Children's Christmas Activities St. Louis, MO

About twenty-five miles southwest of St. Louis, MO you will find Yogi Bear's Jellystone National Park campground open from March through October. But when this popular destination closes for the season, it undergoes a magical transformation and reopens in November as Santa's Magical Kingdom, one of the best Christmas light displays in St. Louis. Located right off Interstate 44, exit 261, (the Six Flags exit) in Eureka, MO, you can't miss this 35-acre light display filled with over two million lights in state of the art animation.

Drive up to the entrance and you are greeted by a 300' tunnel of racing lights. Even if it's cold, leave your car windows open so you can hear the Christmas music. Be prepared to be amazed as you drive through the Candy Cane Village with its own Candy Cane Factory staffed by elves. Don't forget to bring your letter to Santa so you can drop it off in his mailbox. Sometimes, Santa himself will be standing there to take the letter from you. Make sure to watch overhead as you drive through the Angel Flying School and of course you want to keep an eye peeled for the reindeer. You don't want to hit one if they fall. Other displays included are:

Santa's Camping Elves
Elf Land
Toy Land
Magical Light Forest
Winter Wonderland
Santa's Country Critters Christmas
Santa's Workshop
The Present Wrapping Factory
Santa's Castle
The Delightful Dancing Dolphins
The Giant Gingerbread House
Candy Land
Santa's Christmas Tunnel
Christmas Fantasy Land
The Fountain of Lights and finally,
The Blessed Nativity

Santa's Magical Kingdom is open Sunday through Thursday from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. and Friday and Saturday until 11:00 p.m. Santa's Magical Kingdom works every year with local charities to collect toys for needy children. Bring in a new unwrapped toy along with a coupon you pick up at any local Dierberg's grocery store from Monday - Thursday to get $4.00 off the regular charge of $16.00 per van or car. You can also download a coupon from their web site at www.santasmagicalkingdom.com for $3.00 off the entrance fee, valid Monday through Thursday only. Neither ticket can be used in conjunction with any other. A portion of the proceeds from Santa's Magical Kingdom goes to the Children's Miracle Network. If you don't want to worry about concentrating on your driving, you can call ahead at 636-938-5925 and make reservations to take the Santa Express Train tour. Tickets are $12.00 each and children under the age of two are free if they sit in an adult's lap. The train leaves the station every half hour.
Santa's Magical Kingdom also has fundraising programs available for organizations. You can get details from their website or by calling the phone number listed above.

A very low-key but beautiful reminder of what Christmas is really all about can be found at the Odd Fellows cemetery at 9650 South Broadway in Lemay, MO. Located next door to historic Jefferson Barracks Cemetery, the final resting place of our men and women who served in the military, the Odd Fellows Association of St. Louis erect a live Nativity display every year. There are plenty of parking spaces, so pull over and take the family right up to the fence and watch the goings on of the animals whose ancestors shared the humble stable with Jesus, Mary and Joseph at the first Christmas.

Another fun destination for the kids, as well as those of us who are still kids at heart, is The City Museum, located at 701 N. 15th Street in the heart of downtown St. Louis. This hands-on museum which features such attractions as the Enchanted Caves, the 13,500 square foot World Aquarium, Art City, where children can create their own works of art or watch as professional artists give demonstrations of their craft, the Museum of Mirth, Mystery and Mayhem, Tiny Train Town and everydaycircus, featuring interactive circus activities gets into the holiday spirit with choirs and orchestras rendering seasonal music as well as holiday decorations appropriate to the occasion. General admission for anyone three and over is $12.00 with an additional charge of $6.00 to visit the World Aquarium. The museum is open on Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., closed Monday and Tuesday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. Friday and 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. on Saturday. Public parking is available either on meters on the street or in one of several paying parking lots in the area.

There is another light display in St. Louis that, while not on the scale of Santa's Magic Kingdom, has been a cherished tradition for many St. Louis families for over 20 years. This is the Winter Wonderland display at Tilles Park, Litzsinger and McKnight roads in Ladue, a display with over one million lights illuminating the park's roads, with Santa and his elves, Rudolph, and the rest of the gang nestled in the greenery. Watch closely and you'll see a lake filled with jumping fish, a gingerbread house dozens of dancing snowflakes. You can drive yourself through or you can call Metro Tix at 314-534-1111 and order tickets for the carriage rides. The carriage rides last approximately 20 minutes and prices range from $12.00 for a single ticket on the public carriage that seats 26 people to $110.00 for a private carriage that seats up to ten people.