The tame name of the City Museum St. Louis belies the daring it takes to explore its confines. Without giving up too much information—the website is as inscrutable as the museum's name—some tips on the website offer a few hints:

• "A flashlight might be helpful"

• "[The] Museum Shop sells knee pads"

Suffice it to say, St. Louis's City Museum is not your ordinary children's museum; but it is the one most kids have dreamed about—even you.

 

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Your jaw will drop, just looking at its exterior. The school bus balanced precariously on the roof's edge, the carcass of an airplane perched atop a twisting scaffolding, where tiny figures clamber up into the air—it's enough to make the chillest parent's heart race. Inside, there are caves to explore, and structures to climb, and tunnels barely big enough for a child to crawl through, let alone a child-hearted adult. Explore is the key word here—the museum provides no maps besides the crudely hand-drawn ones on its website.

But some of the most talked-about attractions in this former shoe factory turned urban playground, is the the City Museum slides. And while the museum boasts several, there's one that's—to put it simply—a beast.

 

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Key Stats for the Slide at City Museum

In the building's former life, workers would send shoes down a twisty chute to other areas of the factory. Those chutes have been preserved and transformed into a slide at City Museum that towers over its interior.

Height: 10 stories

Riders' height requirement: 48 inches

Entrance: From those maps on the website, it appears that the entrance to the slides is on the first floor, through the caves, past what looks like a shark.

How to get to the top: The only way to get to the top of the 10 story slide at the City Museum is by walking up 10 floors via the stairs to get there. Supposedly, a secret door on the fourth floor offers a shortcut—if you can find it.

Configuration: The slide is a simple—and tight—spiral twisting from the roof all the way to the basement; it is not those of weak stomachs.

Soundtrack: On the way down, your ride will be accompanied by pop music played on the museum's colossal pipe organ.

If This Slide Scares You . . .

A less-challenging 5-story slide, spirals alongside this one, starting closer to ground level. If the twisting makes your stomach queasy, seek out the 3-story slide; it's all straightaway.