St. Louis is home to a number of fantastic carousels for families looking for old fashioned fun.

Six Flags: if you need a break from thrill rides while at Six Flags in Eureka, check out the carousel back by the Boss. This is a “real” carousel dating back to 1915, not a cheap plastic knockoff. It has 68 horses and 2 chariots. No height requirements on this tot friendly ride.

Grant’s Farm: the newest of the St. Louis carousels, this tiny carousel was installed in 2009. It has 18 animals–mainly horses–but they all move up and down. Cost is $2 for a spin and adults of small kids can ride free if they need to stand next to their rider.

Conservation Carousel at the St. Louis Zoo: another newer carousel, this one was build especially for the Zoo in 2003. This one is huge, with 64 exotic zoo animals, none of which are horses. The ride has four rows and the out ring does not move up and down. Because of the zoo animal theme, you’ll find animals on this ride you wouldn’t expect on a carousel, like caterpillars and monkeys. Cost is $3 to ride, with adults free to support a child. Kids under 2 are also free.

Double Decker Carousel at Chesterfield Mall: a modern double decker ride that has to be seen in person.  There are two floors of traditional animals and chariots, all bobbing up and down. The lower level is a three row carousel and stairs go up to a upper deck with a single row of animals. 32 animals total, which makes it smaller than the Zoo carousel, but the height makes it seem so much bigger. Cost is $2, and adults can ride free to hold a child.

St. Louis Carousel at Faust Park: an antique carousel that is a little piece of St. Louis history. The ride was built in 1921 and first entertains children in the Forest Park High Lands, an amusement park burned down in 1963. Amazingly, the carousel survived the fire and was placed into storage. It was later donated to St. Louis County Parks Department and was set up in Sylvan Springs Park from 1965 to 1980. By then the county built the aging carousel it’s very own climate controlled building in Faust Park where it currently operates. Cost is $1, but everyone pays.

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