The Ultimate Urban Playground: St. Louis City Museum

We headed to a place that almost defies description: the City Museum. To be honest, we were a little leery when we first pulled up. Seeing giant metal cages, old airplanes suspended in the air, and a school bus hanging off the roof of an old warehouse doesn't exactly scream "traditional museum." However, it only took about five minutes inside for us to realize that this "peculiar" place is a total blast.

A Masterpiece of Repurposing

The museum is housed in the former 600,000-square-foot International Shoe Company warehouse. Instead of tearing it down, artist Bob Cassilly and his crew used the "stuff of the city" to build a giant, interactive art installation. We learned that the slides we were flying down were actually repurposed shoe shafts originally used to spiral shoes down to the loading docks!

Getting Lost (In a Good Way)

The beauty of the City Museum is that there are no maps. You just explore. We spent hours navigating the Enchanted Caves, a hand-sculpted labyrinth of tunnels that weave through the center of the building. The kids were in heaven, and even we found ourselves squeezing through tight spots (though we quickly realized why people recommend bringing kneepads!). Whether we were climbing up the giant "Slinky" (an old refrigerating coil) or exploring the MonstroCity outdoor climbers, every turn led to something weirder and more wonderful than the last.

Highlights of the "Weird"

We saw things we never expected to find in a museum:

• The 10-Story Slide: You have to climb almost to the roof to reach the entrance, and the spiral ride down is an absolute rush.

• The Roof with a View: We braved the trip to the rooftop to see the school bus hanging over the edge. Looking down at the city from the driver's seat of a bus 10 stories in the air is something you don't get to do every day!

• The World’s Largest Underwear: Yes, it’s a real thing, and yes, it’s exactly as bizarre as it sounds.

A Family Favorite

What started as a skeptical "what is this place?" turned into one of the highlights of our trip. It’s a place that encourages you to be brave, get a little dirty, and play like a kid again. By the time we left, we were exhausted, covered in a bit of dust, and already talking about when we could come back.