Entry No. 26 — the St. Louis file — filed under: sculpture-park
Turtle Playground
An outdoor sculpture park featuring giant, climbable concrete reptiles—including a 40-foot snapping turtle and a giant snake biting the highway overpass—sculpted by City Museum founder Bob Cassilly.
The story
If you're driving along Interstate 64 or strolling down Oakland Avenue near Forest Park, you might catch a surreal sight: a giant concrete snake positioned like it's taking a bite directly out of the Tamm Avenue overpass. Step off the sidewalk and onto the grass, and you're inside Turtle Playground—a public sculpture garden where monumental reptiles replace standard swings and slides.
The park's concrete beasts were sculpted by Bob Cassilly, the legendary artist and visionary founder of St. Louis's famed City Museum. Designed alongside Richard Claybour and funded by philanthropist Sonya Glassberg, the installation turns public sculpture into an interactive scramble. The centerpiece is a gargantuan 40-foot snapping turtle, accompanied by a massive red-eared slider, a third large turtle, four smaller turtles, and the overpass-chomping serpent.
What it's like
Expect a constant flow of climb-hungry visitors scaling the concrete shells, balancing on turtle backs, and posing beneath the jaws of the snake. Because the playground sits right across the Tamm Avenue bridge from the St. Louis Zoo parking lot, weekends get packed fast; visit on a quiet weekday afternoon if you want to climb the 40-foot snapper without waiting your turn.
The move: Challenge each other to climb up the back of the massive red-eared slider, then walk over the Tamm Avenue bridge to grab a sweet treat at the nearby St. Louis Zoo.
- 📍 St. Louis, MO
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: Oakland Ave & Tamm Ave, St. Louis, MO 63139
Hours: Added 2026-07-21 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Inside the Vault (Saint Louis Science Center) — Pair Bob Cassilly's giant climbable reptiles with a stroll into Forest Park to examine the strange medical oddities inside the Science Center's planetarium tunnel.
- Third Degree Glass Factory — Trade heavy outdoor concrete sculpture for delicate, hot-glass demonstrations less than two miles away in the Delmar Maker District.
- Miniature Museum of Greater St. Louis — Contrast scaling a 40-foot concrete snapping turtle with peering into two floors of tiny, highly detailed dollhouses.
Good to know
Who created the sculptures at Turtle Playground?
The giant concrete reptiles were sculpted by Bob Cassilly, founder of St. Louis's City Museum, with park design by Richard Claybour and funding from Sonya Glassberg.
What specific sculptures are in the park?
The park features three large turtles (including a 40-foot snapping turtle and a red-eared slider), four smaller turtles, and a giant snake biting the Tamm Avenue overpass.
Is Turtle Playground free to visit?
Yes, it is a free, publicly accessible outdoor sculpture park at Oakland Ave and Tamm Ave.
How do you reach Turtle Playground from the St. Louis Zoo?
You can walk directly over the Tamm Avenue pedestrian bridge from the St. Louis Zoo parking lot onto Oakland Avenue.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: forestparkforever.org · Atlas Obscura · Wikipedia · forestparkstatues.org · racstl.org
last checked: 2026-07-21