Grants Farm is a family friendly destination in St.Louis county. Named after president Ulysses S. Grant who originally farmed the land here and also built the cabin that sits on the property. It was later gifted to August Busch through a marriage, the Busch family are still the current owners. There are plenty of animals to see and throughout the day there are several different animal shows. For the adults (over 21) they offer complementary samples of popular Anheuser-Busch beverages.
While there is no admission to the farm you will have to pay to park $12 per car or $30 for buses. If you plan to visit frequently you can buy a season pass for $40 (not valid during special events). There are no other parking lots near by so this is really the only option. Once in the parking lot you can choose to go to the famous Clydesdale stables or into the park. Because the entrance is across the street they do take turns letting people cross so you may have a wait on busier days.
Once inside you will get in line to board the trams. There is a gift shop and restrooms right here too. Everyone must take the tram to get to the main part of the park. You will first go on a ride through part of the property that is home to many animals like, deer, bison,zebras, ostriches and more. You will also ride past the cabin President Grant built. For an additional fee there are special tours that let you go up close to the cabin and even go inside. During your tram ride they tell a bit about the history of the property and about the animals found on the property.
After your ride through the park (about 10-15 minute) you will be dropped off at the entrance to the Tier garten. You can rent strollers here and also purchase a fun pass. The fun pass includes a ride on the carousel, 2 bottles to feed the goats and snow cone for $5. and FYI the person who sells the pass only takes cash. They do offer several animal shows throughout the day. One features a variety of different animals and birds while the other is only features the elephants.
There are a few places you can feed the animals. My girls love feeding the goats, on our last visit my oldest was feeding 2 at the same time! The goats get bottles of milk, these will run $1 a piece without the fun pass. You can also feed the camels and a llama for 50 cents a handful sold out of candy like dispensers. For $1 you can get a food stick to feed the parakeets. They do offer pony and camel rides for $6 each but my kids weren’t interested.
As you make your way past all the animals you will end up in the Bauernhof. This is where you can catch the tram back to main station/parking lot. They have a few different carts and counters to grab something to eat. They usually have pretzels, brats, pizza, fries and chicken strips. If you are over 21 they also have the hospitality room where you can get 2 free cups of beer from the tap. They do card so make sure you have your license on you. On our most recent visit you had at least 4 to choose from: Bud light, Michelob ultra, Shock top and of course Budweiser.
They have a stables with a few horses and cases full of trophies and awards. You can also find some of the older horse-drawn carriages housed here. The big clydesdales are located in the stables out by the parking lot.
When you are ready to head back to parking lot you will board the tram just outside the bauernhof. They also have restrooms located just before the tram back to main lot. Once you are back at the tram station you can visit the gift shop before heading back to the parking lot.
If you didn’t visit the Clydesdale stables on your way in now is your chance. They have a path along the stables with interesting facts about the horses.
Our family loves going to Grants farm. They are open April through October, in the summer they are open Tuesday-Sunday and April/October weekends only. During October they have Halloween nights with tram rides at night, a dj and special story telling. The parking cost is more during this event. Make sure you have enough cash as parking and the fun pass are cash only.