of times I had to turn around because I did NOT have the flexibility required to go forward.

This is a giant playground. There are loads of spaces that are meant for teeny people to go through and that their accompanying adults will prob NOT fit through. If you go in thinking you can hold your child's hand the whole time, you WILL be mistaken. They will dash away down a whale's throat the first chance they get and leave you behind in the jungle ruins. There is often visibility to where the kiddos are going but it's intermittent. Honestly, it's just way less stressful and more enjoyable to go in with the expectation that you will release control.

There are plenty of spaces and places for adults who MIGHT be claustrophobic and not able to see that great in darkness and aren't all that flexible anymore to also play. Oh, they also have adults-only nights that sound fun so you should check their website for the hours.

I know a lot of people think this place is amazing and I guess for some it is. It looks like they cleaned out a landfill and turned it into a playground. It's a very confusing place no direction or signs or communication at all. If you want to keep an eye on your kids or fear them being separated from you don't go here. The inside was extremely hot and people were walking around drenched in sweat. All of the food locations were out of something and the employees could've cared less. Wer paid extra to go to the roof because our kids wanted to see the dog show. All the show was is a guy playing fetch with his dog. We were bored in 5 minutes. Also if you go to the roof, wait for the elevator. We took the steps because of the wait and it's about 200 steps to the roof. That would have been nice to know before we went. Again no signs. Just wander and figure it out on your own. We will not be back.

Wow! Like if dr Seuss was on acid and built a gigantic weird play area. So cool. Something for every age. We could spend days there. Easy to get lost but such a cool idea and so detailed! We’d come back to this city for this place alone!!

Had dinner in a private room as part of a wedding weekend. Lots of people, And, no way to social distance if that is of concern to you. Definitely a unique venue with lots of adult play scape activities. The roof was closed on our visit, but looked pretty cool from a distance.

I was chocked ! This place is great ! Kids, teenagers, adults... It doesn't matter your age ! The city museum is really worthy, I recommend 100%

Fascinating, Fun, not for the faint of heart! This was the most fun I ever had in a museum! If I were younger I would have had an even better experience because I would have crawled through the caves, slid down the slides and climbed all over the place! If you visit in the summer plan on drinking tons of water, this museum is in an old warehouse with less than excellent air conditioning, if you bring kids be sure to have some form of communication between you and them because they will lose you! We paid the extra for the pinball hall this was a nice break but if you are younger with little patience or looking to breaking some record scores this isn’t for you, machines are very old models I’d say from the 50-60’s maybe even older. The roof top was very cool and worth the extra charge.
Don’t follow GPS to City Museum Parking Lot it takes you a few blocks away and is Not officially the parking lot, instead go to the museum itself and park there!!!!!
All and all it was a great experience and we will definitely return.

You can explore all over the place. It’s an adventure in so many ways and great for families. We were there in the Winter with our kids and look forward to returning in the Summer when we can do the outside things as well.

You enter the museum at the first floor. There are some fun things to do there, lots of climbing for the kids. You can't climb with them if you're not in sneakers, it's too difficult to navigate. There are all sorts of holes and places to tunnel through to get to other areas. The 2nd and 3rd floor have more climbing structures, an aquarium, a 50's gallery, and other things to keep you busy. In the summer lots of campers are going through here so there are a lot of kids to dodge.

The outside structures are also fun, and it's worth it to pay extra to go to the roof where the iconic bus hangs over the edge of the building.

The actual museum was awesome! My kids are 19, 13, and 10. We all had a blast. I can’t imagine going there with younger kids but we were there all day. My only complaint is the staff. They are very unfriendly and unhelpful. On the rooftop, my 2 younger kids were stuck on the Ferris wheel for over 30 min because the 2 staff ladies were being bullies. My kids were asking to get off because it was 55 degrees so they were cold but they wouldn’t let them off, as they were laughing very loud and talking/joking with one another. No regard to my feelings about this whatsoever, even after I said something. I was just ignored. Staff at concessions are very rude also. They act bothered by customers. It’s sad because this place is awesome other than that.

Then this place is for you. Our kids like to climb on things, and that's what half this place is about. It's exploring a huge space with many nooks and crannies and passageways, alternating between indoors and outdoors. You never know what's going to be around the corner here. Pipe organ, gigantic pencil, retro pinball, insect collection, architectural examples, aquariums, slides, steps, ladders, caves, nets, etc. They strike a perfect balance between reasonable safety (with personnel monitoring a few areas and lots of rails and strong metal enclosed spaces) and not being ridiculous (eg there's no waiver to sign and navigation can be tricky). If you participate, it will tire you out - bring water in a carrier so your hands are free for clambering through the passages. Very highly recommended.

This place is really cool! I am a little Closter phobic so I just stuck to the basic stairs to get through most of the museum but it was a great experience.

This place is insane in the very best way! I've never been anywhere like it. I would suggest checking out a YouTube video to give you an idea of what you're in for. We loved all of it. We didn't do the optional roof and there was still more than enough to explore for hours. We loved staying until closing because the place cleared out, and we basically had it to ourselves. If you ask for a cup at the cafeteria you can go fill it with water from a fountain. You will get lost. If you want to go down the slides you can't have anything on you: even my fanny pack wasn't allowed. It's hot even inside. Park on-site for the best rate.

Disappointing. I came 10 years ago and City Museum was an elegant and fun museum geared toward adults and children. Today I discovered it has been turned into an indoor playground for kids. Much of the architectural exhibits have been replaced by popcorn stands, gift shops, and tunnels for little ones. I won’t be back.

The 1st time we went to the city museum, I was not impressed. So from the website I thought their work one the exhibit that replaced the world aquiaium was finished. When we got there, we headed to the floor that this exhibit was. None of it was completing finished. Not happy, we were there less then an hour. Will not go back.

This place is just to amazing to not visit if you young or old. We spent hours exploring the place. I loved the repurchased items that just made everything. If your in the area you have to stop.

This is absolutely the trippiest experience I have ever had with my kids. It was fun and I feel we got our money worth. There is lots to see and do. That said, it really isn’t the ideal place to visit on a 90+ degree day. First, the building has some AC and large fans, but it can’t keep up. Second, the outside installments get very hot too and aren’t able to be enjoyed to their fullest. This is a place for those filled with adventure. It’s a blast. My kids loved it, but it’s not for the faint of heart. You can get hurt, you can lose your kid, and you might get claustrophobic. My husband and daughter were thankful I packed them knee pads.

We wrote our numbers on our kids arms and made sure to each stick with one kid at all turns. There is a nice area for 6 and under that our whole family enjoyed. We also loved the skate-less park and the circus show. We were told the food was not worth it so we packed snacks and cooling towels and we survived on a 100 degree day but we were very sweaty.

So much fun exploring and discovering in this museum. You are truly immersed in the art experience. A must see! Industrial art lover’s paradise!

I loved the slides and going through the various sections of the museum, but it was very dark in spots and easy to get lost. I got lost and couldn't ask for directions because the employees were few and far between. Entertaining, though.

Our kids enjoyed exploring the many areas to climb around. May not be the best for younger kids that you don't want to stray away from you.

I’d say -5 if I could. 101 outside and hotter in than out. Staff was sparse and unfriendly; there is no guidance until after you’ve waited in hot lines for ages. Everyone left in tears, overstimulated and underwhelmed, and I wish I could have my $150 back.

What a blast! We went on a very hot day, and that made some of the upper and outdoor parts less than ideal, but we still loved it. The design is extraordinary, from the layout (you can easily wander and explore from one place to the next, never finding yourself in a dead-end) to the decorations (the tiling on the floor, the strange materials used to make walls, the dream-like shapes that blend into each other). And every person who works here seems to be happy, whether they're sweeping up or helping direct you to a fun slide you missed. If you're a very small child, there's a whole dimension of this place that isn't accessible to grown-ups, as you can squeeze into little passages; if you're a grown-up, you'll be grinning ear-to-ear as you get to enjoy climbing and sliding as you haven't done in years. As a middle-aged man, I kept wondering how they managed to get insurance: the place is so fun and never dangerous, but it also isn't wrapped in three feet of protective padding or covered in signs warning people not to do stupid stuff. It's not a place that's going to be as fun for very tall people, obese people, or people with mobility issues, but people of every other category were having a great time while I was there. If I did it again, I might come in the morning, plan on eating lunch at one of the places inside during a break, and just take my time exploring. I can't count the number of times we followed a strange branch and found ourselves saying, "Oh! I know where we are!" I'd love to spend a day putting all those discoveries together.

Although most of the museum is very geared to children, the top floor has some architectural artifacts that are very interesting. I did not go outside, but the inside is really quite fun.

Never in my life have I been to anything like this: imagine a children's play area, underground caverns, oddities in which you’ve never seen, and a museum all rolled into one. That is what the City Museum is.

Extremely whimsical. Everywhere you turn there is some fine detail of art, a secret passage way, an alternative route, or something just really interesting. I highly recommend going to this museum. It's a playground for children and adults alike, (though, children will fit into more places than an adult would,) with tons of slides, things to climb in and over, and endless passages to explore.

The highlights for me is the 10 story slide and the rooftop area (get your tickets for that separately at the ticket window for $8.)

PRO TIP BRING KNEE PADS!
You will need them if you would like to truly experience the museum. They have them at the gift shop if you do not have any. Also, bring a water bottle: you will be doing a lot of activities (climbing, jumping, sliding, etc.) so you will need to stay hydrated.

This is an amazing place for children. They can be independent and go places where adults cannot follow and make decisions about which paths they choose to take. Be prepared to lose them: make sure they know your phone number/contact info or a meeting spot you choose out beforehand.

Despite being an adult, I love this museum and plan to revisit!

This was our first time but it was during Covid so I’m sure it’s so much better by now…plea t to do but most food places were closed…it was ok …my kid still had fun

We were excited to take our 8 year old son to the City Museum, a well-known place in St. Louis for kids to play and explore. We paid extra to go to the roof and headed there first. Then when we got to the elevators, there was a large group of people waiting to get on and we were told that the elevator was “glitchy” and might or might not come. We got onto an elevator and then it made a strange noise—everyone in the elevator looked at each other, bug-eyed like “Should we get off?” The employee outside the elevator did nothing and provided no guidance or reassurance. The elevator issues made my husband too nervous to go up, so only my son and I braved the elevators. We made it to the roof and there were long lines for almost everything worth doing. The slides are metal—kids complained that they were burned on them. We decided to go inside, hoping it would be better. They have indoor caves with spiral staircases and little hidey-holes that could be super fun—but there was virtually no air conditioning (if any—I couldn’t tell) or air flow. It was hot and miserable in there. Disappointing because my son enjoyed the caves, but wanted to leave after a short time because it was too hot. We can stand being in the heat, but when there is no air circulation, it’s unbearable. They did have a fan set up in one area of the caves, but that didn’t flow air beyond the small area that the fan was in. The entire place was run-down and a bit sad. Ultimately, we felt we had been duped by this place’s past glory and literally moments after swiping our credit card, we found it did not deliver on its reputation at all.

This place was really awesome for nearly any age. It especially nice for the 8 to 12 crowd as there is a lot of crawling places but still great for adults. Will not disappoint

We went with our son and 9 year old grandson as we were from out of town. We expected there would be things for us to do with our grandson. That did not turn out to be. There were some exhibits like architecture and some fish and lizards to see but we spent most of our time sitting and waiting for them to finish climbing into or onto something. If there are elevators we did not see them. The food is super expensive - $7 for an ice cream sandwich and $ 16.00 for a burger and fries. The lines for lunch were long even at 1:30 and all the tables were dirty and littered with tiny bits of food or ice cream drips. A young man kept sweeping the area but never once came to clean off tables which were empty. I went to gal taking orders and had her wet some paper towels so my husband and I could eat on a clean section. Our grandson thought the place was super and it was highly original - we were glad he got to experience it. It would have been better for us not to pay $20 parking, $23/pp to sit and watch and $ for lunch.

I went to the City museum with my three young kids and wife this past weekend. It’s definitely not a museum we have seen before! Very creative and ingenious and never a dull moment. The slides and airplane to climb into are great for young kids. There could be better signs regarding safety and the rooftop isn’t a must. It has a large metal slide that in the summer sun results in burns and pretty decent abrasions for small children even as they follow the directions of the slides. I would avoid the rooftop. But it’s a great day/outing for younger kids!

This was on our list of things to check out in St. Louis, but we had no idea how much we'd enjoy our visit.
First of all, let me say if you have energetic kids, this place is paradise. It is fully immersive, in that you can touch, climb on and inside exhibits and the structure. Your kids will sleep like babies after a day here! The skateless park is brilliant.
It is a feast for the senses - there are interesting areas throughout the 4 stories of exhibits.
There's also a rooftop exhibit, but we didn't try that as it was a rainy day... Looks like it would be fun for those who are ok with heights.
The 5 story slide is massive, and a sight to see even if you don't slide down it.
Amazing place to visit and especially for parents and kids.
Did I mention there's at least 2 bars and 4 snack spots inside? WIN!

Great place for kids to be kids…run, be loud and climb on everything within reach! Went with my 6 year old granddaughter and although the museum in the name was a turn-off to her she loved it!

It was a bit unsettling for me at times as most of the climbing took her to a different floor or to an area that I was unable to keep her insight Would have been much less stressful for me if we had another child or adult with us!

Not too busy on a Tuesday afternoon in summer. I was thrilled that they require masking during this pandemic! Thank you for being responsible!

This museum is a pedophile's dream. There is sexual depictions everywhere! Animal statues intertwined with other animals. Almost all the animals are sucking on something long. Necked statues. Boobs right when you come in the door at childrens eye level. Upside down butts used as stalagmites. Opening to tunnels that look very sexual. You can't see your kids while they play! It's dark! We left! This place is disgusting and sick! How is this a place presented as a family place!

First thing, parking. Several people made the same mistake, including us, and had to back their car out when they saw the pink sign that says $20 for first two hours. That “wrong” parking lot is behind the museum.

So, if you are trying to save money like us, drive to the entrance of the museum. You will see the serpent fence when you are around the entrance. Parking is $15 all day at the museum or right across from the entrance.

Single day ticket was $23+tax per person, with option to add-on, like the pinball room or rooftop access as you visit, so you don’t have to decide right away when you buy your tickets.

Museum was very crowded when we went on a Sunday in March 2025. It took us a little over 2 hours to explore the whole place. We did not know what to expect as it was our first time there, so we had no idea where to go or what to do. It would have been nice to have a little brochure to describe each floor. As it is, I think this place is essentially a big playground for kids and their accompanying adults, with all the caves, tunnels, and slides. I would not recommend this place for anyone with mobility issue. It was an interesting experience for us but we were not overwhelmed.

One of the coolest places I've been. Unless you have a stick up your butt adults can enjoy this place too. There were so many awesome places to explore.

My one complaint is that they have an amazing pinball gallery upstairs, but you have to pay both admission and for the gallery. I would love to just swing by and pay for the pinball gallery, but no dice.

Probably one of the worst places I’ve ever visited. Rudest employees I’ve ever encountered. We came for a stupid wedding and the woman downstairs at Information couldn’t have been more rude. This was on Saturday, 9/17. She had two long braids and a flower in her hair. She was SO RUDE to my cousin, all because we gave first names and not last names for the wedding party at first. Whatever her name is… she should either find a new line of work, or learn to deal with stress. We are all from out of town, lost in the museum, and didn’t need her attitude. Then we get to the elevator - there’s only one for the whole place maybe? Runs slower than molasses. Next on the awful experience: literally NO AIR CONDITIONING. NONE. ZERO. It was UNBEARABLE. The woman helping out, in the tie dye shirt, talking SO LOUD to everyone and in everyone’s business… Could definitely do without her. The restrooms smelled like RAW SEWAGE. So glad the sewage smell wafted over us as we sat and ate a horrible dinner at this event with NO air conditioning. Then we’re told we can go to the roof - nope. Family wasn’t allowed up there, even with the correct wristbands. Museum is just too insane, no way to get around, rude/loud employees, no air conditioning. I literally will never be back.

Unique place with lots of fun things for young kids to crawl around on and through. The recycled items are very cool in how they incorporated it into the experience. It’s basically an urban jungle gym on steroids. Great for kids, teens and energetic fit adults. If you are older or not in great shape, it’s a little limiting on the experience. Worth doing, but just be aware it’s lots of crawling climbing and sweating. Lol

This place was amazing. It was an old shoe factory, and one talented man with a vision and a lot of help restored it to a unique museum and quirky place to explore. The caves and tunnels are fun, but be aware that a lot of them require you to channel your inner cat to get into. The rooftop is worth it even though it was a hot summer day. There's a schoolbus driving off the roof, a couple of old repurposed planes in the air to climb through, and a rooftop ferris wheel. The dogshow was very fun. Even if you don't eat at Beatnik Bob's cafe, check out the underwear display - CM was the site of the Guinness World Record for most people wearing underwear on their heads. As far as the museum part, the recovered architectural features from America's past is so amazing, things aren't made like that anymore. A must see if you're in St Louis.

If you like organ music, it's the place! It has a theatre organ that plays on the hour. It even has a place where visitors can see some of the workings of the organ such as the pivot arms for the shutters plus the pipes for the organ. Plus near the huge -story slide, there is what is called the "Toy Counter" which is where the sound effects are that were used in the silent films. Kids can learn about how sound used to be created during the days of the silent films. The organ is a 1924 Wurlitzer 3/18 theatre pipe organ. It was built for the Rivoli theatre in New York City! If you look onto YouTube, and type "Christmas Organ", you can use that playlist for your own virtual holiday celebration.

We lived two states away and had not been there before. Once we drove just twenty feet onto the property we were looking for a place to park. Our car is quite but heard a lady screaming at our car " hey you back here!" It was an employee tucked away sitting out of sight. Screaming that we need to pay for parking. We didn't know and we didn't see her sitting in a secluded spot. We had no problem paying for parking but that ruined our experoence before we got in the building. Won't go back.

This place was so interesting. It was a little dangerous for our two year old, so we may go back in a few years and be able to explore a little more, but so fun for our rainy day in St. Louis!!

This is a real fun place for all ages ! Lots of interesting activities for the kids and great historical displays on architecture for the adults. We were there on the 4th of July weekend and the crowds seemed to overwhelm the staff. This is a destination for return trips !

This place was the best part of our weekend trip to St. Louis. We absolutely had an amazing adventure with our boys and we didn't even get to explore all of it in the time we had. We are definitely coming back to St. Louis just for the City Museum. Highly recommend to families with children and teenagers of all ages! Even if it was just our husband and I would want to come back as that is how much fun we had.

Fun huge obstacle course my child got hurt small tunnel. Still a fun experience with lots of things to do 11 stories with a rooftop experience

I’ve been to a lot of places in my life but nothing quite like this. You could spend hours in the museum and never see everything. The climbing, the tunnels, the bus. It was interesting and entertaining. Our whole group loved it.

This was our second time here with a 12 year old, previously came with a 9 year old. Happy to say that both ages enjoyed the climbing and slides.
One new policy this year is no loose bags on slides! Many people were turned away carrying small crossbody or fanny pack type bags at the top of slides. There are lockers available but the adults in our group took turns holding bags.
We wore long pants to protect knees and legs while climbing and sliding.
We purchased tickets online in advance for the museum plus rooftop so it was a quick entry to get wristbands when the doors opened at 10am.
There are activities for most ages but you need to be a certain height for some.
Access to the roof is an elevator or stairs in a corner of I believe the 3rd floor, ask staff and they will point you. We enjoyed the ferris wheel, climbing and slides there. Also the school bus that hangs over the roof. The morning was less crowded than after lunch.
For lunch I would recommend a grab and go which we did first visit. This time we spent a long and frustrating hour waiting for food at the chaotic and noisy Lizard Lounge.
We spent about four hours exploring in addition to the lunch time.
There are a number of nearby parking lots. We walked from nearby Union Station.
This was a fun day and good exercise. Unfortunately due to lack of staff the doctor fish and five story slide were closed.

Every major city needs one of these types of museums. It is endless fun for everyone. We spent 4 hours here. I crawled and followed my kids everywhere throughout the museum.

It was like being a kid all over again! Being able to crawl around throughout the museum and slide down huge slides, this place is amazing if you're an adult. Met with nostalgia and random artifacts throughout, you will be lost and happy for hours of exploring! Even more of a bonus, they offer great craft and regular beer options and drinks! It was the highlight of our trip and something I would visit St. Louis for again!

Best "museum" for kids. 3 michelin stars worth, come to St Louis with kids just for this alone! A full day worth of exploring. Wear comfortable clothing and stretch first:)

Our kids (ages 12-19) had a great time climbing around and exploring. My wife and I also did a lot of exploration and climbing - although a little limited by bad knees! There is lots to see and look at. For people who don't want to climb around, there are lots of interesting architectural and historical artifacts to explore while the rest of the family climbs and crawls. I saw a few people with knee pads, and that is definitely a good recommendation. You could easily spend several hours, but our kids were pretty worn out after 2 hours. Meter parking is available on the street (2 hours max) so if you don't mind going back out to pay the meter again, that can save you a lot on parking.

Great for kids of all ages! My 5 and 10 year old girls both had a blast! Tons of slides and tunnels to play in. Make sure you get a bracelet from the front desk for your kids—if they get lost, they can go to a staff member who will call your cell phone (they write your number on the bracelet). It’s hard to stay right by them the whole time. They can go down a slide from the 4th floor to the 1st so can easily get separated.

We had friends recommend this to us even though we don’t have children. I’ll never listen to them again. This would be a great place IF you have kids but not for two adults.

Came on a hot (100 degree day) to escape the heat. We were wrong. It was hotter inside than out. Dark and screaming kids. Sweating like crazy. It looks like a neat exhibit but too hot to enjoy

I took two eleven year olds there and they had a great time. Not something I would recommend to an adult only group but the kids will love it.

An absolute must when visiting St. Louis with kids. When we walked in there were people with headlamps, walkie talkies, and knee pads. We thought it was too much, but turns out it was not! It took all four adults to make sure we knew where the kids were because of all the tunnels. Such a cool experience. They have parking.

This place is amazing for children! There is no other place like it! Hours of entertainment for the kiddos. You have to be able to climb and crawl with them or not worry about them being out of your sight because there are tunnels, caves, twists and turns galore.

The rooftop was really pretty but overall the experience was not that great. It is definitely great if you have younger children but it is not really “fun for all ages” like it said. Most spaces are hard to fit in to and navigate and not worth even trying either. It is a cool building with cold structures but even as a 23 year old I could climb around as much as it felt like it was advertised.

I understand people's enthusiasm about this place; it's aesthetically magical in so many ways. I gave it three stars because I visited the museum with a party that included a person with a disability, and we really weren't prepared for how much this place didn't take into account even people with minor mobility impairments. I understand how this type of experience would be hard to completely transition to accessible, which is why I'm giving it three stars and not one. But as we navigated the place, I found myself constantly identifying missed opportunities (some as simple as signage, some more complicated but perfectly doable additions to existing exhibits) for making this place less disappointing for people with disabilities.

Whatever I say will not do this place justice. It is so difficult to describe it and reading the reviews. It said spend 2 to 3 hours here our children are seven and nine years old and we spent four hours there and that was not enough time. we will definitely be coming back to this place in the future. There is a little bit of everything for everyone, including adults. I think our favorite was a cave down below, we paid extra to go to the rooftop. I think you could spend more time in the caves in the rooftop and The kids would be just as happy.

My friend and I (two females, 31 and 32) were very excited about this place. Between the pictures and descriptions, it seemed amazing. The reviews increased our hopes for it. It was the first thing we did in St Louis. And, it was the not worth it. Here's why:
REASON 1: I put our ages there because I want it known we didn't have kids with us, which could have been part of the problem. Had we had kids with us, it definitely could have been better, but from other reviews I assumed as 2 adults we'd enjoy it just as much. WE DID NOT. We were both too big for the slides. My friend was super excited about the 10 story slide, and she waited about 25 minutes for it, only to realize as on it she was definitely too big as her feet kept hitting the slide and stopping it from being a smooth ride, and she felt like she wasted her time.
REASON 2: We went right after they stopped doing COVID reservations (literally, I looked on a Tuesday and it said we needed a reservation, I looked the next day and it said we didn't). As a result, it was crowded and hot and felt humid inside because of the amount of people, so that also definitely was frustrating. They definitely need to cap the number of people allowed in at once.
REASON 3: , we went on a day with less than great weather, where it had been raining on and off, and I think that's why the outside was closed? (Not the roof, that's separate). The outside seemed amazing, but we literally couldn't access it.

Oh what an adventure this was! The whole family can play together all day long! In addition to playing, you alse learn so much! If I lived in St Louis I would definitely get a season pass! Surprises were around every corner. Just a bit of a warning, your kiddos will probably come home with a bruise or two. There's plenty of climbing and with that comes the occasional tumble. My girls are 8 and 10. Both laughed and occasionally teared up on our visit here lol. But overall was a positive and exciting experience! They want to come back again and experience everything including the rooftop which was sadly closed when we came. It's a must if you visit Saint Louis!

Wow....what can I saw? The City Museum is an outstanding place to visit if you are in or near the Saint Louis area. This is a place for all ages and has endless amounts of fun. When visiting with my friends, we had a blast. I am impressed with the workers who designed and created such a fun place for people to go. I love the uniqueness and endless possibilities of exploration this place has to offer. You could honestly not become bored while being at this attraction.
When visiting the City Museum, dress appropriately so that you can participate in all it has to offer. There is a lot of climbing, crawling, and climbing inside and out. You may be a little sore the next day, but 100% worth it!
Not only did I enjoy all the exhibits and rooms it has to offer, but the circus was an amazing experience as well. This is a must see performance that takes about 30 minutes. The talent was amazing, and I left impressed and in awe.
Overall, this place has great theming, an exciting environment, and fun for the whole family or a group of friends. Check this place out!!

Endless playground for adults and kids/teens alike. Tunnels, caves, climbing and slides galore. I’m a 54 year old and absolutely loved it. Can’t wait to go back. Some staff members were a little over the top enforcing the mask policy, but in their defense the city has left them with a difficult task: to enforce the mandate. We didn’t let that ruin our wonderful time. If I lived in STL, I’d get an annual pass. So much to see and do there, we couldn’t fit it all in. It was well worth the price to purchase the rooftop ticket.

So much fun you have to go. We had more fun there than the city zoo. there is a little bit of everything for everybody here. If you like architecture, there’s all kinds of cool historical carvings taken from buildings and placed at the museum. There is a ton of different slides and areas to climb and crawl through for kids and adults both. It’s absolutely endless the different things this place offers to do along with food courts as well

have ACCOUSTIC CEILINGS!! it was so LOUD in the entire building!!

for a person whose hearing is AMPLIFIED; it was pure hell especially in the long waiting line where the games were located waiting 40-60 minutes to go up to the top floor by elevator.

this game room area where the long lines are needs to be CHANGED/IMPROVED IMMEDIATELY!

Put walls in between games & long waiting lines area please that have INSULATION GALORE to cut down on OVERLOAD of noise.

NO ACCOUSTICS were horrible.

for kids of young ages, there are climbing activities in the entire building!

there was NO SOCIAL DISTANCING. masks were worn by those i saw.

definitely NO CLEANING GOING ON ANYWhere EXCEPT i saw the young man wiping off something in the elevator once or twice.

while i waited 30 minutes in my wheelchair for my niece's family to get to the front of the line.

we toured the entire museum in 2 hrs. (1 hr. waiting to get on the elevator)

they didn't go to the ferris wheel.

it was extremely EXPENSIVE $16,
$22 to climbing slide,
& $28 to very top person.

this included YOUNG KIDS had to pay the $16 at least or $22.

Their prices should have been REDUCED for the very young kids in my humble opinion.

THERE WERE SOME SANITIZER AREAS IN STRATEGIC PLACES THANK GOD!!

Wow - my kids (ages 6 and 8) had an absolute blast! Each floor was full of slides and climbing apparatuses. Plus, the aquarium part was a favorite. Know that it is very easy to get separated so have a meeting place agreed upon right away. Some parts are very dark too, so even if kids are trying to stay together they are very likely to get split up. I took a slide and ended up on a totally different floor! I’m personally glad I didn’t bring my younger children with me. There is a toddler area but unless your children know how to get to a meet up spot on their own I wouldn’t recommend bringing them. The outdoor area wasn’t available to us on the day we went because of the weather but my kids stills had hours of fun indoors.

What a great concept for kids! A warehouse with very eclectic interior for kids to climb, play, experience. A wonderful place for them to just be kids and have fun.
Very creative.
Be aware for lunch. We went to the snack counter on the 3rd floor. After a long wait, the snail moving guys behind the counter informed us there were no cupcakes, no cheese for pretzels, only Sprite for soda and the filled our iced coffee only 1/2 full. VERY frustrating.
In the end, a great place to go with kids!

Visited with 11 and 12 year old grandsons on a crowded Memorial Day weekend. They were not impressed, and got bored quite quickly. We waited 10 minutes in line to use the elevator to get to the Rooftop floor, and it looked like it would be another 20 minutes in line to use the elevator, so instead we walked up the 8 flights of stairs to reach the Rooftop. This was not a good first impression of the Museum. Once on the Rooftop, for some reason the Ferris Wheel was not running, and it would be a 30-45 minute wait until it was running again. Overall, the slides and climbing items were not of much interest to the 11 and 12 year old, but they looked like they could be quite entertaining for younger kids. Our party of 5 agreed that our money spent there was basically wasted. On the plus side, the food was pretty good, and the beer was cold. Maybe if it wasn't as crowded, and with younger kids, it would be a better experience.

The museum exhibits/slides are wonderful, but it was extremely disappointing with regard to crowds, lockers and food. 1. We went on a weekday over spring break, and it was extremely crowded. The kids couldn't climb a lot of the exhibits because there were already so many kids there. This would be easy to fix by requiring advance reservations and restricting the number of visitors. 2. There's no cloak room and only about 100 lockers in the entire museum, which naturally were all full. Having to lug around coats and backpacks for hours doesn't lead to an enjoyable experience. How hard would it be to add more lockers? 3. The food court is tiny, with one single eatery staffed by about 3 people. It took almost an hour to get a pizza; and nearly all the drink options were sold out. In sum, the museum is clearly trying to get the maximum number of visitors squeezed in, with minimum effort to make them comfortable. I would've preferred to pay more for our tickets, and to book in advance, in order to have a more pleasant experience. As it is, I do not plan to visit again.

Overwhelming! While it's a great play space, it is overwhelming on the senses, especially when busy! With 6 floors, and renovated industrial space, it can be dark in some places - keep a close eye on preschoolers and younger set. Not a big fan of heights, so the airplane attraction on the top of the building is a no-go for me. However, kids really enjoy the playground feel of this space.

This place is very cool and a must-do for family. I was initially turned off by the price as it is expensive (don't skip the rooftop!) but it was our kid's favorite activity of the trip. They are 10 and 8 and had a blast crawling through caves and tunnels, sticking their hands in the flesh-eating fish tank, and going down all of the slides. Be ready to either crawl in with your kids, or allow them to explore and meet back at a certain location. I'd be weary with younger kids as it would be very easy to get lost. Some slides you're not sure where they come out at.
The rooftop was awesome, don't skip it.

Wow. How do you even describe this to someone? We took a nine year old boy for his birthday trip. He loved it! We arrived before it opened with tickets online so we scanned right through. We all wore pants covering our knees which I thought was very helpful for all the climbing and slides.
We headed straight through the caves and up to the ten story slide, no line. Did that and the five story slide then went outside and spent an hour or more climbing and sliding while the area was still in the shade. We did the indoor floors and watched an aerial act at the circus.
There are several places for food, pricey but worth stopping for a break without leaving the area.
We eventually did purchase rooftop tickets for more climbing, slides and the ferris wheel. Very sunny but there are shaded areas to sit.
We spent over five hours here. On a summer weekday it was busy but not crowded. A short wait for some slides in the afternoon.
We walked from our hotel but saw several parking lots nearby. Little vehicle traffic in the area so easy to get to. Highly recommend, especially for school age kids.

talk about endless fun. We made our little one a member so he can come free till end of next year. And he can bring a friend, so one of us became a friend (so ticket free for that one!) and the third person paid. This is a whole day activity if you have a kid, especially one who wants to climb everything. Lots of weird monster like structures and caves you can climb up and down. The man behind this idea is Bob Cassily who bought some warehouses and worked on the salvaged material there, as an act of being creative and also preserving materials. He also salvaged materials from buildings that were being renovated to initiate construction of the museum. He had Artists and talented craftsmen whom he called ‘the crew’ helping him with the process. In short it’s a museum of Imagination, scavenging and craftsmanship.
Enjoyed doing the giant wheel on the roof. There are many slides here and there. Can be the driver of the school bus on the roof that’s about to fall down! There was also a free circus show that we got to watch. In fact it was my 4 year old’s first circus show! We also made a cool piggy bank

Place is a dump! Can't say enough to describe the disappointment. No air conditioning, musty, dirty and really nothing to do for kids.

What a cool place!! So much to see and do, we spent hours there and still probably missed things. Be careful with head bumps and tight spaces. Could easily get hurt or knock your head. We ate at Rosalita’s afterward which is just a few blocks away and was great.

This is the eighth time that I have gone here. Amazing every single time! We never get bored. We park at 1499 Delmar Blvd Parking and would recommend parking there. The parking staff is very nice and the price is cheep. you only have to walk a little to get to the museum line. The line to enter is okay. they could probably make it better but its all right. The bathrooms are generally clean-ish. Would recommend wearing knee pads but we never do. For first time visitors don't pay extra for roof tickets, there is so much more to do. Older kids love crawling through the tunnels and younger one just loves to play in outside areas. The food is all right. Every slide is soo much fun! Fun for all ages! would definitely recommend to visit!

A very fun experience, kids will love it! One of the most unique places Ive ever been. So many different things to do. Only downfall is its very difficult to keep track of your kids, best to visit with a couple adults to help keep track of everyone.

man... this is an awesome, unique and great time for all. So many things to see and do, it was an amazing time and we will be back.

We went to St. Louis for a couple of days and visited the City Museum for the 1st time...what a unique place. Kids 7 years and older...including adults would really enjoy it! I would recommend getting there early...at the opening bell and even purchasing tickets online ahead of time...it will be crowded...especially if the weather is iffy on the day you go. We will go back the next time we are in St. Louis since we are from out of town...it is a must see!!

Can't wait to visit with the kids. Instead of holding them back, you can let them climb to their hearts delight. You too mom and dad. It's impossible to describe. It's as much an amusement park as a museum.

Wow, this place is incredible! I traveled with my children and family, a group of 10 people and the kids ranged in age from 3 to 16. We got there when they opened, and we left very shortly before they closed and I still feel like we could have gone back a second day. There is so much to see and do!! I am so glad we went with a family who had attended before. I got their tips and tricks beforehand, as well as read other traveler blogs and the website's FAQ page to learn all that I could before showing up. I HIGHLY recommend knee pads, flashlights, bandaids, matching t-shirts (or other identifiable pieces) and coming up with a plan so as not to lose a child (because it is very likely you will lose a child here). This place is so fun and the kids are already talking about when we can go back!

We visited City Museum with our two daughters and another family of four. This place is simply amazing. We spent five hours there and merely broached all of the possible activities there. It was inclement weather that day, so we did not include the roof access. Even without roof access, there was so much to explore inside. The $20 per person for general admission was well worth it, as you could spend a whole day...and then some just inside the the building. Great Family Experience!

I visited during a solo getaway where I needed to get out of my head. This place, with its climbing structures, tunnels, and many surprises forced me to be really aware of my body in space. There are also traditional exhibits (for example, the architecture exhibit) when you need a break from being pushed outside your comfort zone.

The museum experience was what I needed, but I was annoyed when I arrived and parking was not $15 as advertised, but $15 plus tax. No one anywhere taxes the parking fee. The parking lot attendant agreed that it was strange, and told me it was a recent change. When I went inside to purchase admission, once again the fee was not $23 as advertised, but $23 plus tax. Taxing admission is also not normal--admission fees are inclusive of taxes. These two purchases with their unexpected "tax" left a bad taste in my mouth. If you need to raise prices, do so transparently--don't pass it off as "tax."

This is one of the hardest places to describe that we have every visited, but if you get a chance, you need to go. It's like visiting another world. The creativity throughout is mind blowing and there is no way to describe all the caves, tunnels, spiral stairs, rope swings, mosaics, art, colors, dragons, and as much shaped and welded metal as any one person can see in a week. Our kids are older teens, but loved every minute of it, and if you have young kids they are going to have so much fun they will pass out. It will be one of the most unusual places you ever go in your life, and I think you could go five times and find something you missed each time. If you have a kid that likes to climb, you could leave them in here for a week and they still wouldn't want to leave. If you are not a climber, it's still worth it just to look at all the creative things inside. My wife uses an electric scooter and found that with the use of the elevator could still enjoy looking at a great deal of the place. You could take a hundred pictures inside and not do it justice. And in case you think I'm exaggerating, can you imagine circus performers, a tank of flesh eating fish you can put your hand in, and the world's largest underware under the same roof, and that's just for starters. We loved it and would go back anytime we had a chance.

My friends and I (all adults in our 60's) had heard that this was a really neat place, so we booked tickets online for a specific time. We only lasted about an hour in the chaos. There were literally hundreds of kids running around screaming---we could barely walk through the place, and we certainly could not see the "exhibits". It was a nightmare. Allowing such a huge number of people in that space is surely a fire hazard, and if anyone fell down they would be trampled. We were extremely disappointed, and felt we had wasted our time and money going there. We will not return.

Quite simply the most impressive play place I've ever seen. Whatever pictures you see can't do it justice; there's just so much to take in that you can only truly grasp in person. Multiple levels of crawlspaces and tunnels from below the floor to hung from the ceiling, slides taking you from one floor to the next including a 10-story spiral slide, outdoor features that rise 50-60 feet above the ground...it's amazing!

Pro tips: Bring a flashlight as many of the spaces are very dark (some pitch-black). It is also very easy to get lost in some of the tunnels so make sure either 1) your kids are old enough to find their way back to you, and/or 2) you're nimble enough to follow them around. There some aquarium elements, as well. And for only $20 to play all day (not including the roof, which was not yet open for the season when we went), it's hard to beat.

I wish they remove "museum" from the name. Because, often, people think museum to be sort of boring, quiet place, where you stand in front of a wall and stare at it for a long time!!! CITY MUSEUM is anything like that. It is an endless fun adventure.

There are no maps to navigate in the museum. Their moto is "Get Lost As Many Times At You Want". And it is so true.

It is a endless fun for all ages, from the youngest to middle aged, as long as you are able to physically withstand some strain. There are activities of all kind of physical strenuous level.

There are caves, slides, crashed planes and school bus at the edge of the top of 10 story building!! (Though, it cost extra for Top floor, $8).

COST:

$16 (As of May 2021) for Admission (all ages are same)
$10 for parking per car
$8 (Additional cost, if you want to go to the top of the building), If you have time, I would recommend that.

WHAT TO WEAR:

Casual, Jeans. If you are going to try all kind of maze coils that goes through ceilings and everywhere, have a good pair of jeans or comfortable clothes. Have a good sports shoes.

Also, avoid keeping too many things like purses, water bottles, backpack. Some alleys are pretty narrow, you just want to avoid carrying extra items, or getting in your way. (BTW, there are water fountains everywhere).

SAFETY:

It is pretty safe to go through all the activities, the only hazard may be head bump hazard. If you are concerned, have a hard case cap (hat). Be careful, you may bump your head. However, our company included age 6 to 45. And we were all fine and safe. So, nothing to worry about it.

WHAT TO SEE

Honestly, everything. 10 story slides. Caves, All the metal coils that goes through everything. Definitely don't miss out of outdoor crashed planes. Even check out pillars made with gears, even the restroom at the entrance was pretty creatively made.

OVERALL VALUE

$16 is a great value for all ages. Kids will love it. Adults will feel like kids again.

DON'T MISS OUT OF THIS AWESOME ADVENTURE.

This is one of the more unique places you'll ever visit. It's like a junkyard meets chutes and ladders meets art installation meets Burning Man meets jungle gym meets Odditorium meets Buffalo's Riverworks meets Applebees with all sorts of things on the walls and floors and ceilings-- like an artist took over a skyscraper and went nuts but in a good way.

Fine for older kids, but kids younger than 10 are sitting ducks. Parents need to be extra cautious. Multiple passageways, exits, and entrances thru connected caves and climbing contraptions throughout the multi-story building. Sounds cool, but your kid enters and then disappears unable to find their way out to you. Older kids are barreling thru the passageways past the younger kids, and even smaller framed adults climb into these tunnels behind these unsuspecting children. There are no bracelet checks when you leave, so anyone can lead your kid outside with the promise they're taking him or her to find you. The staff states they have cameras everywhere...but this doesn't sound at all preventative. It's terrifying. Unless you're small and able to climb into these twisty turns and tubes with your younger children, avoid this place at all costs.

Kids (age range 4 to 11) absolutely loved the place. So many floors and rooms to play and get lost in. A little disconcerting for the parents as you have no idea where you kids go unless you are small enough and in shape enough to follow them through a lot of tight spaces. They have a bar which is nice and a couple of different places for overpriced food so you don’t have to leave. One downside is there really is no air conditioning or if there is it was not on very high as the place was very hot for a 90 degree plus day.

I recently visited with my family, husband and three chidren (10,15 and 19). My family had visited the City Museum last about 11 years ago and had such great memories that we wanted to take my 10 year old son. While we still had fun, I think the musuem has changed a bit over the years, my first impression 11 years ago, was that the musuem was quirky and wonderfully weird. My impression this trip was that the musuem, has lost some of it's quirkyness and replaced it with concession stands and less art. To me the musuem now seems more like a gymboree and less like a place to physically engage with art. Oh well.

Some things to know; the place will be packed! like shoulder to shoulder in the lower area, long lines for the bathroom. Children are everwhere! So, if you are a helicopter parent, this place isn't for you and your children will not get the most out of the experience. Be prepared to crawl and climb with your child and for your child to enter spaces you will not fit! Don't bring a purse or backpack, use a fanny pack or zipper pockets for your items, take as little as possible. Wear tennis shoes and long pants. Park across the street and down the block for ten dollars in the city lot. Be prepared to stay for several hours. Don't purchase rooftop tickets ahead of time, as the roof closes for weather. If you don't have a fear of heights, check out the outside area.

All in all, still a fun place, I would no longer recommend, the City Musuem as THE reason to visit St. Louis but combined with a trip to the zoo and other actractions, worth the stop.

We went here on a Saturday morning. Came in around 10 AM - we were able to park in the compound itself. The museum is just awesome. The caves, slides, the climbing, tree house, roof top, Pinball, etc. We spent around 5 hours here. The only complaint was the poorly managed food joints - they need to organize it better. Kids has an amazing time and so did we. Highly recommended activity in STL.

Great place to take kids!! Fours floors for kids to enjoy a playground like atmosphere. Bring your walking shoes and workout clothes. Be sure to do your research on parking area.

My two friends and I spent a weekend in St Louis last month, and we decided to visit the City Museum. What an AMAZING place! There’s no age limit to enjoy the museum; we were three 60-year-olds having a blast alongside grade-school and high-school kids. In fact, three little boys thought it was the best thing to climb up the nets and slide down the slides along with us. (I’m sure they saw us as their grandmothers!) 😊 They showed us particular routes to take for climbing, and they called and waved to us as we were leaving.

As long as a person is ambulatory, there are plenty of things to do and 10 floors to do them on. The only limitation would be for children under 3 years, just for safety. Some of the areas are pretty challenging. For those who don’t want to engage in a particular activity, there are plenty of areas with ample seating for folks to wait while others are playing.

We LOVED all the slides and the climbing areas, especially the outside area where we could climb up into to different planes and walk across to “castle turrets.” The tactile stimulation is wonderful! There were both inside and outside areas to play, and plenty of areas to decompress and rest and snack. There are pieces of art and interesting memorabilia somewhat hidden throughout the museum, which makes it a cool kind of scavenger hunt. The hall with architectural salvage art was particularly stunning.

Some travelers’ tips for better enjoyment:
• Read the information on the website before visiting.
o We DEFINITELY recommend close-toed shoes!
o No purses or backpacks; there are lockers, but they cost $8.00.
o Having hands free helps you experience the museum.
o A miner’s headlamp would be helpful in dark spaces.
• There are no discounts on entry fees, and there are “extra” costs:
o $8.00 extra for rooftop attractions
o $6.00 extra for the pinball arcade

Honestly, though, it was WELL worth the admission price. There was such incredible creativity and talent on display in repurposing industrial parts, vehicles (from buses to planes), concrete, and other building materials. It was so visually stimulating, and the art is ASTOUNDING! The lack of signage was actually beneficial because it allows the visitors freedom to explore the building at their own pace and in whatever fashion they choose.

It was interesting to us (coming from another big city) that not only were all the staff very friendly and helpful, but all the visitors were also friendly and kind. Sometimes we had to “give way” in a narrow passage, and everyone was very courteous to either let us pass, or thank us for letting them pass.

We definitely recommend a minimum of 2 hours for a visit. We could easily have spent the entire day! They do give you wristbands so if you wish to leave the museum (to eat lunch, for instance) you can return without any difficulty.

The City Museum is a totally unique attraction, and not to be missed on a visit to St Louis. The next time we’re in town, we’re going to visit it again!

This place is AMAZING! Everywhere you look there is something else to see or do. Really cool art and quirky architecture. Great place for kids or adults.

We enjoyed our visit to this museum—only wish we still had young children because it’s amazing for kids. The outdoor “play” area is indescribable and definitely worth a visit in the summer. You won’t be disappointed!

On the must visit list if you have kids from the ages of 5 to 12. Totally unique experience as this is more of a giant playground than a museum. There are some exhibits but mainly this a place for kids to have fun. Many of the slides and climbing areas go between multiple floors, so it can be a parent’s worst nightmare trying to keep track of your kids.

Is everything here totally safe for kids? Not really sure but you kind of just have to let your kids go for it here. This does go against modern parenting instincts, where we must supervise and worry about every minute of our kid’s day. Bottom line is they give you a wristband for your kids after you get in and tell you to write your phone number on it in case they get lost. LOL.

We went here on a Wednesday in the last week of March, which was Spring break for us, but not locally. Took us 30 minutes to get in after arriving at opening time and getting in was a chaotic experience. Most people had already bought tickets on line but this did nothing to speed up the line to get in. Not sure if it is always like this or we just picked a crowded week.

If you are here at a crowded time, I would recommend doing the outside exhibits first. They got progressively more crowded as the day went on and they started limiting the number of people allowed on the outdoor exhibits.

We did add the rooftop, which was an extra $8 per ticket. You can only buy the rooftop ticket in person but you can buy the rooftop ticket in person after you purchase the regular ticket online. The rooftop was worth it for us as it was a beautiful day and this was the only time we would probably visit. If I came here multiple times, I would probably skip it.

I did feel the museum was ridiculously understaffed. Fortunately never lost track of my kids for long but felt there were very few staff they could report to if they were lost. Food service was awful. Long lines and angry food service employees. Would recommend eating a big breakfast before going here.

Overall, with the ticket prices, parking, snacks, spent well north of $100. However, we stayed all day and my kids had a great time.

Wow, kids will love this place. Every corner was a space you can crawl or jump or slide. It was just my wife and I. We played for about 2 hours and almost did everything we could. Some places were closed due to covid (rooftop)
They have lockers to place your belongings if needed ($8)
This place is a kids dream for exploring

Every few years we visit St. Louis and every time, we plan a trip to the City Museum. We've been coming since the kids were little and now that they are in their 20's, we all still love it! There is always something new or something we overlooked. The adventures never end and the craftsmanship is amazing. We've traveled all around the world and this place is unique and an inspiration!!!!

One of a kind. We visited STL for a quick weekend trip and spent a Sunday afternoon here. We spent roughly two hours and didn't come close to seeing everything. What we saw was great. We especially loved the outside (not roof) section. I felt confident letting my kids climb around while I sat in the "trolley car". I could see them most of the time and otherwise they couldn't miss the big "trolley car" parents generally sat in. Inside we loved the caves - a flashlight is a must though and one of ours died so one kid could no longer really play down there. One kid wore knee pads, the other did not - neither complained so I think you can go either way on wearing those. I think my 7yr & 9yr were perfect age as I trusted to lose sight of them and they knew where we'd be. Each "area" tended to loop kids back to that area so although you can't see them they could easily find us again. Highly recommend if you are a family with kids 6yr - 12yr.

Wow! An adventure playground for all ages! So much to do here. All hands on. Excitement at every turn as well as on every floor!! So much to do and see. Definitely purchase the extra rooftop activities you will not be disappointed. A wonderful surprise in downtown St Louis. It was not a museum as our teenagers thought. They loved it.

We were here prior to Covid, so things may have changed a bit since reopening as it looks like some things have been closed down at this time. Hopefully, things will return to normal soon and everything will be open to enjoy as it was when we went with three teenage boys (ages 13, 18, and 18), as well as me and my husband.

There are tons of areas here to explore with lots of ladders and slides all over the place. The kids were literally able to climb the ceilings and walls. Some of the highlights our family enjoyed included the cave (need to be 16 or with someone 18+ to enter), the bus that hangs out over the edge of the building and looks straight down, the ferris wheel, the very unique caves, and the Rooftop Cafe where we had some tasty nachos and mixed drinks for the adults. I've added a lot of photos to check out and give a decent idea of some of the fun that this place offers.

I'm not sure if I would recommend going with really young kids (maybe 5 and under) unless you don't mind trying to chase them through little spaces on hands and knees and making sure you see them at all times. A lot of the areas start at one spot and end at another, which makes it hard to know where the kiddos went unless you are right on their heels. As our kids were older, we kind of let them go and just had meet-up times every so often for checking in and meals.

Plan to spend lots of time. We thought we would go for an hour or two, but we ended up staying all day and still didn't see everything.

Interesting concept. This is just a place with a bunch of mazes and places to climb and little else. My 8 and 10 year olds loved it. I couldn’t imagine a child much younger than 8. Though I had no fear of kids getting hurt, getting lost could be a reality. Preteens, Teens, adventurous adults will likely love it. It’s kind of a overgrown playground. The price is a bit steep but if you’re kids like it, it is reasonable. It is crowded. Hack: if you want to quick bottle of water, buy it at the souvenir stand. Buying snacks was a less than enjoyable experience. We went on a weekend, so it was overcrowded with rude people and slow service.

Amazing day of fun!

Adults - wear knee pads & a headlamp, prepare to sweat, only bring in a Fanny pack of essentials.

Kids - dress in bright clothes, wear pants (we were there on a 100 degree day and my kids wore pants), wear a headlamp.

We spent 7.5 hours at the museum and had so much fun. This museum is best if the adults are willing to explore also. Let your kids lead and you follow. Set limits of waiting for the parent and you’ll never worry about losing them.

Even with AC, it was HOT. We all sweat through our clothes. Rule - no one can be crabby from the heat.

We ate lunch there - it was $52 for a pizza, a chicken mozzarella sandwich and 3 Icees. Reasonable if you think about eating out and having to pay for parking.

Parking was $20-$25 for the day.

What a museum... totally different from the normal standards of museums. Definitely a museum for children, with fantastic experiences. One tip: children should carry headlamps and helmet, as there are many, many, many tunnels, holes, secret passages some narrow and dark. The flashlight would help light up and the helmet would avoid hitting the head. Reserve the day to spend there, as it is very worth it. And be careful otherwise you risk leaving without going through all areas of the museum. There's some hidden... The museum was idealized and built by plastic artists who used sucatas. Much worth it.... guaranteed fun!!!

This place is unlike any other "museum" we've ever been to. I wouldn't really call it a museum....more like a giant obstacle course. There are so many random places to crawl in, around, and through, and many of them are HARD materials (think steel poles and wires). I saw some adults trying to follow their kids, only to totally regret their decisions as they weren't as small, lightweight, and limber. But if you don't follow your kids, their tunnels/slides/etc could end up exiting 2 floors lower than you are and you have to go all over the place trying to find your kids again!
Also, there is NO need to bathe the place in gay-pride, trans-pride flags. That is a VERY touchy subject and should stay out of public family places.

1) Expect to climb, hang, swing, crawl and crawl and crawl.
2) Gloves. Wear driving or batting style gloves. There is plenty of rebar, ropes, rocky caves and floors. Having gloves just helps.... and keeps the germs to a minimum.
3) Knee pads. My first visit I didn't understand. After a day of following my kids thru rebar tubes, out the back of an airplane, in a cave, up a wood tree, between twisting iron, under a floor and other tunnels I realized that knee pads are the secret. My kids always wear them.
4) Light. My kids wear small inexpensive headlamps but my wife and I took small flashlights. It's dark in some of the tunnels and chutes! Yes, we have flashlights on our phones but holding a phone light while crawling just didn't work.
5) Kids under 6. (My kids are 8 and 11). There is a floor dedicated to the younger kids but I have to say I didn't even attempt CM until after the age of 7. There are so many climbing opportunities that I can't do and slides that disappear down 7 floors its just impossible to be with them.
6) Helicopter Parent? If you have to know where your child is at all times, this place probably isn't for you. With hundreds of kids climbing in and out of tree houses, holes in the floor, caves, slides and airplanes you just won't be able to keep up. Lots of great employees that are very helpful but with this kinds of fun don't expect to see them the entire time.
7) What to wear. Shoes have to tie tight (No flip flops), clothes will get dusty, have some zipper pockets for keys/ wallets/ phones (fanny packs are great for this too), gloves, knee pads, long socks if wearing shorts to protect shins, loose clothing to bend and crawl in, and layers since you'll be inside and outside.
8) Safety. They provide wrist bands so write your phone number on the wrist band for younger kids. Take a picture of your child before they run off in case they get lost. I saw some families all wearing bright green or bright orange t-shirts which I thought was a good visual idea. Tuck some bandaids into one of your zipper pockets. Hand sanitizer is a must. I also saw some kids with walkie talkies but not sure about that idea.
9) Snacks and water. The mom in our group isn't much of a climber and has no desire for heights or crawling so she kept the fanny pack full of small snacks and water. She also blasted the kids with hand sanitizers, made them drink water, held their sweatshirts you know.
10) Final Tips. We arrived about 15 minutes before they opened and got a good $10 parking space close to the building. The wrist band allows in and out privilege's so we packed a lunch and all of us took a break after two hours to rest, take off any extra clothes, eat, drink some water and share the wow moments. We also decided on a meeting place inside the building that everyone could find. We talked every hour before letting our 8 and 11 year old back at it. Our meeting point was near the front door so I could also make sure they didn't go outside for any reason.

The thing I love about City Museum is that it truly stimulates your childs creative mind in a huge way. There is even an ART room for those that just want to take a break and paint. If you have super active child with a creative mind..... this place is for you!

p.s. My kids slept really well and I only had to take two aspirins the next day.

Amazing I love everything about the city it was amazing amoxicillin experience which includes the following moment it

The views from the roof top are amazing. This is not your regular museum! Surprises around every corner. Great for active 6-12 year olds as there is so much stuff to climb on.

The city museum is a great place for kids to explore and get a lot of energy out. There are 3 levels of areas to climb and discover. It is difficult at times to keep tabs on your child on the first floor area. The 3rd floor had a circus show which was entertaining. Not much for adults to do, I wished adults did not need to pay a higher admission fee for standing around because most the areas were too small for adults.

Big fan of this artists creation from a former 600K SqFt shoe factory. Everywhere you look are beautiful mosaics, hand painted decor, slides, coves, stairways, and everyday items transformed into something people can get hands on with. Get there right when they open so you can experience the more popular experiences before the big crowds come a couple hours later. 5 floors of non stop fun inside, and outside will keep you busy for a long time. The 10-story slide was fun, but if you’re wearing shorts and have tennies on, you’ll keep stopping with friction of your skin or rubber shoes. These corkscrew slides were made for moving shoe inventories, not humans.
We skipped the extra cost for the roof access, didn’t miss that a bit. Not a mask in the place, that’s changing in St Louis for now on indoor locales, was nice while we were there. Definitely recommend this for young families, will wear everyone out, but watch the kids, lots of places they could become injured, they do have part of a floor for the very small kiddos.

Could be so much better- from ticket sales ( person gave us no info ie rooftop options, audio options etc) ; trash left on displays cuz people couldn’t find the few trash cans,; few descriptions or info on exhibits. Extremely warm inside.

"A playground on steroids". "Trippy doesn't even begin to describe this place". Not sure how else to describe City Museum but I'll try to say a bit more. Lots to explore for active, curious kids and adults who can still tolerate joint and muscle pain. Caves, tunnels, indoor areas, outdoor areas, huge slides, weird art, a bus on the edge of the rooftop, an airplane you can climb into, twisted metal, strange artifacts, aquariums, twisted metal ladders., and I'm sure many more noteworthy things I've failed to mention. There are food and lockers available on-site. We had no trouble parking on the official lot but it might be a problem on busier days.

Such a fun surprise. We've never experienced anything quite like this. The kids were entertained for hours. There were staff everywhere and they were friendly, especially the guy working the ferris wheel. On a cool day, we would have stayed twice as long as we did today but 95+ degree weather had up worn slap out!

Place is huge to say the least but be forewarned that your kids can get lost easily. There’s so many passages & pathways that I have no idea where my kid needed up half the time. There’s young kids area on the top floor was sort of intimidating as it’s def geared towards older toddlers. The food court options are extremely limited but the food we got was surprisingly above average. The came up because most flight & resorts were outrageously priced but I as well as my kids were more than satisfied. Don’t fall for the $20 parking either. There’s metered parking about a block away that’ll give you like 4 hours for $5.

The City Museum in STL is unlike any other "museum" – truly one of the coolest places I've ever visited. Having been a visitor since childhood, I'm thrilled to now bring my own child. However, recent visits have been a bit disappointing with the closure of attractions like the 10-story slide and various passageways. Despite these setbacks, the overall experience is still awesome, spending four hours crawling and running around. Bonus: the food courts aren't bad either!

We love this— we went four days in a row with our kids five and under. Spring break however has it a madhouse. Even with memberships, the line was a block long to get in- it feels like there has to be a better way to get the lines moving faster, and there were so many people there (wayyyyy more than I have experienced in years past), that not if, *when* you lose your kid down a tunnel onto a different level of the building, lol, it’s a little unnerving how difficult it would be to locate a staff member if you actually needed help. Seems like afternoon is the way to go if you want to reduce the lines to get in a bit.

Our kids absolutely loved the city museum. The roof was unfortunately closed on the day we went, which was disappointing but the kids had fun on the other attractions. The reason why I gave this a rating of '3' was through the eyes of a parent. I don't think that it was worth the money because of the roof and many other exhibits being closed off (too many to count). We bought tickets for a certain entrance time thinking that it would limit crowds, however, when we got there at 3:00, it was extremely busy and chaotic. While the staff was doing their absolute best to have visitors keep their masks on, there were constantly people pulling their masks down while walking around. It was very unnerving as a parent. While that was not the fault of the museum, I think that it was easy for visitors to do because of the crowd of people there.

Room to constrictor on the mask policies but super fun place. Amazing! I could do so much more there. I plan to come back and do it again. Make sure you bring some pads and a headlamp and wear pants. So worth it

I was in town for a business trip and had a few hours before my flight, so I visited the City Museum. This is an absolutely insane place! There's a magical forest, tanks full of fish, axolotls, and bearded dragons, and a giant pair of underpants hanging on the wall. There are lots of climbing structures and slides for kids, but also fine art and architectural history displays for adults. Interspersed with the exhibits are a popcorn stand, a pizza place, a cocktail bar, and a pinball arcade. If you go to one place during your stay in Saint Louis, other than the Arch, make it the City Museum. I can't wait to go back!

One of the coolest things I've ever done. It took me back to my childhood, playing on the playground and just having fun exploring. Everyone should experience this. It's amazing. I have no words.

I blame myself mostly- but I had heard the city museum was neat. It said fun for all ages. I did not really research what we were going to see. We wanted to get out of the heat for a few hours since we had checked out of our hotel and thought why not give it a try. It is not like any museum I've ever been to. It is a bunch of slides and a collection of very weird memorabilia. I am not sure what we were expecting but my teenage daughter and I walked every level (we were not dressed to slide down slides) and we were done in 15 minutes. We wondered for another half hour and left. 2 tickets, plus parking = $50 was not a good investment of our time or money- but families with smaller children appeared to be having fun.

Two separate reviews: kids and adults.

2 kids ages 9 and 11 loved their time at the City Museum. "Awesome - multiple things for kids to do. The tunnels are cramped for adults but not for kids. Kids can go in easily."

Adults opinions - Do not take children who are not independent unless you can crawl through the tunnels. Our kids (with phones, after reading about the facility) took off within a minute. Fortunately we had established a meeting point. (Hint - make a meeting point on the top floor.) The kids came and went all day. The Museum was overcrowded during spring break, and food lines were worse than Disney. We waited 75 minutes from getting in line to getting our food - and it cost more than Disney. They just couldn't handle the crowds. And how does this place meet fire codes???

Overall, people seemed to be enjoying themselves. Our kids would love to go back.

I have wanted to take my kids here when they were younger, but we were able to take them at 10 and 14. I thought my 14 year old would not enjoy it, but she did! It is a must do for kids! I think 14 is about the limit I would take them to it. Check before you go if all the slides are open. We had very few slides that were open May 2023.

Very little in the way of a museum here. However, lots of , but activities for the younger set. If you have kids, be prepared for al long visit!

Great place to take young children. There are so many things to do. They even have art galleries and an art center for kids to make arts and crafts.

Lots to do for everyone, young and old.

I highly recommend attending this facility when costing St. Louis.

The staff was not the friendliest and the snack bar was kind of gross but overall it’s a great facility.

They also serve adult beverages which is pretty cool.

Michele

Several exhibits were closed but admission was still full price. There was still a lot to see and do.

Fun Museum. Activity oriented museum for all ages - young and old. Be prepared to walk stairs to experience slides - yes, big enough for adults up to 5’8”. Yes, there is a place where adult drinks are sold.

We were really disappointed by the City “Museum.” It’s actually not a museum at all. There aren’t really any exhibits or anything educational or interesting. It’s basically a huge, chaotic playground for smaller kids. I took my 13 and 15 year old kids. The pinball entertained them for a little while but that was about it. I wouldn’t recommend unless you have small kids you want to let run around.

We had heard great things about the City Museum and were excited to be able to finally find time on a visit to StL to make it there. Maybe it was the situation with Covid or time of year, not sure, but at least half of what was there was either blocked off or empty. If that was the situation, fine but tell people that so they can reevaluate if they want to spend the money or not. Our family of 4 spent $75 for entry, were there only about an hour and pretty disappointed with the experience. We won't be back.

This place!!!!!! Was SO.MUCH.FUN. We have a 13, 11 and 4 year old. I was worried my 13 year old may sit back and watch, but no way. There was so much for everyone to do!!! We stayed half a day as we needed to drive back home, but all 3 kids could've stayed at least the entire day and still not seen everything. And all 3 kids wanted to have their birthday party there. We live 6 hours away🤣 I can't say enough things about how great this place was.

The kids had a great time as well as adults. You had to pay $6 extra for the pinball area and practically all of the machines were out of order!! Waste of $6

We loved our visit. Artistic, beautiful, challenging, creative, wondrous... it is absolutely amazing.

The place is NOT idiot proof, however. I saw reviews with safety concerns. The venue reminded me more of places in Europe... where you are expected to NOT be an idiot. If you don't want to supervise, or if your kids are likely to be stupid and try to climb the exteriors or climb over railings... then you should go to a generic padded playground instead.

Stay a kid at heart. Friends and I experienced the City Museum for the first time. Slides and exhibits are very cool. Science

We took our older kids to St. Louis for the weekend and wanted to check this place out. It came highly recommended, and did not disappoint. There are a lot of little kids running around, but there is also a lot for older kids and adults to do, too. We were exhausted after we finished here and two of us even have bruised tailbones from all of the slides! Well worth the pain, and if we ever venture back to St. Louis, we'll be venturing back to City Museum.

This was the reason for our trip and it did not disappoint! We visited about 8 years ago and our children wanted to go back! We are glad that we did! Tunnels, slides, the views, the ferris wheel, it was all a blast!
During our entire visit there was only two drawbacks:
1. Parking - we were lured into a parking area that had signage that made us believe that it was for the museum, it was not. City Museum parking is only $10 - do NOT let someone trick you into another parking area. We did not pay until we departed and it turned out to be $25 - the actual museum parking was on the opposite side of the building. Live and learn.
2. During the included 'show' the performer acted like a child when a spectator did not interact with him. The performer threw a tantrum and told us all that the show was over. At first we thought he was kidding since it had only started, but it turned out that he was serious. Good opportunity to show our children how NOT to behave - but shame on him!

Had a blast! Wish we would have had more time to explore. Go, go, go - you will not be disappointed!

We took my niece here and she absolutely loved it. As a wheelchair user, I most likely will not go back. It is somewhat accessible, and given the type of place that it is and the building that it is in, they have done very well

This is a totally neat place for kids of all ages! My husband became a 3year old exploring! So many caverns and little nooks to explore. We will totally be back with grandkids!

This place is Awesome!! It was so much fun for kids and adults. So many cool places to explore. I think it's best if your kids are about 5 or older so they can do more. Be prepared to have sore legs the day after but it's so worth it! We took knee pads but didn't really need them. You are able to come and go so if you don't want to eat there it's possible to bring food and eat it in your car or outside. There isn't much (or really any if you are worried about cross contamination) for GF food so we brought some. The staff are really friendly and helpful. So much fun! Highly recommend!

This place is the work of a creative mastermind. An old warehouse recreated mostly from recycled pieces to create a human habitrail. So many tunnels, stairs, and slides that you’ll never know where you will end up or what floor. Four stories of interactive fun with a bonus rooftop adventure waiting with more slides and even a ferris wheel. The staff and guests are so respectful and great helping in every way to keep all safe. When entering you will get a wristband for access to your adventure. On the kids wristband write your cell number in case they get turned around and can’t find their way back to you or injured. The staff will call and reunite everyone. Truly spent 6 hours here with kids ages 4, 12, 14 and 30’ish with loads of laughs and smiles all around. We will definitely be going back before long.

City Museum is such a unique experience that I definitely recommend checking it out, but I wish I had realized a few things before.

It is overall geared towards children. I had read a couple of reviews that adults without kids would have just as much to do and at least to me it didn’t feel that way. I will say that I’m on the heavier side and a lot of the spaces definitely wouldn’t work. But my husband is more average sized and still chose not to do a lot of the stairs/climbing parts because of how cramped. So likely missed out on a lot of the hidden sections. We were able to still explore some though and absolutely loved all the options in the plane section. Just recommend knee pads if you do want to do more because the crawling was rough.

There was a private event when we were there so a whole area on one of the floors was closed off which may have added more to the experience. The roof also closed early that day which may have been related. The stores inside closed super early compared to closing time. Around 4 or 5 while the museum was open until 10. The restaurants also stopped serving food a couple of hours early, but it was a Saturday and crazy busy. The pinball area didn’t super feel worth the amount, but they were interesting.

Last thing, is that it is basically a giant playground for kids so they are pumped. Be ready for it to be busy, loud, and kids running everywhere. This is not a negative at all, just added to the feeling that a family may get more out of the museum than a couple.

Overall though, we enjoyed it, especially since it was such a unique experience. I definitely do recommend checking it out at least once. The huge slide was amazing and even with all of the things listed we were there for around four hours or so.

This is a hidden gem that’s not so hidden. Any trip to St Louis with kids this is a must. We spent 5 hours here and still didn’t see everything. Coming back again when the roof is open. I am in awe of this museum and my kids enjoy it more and more every time. It’s great for any age.

This is unlike any museum I have visited. Yes, there are interesting things to look at but also fun things to climb on, slide off, and experiences galore. 10 stories long slide and rooftop views are unforgettable.

It's really hard to summarize our experience here, because there is SO MUCH to see and do. Everyone in our family, from age 3 to 60, had a blast. This is a must for any family visit to St Louis.

Listen, this place is VERY unique and most kids LOVE it... I can't think of any place we've been that's like it. It isn't a museum at all... it's a crazy, disorganized, huge playground essentially. There are a few cool architectural pieces on the higher floors, but that's it (as far as "museum" type things). BUT, the place is DISGUSTING. There is NO reason it can't be cleaned... I understand it receives A LOT of people through there every day... but, that does not mean it is impossible to do a deep clean once in a while. The stairs are BLACK with dust and filth. Railings are black with hand grime. There is dirt and dust and just disgustingness everywhere. When you walk in, you are overpowered by the foul smell of feet, sweat, mildew, etc. It is a really disgusting place and they should be ashamed that they simply charge an exorbitant entry fee, let thousands run around, while they just sit back and never clean it. The food (as expected at these places) is severely overpriced and not good (an example, TINY bags of popcorn are $6). The staff is unfriendly, unwelcoming, and unfriendly. There are no real signs anywhere and you're on your own to figure out where to go and how to get to places. We finally found the slide down (5 stories) and it was roped off and closed... we either had to walk up 5 more stories (to the 10 story slide) or walk back down. After standing around for a few minutes debating what to do, a staff member walked over to the slide and just stood there. He could see we, as well as another family, wanted to slide down... but he just stood there looking bored. We finally asked him when the slide would open and he said with the least amount of enthusiasm one could muster "it's open." "Oh!" we said, "Great!" We started to line up to go down and once I approached, he said in a low mumbling voice, "You can't go down because you have that." He was referring to my very small crossbody purse. I showed him it's securely attached to me and would sit tight on the front of my body but he mumbled, "nah, you can't." He didn't bother to point out where there were lockers or what else I could do. We all just walked back down the stairs and left the museum. It is way overpriced for what it is and, again, it is a filthy, disgusting, chaotic, overcrowded, disorganized mess. Also, the museum should be ashamed they charge what they do and don't properly air condition the place... it was HOT... like unbearably hot... we debated simply leaving just after paying our entry fee... it felt like a sauna and there was no relief anywhere (that we could find)... everyone is walking around sweating and the air is thick and hot... our entire visit was very uncomfortable just because of the temperature. Also, I recommend NOT paying the extra fee for the pinball room... it was so overcrowded, you couldn't hardly get on a machine... and the ones they have aren't great... the room and amount of games is very small... and, we saw many in there using the machines with no pinball room wristband... no staff in sight to take care of the issue. IF you go, bring knee pads, head lamps, and carry NOTHING. That is the only way you'll maybe be able to keep up with your kids and not lose them. I'm not sure how you could carry nothing, not even a phone or wallet, to do this... but that is what's required to get around to all the places and be allowed on the slides, etc. City Museum... PLEASE limit the number of patrons, turn on the A/C or invest in MANY MORE fans, and for God's sake, CLEAN your filthy place!

Our ten-year-old grandsons had a ball!! There are so many things to do. Be sure to walk through the entire museum and try to do a such as possible. Our boys love the aquarium section.

We go to the City Museum every time we go to STL. it’s a blast for kids and adults. Bring knee pads for adults. It’s always so packed. The prices have increased since we started going. But totally worth the price. The staff is not the most friendly but overall a great place for the fam.

This place honestly blew my mind! We are a blended family of a teenager and toddler so finding something everyone likes it's tough! I'm really not sure who had more gun the teen or the tot. If you could see it you could climb it, slide in it, or crawl through it. We got turned around and lost multiple times. Allow yourself several hours..we spent 5 hours with an hour of lunch time at the SAMMICH Shop! I cannot wait to go back!

So the website says helicopter parents you can follow your kids everywhere and other parents there is a bar to hang out in. 1 trying to keep up w the kids with other kids and fitting in the all tight spaces is crazy. 2 this isn’t chucky cheese theres nothing connecting you to your kids so anyone can take them, and they can go out any exit.

Elevator was broken. You want to go to rooftop the lady is at the stairs entrance to let you up but does she tell you there’s about seven flights of stairs to go up…no

Then you go to get wine slushies at the top cuz at this point you really need an adult beverage. She ignores you, finically says how she can help you, you order and she says oh the guy that was here is logged into the computer and I don’t have his password so I have to wait for him to get back.

It’s complete chaos however the six year old and twelve year old had fun. The end.

(Family of 4, kids ages 10 and 12). This came HIGHLY recommended. We made the City Museum our second tourist stop while visiting St. Louis. We showed up at 12:20 and the only time slots left to do the rooftop experience was 3:00-4:45. We chanced it and purchased the extra tickets. We visited on a HOT day. A little less than an hour in and we were basically all done. We did everything they had to offer. It was busy and we were hot and the restaurants inside just didn't look appealing. We choose to leave and forfeit our rooftop experience. We thought about walking around the area but not knowing where to go or what to do - the heat factor wasn't worth it. We thought about driving somewhere and coming back - but parking is $10 everywhere. If I had any advice, it would be to plan your visit well. Get there early to be able to do the rooftop right away - they only offered three time slots when we were there: 10:30-12:15; 12:45-2:30; 3:00-4:45 and tickets for each are limited. I wish we had known these time tables, we would have better planned our or visit. Live and Learn :)
(I think we also would have enjoyed this stop more a different time of year - when perhaps the weather would have been cooler and we could have worn pants and long sleeves - less likely for slide burns that way and less sticking to the slides)

Me and My family went to the City Museum and we had a challenge to where we could not touch the stairs and we did this by the climbing pieces on the inside and we loved the slides on the top with the dome and the pray mantis this was probably the best place I've ever been to ever.

We were a group of 6, ages 8-71 and all of us enjoyed it very much. Two boys ran, climbed, crawled and slid until they were exhausted. The adults marveled at the mosaics and the creative treasures found in literally every corner. It was too hot for us to do the rooftop and outdoor stuff, but still a wonderful time! The staff was really pleasant and went out of their way to interact with us on several occasions. We’ll visit this place every time we return to the city. Truly a treasure.

This is a one of a kind experience. Well worth the price of admission, everyone can be a kid for a day. So much to do and all interactive. Plus, this place doubles as an events venue.

What a fascinating collection of oddities. This is an interactive climbing museum, ages 5 and up there are extremely physical and a little nerwracking parts. Parents must be in good physical shape to follow everywhere. It was very fun and creative. We did all the add ons and it was really fun, but exhausting physically. If you are going to attempt the giant indoor slides, make sure to wear pants.

My 3 kids had so much fun. 3 boys ages 12, 10, and 5. Sometimes we have trouble finding activities that interest all of them. Not here! They all loved the tunnels and climbing to various degrees. My youngest got a bit scared. If you want to climb with the kids, I recommend carrying in as little as possible (maybe a tight fitting backpack or Fanny pack?). I paid extra for the roof top experience and the unlimited pinball play. I thought both were worth it. My kids really loves the indoor skate park without skates. They loved running up and down the ramps. We left with exhausted kids, hoping they sleep well tonight

Made multiple trips here as a kid for school field trips and it was always memorable. Went back to visit as an adult and it was still as funky and fun as I remember it. The decor of the place is worth the visit! This place is fun for all ages.

Forget your age. Act your shoe size.
Searching for a really cool place fitted with all sorts of reasons to drop electronics? City Museum is spot on. Spot on!

Incredible place: a maze of tunnels and passages to explore. Knee pads are a must. A small headlamp to explore man made caves is helpful. You’ll get sweaty and tired but you’ll have a ball. Not a place for out of shape people. Just being honest, you won’t have fun. Great for kids especially 48” tall at least. Took 6, 9, and 11 year olds. Fun for a 45 year old like me. You will get dirty. Huge place. Was there 4.5 hours and didn’t explore everything. Kids loved roof top area. Worth the extra money. Parked at museum. Convenient to go to car to drink a water. Went on a Sunday and high 80’s. Temp wasn’t bad. Was told 1,000 people came through that day, but some days can see 3,0000+. Such a humongous to explore and an architectural wonder. One of best places to visit in STL!

This museum is different and unique but that’s about it. Place was overcrowded, service was terrible and food was really bad. Entrance fee is not high although it can add up. A family of four will easily shell out $250-$300 for a day here. Entrance fee is $28 per person (no kids or senior discounts) if you include the rooftop. Food will run you $20-30 per person depending on what you order. Add a few more bucks for water bottles and souvenir and you are easily at the range mentioned above. The worst part was not the crowds or the quality of the food, it was the service from the employees. Every single employee we interacted with was either rude or had no interest in providing any kind of service. Most of them looked bothered, didn’t say hi or even looked you in the eye. I understand you have 300+ kids running around you all day but you are getting paid to work in that environment in an establishment where service is paramount. I can see there is absolutely no training happening with the employees, don’t think management cares much about the quality of service they provide. Safety was also a concern, there is so much twisted metal and things sticking out that I’m surprised you don’t see injuries all the time. Overall I think the value for the money it’s not there, perhaps if you during a weekday but who has the time. Won’t be back.

This place is a MUST do! We had sooooooo much fun! Make sure to wear good sneakers and clothing that is easy to move around it. It's like an adult playground! So much fun!!!!!

We didn't do a ton of reading about this place ahead of time so we were very pleasantly surprised. Despite being VERY crowded, we found plenty of places to climb and enjoy. My kids aren't easily impressed but they both enjoyed this place. 2 hours was not enough time so I would recommend 3-4 hours. Bathroom situation was terrible - long lines for the women's room with 3 broken toilets just could not accommodate the crowds.

I have been here multiple times and can be occupied for hours!

Ten floors of fun for the family.

With a different experience on each floor, the city museum never gets old! Slides going from the top all the way down, trampolines for days, even a playground wrapping around the side of the building for summer fun!

It even includes food and drinks for longer stays.

An amazing place with endless opportunities for kids. I've never seen so many things to climb in, on, through, over...weird animal sculptures, a crane, fire engine, airplanes, castle towers, and on and on.

We had a blast at the City Museum. It is definitely worth the visit!

Top tips:
1. Bring kneepads; we bought some on Amazon and some at Walmart
2. Start at the top of the museum and work your way down (to avoid crowds)
3. One adult can follow two kids - wouldn't recommend more
4. Arrive in the first hour; when we left (around 1PM) the line to get in was crazy
5. Buy tickets online - you save $2/each AND skip the line
6. Stay hydrated. Use water fountains and spend money on bottled water when you can't find one.
7. They have lockers, but we brought a fanny pack for just phone, wallet, keys. If you're going to do caves and tunnels, a backpack won't work.
8. In my opinion, age 4 and up is ideal. There are play areas for little ones, but we spent a lot of time trying to distract younger kids from the majority of activities they were too small for.

Some areas had AC and felt okay; some areas (caves and big slides) were very warm and felt like there was no AC -- another reason to come early.

Staff people were a little sparse. We actually saw one guy on duty sleeping in his chair in the art gallery. Besides the AC, focusing on customer engagement/service would be the biggest improvement.

Have fun!

Rust Warning ! Do not go on the 10 or 5 story slide! I went on it with my family on 08/06/22 and every single one of us came off of the ride with red rust on the back of our shirts and pants! These attractions should be cleaned regularly and you can tell they are clearly not! Imagine sliding on bacteria and sweat of hundreds of other people. Not to mention the possibility of rust poisoning if we had an open cut on our backs or legs! Really horrible and would not go back on the slide ever again. The picture shows what our clothes looked like after a couple washes and it is still not coming off, and it was much worse before! For the rest of the place, you can really tell how much they do not clean with so much dust and dead insects everywhere.

The kids had a good time running wild while we enjoyed refreshing adult beverages in the waiting parent section. Younger adults appeared to enjoy climbing too! I would be nervous to have an exploring 2 to 5 year old to try to keep up with. We lost sight of our kids once they went up the first ladder to the 2nd floor. We stayed in the same spot so they knew where to find us. It's a great place for kids to let loose and use up energy. Just know it's difficult to see them at some points.

Was not worth my time and money. Yes the art of it is neat, but it is very gross inside of it. The fish tanks look like they have never been cleaned. There is caution tape everywhere you look and there are no signs saying what part of the museum you were at or even what floor you were on. Very easily to get lost and confused. Would be a better place with signs. Bathrooms were disgusting as well.

Grossly hot and loud. Young staff uninterested in helping public. Any food or beverage is over priced. Unpleasant to say the least.

There is so much to see and observe. Plenty of nooks, caves, walking, and climbing. I really think it is good for children 5 plus years, and you keep a lookout for the children. The children had a great time and the adults can engage also. They have sanitation stations, but you must keep your own wipes also. I recommend knee and elbow pads, sneakers, and long pants for slides, tunnels etc. For folk that are artsy I think they can appreciate this museum because of the quirky collections.

No pictures can do this place justice, if you have kids you have to come here !
We spent 4 hours here with our 2 kids (ages 9 and 6) and they were still finding more areas that they haven’t explored yet !

I would have to say they did a great job with this museum very interactive and great for families with smaller children our kids were just a little too big but it was still fun. We had a 13 and 17 year old the other family that came with us had a 9 and 5 year old perfect for them. We still had a good time here

Seriously amazing place, a great mixture for the entire family. Rooftop is worth the extra fee, great views of the city and a lot of interesting experiences.

This museum is like a choose your own adventure book. You are constantly making decisions about where to turn next. It is a never ending story. Be ready to be active. Climbing steps and sliding down slides are a regular activity.

The children love the City Museum in St. Louis. We were there when it opened and by 5 pm they were so tired they were ready to go. I do recommend arm and knee pads. The children loved it and want to go back. It has very interesting decor all over and several floors to explore.

This place is amazing! There is always something new to find or see. I’ve took my kids there for years! Babies and tolddlers need to wait until older to visit but teenagers love it!

Hadn't been here in over a decade, but took some friends who were in town visiting. It's even better than I remember it! Of course, going on a Saturday, we knew it would be packed with families/kids -- and it was -- but my friends and I (all in our 60's) -- still had a fabulous time. We probably could have spent another hour or two in the museum -- there is so much to see and do -- but two of us hit our limit. :)

The City Museum was recommended to us by a friend and we were glad we took the time to visit. We arrive a little before it opened and stood in line. Once inside, the crowd dispersed and we immediately climbed to the top of the 10 story slide. We are glad we did this first as the line was too long when we decided to return. We also spent time in the pinball area playing unlimited games - a game my children had not played before and that I love. We did not realize we needed sperate tickets for the roof which looked fun but that we were too tired to do by the time we realized this fact. This is a place we recommend doing once but don't think we will return.

What an exciting place. This is a never ending playground! You just explore, explore, explore. Slides, caves, ladders, twists, turns, crawling, climbing, curving.....it’s all here. I do have to say that if you have younger kids it can cause quite a bit of anxiety. You have to watch your kids very close. One slide can take you from one floor to the next so be prepared to follow wherever they go. Outside area was equally fun. Masks were worn by all with tons of sanitizer stations everywhere. It is physically impossible for them to sanitize the facility so make good use of the stations. 10 story slide was super fun. They have timed entry right now but still let in a lot of people! Go right when they open because as the hours go by, the crowds get worse and worse!

Such a fun place for our kids to visit. It was hot but worth the time. They enjoyed the 7 story slide along with the rooftop climbing!!!

I was stunned by the execution of this beyond-all-limits children's museum. It's got the kind of execution that you'll only find at something like a Disney World - in fact, I'd put a day here up against a day at Disney World any time, and even without considering the price tag I think City Museum is winning.

Literally everywhere you look, there's something decorated, something to do, and someplace to sit. I'd peg the perfect target audience at about a 9 year old boy. They will never tire. On weekends they are open 12 hours until 10pm, and your boy will not want to leave. The place doesn't look so enormous from the outside, but it's incredible how you can get lost in there. Major kudos to the visionaries who have pulled this off over the years. A special point for not "sanitizing" the experience: everything is well built, but it is certainly not "safe". I can't imagine the number of injuries that this place probably endures on a weekly basis. I think that's probably a good thing for kids - I'm in favor of these kind of experiences for kids.

There were definitely a few places for improvement. For one, it's highly recommended that you bring almost nothing with you if you plan on doing some of the exploring. Water fountains are present but not plentiful (and not cold). The busyness of the place, and unusual architecture in much of it, means that they are not very capable of keeping it cool inside on a hot day. Drinks are remarkably expensive ($4.50 for a non-refillable soda). In fact all food is remarkably expensive, and remarkably unimpressive. If I were coming back, I'd go ahead and pay for a locker, and try to bring in as many protein bars and things in a bag as possible.

There are also a number of places where additional netting could be installed to help catch falling items. Due to the design of a lot of the climbing areas, it's really easy for things to fall out of pockets, presenting a real hazard for people below.

One thing that would really go above and beyond, and help minimize the amount of stuff that you need to bring in, would be cell phone charging stations located around the museum, for parents who are monitoring kids. I was glad that I carried my power bank, but it was too bad to have to carry around.

You have to pay extra for the arcade pass, which was worth it, and for the rooftop pass, which would be worth it, but we didn't get to experience it. They won't sell the rooftop pass until the day of, because of weather reasons, but we bought ours that morning, and then the rooftop promptly closed for off-and-on rain that hadn't been in the forecast. They said that they had to do a lot of drying by hand every time it rains, and they couldn't keep up to re-open it even when it was not raining. They would not refund our rooftop pass, but they offered us a rain check for the rooftop pass, only valid for the rest of the calendar year. It would be pretty easy to refund rooftop passes for out-of-town guests when rain keeps the area closed basically the entire day, and a "no refunds" policy was pretty disappointing.

Overall, these are the small areas for improvement. The entire experience is without a doubt a 5-star, and I was seriously impressed!

I had high expectations for the museum. It was eclectic and a very unique experience. It is something to see and talk about! It was also crowded, dirty, and smelled like burnt pizza at a concession stand. We parked in a very tight lot at the museum 35 minutes before they opened. Backing in was useful to be able to get out. Someone who worked there came out while we were waiting in line outside and told us to make sure to write phone numbers on the wrist bands so “when your kid hits his his head and knocks himself out, she can contact you”. This was 100% true at this place. My son hit his head several times. Lots to climb through and lots of holes to get from place to place. I am actually surprised they can get insurance for this place. It is all hard surfaces and metal. This place is not for parents who need to watch their kids every move. It’s more for parents who are comfortable letting their kids go without worry. Anyone over 5’7” and/or 150 pounds would have a hard time playing. It was dirty there. We sanitized often. The place would be very hard to clean. The aquariums had clear water, but the tanks were thick and blurry. The largest tank was empty. It was dark in many places. The center structure with the 5-10 story slides was dark and scary. The outside was my favorite part and my son left with skinned knees and bumps and bruises from climbing through metal tubes (think fence). I’m glad we went and it gave us something to tell stories about, but once was enough.

I spent 6 hours with my 12 year old son here but we could've spent more. He didn't want to leave he had so much fun. He asked to go back multiple times during our trip in St. Louis. It is pretty hot in the museum so dress accordingly. We would definitely go back.

I have to admit that I was a bit worried that my kids (teen and preteen) would not be impressed but I was wrong. Both went directly in the tunnels when we arrived and disappeared for 30 mins. They absolutely LOVED this museum and so did me and hubby.

Every floor was spectacular in its own way. I have been to many museums but this one is perfect for kids because it is hands on. You can touch fish, climb into tunnels, explore caves and much more. There was also a circus performance and magic show.

There are outdoor exhibits which looked so much fun even though they were closed to the bad weather.

My husband and I were a little skeptical of the location and if we would fit in or if it was only a “children’s” museum. Let me say that it was so fun and let us explore like children. We had so much fun. I would definitely recommend the 10 story slide!

My husband and I are 77 and 70 years old, but we had a good time in this museum. We were the first to go down the long slide on the roof and climb back up the wire cage tunnel above it. However, once was enough for me. My husband did the slide 3 times. The building is a kid's fantasy - an entire building of caves, tunnels, slides, and secret passages. Many of them require crawling, which we eschewed, although knee pads are sold in the gift shop. There were plenty of caves and winding stairways for grandparents to explore, however, and we each tried the 6-story spiral slide, too, although I found going over the metal joints a little uncomfortable on the way down. Someone with more exterior padding probably wouldn't. There was a bank of pin ball machines (4 balls for a quarter) that entertained us for awhile, and also some air rifle games. We explored every level and spent about 4 hours there.

If you want a real break from the norm...you found at the City Museum. Fully interactive and purely unexpected. A massive playground for all ages and activity levels. Never witnessed anything like it.

Interesting building and lots of slides. We have been to lots of places like this with our kids and despite the size it is comparatively weak. Many of the activities cost extra unlike most other similar places around the country. Lots of things were broken and it was dirty. Not really worth it if you're just visiting the area.

Interesting place to visit. Lots of nooks and crannies to explore, stroller/wheel chair accessible for a large portion of the exhibits. Eat before visiting, the pizza was the worst pizza I have ever had, it's basically frozen pizza, it came out on cardboard. Employees were sitting on top of the counter behind the register as well, not very sanitary.

Really neat to go through a see, especially the construction of the multiple floors and all the different artifacts. A great view from the top as well.

I have heard about how fantastic this place was and finally got to take family. We have two kids, 13/15, and they had a blast....I had a blast. Like an adult jungle gym with climbing and slides. They had an amazing area for little kids too! We spent about three hours here and I wasn’t expecting that....was quite the workout and so fun! Highly recommend to all ages and for sure will be back next time we are in St Louis!

The only thing that saved our experience was buying the "extras" in the pinball room (which half didn't work) and the rooftop was good. The circus show was AMAZING!!!!! And literally saved our experience from being awful. The museum aspect of it is a joke, nothing was labeled, not even the fish so no learning is occurring and everything was dark and gross. Would not recommend this experience with older kids or in the summer time. Lame.

We had a lot of fun visiting the City Museum. Cool place to visit for any age but I'd say it's best for families with older elementary aged kids. There's a lot of small tunnels to crawl through so older/bigger kids may have a hard time going through a lot of it. And it may be stressful for parents with smaller kids, they can climb through a hole and disappear to another side of the attraction. The outdoor area was our favorite. Very cool for thrill seekers as you can climb through steel tunnels several stories above the ground. The big downside for us was the day we visited there were a lot of closures and no discount offered. The 2 biggest slides were closed, the rooftop was closed and the majority of the slides in the outdoor area were closed and no discount was offered. $20 per person to get in (doesn't include rooftop or pinball area) plus minimum $20 to park can make for an expensive day and disappointing when so many parts are closed. The staff was also not super communicative when we asked questions about where things were located or if the closures would be open later in the day.

As the title says "Crazy but amazing" is how my right year old described it. I really don't know what to say about this place - don't overthink it - if you have kids or are a kid yourself then just go and enjoy every element of it. Make a decision at the start - are you going to follow your kid everywhere (if so be prepared to crawl and climb through small spaces and go down slides) or accept you will lose them and have a meeting point and time. We didn't have head torches nor knee pads but if you have them then take them. We managed our time in there with no bags and drank from water fountains (food and drink is predictably expensive). After 3.5 hours we were shattered. I doubt we did it all but gave it a good go. There was parking nearby. We parked at stadium east which was a 25 minute walk away but combined it with a visit to the arch. Just go and have fun!

This place is like an amusement park, built inside of and around a former factory. There are aquariums, and a reptile habitat. Restaurants/cafes on pretty much every level. Slides snake around through the guts of the building, taking people many floors below. It's hard to keep track of your kiddos - I recommend having at least 2 adults along. There are also many "hidden" tunnels and stuff that only smaller people can fit through. And they're dark. One such had a sudden dropoff that our 6 year old didn't see until it was too late, and the resulting fall scared her so much that I'm not sure she'll ever go back in there. Outside, there's a maze of aerial climbing structures including at least 2 airplanes!

Definitely a unique experience! Made us grownups feel like kids again with all the slides, mazes, climbing and overall feel. You won’t need to go to the gym before your visit, and make sure you wear something comfy you can twist and turn in easily.

This museum is dangerous! My 12 year old son hit his head in the caves after falling in a floor hole because it’s so dark. The walls and floors are so sharp from rocks, glass, and other building material. The air in the building is so stale! They need circulation. This is definitely not a place for families who want to stick together. Best for 10 yr old plus and skinny. My three kids stayed 45 mins then wanted to leave. It was spooky to them. After paying over $100 to get in, and $15 for parking, this was a total flop! Wish I could get my money back. My experience is a 1!! Invest your time and money at the aquarium.

So creative. Best visited with children. There is no limit to climbing opportunities for the adventuresome child. Even tiny participants have their own places. It defies description. You tube videos hardly do it justice. Don't miss this!

I had been wanting to go to the City Museum for years so was really looking forward to seeing it for myself. It’s just as impressive in person as in pictures. You really could spend all day exploring and getting lost. The outside area was my favourite part, we did not spend the extra $7 to go to the roof. It’s already quite pricy.

Despite this, there are two major downsides. First is the sheer volume of people, specifically children, running round mostly unsupervised. We arrived just after opening and the place was already packed. The end of the day may have been better but we were only in St Lous for the morning,

They really should have timed entry tickets to limit the amount of people inside at once. You end up queuing up to go through many areas and to get on the slides. It would be a much nicer experience in the off season.

The second issue as many others have mentioned is the lack of air conditioning. With so many people and the summer heat outside it was boiling hot. There was virtually no different between being outside and inside; if anything it was more sticky inside! I only saw a couple large fans and they weren’t even switched on! The heat / humidity also makes the sides super slow. People kept getting stuck! I talked to someone and they said it’s much better in winter.

I would love to come back in the winter to properly get to experience the museum. I still rated it 4/5 but a 3.5/4 would be a more accurate rating.

So much fun! My wife and I had just as much fun as the kids! Truly a blast we will be back for sure! Exploring the cave was my personal favorite

We went to the City Museum with a family group ages 12 to 84. We were worried that the older folks wouldn't enjoy it but they enjoyed watching everyone climb around, plus there were ample places to sit and things/rooms to look at. It's a amazing place made of recycled materials including two planes, a bank vault, and much more. Each person could choose their own adventure based on their comfort level. We were there for about 3 hours (until it closed) but could have spent more time. Check out their photos online...it's like nothing else I've every seen.

This is an eclectic museum with something for the whole family. I really loved the architecture reclaimed from demolished buildings. It highlighted the artistry that's often overlooked. The psychogeography of Dustin Yellin in the art gallery was simply stunning. Kids will love the aquarium exhibit, climbing chutes, and myriad nooks/crannies. If you're adventurous, try the slide that corkscrews down the side of the building (I didn't).

This is a fun place for people with lots of energy, so mostly kids and young adults. There are lots of places to climb and slide down, multiple floors. Adults can join or just watch with an adult beverage. They also have a cool pinball machine section. But be ready to take a nap when you leave.

My husband and I followed our 14 year old up, down, and through what felt like every square inch of the "museum" (indoor playground?). The use of materials in the exhibits was fascinating. Pay attention to the details as you crawl around! I am so glad that we stumbled into the circus area just before show time. Well worth your time (not to mention a welcome break from crawling!).

As a 40 year old mom, I brought along my 10, 14, 15, & 16 year olds for a wonderful afternoon at City Museum and we honestly can’t say enough good things about it! Easily the best part of our Midwest trip, so far. For the 5 of us, including the rooftop entrance which has a Ferris wheel, it was less than $30 a person. There seemed to be a never ending variety of things to do. The cave system was very cool as it was done in the dark and had a ton of hidden crawl spaces. We tried both the outside treehouse/ plane area, as well as the rooftop area. Both were equally awesome. A suggestion I would make would be to wear sneakers, not sandals and pants, not shorts. You’re crawling around sometimes on concrete and your knees take a beating, but it’s so worth it! Definitely make time to go to this gem!

Unfair pricing, although it was very unique and kids have fun the idea that 55+ adults should pay $20 to sit around waiting for children to reappear is ridiculous ! In the 3 hours this grandmother was there I saw 2-3 men on the apparatus and many parents wandering around to find their kids. I can see charging $10 for my age group perhaps. Cell phones are inpractical with all the climbing required.

My 11 year old grandaughter got lost twice and stuck in tubing once until someone was able to pull her out !

It was the first thing my kids wanted to do in SL

I went with some other young adults and it was super fun, however I really wish we had some knee pads. Next time I'm either bringing them or buying them in the giftshop. I also recommend not wearing jeans and wearing leggings or slack-type material with some stretch. The jeans make you slow down on some of the many slides.

The rooftop was closed and I was seriously disappointed by not being able to go up. I also recommend going first thing in the morning before everyone else comes in for the day. I also recommend pre-purchasing your tickets but we had several girls who didn't and were able to get in just fine.

We took our 3 girls (13, 7 and 5) to the City Museum during our trip to STL. It was a tale of 3 experiences:

Our 13 yo wasn't quite as "into" to the playground experience. She was also a little too big to feel comfortable in some of the tubes (and she's tiny). She fell early and hurt her knee and she was kinda done with it.

Our 5 yo started strong, but was getting "run over" by some of the older kids in the more popular/busy play areas. She also ran out of gas after about 3 hours.

The sweet spot was our 7yo. This place was built for her. She was just the right combination of age/size to be able to do everything!

Parents - you are welcome to play too, just know that you will not be able to follow your kids everywhere. Much is truly kid-sized. Lots of stuff leads to different floors so you have to be comfortable letting your kids roam and explore on their own. A great tip is to write your cell on their wristband in case they get lost. You will certainly have to deal with scrapes, bumps, bruises, etc. Saw lots of kids with pads and even a few helmets. Its definitely a "play hard" environment.

You have to pay extra to get access to the rooftop area. 2 big slides (including the 100 foot slide) are up there. Not much else... Not sure it was worth it. One thing I will say is that because it costs extra, it was by far the least-crowded area. And they serve drinks.

We were there about 4 hours and I felt like that was enough time to see it all and probably all our kids could take.

I absolutely loved it!!! it was very fun and entertaning. I would reckomend this to everyone that I know!!!

City Museum exceeded my expectations as it contained fascinating artistic work. Some artistic work included tunnels and crevasses transporting a child or adult into a fantasy world while other artistic work told the story of architecture of Midwestern buildings dating back a century. The tunnels and crevasses present public health risks as sanitation is a complicated process in such close spaces.

We took 4 of our grandkids ages 2, 5, 8 and 9. We had the best time and everyone really had a good time. We got discount tickets on Groupon that saved about $20 and with the COVID restrictions the number of visitors was minimal. So no lines, not loud and just so much more enjoyable. If you’re never been it’s a place for kids of all ages for climbing, sliding, running and so much more. We highly recommend this place

I have 2 boys (16 and 18). We went 2 years ago and had the best time. It was amazing crawling through all of the tunnels and finding hidden spaces. We were there for 5 hours and would have stayed longer. 5 stars plus for that trip. This trip, half of the areas are closed off. Actually, most of the areas are open (the roof is closed, the areas above and below the whale are closed), but the half of the fun tunnels and hidden areas are closed. I understand that would be difficult to clean all of these areas, but it would have been nice to know to what extent this place isn't open. If you want more than a walking tour of City museum wait until they reopen everything.

This business is called a museum and it is not. It is probably good for children. There are three bars to entertain adults. The 3rd floor bar has sparkling wine however the bartender was not old enough to serve it. The rooftop is apparently only open certain hours and this was additionally disappointing. The main draw is crawling through tubes etc

Unlike any place I’ve ever been! After 3 hours we may have done 1/3 of all the options, but since they don’t have maps we have no real idea! It’s literally a 10 story building full of tunnels, mazes, caves, aquarium, insectorium, and restaurants.

Long sleeves and long pants are a good idea as you’ll be crawling. I found laying on my back and using my legs to move forward as an easier option as an adult. Later I found that each tiny kid tunnel had an adult size option near by.

Amazing place for kids and adults alike. Our kids loved the tunnels the most and it's a bit hard to figure out where they might end up when the disappear through the floor or slide down 5 stories (or even 10 if they are tall enough).

Great fun for all. Parents - you might need some Aleve after!

Take down all the gay rainbows , or at least move them so you can take pictures without it looking like you are in a pride parade. I dont care what anyone does but i also dont support this lifestyle, i didn't take hardly any pictures of our trip there because of this .

Was excited to go after coworker told me they were there years ago and the top floor was really cool. Not in my experience! Horrible experience, horrible staff. DO NOT GO! Went 08/05/22 specifically to check out the 10th floor exhibit. Purchased to tickets proceed to elevator to check out the Bus and other exhibits on the 10th floor. With our wristbands on and directly to elevator. Elevator did not work. We took the stairs, got the 10th Floor stepped out on the deck and were told the area was closed. Nothing was posted and nothing was said when we purchased ticket. Asked for a refund and was told no. What a disappointment. DO NOT GO.

This is basically a Discovery Zone masquerading as a museum. Extremely elaborate and enormous crawling/climbing zones, perfect for children but a bit confining for us "full-figured" individuals. Still had a blast and would highly recommend to anyone with small rambunctious children that need to burn off a few hundred (or thousand) calories.

Great fun for the young kids and the old. Be warned for those out of shape…..you will walk up and down, twist and turn, climb and slide……oh my! But my young one had a blast and was completely tuckered out. I will sleep well tonight…..more exercise than I had planned but well worth the trip. On a hot day, be sure to hydrate!!!!

This was in the book “1,000 Places to See Before you Die in the USA and Canada,” so we went to see it. It was definitely worth it! It was unlike any other museum I’ve been too. Almost everything was exploratory. Kids were able to crawl all over everything. It’s really cool looking from the outside too. Definitely a photographer/ Instagram influencer’s paradise with so many photo ops! Our toddler especially loves the toddler section with giant Lego blocks.

This was a really unique museum that I think a lot of younger kids would like. I went with my family of six while we were on vacation in St Louis. I’m a teenager, so I didn’t really enjoy it too much. Although it is advertised as fun for the whole family, it is probably better for younger kids. There is lots of climbing, and I did some of it, but it really hurt my knees, so I would recommend knee pads. Some of the adults also couldn’t fit in some of the tunnels, so they couldn’t do too much. It was really busy, so it was hard to enjoy because it was very chaotic. Unique place, but more of a children thing.

This place is really unique - it is fun for adults and kids. We spent a few hours here and had a great time climbing on all the structures inside, outside, and on the roof. Make sure you get your roof access tickets right when you get there.

We visited here this week. This is a indoor version of chaos...a physical chutes and ladders. Not appropriate for small children. My husband and I went through the caves and mazes with our kids and I was a nervous wreck the entire time. It's so easy to lose sight of a child. Staff wasn't very helpful or attentive. Building was very hot and uncomfortable.

A few things were closed due to Covid, but still more than enough to do.
Always a great time. Entertaining, but also get some exercise. Caves and climbing...a work of art as a playground.

We were totally overwhelmed by how much fun this museum is and how much there is to see. We ended up staying 4 hours and could have stayed longer. Plenty of places to sit and just enjoy the people watching, the art, the experience. Already making plans to go back with grandchildren in tow - this is a marvelous place for young and old alike. We were fortunate to be there during their Halloween festivities that added even more fun stuff to the mix. Fantastic entertainment value for the money.

Holy smokes people! If you ever happen to be in St. Louis, MO., get yourself to the City Museum! In fact, go to St. Louis to go to the City Museum.
This was one of the most unique, crazy, crawly, climby, slidey, spinny, overall wacky and cool places I've ever experienced.
Imagine an integrated usable sculpture of chutes and ladders mousetrap integrated into aquariums and terrariums and sewer systems and caves and twigs and logs fitted into Middle Earth with a 10 story spiral Hogwarts staircases and slides in the middle. We lost each other and ourselves in this place for 7 hours. SEVEN.
Oh and and there was some super cool art too.
(If you go and are over age 30, bring knee pads. You are welcome.)

It was absolutely packed when we went on a rainy day, but it’s a crazy awesome place. Definitely a must visit when in St. Louis, but it was definitely geared more towards kids. A little harder for adults to enjoy, especially if you’re claustrophobic. We missed out on the outdoor area and rooftop because of weather, so I’d recommend going on a nice day.

Holy cow! This place is insane!!! Family of five kids ages 15, 12 & 9. BUY THE KNEE PADS (or bring them) bring lights or plan to always be using your phone light. There are SO. MANY. TIGHT crevices. If you are claustrophobic in anyway, plan to barely go in many of the sections because once you go forward, there is no turning around.

I am not a small lady but not oversized and it made me uncomfortable a few times. My active husband was able to keep up with our kids. I didn’t love that you had no idea how or when the tunnel or path will end but my kids LOVED IT!! We spent 5 hours there and they didn’t want to leave.

It’s impossible to describe every section and every experience but it’s well worth going! There are sections for little people but I don’t know if I would pay the price to keep them in one area. There is Sooo much to see and look at!! I would pay for the rooftop again and not for the pinball area.

Something’s I noticed that no one mentioned:
BAGS. Any bag big or small cannot go down any slide. It became annoying lol we ended up renting a locker and carrying our phones. I had one daughter that wish she could have had some sort of “phone chain” because crawling but needing the light became an issue. I agree with her. I wish I had the same.

Food is every where but we landed with the tacos and quesadillas. SO YUMMY!!! Recommend if you don’t want junk food. It was on the 3rd floor sort of tucked back.

No real “maps”, more like hoping for the best and that you find each other. lol! You really can get lost in this place but you will find each other eventually. One thing I really liked is their wrist bands have a place to write a phone number for your little ones that can’t state it in case they get lost. Phone service works great in here so I would trust that route.

Fun, amazing experience for both children and adults. Many staff members saw cleaning different areas. Fun despite exhibits being closed. We'll be back. I recommend wearing tennis shoes, clothes you can climb in, knee pads and bringing a small flashlight.

This is our second time back, and yes, we drove days to get here. Family with multiple kids ranging from 4-19 all had a blast and we didn't want to leave. Type A parents could lose their minds because you never know where, or even what floor your child will come out, and some areas are too tight for you to crawl through with them. A few urgent suggestions though, PLEASE air condition, we were dying of near heat even before exerting ourselves running around, and nearly got heat stroke during our activities, please air condition. Second consider renting foam knee pads for us older parents. So many of the areas require crawling on metal bars or on hard metal uneven ground, could have avoided a lot of bruises. Many areas were closed which was also frustrating. Please wrap low cross pipes in dark areas with foam, several adults including my son got nasty bangs on the head. Lastly please cover the line area for the roof ferris wheel ride, it is a VERY slow line with only about 6-8 people per run (they leave two cars empty between each full car, and often people in the occupied cars choose to ride alone), just a sun tarp over the line would have helped, we saw many children in addition to ours get very dizzy and have to leave the line to go find some shade. How about a little more reasonable pricing for water, 4$ a bottle is pretty extreme. All this aside, this is a special place, and a really unique experience.

It’s hard to find words to describe this vast, manic, maze/cave un-airconditioned structure. There are no signs/maps/arrows to guide you. There are very few employees and you may or may not see them.
It is HOT inside as there is NO AIR CONDITIONING. There are a few floor fans in random areas. It is also dirty due to the nature of the structure. You could definitely get hurt in here. The Pinball hall could be fun if everything worked and it was in a different location. We were unable to get on the roof as it sprinkled rain & they closed it down.
This isn’t fun place to visit. Once we were able to find each we were ready to go. We were lucky we got out with minimal injuries. There is no way I would take a young child here.

It was very busy (they did not stagger people in or require reservations) and we had to wear masks, which did damper the experience some. My teens were very reluctant to go very far into the museum when we first arrived- there were small children running all around. They enjoyed the fish and aquariums throughout, as well as the old pinball machines. The structures were fun to look at but most adults could not fit through any of them- pretty small!! A lot to look at and explore- definitely more geared for family's with elementary children. My teens statement when we left was- "it was better than I expected it to be right away"

I never thought a museum could b so much fun. Endless exploration and activities. The outdoor area is unbelievable. Climbing hundreds of feet through metal cages was so much fun. Slides to get down from floor to floor is a great touch. Highly recommended checking it out even without kids.

This place is incredible!!!! I saw a friend's post on Facebook about it year's ago, and remembered it well enough to plan it into our week-long trip to the city and I'm so glad we did! Of course, once other people found out we were going if they'd been here they mentioned it too!
First, this is nothing like a 'museum' in the traditional sense. It is essentially a giant playground, or perhaps a museum if a 9-year-old were in charge of putting it together. At the front desk there's a sign that says 'no maps, get lost!' (which is totally meant to be tongue in cheek) and it is fantastic advice. I'm not even sure a map could do this place justice--I don't know where a person would even start.
We stood there for a second to take it all in, then told our three kids we'd meet them at the top of each hour in a designated spot, since there was absolutely no chance we'd be able to keep track of them (or even follow them into half the tinier places in here). They met us each time, breathlessly telling us about all the cool stuff they'd just done. It was cool for adults, but this place is really a kid's dream come true.
Not to say my wife and I didn't enjoy it--we very much did, though I'm sure we took it at a much more leisurely pace than our children did...We especially enjoyed the pieces of torn down buildings display--it took up a large part of one of the upstairs floors. They have great descriptions of where each building used to stand, the style of architecture used, etc. It was probably our favorite 'straight-forward' display.
As for the rest, we had a great time just walking around marveling at all the little details--each column or floor has something on it, from mosaics to a wall made entirely from old advertising plates used on printing presses. There was a section of very old (and mostly still working) pinball machines and video games, a giant pipe organ, a huge aquarium, etc.
The outside is a giant maze of castles and jets and metal tunnels--each one of them had a nice 'bypass' for adults that didn't feel like being five stories up in a metal tunnel (that had frequent traffic jams from what I could tell).
Be prepared--it's LOUD. There are kids running everywhere non-stop, and the entire thing is a fun kind of chaos. If you don't like that (and you know who you are) then do not go. If you're up for it this place is a blast even without kids...or with kids you don't mind turning loose for a while.
We were a little disappointed that the rooftop wasn't open--but there's an extra charge for that so you're not missing out or getting your money's worth.
Overall this was the one thing I think our kids will really remember from this trip (that included the amazing zoo and not so amazing Six Flags)--and I'm sure my wife and I will as well. Worth the money and every minute of our visit!

Our son was probably a bit too young for this place, but it was awesome still. Unlike anywhere I’ve been before - basically an extremely unique playground.

I've been to the City Museum on 3 different occasions, with the first being back in 2011. It has never disappointed! It's super fun to explore and I can't think of a single other place like it! The aesthetic is beautiful and fun. There is such a wide variety of things to do and structures to explore. It's fun for adults and kids alike, and it’s a fun place to get some unique photos. I would definitely return a fourth time!

This place is bonkers and I loved it so much. Just so much to see and explore. Kids will love it but there is plenty for adults to enjoy as well. I was probably the only 40 year old squirming through tunnels and passageways without a kid to chase, but I didn’t care. It reminded me of birthday party trips to Little Caesar’s play place in the 80’s, but made out of wood and rebar and art pieces. Plus you can climb through four stories and the place is HUGE! There are “caves” and “trees” and an “artquarium” area with fish tanks intermingled with the tunnels and passages. When it’s operating there is a 10 story slide, but only the 5 story was open when I went.

Paid for the roof admission, which was cool, but I had the most fun on the other floors, especially as the Ferris wheel wasn’t operating that day. The bus off the edge of the building was neat though.

We were there three hours and I still felt like there was more to explore, but I was exhausted by then so we called it a day.

Sucks wasted a 5 hour drive and most sections are closed.

The sections closed are the more fun ones like the cave, and passages.

This place is huge and full of passages and mazes. You will get separated from your kids. The ends of many tunnels and slides can't be seen from the entrance and many tend to be too small for many adults to fit in. Several often split and go different directions. More than once I expected one of my kids to come out of a tunnel in once area only for them to come for a completely different area.

The place is very busy and there are kids running everywhere. The one bad thing is that, since there are no maps available, it can be hard to find how to access certain things. It took a bit for us to figure out how to get to the outside bit in front of the museum. We never did find the roof entrance but we didn't really look hard since we didn't pay for access to it. Due to rain, the roof was closed when we arrived but it appeared they did open it later.

If you have young ones, either be able to follow them in any tunnel or slide, or there is a toddler area on the 3rd floor. Food was also a major downside here. We got an extra-large pizza for the family. The options were 9 inch personal pizzas or a 16 inch extra large on. The pizza was essentially cardboard with cheese on it, very little sauce, and pretty tasteless. I also had to tell the guy taking orders what we wanted about 5 times before we finally got it right.

My kids thought this place was a lot of fun, but it is dark, it is loud, and it is crowded!

Let me start by saying, this is my first negative review. I was very disappointed with our trip to the city museum today. More than half of the museum was closed off including the better climbing places and all of the rooftop. I found the staff to be unfriendly. Even with social distancing very possible, they require all guests to wear a mask at all times. The staff watches the guests very closely and yells if you move your mask to get a fresh breath. we just felt that the overall experience was more negative than positive and hopefully this will change once this pandemic is over.

My friend and I, ages 28 and 38, spent about 3 and a half hours here and had an awesome time. We climbed through tunnels (we wore knee pads), got lost in the cave system, went down a five story slide, and appreciated lots and lots of amazing artwork. Most of the people around us were having a good time as well, but I did see several kids get scared and/or overwhelmed. If your child is afraid of heights, small spaces, or the dark, they may not enjoy some areas of the museum.

After visiting the City Museum 7 years ago, I returned again with my 5 year old son. He is an extremely active child, and this was the highlight of his St. Louis trip. WE spent all day, open to close, climbing, sliding, and overall adventuring throughout this place! He very rarely is ready for sleep at bedtime, but that night he definitely was... and can't stop talking about going back! Fun fun fun!

Awesome afternoon with 12/15 yo! If you have kids who enjoy adventure, excitement and exploring this is your place. My kids have always been sad they outgrew the Chick-fil-A play place but here this problem was solved!!! Climbing, twists, turns, slides, challenges, all the things to get you laughing and getting a decent workout at the same time! I wouldn’t want to take a bunch of little kids here but many had them there with no fuss. I saw some people in knee pads which was genius. Don’t bring a bag bc if you’re an adult it’ll be in the way and make spaces too tight. I think paying for the tip top floor was a waste of money. Needed more food and water options but a great time! Went around the corner for Sugarfire BBQ based on the parking attendant’s recommendation and WOW. It was amazing.

What an amazing place, fantastic place for kids especially. Great art everywhere, many fun activities. The caves were the best! Spent many hours there, kept finding more things to explore and enjoy. Would definitely go back.

Wear comfy, athletic clothes and get a good stretch in parents!! Headlamp and walker talkies would be good to bring. My 6 and 9 year olds had a blast exploring.

It was ok. It’s most catered for younger kids- with climbing /sliding . Dark in some places (ie caves ). Even though we bought our tickets online , there was still a line outside to get in. Our ticket was for opening hour at 10am and we got there at 1030 . It took about 10 minutes in line . I would recommend getting there early especially since parking lot is not that big and the crowd got bigger later on. If you’re unvaccinated, not a good idea - most people did not wear a mask and there is no social distancing. There are lines for some of the bigger slides . there are 4 floors with snack bars if you get hungry . We finished after an hour and a half. My teens enjoyed it , but I think it’s more suitable for grade school kids . Best to bring a Fanny pack to keep your hands free and so you don’t drop your phones especially on the outside activities

Good place for kids of all ages. Lots of places to crawl around and they have a area for kids 6 and under. Good for all ages.

My kids (ten year olds) really enjoyed this place. They spent five hours there, and I finally said that we had to go. I read several comments regarding lack of staff. Staffing was not an issue the Sunday morning that we were there. As a matter of fact, a wonderful staff lady, without us asking, volunteered to show us the 10 story slide as she recommended doing that first thing before the line forms. My kids and I were able to go down it two or three times each with no delay. We did not purchase tickets to the rooftop and I’m glad we didn’t because 1) if it’s the first time you’re visiting, there’s enough to do in the rest of the museum and 2) If it’s raining or wet from the evening before, it won’t be open right away anyway. It rained the night before we visited the museum, and even MonstroCity (included in regular admission) was closed until 1pm so that it could dry out. Once it opened, my kids had a hayday in MonstroCity. My husband, a pinball fanatic, wanted to get the Pinball Alley admission. He decided against it at the last minute and was really glad he did. The games are very, very old and in his pinball fanatic opinion, “Aren’t that good of games.” There was one thing during our visit that left us scratching our heads. We went to see the “circus” (a show that was slight comedy and some acrobatic acts) on the 3rd floor at 1pm. Right outside the circus doors is a concession stand with all your favorite circus snacks, and the smell is delicious! (Their popcorn was indeed yummy!) My son eagerly asked for popcorn to eat while watching the show. We agreed to buy the popcorn. As soon as we went inside, a staff member came in yelling, “Absolutely NO eating or drinking in the circus.” Sure enough, they have a sign posted inside the circus on a pole that says the same. This makes no sense. Not only does everyone assume snacks are expected because of the concessions right outside the door but also because isn’t that what people do at a circus—popcorn, cotton candy, etc.? Several people around us complained about the policy as well. It’s a bit misleading of the museum to tempt you to buy food that can’t be eaten. If that’s the case, they need a sign at the concession stand, a large easel sign, notifying patrons that the food they are purchasing can’t be eaten in the circus. I suspect it would seriously cut down on concession sales as most people wouldn’t buy circus concessions that can’t be eaten in the circus. I couldn’t see why food wouldn’t be allowed. It’s hardwood seating. No carpet. Easy cleanup if there were to be a spill. Some folks went ahead and ate their snack, ignoring the sign and staff. Anyway, we felt the circus concessions misled people. Parking: Don’t pay more than $10. There are several lots outside that say “City Museum Parking” making a person think it’s where they should park (for $25), but it’s not an official lot for the museum, a much further walk, and more than double the price to park.

This is an extraordinary attraction. Discarded architectural elements, structural steel, factory equipment, production materials all recycled into a 10 story playground where you can get lost for hours. Indoors-outdoors all over an entire city block. So many incredible little pieces of history masterfully combined into a collage of mazes, climbing structures and slides. Random pieces of history salvaged from the wreckage of a lost era.

City Museum is a must anytime we are in St. Louis! We love it! Perfect for any age, as long as you like to have fun and don’t mind kids and noise. Pizza is good too!

This place was the reason we wanted to vacation in St Louis. We brought the kids many years ago and they always wanted to go back. Such a unique and unusual place. It's not just for kids (even though some of the tunnels and tubes are too small for adults) and the four adults in our group had a blast. Lots of things to climb, slide and jump on. If you are not active, and can't handle climbing, small spaces, or heights, it might not be the place for you. We love this place and laughed to exhaustion. Only draw back was we went on a day it rained and the rooftop/outdoor was closed. They don't offer refunds, but give you "rainchecks" to come again. Being from another state that is useless, so wait till day of to purchase the extra rooftop passes. But the City Museum is top notch. Just make sure you wear clothing that is ok to get a little dirty in.

My partner and I were in town for a couple days and since we were staying at The Pennywell we decided to walk over and check it out for future trips with our grandkids.

It has to be seen to be believed. Lots of time and energy went into its creation. Even though it’s been open many years overall it’s in a good state of repair. Lots of things to see and of course interact with. We couldn’t go on most of the slides and attractions due to our size but the ones we could were fun. I wouldn’t recommend eating the food as it smelled burnt and was pricey.

A great activity when visiting St. Louis indeed!

The art is amazing. But as time passed, this place gave me anxiety. My husband and I rushed our two little ones OUT. I had reached near panic as I really paused to look around me—The filth. The dust. The smell. The heat. It was like the Children’s Museum in Indy, except ill-lit, stinky and a nightmarish.

It could be so amazing, though! It probably needs $10million invested to make it what it could and should be.

The City Museum is one of the most unique museums that you will come across. There are a lot of crawl spaces so I'd recommend pants for your visit. There are so many things to do from unique talent shows to 10 story slides. So much fun!

WE went it was Spring Break. We had a long wait to get in but it gave us a nice visit with the manager that was managing the front of the line. She gave us great history of the museum and some tips on what to check out inside.

The most fun I have had in a long time! City Museum is the most fantastic place I have ever been to and cannot urge everyone to set up a couple hours to come enjoy themselves on all of the crazy and creative paths this place will take you. I do not want to spoil anything so peep at some of my pictures and get to St Louis! I can say it is refreshing to see some old-fashioned diner places set up in the place for refreshments and offering all sorts of drinks for the kids and parents. We wandered into the restaurant twice for cooling off and relaxing. There is extensive and daring spots this place has that I wish we had another hour or two to spend. Would recommend people consider at least four or five hours to properly enjoy. The only issue was the massive disappointment at coming to the grand piano and finding it locked. Not a happy day for an ivory tinkler!

Beauty, Art, history, imagination and active fun combine in this stellar environment. One cannot see or do it all, it always changes, grows and gets better. I have been several times (I Iive in Texas) and will return every time I am in St Louis.
The site was an empty 10 story shoe factory circa 1910 that artist Bob Casilly transformed into an amazing playhouse. He collected architectural elements from St Louis buildings being torn down and used these pieces of the "City" as building materials. Incredible underwater themed mosaics cover the ground floor and earth elements range inside in the basements underneath. Outside the climbing areas and hanging airplane and rooftop ferris wheel represent air. Fire grows from exerting yourself crawling, climbing and laughing.
Wear sturdy ,comfy clothes to have the best experience. This should be the most famous venue in the world! Don't miss the 10 story slide or exploring the caves.

FOR PARENTS WITH BABIES:

I was worried about taking my 10 month old baby to the City Museum in fear that she would not be able to do anything. I had read other reviews saying that it is a waste of time. Well, we ended up taking her, and it was the BEST time! I could not wipe the smile off her face. We spent a lot of time in Toddler Town. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a "baby friendly" place. There are no mats, blocks, or other baby toys. There are lots of running and climbing kiddos. If that makes you nervous, I would advise you not to go.

However, it did not make me or my husband nervous. We put our daughter on the floor and allowed her to crawl wherever she wanted. We followed very closely but allowed her to control the entire trip. She was able to crawl where she wanted, watch the bigger kids play, and even touch a lot of new textures. We made sure to say things like "Wow. That feels very rough. Do you feel how rough that is?" or "Ohh so smooth. That smooth wall is the color blue." If you want to talk about colors and textures, this is the place! The learning is for all ages, even babies.

They also provided a nursing/changing area. It was a nicely set up room and very comfortable. I was able to change my daughter and nurse without fear. The only disadvantage of the nursing room was that the sink has cold water only. If your baby enjoys warm bottles only, you may want to make other feeding arrangements.

Family friendly, kids had a blast. We arrive at 10am and stayed until 2pm. Our only upset was half the slides were closed and had been for sometime. We also didn’t see anything on the website saying they were closed either. The kids were super disappointed to know the big slide was closed, after we told them about how we did it years ago.

I took my four year old here for the day. It was such a cool museum even for the little one. It was so interesting to explore and climb. A family with school aged children could easily spend an entire day here. A few tips: for littles (<48”) the rooftop isn’t worth it. They won’t be able to do the Ferris wheel or ramp slide. The other outdoor parts were enough to satisfy my kiddo. You’ll be doing a lot of crawling and climbing so wear athletic clothes and long pants. A Fanny pack would be nice too- you won’t want to carry a purse or backpack around, although they do have locker rentals if you choose to bring one. Overall this is an awesome, unique place to visit and I would highly recommend if you’re in STL.

The City Museum is a one-of-a-kind destination that blends art, play, and exploration. With its quirky architecture, interactive exhibits, and endless tunnels and slides, it's a fantastic experience for both kids and adults. It's a must-visit for anyone looking for a fun and unique adventure.

My teenage girls are 17 and 18 and begged to go to the City Museum. I was leery at first thinking it was just for small children, but they had a blast. There was even a bride and groom there taking pictures and having a grand time.

Our family of 4 enjoyed the City Museum. We parked nearby and climbed, played for a couple of hours and ate a bit of lunch from our car. We were able to re-enter after lunch for more fun. The 10 story slide was anticlimactic and the roof top was not open. My pre-teen daughters enjoyed the outdoor areas the most. I loved the doctor fish.

I'm almost 60 and this place was a hoot...don't let all the little kids stop you. This place is for the young at heart and mind. Don't let the 10 story slide scare you!!! I did it and it was well worth the climb!!! DO IT!!! I loved this place!

We went to St Louis to really visit this museum after my son's teacher recommendations to visit this place. This is a huge place in downtown St Louis for kids. It is really 90% for above 6 years old. Yes it has an area for kids who are less than 6 year old but majority for older kids. I stayed with my 9 year old son and went everywhere in the museum and all the floors. We enjoyed it very much. Many slides, many highouts, many tunnels small and large and places to go through in the light or in the dark.

I can't recommend this place due to their shady business dealings. For starters, it's very expensive for what you get. They encourage you to book ticket in advance to avoid lines. Fair enough. I did so, but the day we visited it was raining lightly and they had closed the rooftop, which we'd paid in advance for. Even though the rain stopped within an hour, it remained closed, and they refused to offer a refund for that portion of our tickets ($8 each). They offered only a rain check, which is useless for out of town visitors like us. I emailed them after to push for a refund and they completely ignored me. Very disappointing ... and quite a racket to charge for something and then not provide it. Also, my 15 and 13 year old boys were bored within 45 minutes and we left after only an hour and a half. Total waste of $128 (plus $15 for parking).