Quirky Attraction: St. Louis Citygarden

St. Louis Citygarden
Location: St. Louis, Missouri
When to visit: Any time during daylight hours
Cost: Free
Time needed to enjoy: 15-30 minutes
Website: www.citygardenstl.org

I wrote about St. Louis a lot when the blog first started, covering such attractions at the Budweiser Brewery Tour and the St. Louis City Museum. One site I neglected to publicize is the Citygarden, a cool three-acre park within the downtown area with a view of the Gateway Arch.

The park itself isn’t particularly quirky, but the art within it sure is. I’m a big fan of the white rabbits, which were cast in bronze and then painted. They’re the work of Dutch artist Tom Claassen.

As well as ‘Eros Bendato,’ a work by Igor Mitoraj. I just call it the giant head that you can peek out through:

They’ve got a lot more, including an LED video screen of two people walking, stainless steel structures, bronze birds and a 12.5-foot statue of Pinocchio called “Two White Gloves, Four Wheels.”

Some of these art pieces may no longer be at St. Louis Citygarden, since my visit was a few years back. In addition to the art, the park has fountains, gardens, walking paths, grassy areas, and a children’s spray plaza. It’s a fun place to hang out during the summer.

Metered street parking is available near Citygarden for $1 per hour. There are also parking garages in the area that charge $10 for a full day (sometimes less than that on weekends).

The park is officially open from sunrise to 10 pm, the same hours as at St. Louis city parks. You can even take an audiotour of the park using Citygarden’s mobile app.

Dogs are permitted but they must be on leashes. The park has a restaurant called Kaldi’s, in case you want to eat while you’re there.

In 2019, to celebrate their 10th anniversary, Citygarden installed three new art pieces. The park also holds special events like free Wednesday lunchtime summer concerts, and Saturday morning summer yoga sessions.