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Purina Farms

DESCRIPTION: Purina Farms is an animal education facility operated by Nestle Purina Pet Care Company. Visitors can learn about pets and pet nutrition and view cats and dogs at the Pet Center. At the Farm Animal Barn, visitors have an opportunity to observe and pet farm animals.

SLOGAN: Exploring the Special Role Animals Play in Our Lives

ADDRESS: 200 Checkerboard Square, Gray Summit, MO 63039

LOCATION: West St. Louis County, 10 miles west of Six Flags St. Louis, 40 minutes from Downtown St. Louis

PHONE NUMBER: 314-982-3232

WEB SITE: www.purina.com/company/profile/purinafarms.asp

GETTING THERE: From Downtown St. Louis, take I-44 west to the Gray Summit exit. Turn right on Missouri Highway 100 and proceed two blocks to County Road MM. Turn left on County Road MM and follow it one mile to the Purina Farms entrance which is on the left.

HOURS: Open seasonally Mid-March through mid-November. Spring and fall hours: Wednesday-Friday with reservations starting at 9:30 a.m. and running through 1 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday with reservations starting at
9:30 a.m. and running through 3 p.m. The facility closes at 4 p.m.

SUMMER HOURS: Memorial Day-Labor Day: Tuesday-Sunday with reservations starting at 9:30 a.m. and running through 3 p.m. The facility closes at 4 p.m. Closed major holidays.

ADMISSION: Free but reservations are required. There may be a nominal fee for special events.

ANNUAL ATTENDANCE: 195,000

HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Visitors can participate in hands-on exhibits in the Visitors Center that show how Ralston makes dog and cat food.
  • Exhibits inform visitors about the nutritional needs of their pets and the kind of food that is best for the type of animal they have and for the pet's age.
  • Displays detail the history of the Ralston-Purina company for each decade since its founding in 1894 as a horse and mule feed business. The display also includes descriptions of the political and social situation in the United States for each decade.
  • Children can explore a real hayloft with hay tunnels, rope swings and a slide; pet baby farm animals such as goats, chickens, rabbits and ducks and wander through an outdoor maze.
  • Animal shows are presented regularly throughout the day and include a dog training show, a dog agility show, a dog swimming demonstration and a cow milking demonstration.
  • A large theatre features videos on a large screen of major dog competitions held at Purina Farms.
  • Visitors can pet the resident cats and get their pet questions answered by animal trainers in the 28-foot tall Victorian style cat house.
  • Visitors can pet a variety of dogs and ask pet trainers questions about training their own dogs.
  • A Pet Enthusiast Activity Center is available for groups to hold canine events of local, regional and national magnitude. Trailer hook-ups are available for breeders and demonstrators traveling with motor homes, and more than 600 hotel rooms which allow pets are located within a 15-minute drive of the facility.
  • A tractor-pulled wagon takes visitors on rides around Purina Farms.

ANNUAL SPECIAL EVENTS: Purina Farms is the site of more than 60 dog shows throughout the year. Most are open to the public.

For the three weeks preceding Easter, the loft becomes an Easter Village with Easter decorations, baby farm animals and attendants dressed as floppy-eared rabbits.

A bluegrass festival is held at Purina Farms on the weekend nearest the middle of June. On the Sunday of the festival weekend, a farm toy show is also held and the Gateway Tractor Club displays old-fashioned engines at the event.

A Haunted Hayloft provides Halloween fun in a non-scary atmosphere each year in October.

HISTORY: Ralston originally purchased the Gray Summit property in 1925 and allowed the public to visit the farm from that time. During those years, the focus of Purina Farms was nutrition research for animals.

Prior to 1986, some 30,000 visitors came to Purina Farms each year. Visitors would follow a tour guide from unit to unit by car to learn about research at the Farms. Because there was no central facility on the property, Purina Farms could not accommodate large numbers of visitors. So in 1986, the company decided to build a visitors center between two existing barns and create an outdoor amphitheatre for shows to enable the Farms to handle more visitors.

When Purina Mills, a farm animal food production company Ralston Purina owned, was sold in the early 1990's, Purina Farms' educational focus changed from farm animals to pet animals. At the same time, the Farms became a setting for local, regional and national dog shows.

HANDICAPPED ACCESS: Purina Farms is handicapped accessible.

GIFT SHOP: Purina Farms has a gift shop that carries books, toys, jewelry, giftware and other items with pet themes. It also carries some Purina Farms logo apparel.

WHERE TO GET LUNCH: Purina Farms has a snack bar with indoor and outdoor seating. The snack bar features hamburgers, hot dogs and other lunch selections as well as snack items.

WHAT'S NEARBY: Six Flags St. Louis, Hurricane Harbor, Route 66 State Park and Lone Elk County Park are nearby.

PUBLIC RELATIONS CONTACT: Brock Fitzgerald, director of Purina Farms, 314-982-3232, blfitzgerald@purina.com

 

Readers should call 1-800-916-0040 to request a free copy of the Official St. Louis Visitor Guide or point, click and explore St. Louis at www.explorestlouis.com