Turtle Park (also Turtle Playground
) is a
sculpture park
A sculpture garden or sculpture park is an outdoor garden or park which includes the presentation of sculpture, usually several permanently sited works in durable materials in landscaping, landscaped surroundings.
A sculpture garden may be privat ...
located at the southern edge of
Forest Park in
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
at the intersection of Oakland Avenue and Tamm Avenue. The park contains seven concrete turtles and one snake. The turtles were designed and sculpted by
Bob Cassilly and the park opened in August 1996. Turtle Park can be seen from
Interstate 64
Interstate 64 (I-64) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. Its western terminus is at I-70, U.S. Route 40 (US 40), and US 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern terminus is at an interchang ...
and the
Saint Louis Zoo
The Saint Louis Zoo, officially known as the Saint Louis Zoological Park, is a zoo in Forest Park, St. Louis, Missouri. It is recognized as a leading zoo in animal management, research, conservation, and education. The zoo is accredited by the ...
to the north.
Design
The park contains seven turtle species that are native to
Missouri
Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...
[Google books]
excerpt. as well as a
clutch of eggs. The three large turtles are a
snapping turtle
The Chelydridae is a family of turtles that has seven extinct and two extant genera. The extant genera are the snapping turtles, ''Chelydra'' and '' Macrochelys''. Both are endemic to the Western Hemisphere. The extinct genera are '' Acherontem ...
, a
Mississippi map turtle and a
red-eared slider
The red-eared slider or red-eared terrapin (''Trachemys scripta elegans'') is a subspecies of the pond slider (''Trachemys scripta''), a semiaquatic turtle belonging to the family Emydidae. It is the most popular pet turtle in the United States, ...
and named after Sunny Glassberg's children: Dick, Tom, and Sally. The four smaller turtles are a
stinkpot turtle
''Sternotherus odoratus'' is a species of small turtle in the family Kinosternidae. The species is native to southeastern Canada and much of the Eastern United States. It is also known commonly as the common musk turtle, eastern musk turtle, or ...
and three
box turtle
Box turtle is the common name for several species of turtle. It may refer to those of the genus '' Cuora'' or '' Pyxidea'', which are the Asian box turtles, or more commonly to species of the genus '' Terrapene'', the North American box turtles. ...
s, named after Glassberg's grandchildren: David, Adam, Emily, and Antonio.
The snapping turtle is 40-foot long and used 120,000 pounds of concrete.
A concrete snake lines the park; its head is attached to and appears to be biting the Tamm Avenue Overpass at the west end of the park.
The design allows kids to climb on the turtle's shells and into their open mouths.
History
St. Louis philanthropist Sunny Glassberg developed the idea and donated the funds for Turtle Park.
She hired Bob Cassilly to design the park and the St. Louis Parks Department and Forest Park Forever helped locate the land for the park, a strip of Forest Park that had been cut off by Interstate 64.
Glassberg wanted the park to be a fun place for children: "I wanted to give children a place where they could be happy, where they could feel inspired. Because I feel that that sort of thing is contagious."
The Park opened in August 1996. The
reconstruction of Interstate 64 in 2009 necessitated the removal of the snake's head. Cassilly's team removed the head and the new bridge was designed in such a way that the head could be placed back on the overpass.
Turtle Park was voted the "Best Picnic Spot" in St. Louis in 2011 by the ''
Riverfront Times
The ''Riverfront Times'' (''RFT'') is a free progressive weekly newspaper in St. Louis, in the U.S. state of Missouri, that consists of local politics, music, arts, and dining news in the print edition, and daily updates to blogs and photo gall ...
''.
In 2015, MySun Charitable Foundation sponsored renovations to Turtle Park, including new turf, resurfacing the access path, and the installation of a water fountain.
See also
*
Cementland, another St. Louis concrete sculpture park created by Bob Cassilly
References
{{reflist, 30em
Sculpture gardens, trails and parks in Missouri
Culture of St. Louis
Parks in St. Louis
Tourist attractions in St. Louis
Forest Park (St. Louis)
1996 establishments in Missouri