Laumeier Sculpture Park

Limping through a busy weekend after an absolutely crazy long week, Debbie and I sat at the dinner table after an early Sunday dinner and tried to regroup.  As I looked out the window I saw the dogwood tree twisting in the breeze, I knew my evening plans would consist of something outdoors.  Knowing that neither of us possessed the energy for anything too rigorous, I suggested finding somewhere close for an easy evening stroll.  We decided on Laumeier Sculpture Park in nearby Sunset Hills, and quickly headed out the door.  We were happy to be joined by Ben who is always up for a walk outside.

Laumeier sculpture Park, located at 12580 Rott Rd., is maintained by St. Louis County Parks.  The park is just over 100 acres of green space that is billed as an open air museum.  Within the large grassy fields and woodland trails are numerous works of art, 64 in total according to the map.  Each piece has a sign listing the artist and providing information about the meaning or unique construction history behind it.  There is an easy asphalt trail that winds through the park, but most people just wander the lawn from piece to piece.  There is also a woodland trail that winds through the perimeter of the park.  However, much of the trail is full of invasive honeysuckle.

On this evening, actually a beautiful and breezy one with no humidity, the park was active.  Families roamed the park, couples sat on blankets or shared a bottle of wine on a table, and a few people walked their dogs on the woodland trail.  Our trio wandered the park, stopping at each sculpture and taking it all in.  Usually Ben had something interesting to say about each one, and often the symbolism behind the art was lost on all of us.  I don’t spend much time around art museums and studying sculpture, and certainly I am missing something in the big picture, but I do enjoy browsing along and taking it all in.  The amount of work in both time and energy to complete many of the works of art is astonishing.

After walking much of the park, we found a comfortable bench to sit on and enjoy the evening.  Maybe we were just delaying the walk to the car, trying to soak in the beautiful evening and the scene.  We even took a selfie, something Ben is not usually too fond of.  One thing is for sure, we made a memory by taking some time to enjoy time outdoors instead of resigning to the couch to search in vain for something on Netflix.  The path may not have been the rocky, winding uphill climb through the wilderness that is my favorite, but very satisfying nonetheless.

Even though Laumeier Sculpture Park is only about 10 minutes away from my house, I rarely take the time to appreciate it.  Maybe you can find time to do the same at a park or trail near your house, or at the very least maybe just look at it with fresh eyes.  Thanks for reading.

For more info on Laumeier Sculpture Park, please visit:

http://www.laumeiersculpturepark.org