St. Louis

Maifest at Grant’s Farm

Yesterday Chickadee and I went to Maifest at Grant’s Farm, and we had about the nicest day we could have hoped for!

We saw the lucky white bison from the tram:

The animals in the Tiergarten we especially active and entertaining, and we even got to see a baby wallaby still hanging out in his mother’s pouch! I also saw a peacock fly for the first time, and found the sight rather surreal, but that’s really neither here nor there.

And the Bauernhof is always one of my favorite places to visit, because I can pretend I’m actually in Germany! We enjoyed the band and the crowds and especially the pretzel, which is probably the best one we’ve ever gotten at Grant’s Farm!

We finished with a visit to the Clydesdale stable:

It was a lovely day and a fun excuse to celebrate our German heritage!

Animals Aglow 2026

It’s that time of year!

For the third year in a row, the St. Louis Zoo is hosting Animals Aglow, an amazing, nature-themed lantern festival. And for the third year in a row, we attended. I love how there are some familiar things every year, and some things that are brand new. This dragon, who greets you as you walk through the gates at the south entrance, is a new addition:

Near the dragon is a cute pair of lovebirds set among plants that have a definite Dr. Seuss vibe:

There are other large-scale installations, as well…this pavilion is a popular spot:

This tree has a cool interactive musical feature:

There’s so much to look at on this butterfly tree!

Of course there are more traditional lanterns, as well:

And the dragon tunnel is a returning favorite, but in a new color this year!

The zoo Starbucks is offering a special “Year of the Horse” chai flavored with brown sugar and honey:

It’s so much fun to get to see the zoo lit up at night!

The majority of the lanterns are animal and plant themed…there are so many beautiful designs!

But my very favorite part of the festival is the lantern tunnel…I knew it would be when I saw it at the zoo during the day, and I was not disappointed! There are so many beautiful colors and patterns!

This has become one of my most-anticipated events of the spring, and I can’t wait to see what it looks like next year!

The Tail End of Tulip Time in Forest Park

Early spring really got away from me this year…last week, I realized I hadn’t been to Forest Park to see the tulips on Art Hill, and I was worried that I wouldn’t get to see them at all. They’re definitely past their prime, but at least there were some blooms left to admire!

A Trio of St. Louis Favorites for 3/14

Two days ago we celebrated Chicago on 3/12, and now it’s St. Louis’ turn…in honor of the original telephone area code for the metro area, we observed 314 Day!

We had a few St. Louis favorites…(frozen) Imo’s pizza for dinner, with the St. Louis classic, Fitz’s root beer:

And a homemade lemon gooey butter cake for dessert:

The celebratory season is far from over…tomorrow we’re having an early St. Patrick’s Day, and then the two March birthdays in our house within a week!

The Space Between

Today I’m looking at a space between sections of a building looking up! When I saw this entrance at the science complex at UMSL, I thought it looked really cool. The complex is actually five connected buildings, including Benton Hall, and I think the difference between the building on either side of the entrance, plus the bank of windows going up, was something really different to see.