Fish feeding at Missouri Botanical Garden is fun for kids of all ages

March 21, 12:33 AMSt. Louis Motherhood ExaminerDenise Bertacchi

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Feeding koi fish at Missouri Botanical Garden

One of my favorite kid friendly activities is feeding the giant koi fish at the Missouri Botanical Garden. The fish, who look like massive killer gold fish, live in a four acre lake in the Japanese Garden section. Kids can spend the whole day - and all the quarters you have - feeding these gigantic Japanese carp.

A wooden bridge over a portion of the lake is where people gather to watch and feed the koi. The fish know this and congregate there for a day long fish feeding frenzy. (Click here for fun koi facts.)

Two dispensers of fish pellets are located at the bridge for visitors - you'll get a nice handful of fish food to throw for a quarter. The food is also sold at the Garden Gate Gift Shop in the welcome center. This is worth remembering - the gift shop will sell you a small bag of food for 50 cents, which is slightly more than what you get for two quarters out of the dispensers.

If you buy some fish food from the gift shop, or have a bag to put food in from the dispensers, you might want to try feeding the fish from the dock across the lake from the bridge. Although you'll get far fewer koi fish over there, there are never any crowds on the dock. Warning: the dock doesn't have rails, so only do this if your children aren't the sort to accidentally fall in the lake. The dock is also not handicap accessible, so no strollers. But it is beautiful, and if your children are old enough to handle it, I would recommend visiting the dock.

Koi fish at the Missouri Botanical Garden

Normally I would think of feeding the koi as a summer time activity. I alway plan a visit to the Missouri Botanical Garden when the flowers are in full bloom. But this time we decided to go on an especially warm spring day as part of our Stay-At-Home-Spring-Break-Extravaganza. Click (here) to see a photo of what feeding the koi would normally look like! The fish are really active when the water is warm.

The bad part of our "Spring Break" trip was that the Children's Garden isn't open for business yet. But, there's still plenty to do with the kids at the Garden even without visiting the children's area. We played in the maze, rang the Bell Tree, and toured the Climatron.

If you want to plan your own family visit, you might want to wait until after April (when the Children's Garden opens) to take full advantage of everything the Missouri Botanical Garden has to offer. If you live in St. Louis City or County, plan your visit for a Wednesday or Saturday morning when admission is free to residents. Make sure you bring your ID for proof!

It's still pretty cheap for residents anytime of the week - show your ID and get half off your admission price. Currently, admission is $8 for adults. Children under 12 are free, but will need to pay to enter the Children's Garden.

Getting close to the koi.

Tips for visiting the Missouri Botanical Garden and feeding the koi:

1. Get a map - even if you think you know the park. It's 79 acres people.You do NOT want to get lost wandering around the Garden with a cranky child.
2. Plan for a LOT of walking - wear comfy shoes and bring a stroller for your little one. Did I mention the 79 acres?
3. Wear sunblock and a hat - shade is spotty in some areas of the Garden.
4. Bring a snack and drinks. The Garden forbids picnics and coolers, but there are plenty of benches to rest at and have a snack. There are also lots of soda vending machines and water fountains around the Garden if you forget to bring your own.
5. Buy fish food at the gift shop on your way in - comes in a nice bag...or
6. Bring quarters for the fish food dispensers.
7. Bring a camera.

Liked this article? Find more about the Missouri Botanical Garden:

Coupons for kid friendly St. Louis attractions (click here) for discounts to the Garden...or

Stroller exercises - get fit at the Missouri Botanical Garden (click here)

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