Picture hands-on exhibits filling the Saint Louis Science Center, another free institution born of Forest Park's legacy. The Science Center complex spans both sides of Interstate 64 — the highway that bisects Forest Park, a wound inflicted in the 1960s when highway construction was still considered progress regardless of what it destroyed. A bridge over the highway connects the two main buildings, and at night the bridge is lit up and visible from the highway below.
Inside, the Science Center houses hands-on exhibits about physics, astronomy, engineering, natural history, and technology, along with an OMNIMAX theater and a planetarium. The institution's origins trace to the 1904 World's Fair, which had a Palace of Education and a significant scientific programming component. St. Louis has historically punched above its weight in science and medicine: Washington University in St. Louis, founded in 1853, has produced 25 Nobel laureates among its faculty, students, and researchers.
The university's medical school played a significant role in understanding nutrition, vitamins, and public health in the early 20th century. The Science Center continues that tradition of making scientific thinking accessible and exciting to the public, for free. Look for the dinosaurs.
The kids are always there.