City Museum facts for kids
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City Museum outdoor playground
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| Location | 750 North 16th Street, St. Louis, Missouri, United States, 63103 |
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| Coordinates | 38°38′01″N 90°12′02″W / 38.63361°N 90.20056°W |
| Opened | October 25, 1997 |
| Operated by | Premier Parks, LLC |
| Operating season | Year-round |
| Area | 600,000 square feet |
City Museum is a super cool museum in St. Louis, Missouri. It's not like a regular museum! Most of its exhibits are made from old building parts and industrial items. It's all housed in a huge, old shoe factory building.
This amazing place opened in October 1997. It quickly became a popular spot, drawing over 700,000 visitors in 2010. City Museum is known as one of the best public spaces around. It has won many awards as a must-see place. People describe it as a "wild, singular vision of an oddball artistic mind."
Discovering City Museum
How City Museum Started
City Museum was created by an artist named Bob Cassilly and his wife, Gail Cassilly. They bought the old International Shoe Company factory in 1993. It was mostly empty at the time. Construction started right away, but it was a secret!
Visitors first got to see the work in progress on New Year's Eve 1996. The museum officially opened on October 25, 1997. By 1999, about 300,000 people visited each year. Bob Cassilly was the museum's artistic director until he passed away in 2011.
New Fun Things Added
The museum has grown a lot over the years. New exhibits are added all the time. For example, MonstroCity opened in 2002. The Enchanted Caves and Shoe Shafts were added in 2003.
On the third floor, there's a circus ring. You can watch live circus acts there every day. The museum also has The Shoelace Factory. Here, old machines make colorful shoelaces that you can buy.
Exploring the Main Building
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First Floor Adventures
The first floor is the original part of the museum. You can walk through a giant Bowhead Whale! Inside the whale, you can see a huge fish tank.
There are also many tunnels that run across the ceiling. They are hidden above soft fiberglass that looks like icicles. To get into these tunnels, you can climb a giant Slinky. This Slinky is actually an old refrigerating coil! You can also enter through a tree house. This tree house now reaches all the way to the third floor. It leads into a huge hollowed-out tree and a cabin.
The floor itself is covered with the largest continuous mosaic in the US. This mosaic even goes up the columns! In one area, there's a tunnel called the "Underground Whaleway." It runs under the floor and into the "Original Caves."
Enchanted Caves and Shoe Shafts
The Enchanted Caves and Shoe Shafts are super popular. They run through the middle of the museum, all the way to the 10th floor! Bob Cassilly and his team hand-sculpted these tunnels. They opened in 2003.
Since 2007, the Caves have also had a 1924 Wurlitzer Pipe Organ. The Shoe Shafts were once used to move shoes in the factory. Now, they are giant slides! They opened in 2003 with one three-story spiral slide. Five years later, a ten-story slide was added. This slide starts on the roof and goes all the way down to the Caves! There's also a five-story slide and another ten-story slide.
The Mezzanine
The Mezzanine floor is where you can find the museum's food court. It's a great place to grab a snack or a meal.
Second Floor Fun
The Vault Room is on the second floor. It has two huge vault doors from the 1870s. Each door weighs 3,000 pounds! There's also a hall of mirrors and about 1,000 safety deposit boxes. In the middle of the room, you'll find a "hamster wheel." This was once used to make airplane parts!
Near the Vault Room is St. George's Chamber. It has old opera posters and a cool statue. Also on this floor is The Shoelace Factory. You can see machines from the 1890s making shoelaces. You can even order custom-made laces!
Third Floor Excitement
The third floor has lots of cool attractions. There's Skateless Park, which has skateboard ramps. You can also find the Everyday Circus here. It's a circus school for all ages! They perform daily at the museum.
Right next to the Circus is Art City. Here, you can try different art techniques. Toddler Town is also on this floor. It's a special section for kids aged six and under.
Across from the Circus is Beatnik Bob's. It has the "World's Largest Underwear!" These men's briefs are about seven feet high and wide. Beatnik Bob's also has vintage video and pinball games. You can get snacks, drinks, and coffee here too.
Outside Beatnik Bob's, there's a working mini-train. It's a 1/8-scale model of an Alco Train. Kids under 48 inches tall can ride it!
This floor is also home to the world's largest pencil. It's over 76 feet long! It weighs 21,500 pounds, which is like 1.9 million regular pencils. It was made in 2007 and donated to the museum in 2009.
Fourth Floor Creativity
The fourth floor has another food court. You can also find an entrance to the caves here. Art City is on this floor too. It's a place for everyone to do crafts from Thursday to Sunday.
The Roof Top Thrills
The roof of the museum is full of fun! It has a small, old-fashioned Ferris wheel. There's also a wide ramp slide. You can find a school bus that hangs over the edge of the building! Visitors can walk inside the bus and even open the driver's door.
A 24-foot metal praying mantis stands on top of a dome. This dome was saved from the Saint Louis Science Center. Bob Cassilly and his team added the fiberglass cover and metal ladders. These ladders lead to an exit at the top of the dome.
Outside Adventures
MonstroCity Playground
Right in front of the building is MonstroCity. This outdoor playground is amazing! It has two Sabreliner 40 airplane bodies hanging high in the air. There's also a fire engine and a castle turret.
You can crawl through four-foot-wide Slinkies here. One very high Slinky leads to a slide! There are also two ball pits. One is for young children, and one is for older kids. Both are filled with large, rubber dodge balls.
The Cabin Inn
Underneath MonstroCity, you'll find The Cabin Inn. This is a log cabin from the early 1800s. It was once the home of Daniel Boone's son! Now, it's a bar and entertainment spot.
Images for kids
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City Museum outdoor playground
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City Museum logo
