Welcome to the Park of the Week Newsletter for October 17, 2024. This week we’re featuring the park that was voted the best city park in the United States in 2022 and 2023. (And no, it’s not Central Park.)
Forest Park
Location
Western St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Claim to fame
At over 1,300 acres (5.3 square km) Forest Park in St. Louis is one of the largest city parks in the United States, roughly 500 acres larger than Central Park in New York City. In addition to its many popular cultural institutions, Forest Park’s wetlands, woodlands, prairies, and water features have been undergoing a significant restoration in recent years, bringing back the park’s natural beauty and the sounds of birdsong.
Reason to visit
With 12-15 million visitors a year, Forest Park is one of the city’s most popular attractions, bringing in more visitors than St Louis’s baseball team and the Gateway Arch National Park combined.
While the park’s most popular attraction is its zoo, there are a number of other cultural institutions that draw in crowds, like the park’s museums, event venues, and historic buildings. Forest Park is also home to 30 miles of trails for biking and hiking as well as several lakes stocked with fish for anglers, right in the heart of St Louis.
Wild Fact
Forest Park was the site of the 1904 Olympics. These were the first Olympics held outside of Europe, though few nations were able to attend the event due to travel fears resulting from the Russo-Japanese War.
Forest Park’s 1904 Olympics were the first to award medals for first, second, and third place (gold, silver, and bronze), a tradition which endures to this day.
Want to learn more about Forest Park? Check out Forest Park Forever, the nonprofit that maintains the park.
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