Yes, plenty is free with little kids in St. Louis this week: we found 18 free outings, including Toddler Thursday at Mastodon State Historic Site, Outdoor Storytime at Forest Park and Music and Movement Storytime (Buder), plus seven library programs. One free day or event is coming up, each with its date. And six places never charge admission, like Saint Louis Zoo and Grant's Farm.
This week
Every free outing on this week’s STL list, rebuilt every Thursday. Library programs may need a quick sign-up.
Anne O'C. Albrecht Nature Playscape, Forest Park · Anne O'C. Albrecht Nature Playscape, Forest Park, St. Louis, MO 63110
Storytime with sensory activities at the Anne O’C. Albrecht Nature Playscape; blankets and snacks provided. Ideal for 6 and under; may be cancelled for weather.
St. Louis Public Library – Buder · 4401 Hampton Ave, St. Louis, MO 63109
Songs, dancing and stories for little ones who like to move.
St. Louis Public Library – Central · 1301 Olive Street, St. Louis, MO 63103
Rhymes, songs and board books for babies and their grown-ups.
St. Louis Public Library – Machacek · 6424 Scanlan Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63139
Decorate a pumpkin and enjoy fall festivities; ideal for families.
St. Louis Public Library – Carondelet · 6800 Michigan Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63111
Make two Halloween crafts to take home.
St. Louis Public Library – Julia Davis · 4415 Natural Bridge Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63115
Hands-on sensory play for young children.
St. Louis Public Library – Kingshighway · 2260 South Vandeventer Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110
Build a catapult and launch pompoms.
St. Louis Public Library – Walnut Park · 5760 West Florissant Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63120
Songs, dancing and stories for little ones who like to move.
St. Louis Public Library – Schlafly · 225 North Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63108
Rhymes, songs and board books for babies and their grown-ups.
St. Louis Public Library – Carpenter · 3309 South Grand Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63118
Stories, songs and rhymes for young children and their grown-ups.
St. Louis Public Library – Cabanne · 1106 Union Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63113
Build with the library’s LEGO bricks.
Mastodon State Historic Site · 1050 Charles J. Becker Drive, Imperial, MO 63052
A free outdoor story and craft for toddlers at the mastodon site.
St. Louis Public Library – Barr · 1701 South Jefferson Ave, St. Louis, MO 63104
Build with the library’s LEGO bricks.
St. Louis Public Library – Kingshighway · 2260 South Vandeventer Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110
Stories, songs and rhymes for young children and their grown-ups.
St. Louis Public Library – Barr · 1701 South Jefferson Ave, St. Louis, MO 63104
Stories, songs and rhymes for young children and their grown-ups.
St. Louis Public Library – Buder · 4401 Hampton Ave, St. Louis, MO 63109
Stories, songs and rhymes for young children and their grown-ups.
St. Louis Public Library – Central · 1301 Olive Street, St. Louis, MO 63103
Come in costume and trick-or-treat around Central Library; bring a good joke and a bag for treats. Ideal for ages 3 to 17.
St. Louis Public Library – Divoll · 4234 North Grand Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63107
An afternoon craft for kids.
Nothing free on this day yet. Try an always-free place.
Mark the calendar
Museum and zoo free days, free festivals and other one-off free events, soonest first. Some free days are only for residents or cardholders, so each one says who gets in free.
Downtown St. Louis
2 p.m. Free to watch downtown: floats, drumlines, marching bands and Santa at the end.
Any day
Parks, gardens, nature centers and museums that don’t charge admission.
Every week
Baby, toddler and family storytimes at branches across the region, plus storytimes in Forest Park.
Weekly; days and times vary by branch
Free baby, toddler and preschool storytimes. This fall's regular sessions include Baby Time (Mondays 10am, Spencer Road Branch) and Story Time with Lindenwood University (Mondays 10am, Kathryn Linnemann Branch), with more at Corporate Parkway Branch, Deer Run Branch, McClay Branch and Middendorf-Kredell Branch.
Weekly at 6 locations; Monday–Saturday, mostly mornings
Free baby, toddler and preschool storytimes. This fall's regular sessions include Baby Bookworms Storytime (Mondays 10:30am, Central) and Music and Movement Storytime (Mondays 10am, Buder Library), with more at Barr Library, Carpenter Library, Kingshighway Library and Schlafly Library.
Weekly at 6 locations; Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, mostly mornings
Free baby, toddler and preschool storytimes. This fall's regular sessions include Books for Babies Lapsit (Mondays 10am) and Tales for Twos Storytime (Tuesdays 10am).
Weekly at the Edwardsville Public Library; Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays
Keep planning
Good questions
This week we found 18 free outings for ages 0–6, including Toddler Thursday at Mastodon State Historic Site, Outdoor Storytime at Forest Park, Music and Movement Storytime (Buder) and Pumpkin Party (Machacek). See free this week; the list is rebuilt every Thursday.
Ameren Thanks-For-Giving Parade: Sat Nov 21. Dates come from each venue’s own page; see free days and free events.
Saint Louis Zoo, Grant's Farm, Saint Louis Science Center, Saint Louis Art Museum and Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center and 1 more don’t charge admission. Some charge for parking or special exhibits; the cards say so where the place does.
Yes: Saint Louis Science Center. See all of them on indoor play places in STL.
Yes. Saint Louis County Library and Saint Louis Public Library, St. Charles City-County Library, St. Louis Public Library and Edwardsville Public Library run free storytimes for babies, toddlers and preschoolers. Times change by branch, so check the calendar linked below.
Each listing comes from the venue’s or organizer’s own page and links to it. We only list a date, time or price when that page shows it, and anything we can’t confirm stays off. These were last checked Oct 19, 2026, and we recheck them every Thursday for dated events and once a month for free places. How we choose and check.
Littles Weekly
One short email every Friday morning with the best things to do with little ones in STL that weekend, free ones flagged.
Indoor play in STL
Thanksgiving weekend in STL
Noon Year’s Eve in STL