Things to Do in Crestwood

Chris and Pam Schmick's passion for climbing inspired them to clear tons of rotting soybeans out of an abandoned grain silo in Illinois and transform it into a state-of-the-art climbing facility. Now, in St. Louis, the duo has converted a 10,000-square-foot historic train station into a climber’s haven. They installed massive rock arches that soar 35 feet in the air, and dotted the climbing walls with a diverse mix of slabs, cracks, dihedrals, and bald-eagle nests. After their successful expansion in St. Louis, the pair acquired a 14,000-square-foot gym space in West County in which they designed a full-service climbing paradise. All three gyms cater to beginner climbers, with 18-foot-tall bouldering walls and 14 autobelays. The gyms furnish climbers with showers and a locker room, and stock their pro shops with top-tier equipment from Black Diamond and La Sportiva.

SBAP is a non-profit community visual arts studio. We have a mission to teach young people and adults how to enhance their own lives and community through art. We do this through affordable and free art education programs and public art projects.

The Missouri Botanical Garden has stunned visitors for more than a century and a half with a vast collection of local and exotic plants arranged across 79 acres of gardens. Nature-lovers and homesick lemurs can wander around waterfalls and gaze at tropical birds under the Climatron's geodesic dome, which also encloses about 1,400 species of tropical plants. Afterward, take a tot to burn off photosynthized energy at the Children's Garden, where they can romp through the educational exhibits, traverse a limestone cave, and soar down a slide. The Kresko Family Victorian Garden provides insight to both the land and skies with the Piper Observatory and Kaeser Memorial Maze, anchored by garden founder Henry Shaw's 1849 residence and final resting place, both of which disappear under the light of a full moon.

While unloading their ammo upon enemies, paint-splattered warriors hunt for cover in the outdoor wilderness of Xtreme’s 10 playing fields. They duck behind multistory wooden barricades on the Castle field, navigate a maze of padded pillars and logs on the Arena field, dive into leafy ditches on the Bunker field, and command one of four two-tiered fortresses on the Four Forts field. Much like siblings competing to see who celebrates their birthday first, Xtreme Paintball Park gathers players to engage in competitive scenarios such as capture the flag and elimination. Park staffers expand these play opportunities by constantly building new playing fields and restaging area structures. During private parties, ranks of covered pavilions offer spaces where groups can take a break from excessive sun, rain, and snow as they prepare for the next round.

The Glass Workbench—a stained-glass and glass-making specialty store—began as a family-owned enterprise in 1975. Back then, owners Glen and Joanne Bishop chose an old-style building on South Main Street to create their shrine to the age-old art of glassmaking. Now on the National Register of Historic Places, the building's 2-foot-thick Burlington limestone walls enclose the shop's inventory of supplies and books about glass arts. They also house mosaic stained-glass artworks by Julie Bishop Day, Glen and Joanne's daughter, who developed the stepping-stone technique for glass decoration. Local crafters take advantage of glassmaking workshops and admire the work of the staff's resident artisans, whose custom stained-glass pieces portray nature imagery and legendary moments in history such as when Ben Franklin invented Windex.