Get Outdoors: Bee Tree Park

If you’re looking for a family-friendly park, a place to fish, or an interesting history lesson, plan a visit to Bee Tree Park in St. Louis County! The park features five walking/hiking trails, a 10-acre lake stocked by the Missouri Department of Conservation for fishing, places to picnic, and a lovely view of the Mighty Mississippi River.

The property also includes the Nims Mansion, which received a spot on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017. The Nims Mansion was built by the original property owner, Eugene Nims (founder of Southwestern Bell Telephone Company) and was designed by St. Louis architects Maritz & Young.

In 1968, Open Space Council co-founder R. Walston Chubb helped coordinate the purchase of the property. Together with Lindell Gordon, a prominent St. Louis businessman, Walston helped the Open Space Council raise the funds with matching federal government money to purchase the property and turn it into a park. In the fall of 1973, the park was opened to the public as Bee Tree Park.

Nims and his family used the property as their weekend retreat, and today the public can enjoy and visit the park throughout the year, taking in views of the river and recreating in this forested sanctuary. You can learn more about the history of the park, its gardens and structures here.

You can find Bee Tree Park at 2701 Finestown Avenue Saint Louis, MO 63129.

*Check St. Louis County’s website for the latest updates on access at the park.