The Saint Louis Zoo is free. That's the first thing anyone tells you when you mention St. Louis to someone who hasn't been. It's free because it's publicly funded by a cultural tax district — same reason the art museum and science center in Forest Park are free — and it has been since 1916. For a zoo that routinely ranks among the best in the country, this is a remarkable thing.
The zoo started with a walk-through aviary built for the 1904 World's Fair, purchased by city residents for $3,500 after the fair closed. Within a decade, the Zoological Society had incorporated and acquired Forest Park land. Today the zoo spans 90 acres within Forest Park and houses more than 14,000 animals.
The collection is genuinely impressive. The big cat country, the elephant passage, the penguin and puffin coast, the sea lion shows — it hits all the expected notes. But what makes it worth returning to is the depth of the programming and the quality of the animal habitats, which have been continuously improved over decades. It was voted best zoo in the U.S. by USA Today in both 2017 and 2018.
Forest Park surrounds it on all sides, so the zoo flows into the larger park experience easily. Walk the grounds in the morning when the animals are most active. In summer, go early and take breaks in the shade. The hippos are worth finding specifically — they have an underwater viewing window that rewards patience.