ST. LOUIS — Forest Park was recently named the country’s best city park for the second consecutive year in the USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards.
The 1,300-acre park was nationally polled against 20 others across the country that competed for the title and were selected by a panel of experts from USA TODAY, 10Best.com and expert contributors, according to the Forest Park Forever website.
“Forest Park taking the top spot reflects a St. Louis success story: the innovative public-private partnership between the nonprofit conservancy Forest Park Forever and the City’s Department of Parks, Recreation, and Forestry, who collaborate to restore, maintain, and sustain Forest Park as a treasure for all to enjoy,” the website states.
Last year, the park ensured some weather events such as late spring freezes that resulted in delayed planting, and a drought in early summer that required extra watering, as well as more than a million dollars infrastructure and landscape damages from July’s record rainfall and flash flooding.
“But through careful asset management and close collaboration, the Park’s caretakers were able to address these unexpected needs,” the website states.
Below are some Forest Park amenities:
About 47,000 trees
30 miles of paths and trails
Three family playgrounds such as the fully accessible Variety Wonderland Playground, the Oakland Avenue Playground and the 17-acre experiential Anne O’C. Albrecht Nature Playscape
Navigation assistance such as on-site kiosks and wayfinding signage, a mobile-friendly, GPS-enabled Forestparkmap.org
Five major cultural institutions with free admission: the Missouri History Museum, The Muny, the St. Louis Art Museum, the St. Louis Science Center and the St. Louis Zoo