Glow City

Glow City is taking over City Museum for the last week of October, turning the fourth-floor maker space into a black-light studio. It's a recurring thing—the museum flips the switch on the last week of every month—so if you miss this window, you'll have another shot in November. The setup is straightforward: fluorescent paints, glowing markers, and other radiant materials are laid out for visitors of all ages to use. You make your art, and under the black lights, it lights up the room.

If you've never spent much time inside the museum, it helps to know where you're heading. Glow City happens in Art City, the hands-on maker space on the fourth floor. The museum itself grew around the old spiral chutes of the shoe warehouse it once was, and the rooftop was added by founder Bob Cassilly and his crew, who installed fountains and giant slides to reunite visitors with the Big Eli Ferris Wheel, the bus, and the praying mantis that call the roof home. The Antique Children's Carousel being refurbished dates to 1920 and features work by carvers Gustave Bayol, M.C. Illions, and Henri Devos, and Skateless Park houses the World's Largest Working Pencil, built by artist Ashrita Furman.

It's a good spot to bring kids, and it works just as well if you're going on your own. You don't need to be an artist to get into it—the whole point is just to play with the materials and see what happens when the lights go down. Since it runs through the end of the month, you've got a few days to fit it in.

Logistics are easy: Glow City is included with a Member Pass or General Admission, so if you're already planning a day at the museum, this is just one more thing to do while you're there. A few of the premium crafts may carry a small fee for supplies. You'll find it at Art City on the fourth floor of City Museum, 701 North 15th Street, Downtown St. Louis 63103.