If this week’s gloomy skies have you dreaming of a sunny spring, there’s something new coming to Forest Park that might fill that void.
The Boathouse at Forest Park will open a beer and wine garden in April to bridge the gap while the facility undergoes renovations this year.
The tented pop-up will feature a rotating restaurant and bar menu with house cocktails, along with live music and food trucks on some weekends.
Big Muddy Adventures will continue to offer canoes, paddle boats, paddle boards and bike rentals, and visitors will still be able to buy kites and Frisbees.
The beer and wine garden will be next to the temporary launching dock at the Boathouse and will open during the spring and summer.
Boathouse renovations
Renovations at the Boathouse began in October to bring numerous changes to the restaurant.
The restaurant is slated to get indoor and outdoor bars with a bandstand for live music in the warmer months.
The planned changes include a full-service event space in the annex building, which currently houses a boat garage, alongside a repaved, ADA-accessible patio, improved acoustics and more food production capacity in the main building.
Forest Park Forever spokesperson Dominik Jansky said that construction is scheduled for completion by the end of the year, but that the restaurant has not set a reopening date.
The Boathouse was last fully renovated in 2003. Jansky said the facility’s popularity has outgrown what the 2003 designers originally envisioned.
“We are very excited that these maintenance and improvement plans will ensure the Boathouse remains welcoming, functional and enjoyable for our entire community and park visitors,” Greg Hayes, director of Parks, Recreation, and Forestry for the City of St. Louis, said in an October statement announcing the changes.
Forest Park officials said the changes were in response to feedback from a survey last spring. Respondents said they wanted to see more winter options — hence the indoor bar and event space, according to Forest Park Forever President and Executive Director Lesley Hoffarth.
“Our nonprofit conservancy is excited to partner with the City of St. Louis to enhance this amenity so that even more of our community can enjoy it, in every season,” said Hoffarth.
Comments are closed.