City Museum — Attraction in St. Louis

Ok, so there are very many reviews extolling this place already, so I want to come at it specifically from a fat person perspective!

TL;DR I had an amazing time with no worries about weight, just had to skip some of the smaller sized tunnels!

I weigh around 270lbs at 5'7" these days. The weight is all in my belly, which is my widest point at 56" around. 250lbs is often a cutoff for certain activities, furniture, playground equipment, etc, so when I visited knowing very little about this place, I asked a woman at the info desk about weight limits. She said, as near as I can quote from memory, "Oh no, we don't do stuff like that here. If you think you can fit something, try it out, and if you get stuck, yell loud and someone will come help." 🤣😂🤣

I mean, amazing response, yeah?

So I followed her advice!

Not only did I have her encouragement in my head, but the fact that so many of the climbable pieces are made from steel rebar and other reclaimed building materials meant everything felt very sturdy and supportive to me! I had an amazing time being a kid again, running around and trying out slides, climbing on whatever I could climb on, and never having to worry if I'd break or bend something due to my weight.

Now, there are indeed some tight fits. The big slide on the roof with the mantis sculpture, for example, has an extra piece of rebar bisecting the slide entrance, and I did have to squish my belly through pretty tightly there. It was tight enough that I had to work at it, but not tight enough that it was painful. And to me the squeeze was worth it! So I'd say if you're bigger than 56" around, I'd still encourage you to try, but it will be tight!

The slide attendant said it was placed there to force people to slow down when entering the slide and preventing pileups and therefore injury, which I guess makes sense? I wish though that there was some other way to do this so that heavy people who can definitely fit the slide itself would not be excluded.

Some additional tight squeezes are the tunnels around the whale sculpture on the first floor inside the building, which I didn't even attempt. The woman at the info desk had warned me about those, but honestly I could tell with my eyeballs that those weren't for me. So, I did have to pass up on a handful of experiences due to my size, but it was nothing that I really felt like I was missing out on.

The only weight limit I saw the whole time was for the ferris wheel on the roof, and that was 510lbs per carriage. So, if I was going with my partner, we'd have to be in separate carriages, but like... Whatever! We'd get to go on a Ferris wheel! And 510 is a pretty generous limit, so go on and take a seat!

If you are on the heavier side, I do recommend going at off-peak times so you can have a bit more time to explore and to test squeezing through things without the pressure of people waiting on you. Part of the reason I was able to do all this experimentation as a fat person is that we went on a weekday in November. The folks I went with and I were quite literally the only people on the roof, and it was windy and cold, lol! But again, completely worth it.

Overall, a must see for people of all ages who want to have an amazing, trippy sculpture...

City museum is a wild and crazy place plucked straight out of a fairytale somewhere. If you have kids that love to climb and crawl in tunnels this is the place for you! You will want to make sure your kids will listen to you and can find their way back to you if you go here. They can disappear pretty easily in this place. Or if your a younger couple looking for something to do as an exciting date night. This would definitely qualify.

There are essentially four sections to this place. There are the beginning tunnels just around the ticket booth that are a great break in for parents and kids alike. They aren't as expensive as the other areas and give you a good idea of what the place is about.

The second section can be accessed by a set of doors inside the first tunnel system or from several entrances on the different floors of the building. I call these the central caves. They are about 3-4 stories of tunnels, slides, stairs that just lead everywhere. There are stunning views up the entire inside of the building. Sometimes they have an 11 story slide that exits in this section. It will take you hours of climbing around to see every area in this section.

The third section is the main outdoors area that you can see when you come into the building. Most of the tunnels are open air. Meaning they are just coils of steel and fencing material that you can see through. So if you're acrophobic, maybe not the section for you. I myself am acrophobic and I use this section to challenge myself to do it. But it's one heck of an adrenaline kick, even for those not afraid of heights. The very top sections of this area can stretch up 5 stories. But they offer amazing views and allow you to climb your way through things like airplanes, historic bell towers of a church, a crane, some old team sections from six flags, and much more

The fourth and final section is something that you have to pay extra for, and that's the roof. Yep you read that right I said the roof! 11 stories up! This offers great views of the west section of St Louis from a bus that is hanging off over the side of the building. Once again if you don't like heights stay away from the edges and you should be ok. Just concentrate on the roof area and you should be good. There is also a ferris wheel up here where you can see most of St Louis and it's all open air. No tiny little windows like the arch has. And man can you feel the breeze. Just like everywhere else there are plenty of books and crazies to explore and climb in and up in.

Virtually every surface in the insanity is either climbable or a tunnel. There are tunnels shooting off of tunnels. Throughout the entire building. But there are fun little restaurants, an aquarium, a human skateboard park, glass blowers, and much much more to find as you crawl around this amazing fairytale land. You and your kids will sleep well after a day spent here.

Make sure to either bring your own knee protection or buy some in the gift shop. A set of gloves wouldn't be a bad idea either. I would say pants are a definite must and young ladies definitely would not want to wear a skirt. It would hang up everywhere as you crawl along if it's a long one. Or if it's short, everyone will see everything as you crawl...

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Surreal Wonderland of Art, Chaos, and Joy. The City Museum is Pure Magic!

There are places that describe themselves as “one-of-a-kind,” and then there is the City Museum in St. Louis. This place so astonishing, so wildly imaginative, that calling it a “museum” feels almost dishonest. It’s more like stepping into a living, breathing fever dream made of rebar, mosaic, salvaged architecture, and childlike wonder. It's 600,000 square feet of playground-meets-art-installation, designed not just to be observed, but lived inside.

The City Museum feels like what would happen if Gaudí, Dr. Seuss, and a team of urban spelunkers hijacked a shoe factory and decided to turn it into the most unforgettable experience of your life. The original creator, artist Bob Cassilly, didn’t just build an attraction but rescued the bones of St. Louis and reimagined them as a climbable, crawlable, entirely explorable sculpture. From pieces of old chimneys to vintage airplanes, bridges, and building facades, this is St. Louis’ architectural DNA woven into a dreamscape of slides, tunnels, and rooftop dragons.

Here, 10-story spiral slides curl through industrial shafts like serpents. A suspended school bus dangles off the roof, and subterranean caverns pulse with glowing fish and secret passages. Kids dive headfirst into crawlspaces that suddenly open into beatifully themed caverns or wire-mesh sky tunnels above your head. Every turn, every crevice offers a new delight or challenge ( kind of an informal proud slogan) with no map, no rules, just discovery.

And here’s what I love most as a parent: you’re encouraged to let your kids get lost. Not figuratively but literally. The City Museum is built on the idea that children learn best when they explore freely, and it shows in every risk-positive design choice. But if a little one truly gets turned around or separated, brightly dressed and clearly marked staff are stationed throughout the building, ready to help reunite them with parents via easy-to-use call stations. It’s chaos, but it’s safe chaos; the kind that empowers kids and delights grown-ups.

Every square inch is interactive. No velvet ropes, no “do not touch” signs. Just pure, unrestricted adventure. Art is not just something to look at here; it’s something you slide down, climb into, and hide inside. Even the rooftop offers thrills: a Ferris wheel, a giant done(that used to be some kind of building for the old shoe factory it sits on top), and panoramic views of the city that will take your breath away.

The City Museum is a kaleidoscope of color, creativity, and courage. Whether you’re 6 or 60, you’ll feel something awaken inside you bring a playful spirit that remembers what it was like to be fearless, curious, and completely free.

If you’re anywhere near St. Louis and don’t visit the City Museum, you’re missing one of the most original and exhilarating experiences America has to offer. This is not a museum. This is a love letter to imagination — and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Bring knee pads!!! I can't recommend this enough as you will want to follow your kids!

Also, claustrophobia isn't an option in parts of this...