Favorite Urban Hike: Tower Grove Park — thatawaydad.com
Victorian era Tower Grove Park has one-of-a-kind picnic pavilions, one with a circus tent-like roof or another with Chinese dragons. It is my favorite park in St. Louis.
Hiking in Tower Grove Park
I’ve spent lots of time with David and my son Andrew over the years playing in the park or walking some of its many trails. On a snowy day, I decided to walk across the whole park for a 3.4-mile jaunt.
I would pass by historic picnic pavilions and gatekeeper cottages on a snow-filled amble among the trees in the park.
Southeast Walk
I entered from the East Gate off Grand Boulevard designed as the main entrance into the park. Adorned by lion and griffin statues on stone pedestals and acquired in Berlin by St. Louis businessman Henry Shaw. He donated the 289-acre grounds for the park in 1868. Reflected today in the Victorian architecture of the park were Shaw’s interest in the classics and European travel.
I headed out along Southeast Drive beginning my walk by the ornate pavilions.
Sons of Rest Pavilion was the first one that I saw. It has an amber-colored roof, white latticework with red and blue accents, and decorative ironwork on top. Considered a “summer house,” by many as a popular shady spot for St. Louis seniors.
Next was the well-known Chinese Pavilion with its metallic green dragons with red underbellies guarding the upper and lower corners of the roof. Painted red with green bottoms are its 12 columns. They support the concave-hipped roof with green accents and a red notched border.
I crossed a wooden bridge over a brook filled with water from the melting snow.
Up from the creek was a small snowman with an almost “Baby Yoda” like face.
Almost to the Middle of the Park
I went by two different sculpted statues. Alexander von Humboldt statue, an explorer and naturalist in the 19th century looks regal gazing out across the park.
Then took a moment to stop at the William Shakespeare statue on a brownstone pedestal with his hands on his hips looking like he is watching one of his many plays.
In the center of the park is the Turkish Pavilion. Circus tent-like with its red and white striped four-layered cupola roof supported by eight columns. It’s one of my favorites in the park and stands out from the rest with its height and colors.
Heading towards Southwest Drive
By Center Cross Drive is the South Gate Lodge, a stone cottage topped with a copper-roofed tower, built for a gatekeeper. It now houses ArtScope, which provides educational opportunities for local youth.
The walk here goes by softball fields and is quieter than the eastern side.
At Kingshighway is the appropriately named Kingshighway Residence with its castle tower-like second story surrounded by a rock wall. Two lean stone towers surround this entrance to the park.
Northwest Drive Walk
I take a short stroll through the Robert and Martha Wild Bird Garden. Here large trees surround me as I step on wood chips.
In the middle, I briefly stop at a rock garden with a small waterfall listening as the water drips through the rocks.
Along here I come across a Stone Shelter built-in 1923. Looking like it should be in a park well outside the city with its stone columns and wooden roof, which is bright white blanketed by snow.
I come to the Park Foreman’s Residence built using roughly coursed limestone rubble in 1870.
Near the house is the stone 10 -stall stable where the park’s Clydesdale and pony reside.
Then I take a path towards the center of the park past the Tennis Center. Here is the Roman Pavilion painted yellow, blue, and white with Tuscan columns. In front are fountains that kids play in the summer and nearby are two playgrounds.
Central Part of Northeast Drive Walk
Waterlily ponds are to the right of the Center Cross Drive. During the summer and spring, you can see giant water lilies here along with flowers and a wide variety of plants.
My son enjoys exploring this area and looking for turtles in the water on warm sunny days.
To the north of here is the Piper Palm House built in 1878 and is the oldest standing greenhouse west of the Mississippi River. Constructed to keep potted palms and other ornamental plants. It is now used for weddings and special events.
Stone ruins with a flat rock patio front another pond that has a three-tiered fountain in the middle with rubble below it. These remains are from the first Lindell Hotel in downtown St. Louis.
All around the pond is more stonework and creates a rectangle with a sunken front area with a stone railing.
I walked out to the intersection of Center Grove Drive and Magnolia Avenue. Here I find a historic whitewashed residence topped with a tower surrounded by large green bushes.
I pass by deer statues on high pedestals above me as I walk back into the park.
Northeast Drive Walk
Next is the Music Stand octagonal pavilion done up with a double-tiered red top, almost like a red dipped ice cream cone and accentuated with green and brown latticework below. Surrounding it are busts of composers Beethoven, Wagner, Mozart, Rossini, Gounod, and Verdi.
Then onto the Old Playground Pavilion with a distinctive blue bell-cast metal roof topped by a domed cupola and supported by poles with broad round-topped arches adorned with ornamental scrollwork. A playground is nearby.
You will pass through the Old Comfort Station with its stone foundation, stucco walls, exposed rafters, and green-glazed tile roof if you come from the corner of Magnolia Avenue and Grand Boulevard.
I instead went back by my car heading out for lunch!
Tower Grove Park Final Thoughts
Checking out the pavilions, which now I know are many, along with the statues, park residences, ponds, and other sites make for a full day at the park.
Usually, when we come here, we might go by the pond ruins or just take a short stroll from the Grand Boulevard shopping and restaurant area.
I found doing the full walk allowed me to really see the whole park and it was worth doing!
Neighborhood Note on Tower Grove Park
Outside the park is historic neighborhoods with Victorian-style homes and are worth checking out, especially on the southside where you can head over to South Grand Boulevard for a meal.
I did not list all the pavilions, there are so many, such as the Cypress Shelters, Humboldt Pavilions, and the Old Carriage Shelter. You can learn more about the park at towergrovepark.org. Feel free to explore the park and see what treasures you come across!
DETAILS
Drive: Either Interstate 64 or Interstate 44 exiting at Grand Boulevard and going south and then making a left onto Main Drive at Tower Grove Park’s main entrance off Grand Boulevard.
Hours: Dawn to Dusk
Address: 4257 Northeast Dr, St. Louis, MO 63110
Lunch Stop
Jerk Soul at 3108 Cherokee Street for some quesadillas with jerk chicken and plantains.
NEARBY URBAN DAD HIKE
Urban Dad Hikes: Compton Hill Water Tower
Compton Hill Water Tower stands 179 feet at the highest point in the city of St. Louis. It is an attraction in itself. Yet, it is also paired with a controversial statue in Compton Hill Reservoir Park where I took a hike in the city.
The mile-long Old Chain of Rocks Bridge 60-feet above the Mississippi River with a 30-degree turn midway was my quest today.
Dad Hikes: Old Chain of Rocks Bridge
NOTE: Although the bridge leads to St. Louis, parking is only available on the Illinois side of the bridge. Cross the Mississippi River on Interstate 270 towards Illinois then exit onto Highway 3 south then a right turn onto Chain of Rocks Road and the road ends at parking for the bridge.
Dad Hikes — I am venturing into exploring the urban side of hiking in the St. Louis area. Feel free to share suggestions for hikes to do. Also, share any questions you might have on the hikes!
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Originally published at https://www.thatawaydad.com on February 21, 2021.
