Grant's Farm

In all our many visits to St. Louis, before and since Sophia, we have never once visited Grant's Farm. To be honest, it just didn't sound that tempting.

Yesterday was such a nice day that I wanted to try something new that we've done before. Grant's Farm was the first on the list, so we went.

I was absolutely stunned by just how much I loved that place! A big reason I fell in love with Grant's Farm is, of course, the horses.



It was so much fun just to be near them and smell horses again. I'll have to try to not go back every week just to soak it in.

Another reason I was pleased with Grant's Farm was the surprise of being in the city yet being surrounded by wooded hills and wildlife. Somehow we had no idea what this place was about, so when we had to wait for a tram to take us into the park, we wondered why we couldn't just choose to take the walk, even if it was long. Turns out, there is more than just distance to be concerned with. The hills between the parking lot and the park are inhabited by many varieties of deer, elk, American bison, longhorn and other varieties of cattle and a few other exotic animals that we got a good glimpse of on the drive. So I was all right with being on a motorized vehicle through those areas. I would have been happy to just ride that tram around all day and see those animals in their reserve. It was fascinating.

Once we got inside the park, it was slightly less surprising. Exotic birds, elephants, goats and such abound. But they're in a tighter space, so it doesn't take long to see what's there.



The longest time was spent in front of the pasture of this little guy. A miniature pony just stood near the fence of his pasture in order to enjoy the touch of hundreds of kids. Sophia fell in love. Of course, I loved that she loved it, even though as a kid, I used to scoff at miniature horses. I can finally see their use...



The courtyard was a great area, too. Food and beverages (at more reasonable rates than the ballpark or zoo), a fountain and plenty of people-watching made that a lot of fun too.



All that to say, Grant's Farm is a winner in my book. I can't wait to go back. We didn't stop at the historic Ulysses S. Grant residence this time, but I'm looking forward to having a chance to do that this summer.