The City Museum

by Kurt J. Pankau

“It’s that building over there, with the bus on the roof.”

The City Museum (Wikipedia - GNU Free Document License)

Nestled in Washington Avenue Loft District, hidden behind a deplorably boring name, you can find one of the hidden gems of St. Louis: The City Museum.

The Museum was/is the brain-child of artist Bob Cassilly who bought an old shoe factory and turned it into a surreal/industrial funhouse chock-full of interactive attractions — a place that is virtually impossible to describe without slashes and semi-colons and em-dashes. There is no rhyme or reason to the building and its layout; there is, however, a giant praying mantis on the roof next to the ferris wheel.

Now you will pray to MEEEE!!!!!!

And there are slides.  And I don’t mean slide-projector slides or vacation slides; I’m talking about physical ride-from-the-third-story-down-to-the-ground slides, the largest of which is ten stories and deposits you next to a Wurlitzer pipe organ. There are caves; there’s a bank vault; there’s a wall made out of empty Coke bottles. There are giant sculptures of fish that you can crawl around in.  Out front you’ll find MonstroCity, a metal network of caged paths that connect towers, catwalks, a tree house, two airplanes (side note: you haven’t lived until you’ve climbed off the wing of an airplane through a metal cage two stories above a parking lot), more slides, and two ball pits. That’s right, two ball-pits.

If awesomeness were measured in ball-pits, The City Museum scores a 2.

Don’t be fooled by the kid’s stuff (did I mention slides?) — The City Museum is a fun for anyone who likes to run and jump and climb, and you’ll find a surprising number of adults in and on the attractions. The Museum hosts numerous wedding receptions every year and if you absolutely have to get some culture in you, you can find actual museum exhibits inside if you look hard enough.  You can also visit the log cabin that was owned by Daniel Boone’s son (where they serve alcohol). Alternately, there is a kids-only section indoors that includes a rideable train. And for the more Bohemian types, there’s a vintage clothing store.

Bohemian types enjoying the City Museum. Also, slides.

The City Museum draws over half a million visitors yearly, many of them locals.  They keep coming back because of the freshness, the fun, the humor, and the singular uniqueness.  And they bring their friends, because the City Museum is the kind of thing that really has to be experienced to be believed.

Regular admission is $12 per person (plus $5 for roof access–and believe me, you want roof access).  This may seem steep-ish for a “Museum” or a family weekend outing, but there’s lots to do so go early and plan to stay for a while. Group rates are available, check their hours before you go. For more information, their home on the web is conveniently located at www.citymuseum.org.

Kurt J. Pankau is a professional programmer and amateur musician.  He lives with his wife in Creve Coeur where they have two staircases but, alas, no slides.  His band and his blog should be avoided at all costs.