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 Learn how Native Americans and early settlers harvested maple syrup and made sugar and syrup by boiling it over an open fire at the Sugar Maple Festival Saturday at Missouri Department of Conservation’s Rockwoods Reservation.
You can also learn to identify sugar maple tress and how to tap them on a ranger-led hike. Kids will get a kick out of tasting a pioneer favorite–sugar on snow, created by pouring warm syrup on snow.
Rockwoods Reservation is at 2751 Glencoe Road in Wildwood in St. Louis County just off Highway 109 between I-44 and Highway 100.
The event which runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. is free and open to the public.
 Take to the woods on Saturday for a family-friendly two-hour guided nature hike through oak hickory forest. The program “Hey! There’s Nature in My Woods!” will be held at 9 a.m., Oct. 27 at the World Bird Sanctuary,
An expert naturalist will lead the hike with the possibility of spotting birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians along the way. The naturalist will also teach you about trees, rocks and maybe a few surprises.
The program is held on the fourth Saturday of every month at the World Bird Sanctuary, just off the intersection of Interstate 44 and Route 141 in Valley Park, a short drive from St. Louis
Reservations are required, 636-225-4390. There is a “nominal fee” for attending.
Take to the woods on Saturday for a family-friendly two-hour guided nature hike through oak hickory forest. The program “Hey! There’s Nature in My Woods!” will be held at 9 a.m. at the World Bird Sanctuary,
An expert naturalist will lead the hike with the possibility of spotting birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians along the way. The naturalist will also teach you about trees, rocks and maybe a few surprises.
Reservations are required, 636-225-4390. There is a “nominal fee” for attending.
From hikes in the woods to Shakespeare in the Park, there’s a ton of free and cheap things to do in The Lou this first weekend in June.
Here’s a sampling:
 You can celebrate the American Hiking Society’s National Trails Day at a couple of free events in the St. Louis area on Saturday.
- From from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. you can hike three different trails of varying lengths at the World Bird Sanctuary in Valley Park. Along the routes, naturalists will be on hand with live animals at interpretation stations along the trails. Also available: free children’s activities with prizes. The event and parking are free.
- Take the Green Rock Trail Challenge from 7:30 a.m. to noon at Greensfelder County Park and Rockwoods Reservation. Participants are to meet at the Muckerman Shelter in Greensfelder County Park at 7:30 a.m. for a light breakfast in the form of bagels, granolia/energy bars, fruits and juices. Shuttles will then take you to Rockwood Reservation to begin the seven-mile hike at the Greenrock Trailhead. Lunch will be served at the Muckerman Shelter after the hike. The event is free, but registration is required. Limit: 50 participants. The City of Wildwood is hosting the event. Call 636-405-2032 for more information.
 Now through Sept. 3 you can take a walk around the Gateway Arch grounds with a ranger and learn about various topics such a colonial St. Louis, the history of grounds and the history of the Arch.
Participants should meet at the north leg of the Arch at 10:30 any day of the week for the tour. The Arch is located on the Mississippi Riverfront in downtown St. Louis.
Take to the woods on Saturday for a family-friendly two-hour guided nature hike through oak hickory forest. The program “Hey! There’s Nature in My Woods!” will be held at 9 a.m. at the World Bird Sanctuary,
An expert naturalist will lead the hike with the possibility of spotting birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians along the way. The naturalist will also teach you about trees, rocks and maybe a few surprises.
Reservations are required, 636-225-4390. There is a “nominal fee” for attending.
 Nine Missorui parks will celebrate the beginning of 2012 by participating in America’s State Parks First Day Hikes.
The free guided hikes offer individuals and families an opportunity to begin the New Year connecting with the outdoors by taking a healthy and rejuvenating hike Jan. 1.
“We’re excited to host First Day Hikes in Missouri state parks as part of this national effort to get people outdoors and into our parks. Hikes offer great ways to get outside, exercise, enjoy nature and welcome the New Year with friends and family,” said Bill Bryan, director of Missouri State Parks, a division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.
Nine Missouri state parks will offer Jan. 1 guided hikes ranging from one-half mile to three miles.
The parks are:
- · Dr. Edmund A. Babler Memorial State Park, Wildwood. Meet at 2:30 p.m. at the Virginia Day Memorial Trailhead; hike will be one mile;
- · Crowder State Park near Trenton. Meet at 1 p.m. at the Redbud Trailhead; hike will be two miles; Call 660-359-6473 or email crowder.state.park@dnr.mo.gov. to register.
- · Graham Cave State Park near Montgomery City. Meet at 12 noon at the park office; hike will be one-half mile on the Indian Glade Trail.
- · Pomme de Terre State Park near Hermitage. Meet at 10 a.m. at the Pittsburg area campground entrance near trail kiosk; hike will be 2.75 miles on the Indian Point Trail.
- · Prairie State Park near Mindenmines. Meet at 10 a.m. at the park’s nature center; hike will be 1.5 miles on the Drover’s Trail.
- · Roaring River State Park near Cassville. Meet at 12 noon at the Devil’s Kitchen Trailhead; hike will be 1.5 miles;
- · Rock Bridge Memorial State Park near Columbia. Meet at 12:45 a.m. at the Devil’s Icebox parking area; hike will be three miles (with an option for a longer hike) in the Gans Creek Wild Area.
- · Trail of Tears State Park near Jackson. Meet at 1 p.m. at the park’s visitor center; hike will be approximately two miles along the park’s southern boundary. Please register in advance by calling 573-290-5268 and leaving a message.
- · Washington State Park near De Soto. Meet at 2 p.m. at the Thunderbird Lodge; hike will be 1.5 miles on the 1000 Steps Trail.
First Day Hikes originated more than 20 years ago at the Blue Hills Reservation, a state park in Milton, Mass. The program was launched to promote both healthy lifestyles throughout the year and year-round recreation at state parks. While many states offered outdoor recreation programs on New Year’s Day, this is the first time all 50 state park systems have joined together to sponsor First Day Hikes.
“What better way to kick off the new year than with a hike in a state park?” said Ruth Coleman, president of the National Association of State Park Directors. “Think of it as the start of a new and healthy lifestyle for the whole family. Whether you’re staying close to home or traveling, join us at one of America’s State Parks on New Year’s Day.”
For more information on the First Day Hikes as well as all Missouri state parks and historic sites, visit mostateparks.com. For information on the First Day Hikes initiative across the nation, visit americasstateparks.org.
Looking for tons of free fun attractions?
Then St. Louis is the place to be.
Outside of Washington, D.C. our town offers more free attraction than another other American city.
Here are just five:
- The Saint Louis Zoo and all the other cultural institutions in glorious Forest Park, the second largest urban park in the nation. Yep, admission to our world-class zoo is absolutely free every day of the week as is general admission to the St. Louis Science Center, the Saint Louis Art Museum and the Missouri History Museum!
- The Gateway Arch, formally known as the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. You can enter and tour the museum under the Arch without charge. There are fees to ride the tram 630 feet to the top and to view the movie. A $3 National Park entrance fee applies to every adult tram or movie ticket. Fabulous views of the soaring stainless steel Arch from the grounds are, of course, free.
- Grant’s Farm. Ranked as the seventh-best family attraction nationwide in the U.S. Family Travel Guide Zagat Survey®, this beloved free St. Louis attraction was once the homestead of President Ulysses S. Grant and later ancestral home to the Busch beer family. You can ride a tram through the deer park, home to 100 species of animals from six continents; watch animal shows in the Tier Garten; relax in the the Bauernhof with a beautiful courtyard typical of a 19th century Bavarian farm; marvel at Hardscrabble, the cabin Grant built as his home in 1855, and tour the Budweiser Clydesdale stables.
- Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site across the Mississippi River in nearby Collinsville, Ill. Here you can ponder the great mystery of what happened to the most sophisticated prehistoric native civilization north of Mexico. Eventually the city that was larger than London was in AD 1250 simply disappeared. Now the interpretive center and surviving mounds are a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site.
- Beer. What would you expect from a beer town? Tours of the Anheuser Busch Brewery and Schlafly Brewery are free–and come with free product samples at the end.
But when your city offers an overwhelming number of freebies, it’s hard to stop with just five so here are two more:
- Music, music, music. In a region that claims Scott Joplin, Tina Turner and Chuck Berry as its own, it’s no surprise that music—free music—can be found everywhere. No matter what’s your favorite—classical, rock, country or jazz—chances are most weekends you can find a free concert in the area. To name a few–the Whitaker Music Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden June through August, the Big Muddy Blues Festival over Labor Day weekend and Rockin’ On The Landingover the Fourth of July.
- The Great Outdoors. At our free city parks and county parks, you’ll find an astounding array of unique venues including Lone Elk County Park where you can drive through an animal reserve, Faust County Park where you can tour an 1800s homestead, Laumeier Sculpture Park with super-sized modern art and Edward “Ted” & Pat Jones Confluence Point Park where two great American rivers—the mighty Mississippi and the wide Missouri—become one. Even our state parksare free.What are your favorite free things to do in St. Louis? Leave us a comment below.
From the Missouri Department of Natural Resources:
Learn about the terrain of St. Joe State Park in Park Hills and what makes it a popular recreational area during a hike May 21. The hike will begin at 10 a.m. and is free and open to the public to attend.
The hike will be led by interpretive staff from Missouri Mines State Historic Site, which is adjacent to the park. Interested hikers should meet at the Missouri Mines State Historic Site trailhead for the two-mile round trip. The hike will travel along the north end of the park’s bicycle trail to the Davis Creek dam, which created the desertlike terrain of the off-road vehicle area. Along the way, there will be a discussion of the mining industry’s role in creating the park’s recreational area, and hikers can watch for birds, spring wildflowers and reptiles.
Missouri Mines State Historic Site is located on the south side of Highway 32, two miles west of the Leadington/Park Hills exit on Highway 67. For more information, contact the historic site at 573-431-6226 or the Department of Natural Resources toll free at 800-334-6946 (voice) or 800-379-2419 (Telcommunications Device for the Deaf). For information on state parks and historic sites, visit mostateparks.com.
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