GROW

About

Dig in and learn about agriculture.

Explore the science behind one of the most important parts of life: our food. Where does it come from? How does it grow? How far does it travel to get to us? And how can each of us ensure that everyone has delicious, nutritious food to eat? You’ll find the answers to these questions and so much more in GROW – the largest U.S. gallery of its kind focused solely on agriculture.

Free

The Grounds

Experience GROW

GROW is a 5,000-square-foot pavilion and an acre of beautiful outdoor space. In the GROW Pavilion and Gallery, not only will you learn about your food’s journey from farm to table, you’ll learn the scientific processes that turn seeds into towering plants. Discover the story of agriculture and the many ways technology is shaping the agricultural landscape.

GROWing in Spring and Summer

Mid spring and summer are the most exciting times to spend time in our GROW gallery! Our Water Works interactive and Sunflower misters are back on for those hot summer days. The new flock of chickens are 8 months old now, and they are all laying about one egg a day.

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GROW EVENTS

Thu. Jul 3
Fri. Jul 4
Sat. Jul 5
Sun. Jul 6
Mon. Jul 7
Thu. Jul 10
Fri. Jul 11
Sat. Jul 12
Sun. Jul 13
Mon. Jul 14
Thu. Jul 17
Fri. Jul 18
Sat. Jul 19
Sun. Jul 20
Mon. Jul 21
Thu. Jul 24
Fri. Jul 25
Sat. Jul 26
Sun. Jul 27
Mon. Jul 28
Thu. Jul 31

Thursday, July 03

GROW: Combine Demonstration (FREE)
11:00 am
GROW: Workshop – Natural Dyeing (FREE)
2:30 pm

Friday, July 04

GROW: Combine Demonstration (FREE)
11:00 am
GROW: Workshop – Natural Dyeing (FREE)
2:30 pm

Saturday, July 05

GROW: Combine Demonstration (FREE)
11:00 am
GROW: Workshop – Natural Dyeing (FREE)
2:30 pm

Sunday, July 06

GROW: Workshop – Natural Dyeing (FREE)
2:30 pm

Monday, July 07

GROW: Workshop – Natural Dyeing (FREE)
2:30 pm

Thursday, July 10

GROW: Combine Demonstration (FREE)
11:00 am
GROW: Workshop – Natural Dyeing (FREE)
2:30 pm

Friday, July 11

GROW: Combine Demonstration (FREE)
11:00 am
GROW: Workshop – Natural Dyeing (FREE)
2:30 pm

Saturday, July 12

GROW: Combine Demonstration (FREE)
11:00 am
GROW: Workshop – Natural Dyeing (FREE)
2:30 pm

Sunday, July 13

GROW: Workshop – Natural Dyeing (FREE)
2:30 pm

Monday, July 14

GROW: Workshop – Natural Dyeing (FREE)
2:30 pm

Thursday, July 17

GROW: Combine Demonstration (FREE)
11:00 am
GROW: Workshop – Natural Dyeing (FREE)
2:30 pm

Friday, July 18

GROW: Combine Demonstration (FREE)
11:00 am
GROW: Workshop – Natural Dyeing (FREE)
2:30 pm

Saturday, July 19

GROW: Combine Demonstration (FREE)
11:00 am
GROW: Workshop – Natural Dyeing (FREE)
2:30 pm

Sunday, July 20

GROW: Workshop – Natural Dyeing (FREE)
2:30 pm

Monday, July 21

GROW: Workshop – Natural Dyeing (FREE)
2:30 pm

Thursday, July 24

GROW: Combine Demonstration (FREE)
11:00 am
GROW: Workshop – Natural Dyeing (FREE)
2:30 pm

Friday, July 25

GROW: Combine Demonstration (FREE)
11:00 am
GROW: Workshop – Natural Dyeing (FREE)
2:30 pm

Saturday, July 26

GROW: Combine Demonstration (FREE)
11:00 am
GROW: Workshop – Natural Dyeing (FREE)
2:30 pm

Sunday, July 27

GROW: Workshop – Natural Dyeing (FREE)
2:30 pm

Monday, July 28

GROW: Workshop – Natural Dyeing (FREE)
2:30 pm

Thursday, July 31

GROW: Combine Demonstration (FREE)
11:00 am
GROW: Workshop – Natural Dyeing (FREE)
2:30 pm

Activities

Gallery Features

Many gallery features and activities are weather- and season-dependent.

GROW Pavilion

Trace the steps of your food from the farm to the table – and everywhere in between. This award-winning indoor area features exhibits, educational programs and planned events that explore farming and its vital role in today’s complex local and global economies. Visit our seed display, view a stunning display of soil monoliths from every state in the United States, and check out the amazing glulam beams used to build the Pavilion.

Root Towers

Explore nine different towers to discover the plant parts that are rarely seen. See which roots grow the deepest and find out if roots can grow longer than you are tall. Each tower has its own story to tell as you explore what lies underneath.

Learn more about the Root Towers

Bi-State AG Map

The adventure begins at home. Dig into the agricultural products and processes of Missouri and Illinois and learn where your food comes from.

Water Works

Water plays a vital role in agriculture, as well as our lives. While the kids play in this interactive water area, check out the nearby rain gardens and permeable pavement. Learn how we use this very important resource in farming and in our everyday lives.

Open weather permitting. Closing mid-October for winterization. 

Botany Basics at the Giant Sunflower

Explore the inner workings of plants and discover how they harvest the Sun’s energy to grow and support all life on Earth. Check out the native plantings and learn how plants spread and grow.

Animal Corral

Plants aren’t the only source of food you can find on farms. Take a tour through the Animal Corral and simulated milking, understand the digestive processes of livestock, and learn how farmers manage feed conversion. On select days, local farmers visit and bring animals to visit. Past animal visitors have included dairy cows, goats, sheep, rabbits, alpaca, ostrich and baby pigs.

Farm Tech Field

Check out a real combine and learn how farmers use this machine to get their crops out of the field. Combine demonstrations are held nearly every weekend.

Greenhouse

Agricultural growth isn’t always open fields and gigantic tractors. Many urban areas are demonstrating ways to grow specialty food crops like lettuce, kale and tomatoes indoors using aquaponic, hydroponic, and aeroponic systems. Visit our greenhouse to see examples of these systems.

GROW Grill

Visit the GROW Grill (open seasonally) to purchase a delicious selection of freshly grilled items, including a variety of burgers, sandwiches, and sausages. To compliment these main dishes, we’ll also be offering a range of classic BBQ sides, such as potato and pasta salad, coleslaw, baked beans, and macaroni and cheese.

OPENS Memorial Day Weekend, 2024 (and will be open on Memorial Day 11 AM – 3 PM)!

Grow Grill Hours (open seasonally):

Fridays – Sundays: 11 AM – 3 PM

Chicken Coop

Spend some time watching our chicken flock out in GROW or at our viewing window. Some of these breeds are the same breeds responsible for your morning eggs. Talk with our staff to discover how you can raise your own birds or learn how egg farmers do it differently.

Homegrown

It’s time to roll up your sleeves and get to work. Visit the homeGROWn area for ideas about how to start your own edible plot. See specialty food crops like beans, garlic, peppers, and squash up close and visit with our staff and volunteers for tips on growing. Visit our compost area and learn how to turn food scraps into fertilizer.

The GROW Greenhouse

The GROW aquaponic greenhouse is now open for self-guided exploration during the Science Center’s normal operating hours! Additional improvements are on the way. Thanks to a grant from the USDA’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, we better explain the hydroponic systems on display in the greenhouse and highlight careers in the indoor growing industry, ranging from aquaponic farming to lighting design.

Read the series on the GROW Greenhouse!

Hydroponic Gardening – Light for Life
When we talk with our younger guests about hydroponics, we like to start off with a seemingly simple question: what does a plant need to grow? It seems like such an easy question to answer, but the more you start thinking about the answers, the more complex the question becomes. Somebody once asked the question “does a plant truly need dirt to grow?” And from that line of questioning, hydroponic gardening was born. Rethinking the status quo and diving deep into the limits of our answers helps create innovation. In that spirit, today we’ll be discussing one of the many overlooked factors of plant growth: light.

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Water Works

This Water Works exhibit in GROW has recently been updated! Water Works invites our guests to “engineer” or move water to our plant crops and farm animals. Using manipulatives like levers and pumps, our guests will move water through farm systems. Guests then explore ways to “engineer” natural systems to clean up waste products (animal manure and extra fertilizers) left in the water. Guests will plant trees and channel water through plants, bushes and other trees to clean it. Along the way our young guests will get wet and enjoy lots of play and hands-on learning.

Soil Your Underwear Challenge

Get ready to go on an adventure with soil science, make quality observations, and expose the hidden life of soil.

Learn More

Sponsors

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Grow Programs for Groups

The Science Center offers a wide variety of agriculture-themed educational programs and tours tailored to specific groups and audiences.

Groups & Field Trips

Accessibility

GROW is accessible to visitors with disabilities, as well as visitors with strollers, scooters, and walkers. Elevators and ramps serve all public areas.

More About Accessibility

Membership does more.

As a nonprofit, the Saint Louis Science Center relies on memberships, donations and ticket sales to support free galleries like GROW, our education programs, community outreach and daily operation.

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