As much as we love a museum, a sculpture garden, and a natural scenic wonder, we always try to seek out basic playgrounds when we travel as a family. On our recent trip to St. Louis, we discovered Queeny Park and their amazing playground.
We immediately loved the giant stone play structure at Queeny Park. Yes- stone! And metal. And wood. There is hardly a scrap of plastic in the whole park. This structure is old-school, but still amazingly safe for even little climbers.
Tip: Dogs are not allowed on this playground. We ended up tying our Moo to a bench and one adult stayed near her while the other adult kept with the kiddos.
The main structure is tall, but since it is set into a deep bowl, you can walk along the ring of surrounding sidewalk to various access 
points. The slides take you down from one level to another, like a giant game of chutes and ladders. For climbing up, there are ladders built into tunnels on each level, or you can fairly easily just scale the wall’s jutted stone, like a monkey.
We also loved the big (BIG!) open space in front of the main structure. Unencumbered by tables, or other devices, it allows the kids to create their own games in a safe, contained space. Numerous benches and tables surround the ring of the bowl, allowing parents to sit and watch the action from afar- but close enough to come for help if called.
There are also two smaller, more modern structures at the side of the massive stone fort, but our kids mostly ignored those pieces. If you find yourself on vacation in or near St. Louis, get out to Queeny Park for a stupendous day of play!
changing stations), water fountains, and benches are abundant throughout the park. There are indoor galleries as well, but since we had our dog on this journey, we stuck to the outdoor exhibits only.