Showing posts with label forest park. Show all posts
Showing posts with label forest park. Show all posts

Thursday, July 13, 2023

Visit Missouri-Explore St. Louis - The Muny

Historic Bandstand at St. Louis Muny
Bandstand across from Muny

 

The St. Louis Municipal Opera, commonly called The Muny has been operating in Forest Park for more than 100 years.  It is America's oldest and largest outdoor musical theatre and is a real treasure for the residents and visitors to the St. Louis area.  

I have enjoyed many a delightful summer's evening watching Broadway style musicals at The Muny.  This year, I had the pleasure of introducing my youngest two granddaughters to The Muny when I took them to see a production of Beauty and the Beast.  They were delighted with the show, and it was wonderful to be able to watch it with them. 

We arrived at The Muny about two hours before the show started and enjoyed a picnic supper at one of the many picnic areas surrounding the Muny.  While enjoying our meal we were entertained by some of the pre-show entertainment.  On this evening there was a storyteller who delighted the children with stories and songs.  On other visits to The Muny I have enjoyed performances by some of the dance troops and singing groups before the show begins.   When it was about 30 minutes before the show we entered the outdoor theatre and made our way to our seats.  With time to spare we decided to get some ice cream from the refreshment stands to enjoy while we waited for the show to begin.  Here are Kate and Emily waiting for the show to start.

Grandkids at the Muny

The production of Beauty and the Beast was wonderful, and the girls were on the edge of their seats the entire time.

History of the Muny

About the time of the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis the dreams of a permanent outdoor musical theatre were formed.  It was 1916 before this dream was finally realized.  At that time a site was pick on a hillside in Forest Park between two large oak trees.  The first production held their was As You Like It.  It was picked to observe the 300th year anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare.  The production was seen by crowds of over 8000 per night and everyone was delighted.  This was the beginning of the 105 year history of The Muny.

Today the theatre has 10,800 seats.  The last nine rows (1456) are free seats and the rest of the seats are reserve tickets, with prices rising as you get closer to the stage.  The theater is built as an amphitheater and gently slopes downhill towards the stage at the bottom.

It is a true cultural treasure of St. Louis that has been enjoyed by residents and visitors over the decades.


More Reviews on Forest Park in St. Louis

I have written several other reviews on Forest Park venues.  Here are a few of my favorites.
Forest Park and the Jewel Box


Find out more about The Muny

 




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Thursday, June 27, 2019

Visit Missouri-Explore St Louis- Forest Park and the Jewel Box

Forest Park in St Louis photo by mbgphoto
One of my favorite places for photography in St. Louis is Forest Park.  On this page I will be reviewing some of my favorite sites to take photos.

A Bit of Forest Park History and Facts

Forest Park is a public park that covers 1,371 acres in the heart of St. Louis.  It was first opened in 1876.  The park hosted both the 1904 World's Fair and the 1904 Summer Olympics.  An annual balloon race starts in Forest Park and in the summer you can attend wonderful summer theatre at the Muny.
Here are just a few of the wonderful attractions that you can see at Forest Park.

  •  St. Louis Zoo
  •  Science Center
  •  Art Museum
  •  Boathouse
  •  Missouri History Museum
  •  Jewel Box 
  •  World's Fair Pavilion
In addition you can walk or ride the many trails and paths and in the winter you can enjoy the ice skating rink.  

I have many fond memories of Forest Park as a child, as a young Mother bringing my children there and now as a place to bring my grandchildren.  It is also one of my favorite place to take photographs and I will share them with you on the rest of this post.

Jewel Box

Jewel Box in St. Louis photo by mbgphoto
The Jewel Box is located on 17 acres in the park and was first used as a greenhouse.  It has lovely plants, water features and fountains throughout the area and is a great place to take photos.  It is popular with visitors and the building can be reserved for weddings.  Around Christmas the inside of the building is full of poinsettias, which are quite beautiful.

I visited there with my photo club on a recent spring evening and took the photo above and the beautiful daisies that lines the sides of the pond.
white daisies photo by mbgphoto

daisy photo by mbgphoto

Muny

The Muny is a wonderful outdoor amphitheater that holds 11,000 people.  1500 of the seats are free seats making the theatre accessible to people from all walks of life.  Each summer for the past 100 years the Muny has  held a variety of different live productions.  Some of my favorites over the years include: South Pacific, Oklahoma, The Jersey Boys, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, The Beach Boys, and The Wizard of Oz.  I have also enjoyed  taking my two oldest granddaughters to the Muny when they have visited during the summer months.

The first photo on this page and the ones below were taken at the entrance area to the Muny.
Forest Park photo by mbgphoto

Forest Park photo by mbgphoto

The Boathouse

The Boathouse in Forest Park is a favorite gathering place of visitors to the park.  It is located just across the way from the Muny and is especially a favorite place for theatre goers to have a meal before or after the show.  The restaurant has both indoor and outdoor seating.

By the dock is an area where you can rent paddleboats and kayaks to ride around in the great basin. This is a favorite of my granddaughters.
After our photo club outing we met at the outdoor area of the Boathouse to sit by the dock and discuss the photos we took.  Here are a couple of the photos that I took from the docks.
paddle boats at Forest Park photo by mbgphoto

kayaks at Forest Park photo by mbgphoto

Postcards from Forest Park

Here are some postcards I have made from my photos.




Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


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