St. Louisans have plenty to be proud of when it comes to Forest Park. In the summer, the park is bustling with musicals, plays, cool museums and many other recreational activities. Recently, the park was voted the best urban park in the United States by USA Today. It also made it onto a list of the nation’s best city parks, curated by Thrillist.

“It feels like a really great time when a lot of the country, and some parts of the world, are recognizing how much of a gem we have here,” said Forest Park Forever’s strategic communications director, Stephen Schenkenberg. “It puts us on the national stage even more so — getting more people to stop in St. Louis. And we also see on social media, when this was happening, it delivers these big pride injections into the community.”

The park just so happens to be celebrating its 140th anniversary this Friday. Maximillian G. Kern and Julius Pitzman designed the Park's original plan in the 1870s and the park was opened on June 24, 1876. It consists of 1,370 acres — that’s more than 500 acres larger than New York City’s Central Park, something a Curious Louis questioner asked earlier this month.

To celebrate, the park will host a conversation and cupcake get-together on Friday. Learn more about that here.

Learn more about upcoming initiatives at the park, including transit plans, summer concerts and the park’s new artist-in-residence program by listening to the full segment here:

St. Louis on the Air brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. St. Louis on the Air host Don Marsh and producers Mary Edwards, Alex Heuer and Kelly Moffitt give you the information you need to make informed decisions and stay in touch with our diverse and vibrant St. Louis region.