Turtle Playground

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DerickWJazz

Joined 2 years ago

Fun, Free and Family!. It's another fun and free source of family entertainment in St. Louis. With easy access via the Tamm Ave overpass it's also a free option for parking at the zoo. Take some time and make some memories and pictures at Turtle Playground!

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Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Sonya Glassberg's beautiful gift to the city and its children.. Generosity
The playground, designed by architect Richard Claybour with turtles sculpted by Robert Cassilly of City Museum fame, opened on August 3, 1996. Mrs. Sonya Glassberg proposed the plan to the Parks Department, chose the site and theme of turtles and paid for it all.

Science Lesson
Cassilly carefully sculpted each animal to be as true to life as possible. In the playground you'll find a snapping turtle, a soft-shelled turtle, a red-eared slider, three box turtles and a stinkpot along with a snake, seven eggs (three with hatching turtles), and a serpent (this is the one taking a bite out of the HWY 40 overpass).

Fun for All
Of course no one comes here for the biological accuracy, they come to climb on the turtles! Kids flock here in droves to walk on the back of the serpent, climb to the top of the three big turtles, scurry under the bellies of the box turtles and generally run around like crazy.