The Saint Louis Zoo is FREE (but with a catch). You can get in without paying, but the shows and Children's Zoo cost money. Thankfully, they gave us Safari passes—and stingray tickets! We were bummed when all we saw were keepers from 8:00-9:00 a.m. The animals don't start coming out until 9:00. But once they did, we weren't disappointed. We got to touch stingrays—fun! Two huge gorillas chased and fought each other, much to everyone's delight. We loved the carousel, and the train ride was the best of any zoo. Our favorite exhibit was Penguin and Puffin Coast. No penguin exhibit comes close—not even Sea World. Nina, our puffin-lover, was in heaven. We loved the Saint Louis Zoo!

View photos of our trip to this zoo