Fairground Park

Fairground Park is a 131.46-acre municipal park located in North St. Louis, Missouri. It opened in 1908 on the site of the former St. Louis Agricultural and Mechanical Fair, which operated from 1856 to 1902. The park is bordered by Grand Boulevard, Natural Bridge Avenue, Fair Street, and Kossuth Street.

Originally privately owned, the land was purchased by the city of St. Louis in 1908 for $700,000 and converted into a public park. Most of the former fairground structures were removed, except for the facade of the old bear pits from the city's first zoo, which still stands at the park's main entrance at Grand Boulevard and Natural Bridge Avenue.

In 1912, the city built its first municipal swimming pool in Fairground Park, said to be the largest in the nation at the time. This pool was the site of racial tensions in 1949 when it was desegregated, leading to the Fairground Park Riot. The original pool was later closed and replaced with a new pool in 1958.

Today, Fairground Park features a variety of recreational facilities and natural features. The park includes a 9-acre lake stocked with fish as part of the St. Louis Urban Fishing Program. The Missouri Department of Conservation regularly stocks the lake with channel catfish from March to September and hybrid sunfish in May and September.

Fairground Park serves the surrounding neighborhoods of Fairground, O'Fallon, Greater Ville, and Vandeventer. It provides a large green space for residents of North St. Louis, offering opportunities for outdoor recreation and community gatherings.