Courtesy of St. Louis County Library
The Discovery Zone at Meramec Valley Branch in St. Louis County
The Discovery Zone at Meramec Valley Branch
The third floor of Buder Library—devoted almost entirely to children and teens—reopened this year with a new look and feel. There’s a cool, graffiti-inspired St. Louis Public Library–themed mural, toy and coloring stations, light fixtures that look like planets (we want them for our house), and even a Nintendo Switch available for children ages 10 and up. If you’re trying to give your kiddo a break from screens, feel free to conceal that last piece of info. 4401 Hampton.
The Discovery Zone is the big draw at this Fenton branch of the county library system. Built in 2019, it still has the shiny aura of a brand-new building. Your child can play make-believe in a huge set of pastel playhouses, send scarves flying through a pneumatic tube, and race cars on a wavy track. Outside, there’s a reading deck, if being in the sunshine is more your kid’s thing. 1501 San Simeon.
Barr, Central, and Julia Davis libraries
At these three branches of the St. Louis Public Library system, teens can experiment for free with 3D printing, animation, game development, and even virtual reality through a program called Creative Experience. Barr: 1701 S. Jefferson. Central: 1301 Olive. Julia Davis: 4415 Natural Bridge.
Courtesy of St. Louis County Library
The children's area at Jamestown Bluffs branch in St. Louis County
The children's area at Jamestown Bluffs branch
In 2015 and 2016, this branch in North County got a makeover that included a small kids’ area for tots to push trains, dig with construction vehicles, shop in a make-believe market, and experiment with gears on a magnetic board. 4153 N. Hwy 67.
If the great, totally overblown rivalry between Webster Groves and Kirkwood were to be settled based on which neighborhood has the best kids’ section in its library…we’d have to give it to Kirkwood. On a recent weekend morning visit, the place was more packed than St. Louis’ hottest club. (Whichever that may be—we’re parents, so we wouldn’t know.) It has a giant wooden train where you can pretend to be a passenger, four computers for playing word games, a scavenger hunt, and a Lego wall. 140 E. Jefferson.
For more summer family fun, read our story here.
