I've lived in St. Louis for almost 20 years and I never knew about this place. My husband said he went as a child. 

I met Carol, one of the volunteers of the Wabash Frisco Pacific railway, at WIL event back in June and she invited me to bring Abby to see "one of St. Louis' best kept secrets."

They are the only scheduled steam passenger trains in Missouri and it's a beautiful, relaxing 30 minute ride along the Meramec River at Glencoe near Wildwood. The trains run every Sunday from 11am-4:15pm from May through October.

I don't know how well the secret has been kept based on the lines I saw today - lots of bright-eyed kids waiting patiently (or not so much) to board the  small scale trains.

I loved the pace of the entire day. Driving to Glencoe, waiting with all the other families for the train, the stops along the ride to wait for other trains to pass. It was so relaxing we all enjoyed a nap when we got home.

What is really special is that all of the conductors, crew and employees are unpaid volunteers. As Carol told me, they just "love trains and giving train rides."

The suggested donation for a rountrip ride on the Wasbash Frisco & Pacific is $3. Children 3 and under are free. For more information or directions, visit www.wfprr.com or call 636-587-3538.

What are the other "best kept secrets" in St. Louis?