The history of Fairground Park dates to the Civil War and her beautiful bridges makes this a great place to visit or take photos. The front of the bear pit from the first zoo remains, but the walls on all three sides have long been removed. I recommend visiting in the daytime for short visits. The park does not have any seating or shaded pavilions, so you may want to drive as opposed to taking public transportation. The lake makes a great fishing hole and is stocked by the MO Dept. of Conservation. Proceed with a plan and caution.In addition, Fairground Park serves as a safe haven for youth 4-18 years of age during the months of June, July, and August. Since 2012, our non-profit, the Saint Louis Torchbearers 2, has sponsored a summer day camp for children in the park. Camp Sun Splash is setup adjacent to the swimming pool. Each day starts with breakfast at 8am. The learning and fun stops at 4pm. The programming we provide helps prevent learning loss while providing enrichment and safety. We partner with major cultural, social, governmental, private, and public entities to make the St. Louis region our classroom and share in the responsibility of caring for our youth. Fairground is a great headquarters for us. Our campers go on 20 field trips, eat breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack. They learn from more than 30 speakers right in Fairground Park. On any given day you may see the Magic House, librarians from the Julia Davis Branch of the SLPL, officers from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and others building relationships with our campers. Or, during the middle of the day, you will see the children participating in swim lessons or just having fun in the pool.The MO Dept. of Conservation conducts bird watching, fishing, scavenger hunts, etc. with the children. The MO State Parks transports the children to their parks throughout the state to explore caves, hike, explore ecosystems in creeks and more. Our in-camp activities are presented by the Contemporary Art Museum, Girl Scouts, Banks/Credit Unions, and others. There are so many other learning activities that are fun and exciting. The children are in a space that is safe and supervised.The Pandemic had its ill effects. However, on a positive note, close observation will reveal our children sitting in the park accessing classes on ZOOM with the St. Louis Art Museum, our resident art teacher, and/or Bible teacher. Using a hot-spot, Chromebooks, and old cell phones makes this possible. Our children hike in our park, play on the playground, ride bikes, and have tons of fun in Fairground Park. The skills the children learn will go a long way to help them learn how to combat health disparities that historically have shortened the life span of Blacks in America's inner cities which includes diseases like, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, etc. Fairground Park has a rich history and the bridges provide a great backdrop for photos. We love the fitness equipment. The parallel bars are extremely attractive to the children. There are many people who walk the perimeter of the park for exercise. But unfortunately, there are not any spaces to sit unless you bring your own tables and chairs. Those who watch the MO Dept. of Conservation's website know when the fish are placed in the lake and they catch some pretty big fish to take home.We've seen class reunion picnics, family events, and little leaguers all have fun using the park. The people who fish have the best times as there are trees that provide shade all around the lake. But there are not any shelters in the main areas of the park to provide shade and seating for pop in type visits. Sponsoring programming in the park has allowed our campers to play ambassador to people who return to the area to see how their old neighborhood looks. Older people, both Blacks and Whites, have stopped by our camp area to chat or get directions. Curiosity seekers have stopped and interviewed us. A family took wedding pictures on the bridges and returned to take pictures with their new baby. As everywhere, stay alert. BTW, I live in the neighborhood.

As many of you know, St. Louis has greatly revitalized over the past few years. Although many complain about the gentrification that has taken over Fairground Park, it has nevertheless become a tourist hot spot with its new restaurants, family friendly exercise trails, and the completion of the Phase Two shopping district with a Sacks, Savile Row, and Louis Vuitton anchor tenant base. The Phase Two Resort, just completed in December 2019, gives this quaint little park community a charming vibe. And the prices are still surprisingly affordable despite all the recent retail investment and invasion of the nouveau rich.

As other reviewers have mentioned, Fairgrounds Park is, sadly, in a very tough (high crime) neighborhood.

Fairgrounds Park is in the most dangerous area of St. Louis, and is certainly no place for tourists. I can't imagine why it would be listed as an attraction. STAY AWAY! St. Louis has so many excellent attractions for tourists, families, people of all ages, and this is NOT one of them. If you want a nice park in St. Louis, you can't go wrong with Forest Park or Tower Grove, or any of several parks in the suburbs (Tilles Park, Queeny Park, Kirkwood Park, Des Peres Park, etc).

Can look more intimidating than it is. You may not want to hang out here after dark. A good place to hang out on Sundays or Saturdays. The locals do a little fishing, playing basketball or other sports. Definitely the hood.!!