On the outskirts of St. Louis there’s an outdoor sculpture park that you have to see to believe.  It’s a veritable artistic romper room nestled in the middle of a lush green forest.

Some friends from LA kidnapped me for the weekend on a whirlwind trip to The Lou. One of the afternoon excursions was a visit to Laumeier Sculpture Park.  Since shiny things easily distract me, the entire day was an adventure in arrested attentiveness.

On the day we visited it was a blissfully sunny, but blazingly hot day.  That didn’t dissuade any of us from running amuck … especially our group leader Jared who found any excuse to climb, mount or ascend the gigantic artwork. Clearly, he paid no mind to all the “DO NOT TOUCH SCULPTURES” signs placed decoratively around the park. Call it blissful defiance. Or selective reading. Or just plain ol’ throwing caution to the wind. Whatever the case, he leapt from statue to statue like an exercise in parkour.

The artwork is visually stunning … overgrown, colorful and abundant. From the enormous eyeball greeting patrons to the weird-looking teardrop pod hanging from a tree, each piece was inspired.

Even better? Admission didn’t cost a dime. That once again proves my theory that the best things in life are, indeed, free.