Citygarden is a free three-acre downtown park with modern and contemporary sculptures, landscaping and reflecting pools. There are no walls, fences or admission fees, and you're allowed to touch the art. Open sunrise to 10pm every day. The children's spray plaza runs only from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day; from November through February the garden is decorated with holiday lights.
Daily 9am–4pm through Dec 31 (fall/winter hours); 2pm close Nov 26 and Dec 24, 3pm Dec 31; closed Dec 25
Saint Louis Zoo · St. Louis
The Saint Louis Zoo in Forest Park is always free to enter. Fall and winter hours (through Dec 31, 2026) are 9am to 4pm daily, with last entry 15 minutes before closing. It closes at 2pm on Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, at 3pm on New Year's Eve, and all day on Christmas. Some rides, attractions and parking cost extra.
Tuesday–Sunday 10am–5pm, Fridays until 9pm; closed Mondays, Thanksgiving and Christmas
Saint Louis Art Museum · St. Louis
The Saint Louis Art Museum in Forest Park is free every day, Tuesday through Sunday 10am to 5pm, and open until 9pm on Fridays. Free public lots sit across Fine Arts Drive; the garage costs $10 off-peak.
Tuesday–Sunday 10am–5pm, Thursday until 8pm; closed Mondays
Missouri History Museum · St. Louis
The Missouri History Museum tells St. Louis's story, from the 1904 World's Fair to baseball. Admission is free. Open Tuesday through Sunday 10am to 5pm, Thursdays until 8pm. About 400 free parking spaces are in the nearby Twin Lots.
The museum beneath the Gateway Arch covers St. Louis from its 1764 founding to the Arch's completion in 1965, across six galleries. It's free and needs no ticket. Open daily 9am to 6pm. The tram ride to the top and the documentary film are ticketed.
Area daily 8am–6pm; nature center building Tue–Sat 8am–5pm; closed Nov 7–9, Thanksgiving and Christmas
Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center · St. Louis
The Missouri Department of Conservation's Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center has three paved trails, exhibits and a 3,000-gallon aquarium, plus naturalist programs for all ages. The building is open Tuesday to Saturday 8am to 5pm; the area is open daily 8am to 6pm. Closed Nov 7–9 for a managed deer hunt.
Mon, Wed–Sat 9:30am–4:30pm; Sun 11am–4:30pm; closed Tuesdays
Saint Louis Science Center · St. Louis
General admission to the Saint Louis Science Center is always free, with hands-on exhibits across the main building and the McDonnell Planetarium. Open 9:30am to 4:30pm (Sundays from 11am), closed Tuesdays. Parking at the main building is $15, and the planetarium shows, OMNIMAX films and special exhibitions are ticketed.
Soldiers Memorial Military Museum downtown tells the stories of St. Louisans in military service. Admission is free. Open Wednesday through Sunday, 10am to 5pm. Free lockers are available in the East Lobby.
First Friday of most months, from dusk (weather permitting)
McDonnell Planetarium (Saint Louis Science Center) · St. Louis
On the first Friday of most months, amateur astronomers from local clubs set up telescopes on the grounds of the McDonnell Planetarium in Forest Park, starting at dusk. Free and weather permitting; check the Science Center's calendar before you go.
Every Friday around 10am, Isaiah 58 Ministries on South Grand gives out fresh produce, deli and pastry items, bread and sometimes dairy and eggs donated by area grocery stores. Open to all; bring a photo ID. Enter around the back.
Every Friday the Saint Louis Art Museum waives admission to its ticketed main exhibitions, such as Women Impressionists and the Land, and stays open until 9pm with free programs throughout the day.
Wednesday–Sunday 10am–5pm; Thursday until 7pm; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day
Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis
The Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis in Grand Center shows rotating contemporary art. Admission is free and no tickets are needed. Open Wednesday through Sunday 10am to 5pm, and Thursdays until 7pm.
National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows · St. Louis
The 57th Way of Lights fills the grounds of the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville with a lighted Journey to Bethlehem, November 20 to December 31, 2026. Viewing the lights is free, with donations welcome, and the outdoor display stays open even on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas. Inside the Visitors Center, the Christmas tree display (noon to 9pm) and choir sessions are also free, as is the petting zoo; rides, food and the LEGO display cost extra.
Ballet 314 brings The Nutcracker & The World's Fair, its St. Louis-inspired holiday ballet for kids, to Julia Davis Library on Friday, November 20, 2026, at 10:30am. Dance along and meet the characters.
Winterfest opens downtown in Kiener Plaza on Saturday, November 21, 2026, 8am to 8pm, with the Ameren Missouri Festival of Lights: ceremony at 5:30pm, tree lighting at 5:45pm, a drone show at 6:30pm and fireworks at 7pm. Winterfest is free to attend. The page also lists free skate rentals from Ameren on opening day but dates that offer November 22, so check before counting on it. Regular skate rentals, heated igloos and curling cost extra.
Ballet 314 performs its St. Louis-inspired take on the Nutcracker, The Nutcracker & The World's Fair, for kids and families at Carondelet Library on Saturday, November 21, 2026, at 10:30am and 2pm. Dance along and meet the characters.
Belleville welcomes Santa to his house on the Public Square with its annual Santa Parade on Friday, November 27, 2026, at 10am. Hosted by the Optimist Club, it's billed as the largest holiday parade in Southern Illinois, with floats, marching bands and dance groups.
Honorary Veterans Memorial Square, Belleville, IL · St. Louis
Belleville lights the Veterans Memorial Fountain on the northeast quadrant of its Public Square on Friday, November 27, 2026, at 6pm, the evening of the Santa Parade and the opening of Santa's House.
Thu–Fri 4–8pm, Sat–Sun 12–8pm; daily 12–8pm Dec 26–Jan 3; closed Dec 25
Winterfest, Kiener Plaza · St. Louis
Winterfest's outdoor rink in Kiener Plaza runs November 21, 2026 to January 3, 2027. Skating is free if you bring your own skates; rentals are $15 for adults and $10 for kids 3 to 15, and the page says kids 3 to 15 skate free on Fridays courtesy of the St. Louis Blues. Open Thursday and Friday 4 to 8pm, weekends noon to 8pm (opening day Nov 21, 8am to 8pm), and daily noon to 8pm from December 26 to January 3. Closed December 25.
Verified Oct 27 · archpark.org
Catch: Bring your own skates (rentals cost $15 adults, $10 kids)
Nov 27–Dec 24: Fri 6–8:30pm, Sat 12–8:30pm, Sun 12–5pm, Wed 6–8:30pm (Christmas Carol stroll); opening day Nov 27 12–8:30pm; Dec 24 11am–2pm
Historic Main Street, St. Charles
Historic Main Street in St. Charles turns into a Victorian Christmas festival from November 27 to December 24, 2026, with carolers, costumed Legends of Christmas characters, roasted chestnuts and Wednesday-night Christmas Carol strolls. Hours: Fridays 6 to 8:30pm, Saturdays noon to 8:30pm, Sundays noon to 5pm, Wednesdays 6 to 8:30pm; opening day noon to 8:30pm and Christmas Eve 11am to 2pm. Santa visits the KATY Train Depot in Frontier Park on opening day, weekends and Christmas Eve.
1st block of East Main St., Belleville, IL · St. Louis
On weekends from November 27 to December 20, 2026, a 26-passenger horse-drawn trolley loops through Belleville's decorated Public Square, downtown and the Christkindlmarkt. Rides are free, with no reservations. Board in the first block of East Main St. Fridays 5 to 8pm, Saturdays and Sundays noon to 6pm.
St. Louis County Library offers scholarships for adults to earn an accredited high school diploma online through Excel Adult High School, with unlimited online tutoring, career planning and up to seven free college-level courses. Students have up to 24 months to finish. Scholarships are limited; email excel@slcl.org.
Verified Oct 27 · slcl.org
Catch: Only for: adult residents of the St. Louis County Library District, 25 or older, who completed 8th grade · Limited scholarships: online self-assessment, prerequisite course and interview required · St. Louis County Library card required
On the third Thursday of each month, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri staff are at Central Library from 9am to noon to give free advice on civil legal problems, housing, family law, youth and education advocacy, and help for adults with mental illness. Between clinics, call Legal Services at 314-534-4200.
Online, self-paced; scholarships available through December 2027
St. Louis County Library (online)
St. Louis County Library and TechSTL offer full scholarships to Coursera and Grow with Google certificates in fields like data analytics, UX design, cybersecurity, digital marketing and project management. Anyone with a valid library card can request one; scholarships run through December 2027.
Verified Oct 27 · slcl.org
Catch: Library card required · Apply for a scholarship
St. Louis County Library cardholders can get free, unlimited Headspace meditation for six months by signing up during an open enrollment. The next enrollment opens January 2, 2027, at 9am, for January to June 2027. Spots are limited.
Verified Oct 27 · slcl.org
Catch: Library card required · Limited spots: sign up during open enrollment
During branch hours (offer posted Oct 16, 2026; no end date given)
St. Louis County Library branches
New to classical music? Every St. Louis County Library branch hands out free St. Louis Symphony Orchestra concert vouchers to library patrons attending the symphony for the first time. Ask at the service desk of any branch.
Verified Oct 27 · slcl.org
Catch: Only for: first-time St. Louis Symphony Orchestra attendees · Library patrons: ask at a branch service desk
St. Louis Public Library's Julia Davis Tool Library lends home repair and maintenance equipment for up to 21 days, free with a library card. Reserve tools online, then pick them up and return them at the Julia Davis Library circulation desk. Borrowers must be 18+ and sign a waiver the first time.
Verified Oct 27 · slpl.org
Catch: St. Louis Public Library card in good standing required · Only for: adults 18+ · Signed borrower agreement and waiver
