Been a while since you've been to Forest Park? This city jewel has several new attractions to offer, which we're betting just may prompt a return visit. 

Art museum

From most vantage points in Forest Park, a visitor can see the construction cranes at the Art Museum. The larger of the two tower cranes, which arrived in early April, weighs 40,000 pounds and is 186 feet tall. It does literally tower over the museum.

Photos by Rachel Heidenry | Beacon intern

According to Leigh Hamer of the museum, "Site excavation and the foundation for the underground parking garage are complete and infrastructural work will allow for internal moves later this summer."

This means that everything is on track for a late 2012 or early 2013 public opening of the 200,000-square-foot expansion designed by David Chipperfield.

While things may be torn up outside, inside, new shows and old favorites await. Opening in June were "The Mourners, Tomb Sculptures from the Court of Burgundy" and "Visitation" by Bill Viola. Plus, the museum is hosting a free outdoor film series on Art Hill during July. Presented at 9 p.m., after the museum closes on Fridays, will be "An American in Paris" (July 9), "Bandwagon" (July 16), "Lust for Life" (July 23) and "Meet me in St. Louis" (July 23).

And where do you park? Hamer said free public parking is available in the northwest and northeast parking lots flanking the statue of St. Louis in front of the main entrance to the museum. Plus, Metro operates a Forest Park shuttle. It's not free, but it does eliminate the need for finding new places to park as you visit more than one feature in the park. 

Wischmeyer Council Circle

If the building cranes are the biggest new sight, the smallest might well be the Council Circle in the northeast part of the park.

Developed with a gift from Bill and Gina Wischmeyer, the circle "was designed to be a resource for outdoor learning, a place where you could bring a class or find a reflective place," according to Lucie Springmeyer of Forest Park Forever.

The official dedication of the Council Circle was June 17, said Springmeyer, which coincided with the 10th anniversary of the Voyage of Learning Teachers Academy. These summer sessions help teachers take advantage of what the park has to offer for education, and they fit in with the educational component of the vision for the Council Circle's use.

Finding the circle can be a bit of an adventure. It's part of the Deer Lake Natural Area and can be reached on the gravel path by the Franz Sigel statue near Grand Drive, where Union enters the park.

Zoo

When asked what was new at the Zoo, spokesperson Christy Childs stopped. After being assured that she wasn't being asked to name all the Zoo babies born over the past year, she quickly drew attention to the renovation of the old elephant house. Now Peabody Hall, the building will be used for traveling attractions, interactive exhibits, live animals and wildlife art displays.

As the building was preparing to open earlier this year, Peabody Energy Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Gregory H. Boyce said, "Through our partnership with the Zoo, we have been able to transform an abandoned building into an educational resource for our entire community to enjoy."

The first exhibit is Zootennial celebrating 100 years of fun and education at the Zoo.

This is a free opportunity to watch archival video and old photos that will spark memories for many and show younger Zoo fans how much the Zoo has changed -- and stayed the same -- in the past 100 years.

Visitors -- particularly those who use the south entrance -- can't miss the statue of a 19-foot-tall African elephant, appropriately titled "Reaching Elephant," by Kent Ullberg. This is the first of several African wildlife sculptures planned for the new entrance, which features a bridge over Wells Drive.

Tennis and golf

More things are going on with golf and tennis than a name change from Triple A to Highlands, according to Jeff Raffelson, who is in charge of all the golf facilities in Forest Park. The old Triple A course, near the softball fields on the southeastern end of the park, now includes a driving range and a full service restaurant.

Raffelson said the greens and courts at Highlands Golf and Tennis Center are open to the public. Indeed, he stressed that 13 of the tennis courts there are the only public clay courts in St. Louis. And one of the new things that most people won't readily notice is that four of them are now lighted.

The Highlands also has expanded its tennis and golf camps, almost doubling the number of kids who can learn a sport they can -- maybe -- play for decades.

Coming up

Springmeyer of Forest Park Forever said that regular park users need to know about a change that's coming very soon. Starting July 6, construction will begin on extending the dual path "to complete the loop."

The two paths -- the one with the harder surface for wheels, and the softer surface for feet -- stopped at Steinberg Rink because of the highway construction. While the coming of winter may mean that the entire project isn't ready this year, it is, Springmeyer said, expected to be "as far as the southeast corner of aviation field no later than mid September."

She also said that public input is being sought about the paths and the amenities near them. To fill out an online survey, people should go to http://www.forestparkforever.org/ and click on the "Take the Dual Path online survey" in the upper right hand corner. People can also attend a public meeting from 7-9 p.m., Turs., July 29 in the visitors center.