Things to Do in Belleville

Bowling lanes, 80 arcade games, and the tubes, tunnels, and slides of a soft playground all nestle within the 12,000-square-foot Swing-A-Round Fun Town facility in Fenton. Outside, waterfalls and fountains surround three professionally designed outdoor mini golf courses, and a mammoth pond accommodates 15 colliding bumper boats. The fun continues at the kiddie kart track for youngsters 3–8 years old or the more than 1,100-foot adult track, where kids can join a parent in a double-seat go-kart whose second steering wheel allows tykes to pretend drive and practice ignoring hitchhikers. Elsewhere, nine batting cages test players' homerun hitting skills with softball slow and fast pitches or baseballs flung at 35–80 mph. Swing-A-Round Fun Town's St. Charles location hosts nine batting cages as well, plus two 18-hole miniature golf courses and an arcade.

Something new is always happening at Saint Louis Science Center, where hundreds of staff members and volunteers ignite visitors’ passion for science and technology with educational exhibitions and special events. The center houses a four-story Omnimax Theater, a hands-on life-science lab and atrium, and a variety of constantly changing exhibitions that draw 1.2 million visitors every year. More than 9,000 stars revolve around the 80-foot domed ceiling of the James S. McDonnell Planetarium, whose two levels of exhibits explore the future of space travel, life on the international space station, or Pluto’s bureaucratic search to regain planetary status.

The golf carts at The Woodlands Golf Club take players on a grassy roller-coaster ride over frequent changes in elevation and down fairways brimming with challenging lies at every turn. Play intertwines perilously with a winding creek at many points, with a scant three holes, like a cautious wicked witch, managing to avoid water altogether. All 18 holes launch players down zoysia grass fairways from one of four tees, challenging each club in the bag en route to greens that hold approaches and roll true. On the last hole, the newly refurbished clubhouse provides a scenic backdrop for the homestretch.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course

• Total length of 6,418 yards from the back tees

• Course rating of 70.6 from the back tees

• Course slope of 123 from the back tees

• Four sets of tees per hole

Originally built as a one-room house in 1816, the Morse Mill Hotel grew to 5,300 square feet under the watchful eye of engineer John Morse, a former Confederate officer and suspected warlock. In its present state, the hotel may house ghostly figures who once took up residence in one of its 33 rooms. Jesse James and company signed their marks in the guest register, and a famous female serial killer, Bertha Gifford, was kept in the hotel's employ; a nearby gravesite marks her resting place. A burial ground for Confederate soldiers, relics of Al Capone's old brothel, and a dungeon also add to the sinister air. An expert paranormal guide leads amateur ghost gumshoes through the 33-room, four-story Morse manse, providing advice on where to find the friendliest demons. If they dare, guests are encouraged to snap photos to document their occult encounters with phantoms, specters, or eerily expensive minibars.

Studio owner, chiropractor, and hot-yoga enthusiast Dr. Bridget Brasfield helps her students to hone mind-body awareness through therapeutic yoga practice. Her studio heats up to a balmy 95 degrees to help even the most rigid of students to stretch and strengthen as they flow through a series of poses. As a result of the heat, students can also expect to sweat out the naturally occurring toxins that stem from everyday living and daily attempts to become superhuman via lab mishaps.

After forging a friendship during a yoga class for breast-cancer survivors, Kellie Moreland and Therese Blomberg joined with Michele Taylor to bring yoga’s restorative powers to their families and neighbors. Their signature class, Yoga Core and More, sculpts limbs, abs, and backs with a lineup of back bends, arm balances, and inverted poses. Ideal for seasoned yogis, this class raises the heart rate to burn calories and foster cardiovascular health. Sweltering temperatures draw students of all skill levels to hot yoga classes, loosening tight muscles and drawing out toxins as the group stretches between exposed-brick walls and wooden floors. Mom and Me'a classes, filled with songs, stories, and playful movements, help yogis aged 2–5 liberate the peace, joy, and Capture the Flag prisoners that lie within.