Doing tourist things after hearing that this was a must visit for people with small kids. This…read morewas on the list of to-do's as we had a short weekend visit to the STL area. .....Great place to see all of the things. Not a bad time at all. We got to see play and do so MANY things all active and the girls loved the play areas ...all of them. The bathrooms were clean and strategically placed...I was pleasantly surprised. The parking is close!...& I liked the exercise...our girls napped so hard after the visit. I am in firm belief that the overall planning and logistics of this place are professionally done & handled well! This venue is a must visit if in the area and you like hands on action. The girls had a blast and that is what matters most!! 10/10 times I will return.. for the price I paid... I could see myself doing this again with a longer stay in the area! Sidenote the people in guest service station were super awesome... All workers that interacted with our family had smiles on their faces and were so helpful. I feel for the price I paid...it was well worth it! We will return! *Questions reach out* Respectfully, Bryan and Family Oklahoma City

So much fun! The first visit was nearly 10 years ago. That time was fun too…read more On my most recent visit, it was just as much fun. I think I had forgot just how many different holes and paths you could take. They've also added more stuff than I remember. They had a section roped off because they're adding yet another section. I wasn't sure I'd enjoy the place as much this time around but I did. This is a must-visit when in StL but be warned, you will be tired after playing on this adult playground. The only annoyance this time is that I seem to remember that you could pay one price and get everything. This time, there was the general ticket that gives you access to 3 floors but no roof access. No pinball access. You have to pay extra for those two things. I guess extra charges make sense but just wrap the price all in one. I feel like the floors and roof should be in one ticket. There were a few times that employees came out on the roof to run people off that didn't have the appropriate color of bracelet. If you love having fun, definitely do this when visiting StL.

On the former Shurtleff College campus is the Alton Museum, which is in one of Alton's oldest…read morebuildings (185+ years old!). This is the place if you would like to know some of the history of Alton, Illinois. The museum covers Robert Wadlow, Elijah Lovejoy and notable black Americans that are from Alton. There is also a room devoted to how transportation played an important part in the city, by river and rail. Several historic items are found here, including Robert Wadlow's shoe and 3rd-grade desk. You'll also learn about the Underground Railroad as it was part of Alton. Lots of historical tidbits await the visitor. Did you know Alton is known to be where the first Civil War battle happened, and where it ended? It started with the battle over Lovejoy's printing press to Lyman Trumbell's (was a resident of Alton) co-authoring of the U.S. 13th Amendment. As much as I hate to say it, there probably won't be some people who aren't from the Metro East area who don't know much about Alton that would be interested in visiting. Do some research on Elijah Lovejoy (that is, if you didn't learn about him in school. He is a very important historical figure.) Also, if you know a lot about the streets and old buildings in downtown Alton, it would probably be a much cooler visit. I for one, didn't know much about the streets so I was a bit lost! There is usually a volunteer that will happily give you the tour. Mine was Brian (sp?) and he was very enthused about the history, and he told a few obscure stories related to Alton. It is only $5 admission for adults, and you get a discount if you are a veteran. Park in the back behind the museum and library. And as always, check the hours.

We stopped here while visiting my hometown to share local history with my wife. The museum captures…read moreAlton's rich history which ties into many significant people and events. The hosts of the museum are extremely knowledgeable about all of the displays and history of Alton. I learned so much about the history of my own hometown just visiting here for an hour! Admission is 1/2 off to military veterans.

This little-known and hidden museum is located inside the supposedly haunted Mineral Springs Mall…read morebuilding in downtown Alton. Some say it is fitting, as Alton is known to be one of the Top 10 haunted places in the United States. The building itself was a hotel that opened over a century ago, and several paranormal sightings have been reported over the years. You can kind of get the idea once you set the foot in the place. Its only five dollars admission, and you get to learn a lot about, well, ways people tortured people for centuries. First off, this museum is not for everyone. There are some offensive and disturbing parts here, as one would sense. This is basically for the open-minded, and for those who have a keen sense of history. The museum is a bit small, but there are several things that await the visitor. The woman who operates this museum has apparently done so much research and collected so many artifacts about the 'torture' subject. You can definitely tell she had an enjoyable time doing this! The weapons/chambers/photographs are accompanied by several materials that talk about how people were tortured. The first paragraph usually explains how the device operated, and the history behind when it was used (like what time period and what country/continent). The always controversial topic of slavery (in most countries of all periods of time) is also explained here. I'd rather not give away too much. You may find the subject on torture interesting! When reading these, I had to put myself in these people's shoes. Whether they were the victims, or the people who lived under one supreme ruler who frequently used the torture devices on the folks under them. Some of these torture methods are still being used today in some parts of the world, sadly. If you make a weekend trip to Alton, check this place out. Unfortunately, the museum is not open during the week, just on Saturday and Sundays. Be sure to check the hours.

$5.00! This museum is for those who love "campy" things. I enjoyed it, in a way that I enjoy…read morevisiting Graceland without being an Elvis fan. If you are into this kind of entertainment than this is for you. Leave the kids at home though. Lovely lady will answer all your questions, and she drives a hearse! How could you not enjoy her museum knowing these facts?!

Very interesting displays of soda beverages!!! Also, the…read morepinball machines in the lower kevel were great fun! The old building is beautiful.

Bizarre nostalgic throw-back to sugar laced time before corn syrup drenched mixes arrived…read more I met a friend and his granddaughter in the basement to play retro-arcade games for a ser price fo a few hours. Kid and teenager me would have loved it... the sarcastic 10 year old wanted board games to improve her experience. After considering- I agreed. I would add some chess and checker boards and a few other board games. Or a few Atari games... The epitome was the McDonald's $1 double cheeseburger sign. I asked to order it: they didn't have cheeseburgers, all things are more expensive and everything is not as healthy. I am not wishing for cocaine Coca-Cola or other "medicine" in Dr Pepper. $1.50 for a can of soda is a big jump for a corn syrup from the nickel advertising of a sugar sweet memory. The epitome of the place was playing shuffleboard with the 10 year old. I was trying to play with a sense of touch. She was playing with the idea of creating a highlight reel of knocking my pieces off. I beat her because the idea of the game escaped her. To look back at Asteroids was a shock. Realized that it was just black and white, 2 dimensional game with only a few buttons to control it. Overall I walked still a fan of the glossed over experience. I remember being a broke kid wanting to play unrealistic games to escape from reality. Now I wish for the sugar rush I used to have.

Took our grandchildren to spend a Saturday afternoon.... they absolutely loved the experience…read more... they were able to do the detective search as an interactive activity and enjoyed looking for all of the items on the paper... both absolutely loved receiving the certificate and small prize when turning it in to the information desk... all of the staff was so great with the kids ... they took the time to stop interact and explain different areas to the kids and answered any questions they had... we will definitely be bringing them back! Editing the review as I forgot to mention the theater experiences... they were both very good and captivated the attention of a five and eight year old the whole time!

This is a small museum worth doing once…read more Both screenings were very good. The ghost screening seemed like a real actor, crazy how good it was. One gallery wasn't open. We toured the rest and took less than an hour to go through it.

This was a great tour! We started off in the visitors center. Then we toured Samuel Clemens boyhood…read morehome. "Becky Thacker's" house was across the street, as well as Grant's drugstore where the Clemens family lived when they were down on their luck. The city has preserved everything well and is taken care of it for posterity and future generations. My wife and I very much enjoyed this tour. We also took the trolley tour through town, which we enjoyed.

The tour of homes and museum of Mark Twain in Hannibal is a must see. The tour requires walking and…read moresome steps a probably would be difficult with a stroller, wheel chair or young children (although there are some elevators along the route). We did the tour on a Sunday morning. There were very few other visitors. The tour cost $14/person, which I thought was reasonable. Discounted tickets are available for seniors and kids. There is a small interpretive museum at the start that sets the stage for Sam Clement's / Mark Twain's boyhood and life. Parts of the exhibit are interactive. You then visit the Clement home (Tom Sawyer) which is styled with period furnishings and descriptive plaques. Next are visits to homes that inspired characters in his books - Huck Finn's cabin and Becky Thatcher's home. Becky's home has displays and info about the characters in Twain's books, with stories of Laura, the girl who died inspired Becky. There are clerk's along the way to answer questions, some more engaging than others. The tour acknowledges and describes Twain's views on slavery as you enter his father's office and the pharmacy exhibits. The final stop is down the street at a second museum with large interactive artifacts and a floor devoted to art. Along the tour are four gift shops that carry the shirt, books and other Twain memorabilia. The tour took about 2 hours to complete and you can break for lunch in town. There were restrooms in the museums. I learned a lot about Twain and his family and how he became a successful author. The town has been well preserved and run by local businesses. We found free street parking, but I'm guessing that parking is difficult on a busy tourist day. There is more parking behind the museum. This is a great learning experience, especially if Twain was part of your childhood reading.

Gorgeous mansion in a section of Quincy where you see a few blocks of absolutely gorgeous mansion-…read moretype homes that are amazingly maintained! Beautiful woodwork and furnishings. Some docent provided information, as well as self guided tour .

Beautiful place! Some original furniture & clothing pieces, other period pieces donated from…read morenearby. Very nice place to stop and learn some local history.

Piece for piece. Pound for pound…read more SLAM is free, yet the quality and quantity of the art works were amazing. From Monet to Van Gogh to african pieces. There are plenty of eras at this museum. Honestly, there are a lot of great works. There are free parking spots nearby as well as a garage, but you need to pay for that. Overall, beautiful space inside and outside of museum.

First off, it's hard to beat the setting which is right in Forest Park and the building itself is…read morebeautiful and historic. Walking to it already feels like it's part of the experience. Inside, the collection is genuinely impressive. There's a huge range from ancient artifacts to modern and contemporary art so it never feels repetitive. You can go from Egyptian pieces to seeing European pieces from Monet and Picasso in the same visit. One of the best parts is that general admission is free which makes it super accessible and easy to spend as much (or as little) time as you want without feeling pressured. The layout is spacious and easy to explore, although some sections feel stronger than others depending on your taste. It's also the kind of place where you can wander and really take your time. Great for both a quick visit or a longer afternoon. It's one of the best attractions in St Louis with a surprisingly deep collection. Definitely worth visiting especially if you're already in Forest Park.