Summer "Staycations"

 Fun vacations don't always mean long car rides or lines at the airport.  "Staycations" give you a break from your daily grind without having to spend a lot of time and money on travel.  They also let you spend quality time with your kids and enjoy your home city in a fun, relaxing way.

In greater St. Louis, dozens of family-friendly activities are just around the corner.  Once you've hit Forest Park, The Magic House and a Cardinals game (or two), try these ideas.

• Find a new nature center.  At Powder Valley Concervation Nature Center, just west of St. Louis, you can go on a hike or, if you're there on a Saturday, watch the fish feeding in the park's aquarium.  Across the river in Illinois, go for a horseback ride at Pere Marquette State Park.
• Check out a cool museum.  In St. Louis, the one-of-a-kind World Chess Hall of Fame will get your child excited about brain games.  And what kids wouldn't love to spend an afternoon at the Greater St. Louis Air & Space Museum in Cahokia, Illinois?
• Take in some art.  Laumeier Sculpture Park lets all members of your family--even the four-legged ones--get some exercise while learning about art and nature.
• Plan a night at the drive-in.  Pack up your car with a picnic dinner and some comfy blankets.  Put on your relaxing clothes and head to the Skyview Drive In Theater in Bellville, Illinois.  This a cool, old-school way to watch the latest family-friendly flick.

Courtesy of kidsTODAY - summer 2017