Welcome! You have found your complete guide to living better for less in St. Louis.
Looking for inexpensive or free things to do in St. Louis?
You'll find news about them here.
Want to sample the city's attractions, hotels, restaurants and bars without breaking the bank?
Check out St. Louis On The Cheap.
Here you'll find out how to get the most for your dollar. We post new deals and discounts almost daily, so check back often!
Area resident?
We'll show you the best steals and deals in town.
Visiting St. Louis?
Congratulations! You've picked one of the best cities in the country to visit if you're traveling on a budget. Outside of Washington, D. C., no other American city offers so many FREE attractions!
|
 There’s still time to see eagles before spring sends them north.
Bald Eagle Days at Pere Marquette State Park, Grafton, Ill. is still celebrating our national bird in February. Dates are February 3, 6, 9, 10, 13, 16, 19, 25, 27.
Naturalist Scott Isringhausen presents a great eagle program and leads free eagle tours where you can see the birds in their natural habitat.
The event is free but reservations are required.
Pere Marquette State Park is along the Great River Road north of Alton, Illinois not far from St. Louis
 The Saint Louis Art Museum has an exciting selection of activities at its Family Sunday series.
Since March is Black History Month, the hands-on art activities will focus on African art.
A lively 30–minute family tour through the galleries is part of the fun. Family Tour leaves at 2:30 pm.
On February 3, 10, 17, and 24 you’ll discover treasures from the Kingdom of Benin, ceremonial objects from Sierra Leone and Cameroon and fabulously decorated costumes from Nigeria.
Travel on tours of the collection and participate in art projects throughout the month of February. The month ends with a special performance of African dancing, storytelling, and drumming.
The weekly event is free and happens in the Sculpture Hall. Visitors can drop in until 4 p.m. for various activities.
The St. Louis Art Museum is in Forest Park.
 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.
 On the first Saturday of each month, Home Depot offers free hands-on workshops for kids from 9 a.m. until noon. The kids work on a different quality project each month.
This month on Feb. 2, 2013, the project is a Valentine card holder.
The workshops are a great way for kids to learn wood skills and tool safety and to spend quality time together as a family working on the project. According to the Home Depot website, the workshops “teach children do-it-yourself skills, tool safety and instill a sense of pride and accomplishment.”
The kids get to take their project home and they receive a free Kids Workshop apron, commemorative pin and certificate of achievement.
The workshops are designed for children ages 5-12.
Find a Home Depot near you.
 Residents of St. Louis and St. Louis County can enter “The Civil War In Missouri,” at the Missouri History Museum for FREE every Tuesday from 2-8 p.m.
Free admission is thanks to the fact that property tax from the Metropolitan Zoological Park and Museum District (ZMD) supports the museum.
To receive free admission, residents must present a Missouri drivers license or a Missouri ID card.
The exhibits looks at Missouri’s role in the Civil War and features artifacts from the war and interactive elements about it. The exhibition runs until March 16.
A History Museum press release explains the significance of Missouri’s role in the war:
Missouri may best reflect the Civil War’s rending of our nation. Prior to the Civil War, the state was bitterly divided between pro-slavery secessionists and those determined to preserve the Union. The Missouri Compromise, the Dred Scott Case and the Missouri-Kansas border conflicts exposed the simmering tensions. Claimed by both the Union and the Confederacy, two state governments grappled for control of Missouri. Today, Missouri and its role in the Civil War continue to generate controversy among historians, academics and Civil War enthusiasts.
Ticket prices to the exhibit are $10, adults; $8, seniors, students, military and tour groups, $8; children ages 6-12, $6; children 5 and under, free.
The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with extended hours until 8 p.m. on Tuesday.
You can also get more in-depth information about the Civil War in Missouri at civilwarmo.org.
 Visitors to the The Living World at Saint Louis Zoo can chill with the penguins at Delta Dental Winter Zoo Sundays through February.
From 11 a.m.-4 p.m., on Sundays, Jan. 29, Feb. 5, 12 and 19, 2012, families can celebrate the tuxedoed birds with penguin-themed activities, games, crafts, and more. The Feb. 19 event features a Mardi Gras celebration for the whole family.
Penguins like to stroll outside on cold days so when temperatures go below 50 degrees on Sundays, several king and gentoo penguins that reside indoors will venture outdoors at 2 p.m. for Penguin Parade presented by North Star Frozen Treats. They’ll be waddling down the path from the exit of P&P Provisions gift shop to the entrance of Penguin & Puffin Coast for about 30 minutes.
On Sunday, February 19, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Zoo gets in a Mardi Gras mood with Delta Dental Mardi Gras, an event that includes mask making, jugglers, beads, live music and more. Visitors can turn their child’s wagon or stroller into a Mardi Gras parade float, and join in the parade through the Zoo at 3 p.m. led by the Zoo’s costumed characters and Delta Dental’s Tooth Wizard and P.A.N.D.A.
Delta Dental’s “Tooth Wizard,” his pal “P.A.N.D.A.” and arch-enemy “PlaqueMan” will star in Land of Smiles stage show in The Living World at 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. each week (no 3 p.m. show on Feb. 19). Land of Smiles entertains and educates children on the importance of maintaining good oral health habits, eating healthy foods and engaging in active play. Each child attending the show will receive a free goodie bag containing dental health supplies to help put them on track for a lifetime of healthy smiles.
Party with Radio Disney AM 1260 each Sunday at 12:30 p.m. Play crazy games for cool prizes while listening to some hot tunes. Plus, find out how you can go home with a Radio Disney prize pack!
Admission to the Zoo and Winter Zoo activities is free. Children must be accompanied by an adult. All activities and games are designed for kids aged 2-10. No reservations are needed. The Zoo is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Winter Zoo is sponsored by Delta Dental of Missouri, North Star Frozen Treats and Laclede Gas, with support provided by Radio Disney AM 1260.
For more information about the Saint Louis Zoo, visit stlzoo.org, facebook.com/stlzoo, twitter.com/stlzoo, youtube.com/stlzootube.
 Soulard Mardi Gras continues this weekend with the Mardi Gras Wine, Beer & Whiskey Taste today and the Crystal Cajun Cook-Off on Saturday. Tickets are $35 for each.
Between now and Fat Tuesday Soulard Mardi Gras features more than a dozen events–and many of them are FREE!
Other upcoming Soulard Mardi Gras events include:
Check out all the Soulard Mardi Gras events.
 The St. Louis County Library will offer programs celebrating the life and legacy of Leonardo DaVinci in February.
The accomplishments and visionary skills of DaVinci, known mostly for his enigmatic paintings of “Mona Lisa” and “The Last Supper,” will be explored through programs at all 20 SLCL branches. The programming is in conjunction with the DaVinci Machines Exhibit currently on display in downtown St. Louis. Check out the full schedule of events.
Program highlights:
Discover Leonardo DaVinci
Paul Doneff, curator of the DaVinci Machines Exhibit, will offer an introduction to Leonardo DaVinci’s life and legacy at four branches of St. Louis County Library. The programs are free and open to the public.
Design like DaVinci
Leonardo DaVinci was a man ahead of his time, creating some ingenious and futuristic inventions. Kids ages 8-12 can recreate some of his structures with hands-on activities at multiple branches. Registration required.
Program sites are accessible. Upon two weeks’ notice, accommodations will be made for persons with disabilities. Contact St. Louis County Library by phone 314-994-3300, or visiting www.slcl.org.
The DaVinci Machines Exhibition is on display at 800 Market Street in St. Louis. Check out the exhibition website for details.
The library programs are free and open to the public. Admission to the DaVinci Machines Exhibition is $14 for adults; $W9 for children ages 5-10; free for children four and under; $11 for students, teachers, military and people age 55 and older.
A “Family Pack ” for up to two adults and three children is $40.
“Docent guided tours every hour on weekends.”
 Dreaming about a getaway to somewhere warm?
Then cruise on over to West County Shopping Center, I-270 and Manchester Road this weekend. That’s where Brentwood Travel will hold its 23rd annual Cruise Expo this, Jan. 25-27.
Hours are 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m., Friday; 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sunday. It’s FREE.
The event features 16 cruise lines, upgrades and gifts. You can also enter to win a free cruise for two on Royal Caribbean Cruise Line.
|
Get ‘Cheap’ delivered free to your mailbox!
|
