Pam Sanfilippo, the museum services and interpretation program manager at Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis, wants everyone to visit the urban park this summer.
The park plans free, National Park Service-led programming and various events for all ages, such as the annual Gateway to the Stars stargazing series. Ranger-narrated cruises aboard Riverboats at the Gateway Arch also are planned, according to a May 25 National Park Service news release.
"The 91-acre Gateway Arch National Park is for everyone, so join us this summer season and interact with National Park Service rangers, discover history in the free museum, take the tram ride to the top of the Arch, learn the Arch’s construction with the documentary movie 'Monument to the Dream,' purchase gifts at the Arch store, enjoy a meal at the Arch cafe and explore the park’s beautiful trails and greenspaces," Sanfilippo said in the news release.
The park's summer hours are 9 a.m.-8 p.m. daily through Labor Day Sept. 5, according to the release. The last tram ride to the top of the Arch leaves daily about one hour before the park closes. Park rangers also are planning ranger-led walking and running tours, puppet programs, museum tours, interactive tactile activities, morning yoga and coffee with a ranger. Schedules for these daily activities, including times and locations, will be posted at the park.
Summer topics this year include the 13th annual Gateway to the Stars series, which focuses on space and astronomy, by the National Park Service and the St. Louis Astronomical Society, the release reported. The program begins with a guest speaker 6:45 p.m. Saturdays in the Arch Visitor Center. On June 12, the topic will be "Stories in the Stars," "Kids Explorer Night" is July 10 and "The New James Webb Space Telescope" will be Aug. 14. Telescope viewing will be 7-8:30 p.m. those nights in the Arch west entrance plaza.
Ranger-narrated, one-hour riverfront cruises are planned noon and 1:45 p.m. daily through Sept. 5. Riverboats may be boarded below the Arch on the St. Louis riverfront, according to the release.
