Our Visit to The Gentle Barn St. Louis
What an amazing spot to visit! Perfect for animal lovers of ANY age, The Gentle Barn is such a unique place. Read on to hear all about our time there and my tips if you’re planning a visit.
The Gentle Barn is a sanctuary for neglected or abused farm animals. They actually have three locations in the U.S., with St. Louis being lucky enough to have one. Located about 45 minutes from the city, they’re open every Sunday from 11am-1pm for a visit. Tickets are $20 and allow you to pet and visit with almost all of their animals - including cows, pigs, chickens, goats, turkeys, and even a duck. Their story is amazing, and they ready made our time visiting so educational and fun.
We arrived about 10 minutes early to find parking and check in. It was really easy to find! On the way we listened to their audio recordings that they suggested, teaching us more about their story and how the tour goes. Do this! It was so helpful in learning how to interact with the animals and how they were setup.
Once we arrived and checked in, we were free to roam around and find any of the animals we wanted to visit with. With it being a hot day, we wore hats (some areas were really sunny!). We wore closed toed shoes/sneakers since we were walking on gravel and grassy areas, and in the barn with the pigs. We also opted for pants since it can be a little dirty - definitely keep your nice clothes at home! It did get a little hot for our September visit, so I would recommend fall next time. Each of the areas had a volunteer or two around to tell us stories about the animals and answer our questions. They were so friendly and super informative!
Our favorite animals by far were the cows! The St. Louis Six are famous for escaping the slaughterhouse in 2017 by running down the highway, later to be saved by The Gentle Barn and given safe haven. Five are still alive today and are so friendly and calming. As the crowd got heavier, the cow area had a line to wait, so we were glad we went there first. All of the kids we saw were having such a good time and were very entertained by all of the animals and their background stories.
We also loved being able to visit with the pigs. They were so sweet, and so cute!
If you are an animal lover or are just looking for a fun activity to unplug from your busy life, this is such a calm spot. The drive isn’t too bad at all, and you’ll leave feeling like you went to therapy! Animals are so giving of love and The Gentle Barn shares it with us all!
