St. Louis is a city that is packed with world class art and culture museums that are incredibly affordable.
Saint Louis Art Museum
The St. Louis Art Museum in the middle of Forest Park is one of the best in the city. The collections are diverse, with things like suits if armor, modern art, African masks, classical sculpture, and even mummies to explore. There’s art work from Picasso, Degas, and Max Beckman.
The museum is packed with treasures, but it’s completely free. If there are special exhibits on, you may have to pay to see those, but the main area of the museum has no admission fee.
Location: 1 Fine Arts Drive, St. Louis, MO
City Museum
The City Museum is unlike any museum you’ve ever been to. Several year ago, a local artist named Bob Cassia bought an abandoned shoe factory and filled all four floors with landscapes made entirely of recycled materials. There are mosaics made from floor sweepings, walls made with old lab rat cages, and staircases made from old steam punk metal.
The whole museum is designed to be touched, climbed on, crawled through, and explored. There’s even a constant live circus on the second floor.
Location: 750 N. 16th Street, St. Louis, MO
Missouri History Museum
Another museum tucked away in Forest Park, the Missouri History Museum is a stunning look into the city’s past. Learn about the time St. Louis hosted the World’s Fair in 1904 or about important moments in history that helped shaped St. Louis into the city it is today. Admission to the main part of the museum is completely free. Sometimes you need for pay to see the traveling exhibits.
Before leaving the museum, be sure to stop into Bixby’s, the museum restaurant. It’s not only one of the best restaurants in the city, but Travel + Leisure magazine named it one of the best museum restaurants in the whole country.
Location: 5700 Lindell Boulevard, St. Louis, MR
Contemporary Art Museum
The Contemporary Art Museum in St. Louis is in the theater district, so if you’re going to explore this neighborhood, definitely add the museum to your list. The museum completely changes inside based on what exhibits are on. Admission is completely free, so be sure to check out the museum regularly if you enjoy modern art. You’ll be sure to see something intriguing send unique each time you come.
Location: 3750 Washington Boulevard, St. Louis, MO
St. Louis Science Center
The St. Louis Science Center is great for both kids and adults. There are some great hand-on exhibits in the Discovery Room and the Life Science Lab that make science fun and interesting. There’s also an OMNIMAX theater that shows different films and documentaries relating to biology, ecology, and space. It changes throughout the year and you should book tickets for that in advance.
Another great part of the museum is the planetarium. Time it right to see one of their star shows and even If you don’t have any kids, you’ll be wowed by the night sky.
Location: 5050 Oakland Avenue, St. Louis, MO
There are so many educational, interesting, and art-focused museums around St. Louis that are worth exploring.
Image by Couleur, used under CCO 1.0