The second largest city park in the United States, it contains public tennis courts, three golf courses, an ice skating rink, picnic areas and playgrounds, a small lake where canoeing and boating are possible and a seven-mile bicycle trail. The park is home to the Missouri Historical Society and St. Louis Science Center, as well as the St. Louis Museum of Fine Arts. Other attractions in the park include the MUNY, a large outdoor amphitheater that seats 12,000 people and hosts a long season of summer musical theater, and the 83-acre St. Louis Zoo with outdoor and indoor exhibits, a railroad, sea lion shows, movies, restaurants and gift shops. The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is considered among the five best in the country, and its home, Powell Hall, is both attractive and acoustically superior. The St. Louis Opera Company has a month-long late spring season recognized for quality and innovation.
Outdoor concerts occur throughout the late spring and summer.
Ragtime and jazz music have a long tradition in this city and remain attractions in many local bistros and cafes along the riverfront. An outdoor venue, Riverport, brings in major popular musical events in the summer months, while such attractions are often presented at the historic Fox Theatre during winter months. St. Louis is a sports-minded city, boasting professional hockey, baseball, football and soccer teams. Residents support a variety of amateur sports, including junior hockey, football, rugby, baseball, softball and soccer leagues, as well as tennis clubs and golf courses. And when it's time to get farther away for a long weekend, St. Louis' central location makes exploring cities as different as Memphis and Chicago, Kansas City and New Orleans relatively simple and inexpensive.