Grant's Farm — Attraction in Grantwood Village

It has been several years since I have been to G Farm. I took my buddy, Allan. He has autism and I thought this would be the perfect experience. Of course, his highlight was the chili hot dog and lemon aid. Lol. He loves food. Seriously though, the tram ride was relaxing, very informative, and lots of fun. Allan enjoyed seeing all of the animals, and he got the courage to touch a horse. Our main reason for going was for the Summer Nights experience, which includes live music and a drone show. I first learned about it on their website, and there is a cost to attend, but it's very low. Allan and I got to the farm at 3 p.m., which was a few hours earlier than the Summer Night festivities. We just spent those hours visiting the animals, walking around and shopping at the general store. I must say, each employee was so kind and appeared happy to be doing what they were doing. It enhanced the experience, especially since I had a special needs person with me. We didn't feel rushed getting on and off the tram or when we were ordering food. Each interaction included a smile and words of kindness. They were a breath of fresh air, so thank you. The one thing that bothered me was that I paid for the Summer Nights event, which took place in the courtyard. I was expecting to have my QR code scanned as proof of purchase. Well, that didn't happen, and so I asked an employee about it. They told me that I didn't need to buy tickets for the Summer Night event if I was already in the park before 5 pm. Basically, the people who are already in the park before 5 pm have free access to the Summer Nights event. That was disappointing bc I already paid my admission fee. While Allan and I would have loved to stay for the drone show, we had to leave as it was too much stimulation for him. All in all, he had a great time. We left at about 6:30 p.m., and on the way out, I noticed those going in had to show that they purchased tickets for the evening event. I just felt horrible for those who paid while there were hundreds who didn't. I think G Farm definitely deserves to be paid for providing us with a wonderful summer event, but It seems like they are missing out on that fundraising opportunity. I did ask Guest Relations for a refund and they provided...

Grant’s farm is a unique St. Louis attraction. It’s a lot less fun than the St. Louis Zoo but more child oriented than the Missouri Botanical Garden. It’s worth going once if you’ve never been or you happen to be visiting the St. Louis area. Be prepared to wait 30-45 minutes to board the tram into the park. If you get there early on busy days you may be able to avoid the long line. What is frustrating is that the line is mostly due to the extremely poor design of the entrance. Unlike the St. Louis Zoo, Grant’s farm only has one entrance and you are required to ride the tram to enter the farm. There is no option to walk, which would significantly cut down on the time it takes to enter the farm. However, if it is your first time visiting you’ll probably enjoy the short ride through the open fields viewing a variety of wildlife. Some of the wildlife was within great viewing distance, while other animals were very far away, so much so that anyone with poor vision would not be able to see them. Children are not allowed to sit on the outermost seats of the tram aka the best seats that offer an easy viewing experience. This results in most kids not being able to see much of anything due to their seating in the middle of the tram. Again, poor design choices take away from what would be a great experience! As for the rest, it’s good, not amazing. There’s animal shows, goat feeding, bird feeding, a carousel, camel riding, and free beer. All of the attractions (except for the animal show) are an additional charge. If you’re taking kids, they’ll probably love it. If you’re an adult, you’ll probably be left wanting more and slightly annoyed that nearly everything has an additional charge. Most people could easily spend 1-2 hours in the actual farm. They also offer the standard overpriced food and beverage options, but you might be able to do everything before leaving the farm to get food elsewhere. They also do not accept cash payment, which is sure to annoy some visitors. Give Grant’s Farm a try, if you (and your wallet) don’t like it, then your kids...

Our experience at Grant's Farm was mixed. We arrived late in the day after a big round of severe storms had moved through. This made for low attendance which was awesome. The staff was extremely friendly. Parking was easy, though $25 while the internet was telling us $18, so buy that $17 pass online ahead of time! The tram through Deer Park was fantastic. Feeding the baby goats was so cute and fun...lots of great photo ops. The parakeet feeding was surprisingly fun and a unique experience so we recommend that. The other animals were fun to walk around and see. Sadly, the camels were not out for some reason. Now for the negatives. When we got off the tram we asked where to go for the Clydesdales because we knew that closed at 5pm while the other animals would be out til 8pm due to the Summer Nights program. (We only knew this because I called for clarification as info on the website was unclear if we needed tickets for the concert and drone show. As long as you are in the park before 5, you can stay for free.) Turns out, you see the Clydesdales way out by the parking lot before you get on the tram. This was not posted anywhere and we didn't see it explained online. So, we were going to hop back on the tram and go back to the front to see them but we were told there wouldn't be enough time for us to do that and get back in the park before 5:00. It was very disappointing that it wasn't posted or mentioned that we needed to do that first before going into the park. The food was very mid...typical amusement park type food. The band that evening for Summer Nights was also very mid. And they canceled the drone show due to threat of rain and then it didn't even rain. So the entire evening experience was a let down. The only bright spot was my free drink which was a mix of a couple of their beers, called a Beach Bum. Yummy. Great animal experiences, super friendly staff, see the Clydesdales first, maybe don't bother with the Summer...