Sea Lion Sound, with a transparent walk-through tunnel and an outdoor environment modeled after the rocky Pacific Northwest coastline, will be a terrific addition for St. Louis Zoo visitors and dwellers when it opens June 30. The 35-foot-long acrylic tunnel, which will allow the 11 resident California sea lions plus four harbor seals to swim over and around visitors, is the first in a North American zoo. “You will be surrounded by sea lions, and it’s an absolutely spectacular experience,” said Steve Bircher, the zoo’s curator of carnivores. “We believe it’s the only one like it in the U.S. …

If money is tight for a big trip this summer, you can still travel back in time to a 16th century France full of jousters, strolling minstrels, sword fights and more during the 14th annual St. Louis Renaissance Faire this weekend at Rotary Park in Wentzville. Bob Stanza, president of the Renaissance Faire’s board of directors, said the Faire offers equal parts education and entertainment, with some enthralling elements. “If they haven’t been there before, certainly they want to go see the jousting, because that’s something you’re typically not going to see (elsewhere),” he said. Unlike the TV…

On October 29, 1862, Rufus Vann and the other members of the First Kansas Colored Volunteers regiment made history at the Action of IslandMound as the first African Americans to fight as Union soldiers during theCivil War. Vann, who became a corporal in the Union Army after enlisting at age 46, is the focal point of “Resurrection 150,” a short play presented at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park as part of the museum’s “The Civil War in Missouri” exhibition. The play commemorates the 150th anniversary of a skirmish between the First Kansas regiment and Confederate …

WTZOn October 29, 1862, Rufus Vann and the other members of the First Kansas Colored Volunteers regiment made history at the Action of IslandMound as the first African Americans to fight as Union soldiers during theCivil War. Vann, who became a corporal in the Union Army after enlisting at age 46, is the focal point of “Resurrection 150,” a short play presented at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park as part of the museum’s “The Civil War in Missouri” exhibition. The play commemorates the 150th anniversary of a skirmish between the First Kansas regiment and …

Cavalia combines all the flash and spectacle of a circus with the serenity and beauty of a walk in the woods. The equine and equestrian extravaganza is being performed in St. Louis March 21-April 8. The show, called “A Magical Encounter Between Human and Horse,” explores humankind’s longstanding relationship with horses. Cavalia features 37 highly skilled riders, acrobats, aerialists, dancers and musicians and 49 magnificent horses. Over the course of two hours, the horses canter, trot and gallop across the expansive 160-foot-wide stage, sometimes free to wander, occasionally guided by a …

The Theatre Guild of Webster Groves is offering patrons more bang for the buck with their current production of “All in the Timing.” It’s buy one ticket, get six one-act comedies. Comedy, however, just hints at what audiences can expect from these one-acts, all written by David Ives. “They are mind-numbingly fun, because they will blow your mind,” said Krystal Stevenson of south St. Louis, who has roles in two of the one-act plays. “They are kind of an interesting, existential view of the world in a way, and I think that’s what makes it more interesting, because it’s done in a very comical …

The Theatre Guild of Webster Groves is offering patrons more bang for the buck with their current production of “All in the Timing.” It’s buy one ticket, get six one-act comedies. Comedy, however, just hints at what audiences can expect from these one-acts, all written by David Ives. “They are mind-numbingly fun, because they will blow your mind,” said Krystal Stevenson of south St. Louis, who has roles in two of the one-act plays. “They are kind of an interesting, existential view of the world in a way, and I think that’s what makes it more interesting, because it’s done in a very comical …

In one stride, visitors to the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House in Chesterfield go from a low humidity temperate zone to a steamy tropical jungle. A fairyland of dancing, vibrant colors – both butterflies and blooms – bursts on the inside of the Butterfly House’s 7,900-square-foot Tropical Conservatory. Blue Morphos, the sky blue stars of the March Morpho Mania exhibit, are seemingly everywhere, meandering up, down and sideways like performing marionettes, stopping to feed on nectar or rotting bananas, racing from brilliant pink variegated orchids to searing red hibiscus blooms and darting in …

With a 17-piece big band heavy on brass instruments, the Dave Dickey Big Band will deliver room-filling tunes during their Sunday performance in Kirkwood. “The band’s got a big sound,” band leader and trombone player Dave Dickey said. “They’re all professional guys, so they’re all very good soloists and players.” The performance will be 6-9 p.m. at the Kirkwood Station Brewing Company, which features a good restaurant and a great area for music. “It’s a big room – it’s fun,” he said. “They actually have a dance floor. We had a gig there last January, and so many people showed up, it was great…

Three days before the official opening for six new exhibitions at The Sheldon Art Galleries, art galleries director Olivia Lahs-Gonzales zipped through the exhibition space on a whirlwind tour. “These are pretty stunning,” Lahs-Gonzales said, looking at the large photographs of Tim Simmons. “He uses a (large format) four by five camera. They’re amazingly detailed — you can see every blade of grass.” Simmons and Steve Giovinco have photos in the “Edge of Darkness” exhibit. The photos contributed by Simmons are all shot in darkness or near darkness, with artificial light introduced to highlight…

In the entranceway to the Missouri History Museum, not too far from where a small herd of Asian elephants roam their enclosure at the St. Louis Zoo, an elephant-like creature sporting huge, curved tusks looms over visitors. This creature, a lifelike replica of a Columbian mammoth, stands 14-feet at the shoulder and looks like it could’ve won a tug-of-war with a couple of African elephants. It is part of the museum’s “Mammoths and Mastodons: Titans of the Ice Age” exhibit, which continues through April 15. These magnificent mammals, which inhabited North and Central America during the …

Actor Robert Picardo is known to Star Trek: Voyager fans as the holographic doctor, so will his appearance this weekend at the St. Louis Science Center will be real or holo? “Since I can reconfigure the magnetic containment field that creates the illusion of my body, to either allow matter to pass through it or be stopped, you don’t really know," Picardo said by phone from Los Angeles, where he lives. "Just coming up and trying to pass your hands through my chest is no longer a sufficient test. Actually, now that I think about it, I suppose that it is. I don’t recommend it though.” During the…

The Saint Louis Zoo will give children something to smile about Sundays in January and February during Delta Dental Winter Zoo, from fun plays about keeping smiles healthy to games, activities and parades. “It’s always fun to come to the Saint Louis Zoo, but a lot of people don’t think about coming to the zoo in the wintertime,” said Ginny Westmoreland, the zoo’s director of marketing. “But it’s a great time to come out to the zoo, and we’ve developed this series of events leading up to Mardi Gras.” Every Sunday through Feb. 19, the Delta Dental Stage Show will be presented in The Living …

As a former joke writer for “The Tonight Show” legend Johnny Carson, Louie Katz knows the value of a good punch line. Now, as a standup comic 23 years later, Katz mines the vagaries of vegans and the dangers of dating for comedy gold and couldn’t be happier with his chosen profession. “It’s like an addiction,” he said of doing standup. “After a while I just can’t stop.” Katz, who has done standup on HBO, Comedy Central and shows including “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” and “Last Call with Carson Daly,” is the headliner Friday through Sunday at the St. Louis Funny Bone Comedy Club at Westport …

As a former joke writer for “The Tonight Show” legend Johnny Carson, Louie Katz knows the value of a good punch line. Now, as a standup comic 23 years later, Katz mines the vagaries of vegans and the dangers of dating for comedy gold and couldn’t be happier with his chosen profession. “It’s like an addiction,” he said of doing standup. “After a while I just can’t stop.” Katz, who has done standup on HBO, Comedy Central and shows including “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” and “Last Call with Carson Daly,” is the headliner Friday through Sunday at the St. Louis Funny Bone Comedy Club at Westport …

From singing on the back of his father’s vegetable truck in the early days when a music career was just a dream, to getting style tips from Tony Bennett, vocalist Tony Viviano has done it all. Throughout the course of his 40-year career, Viviano has become comfortable in many musical genres, from jazz and rock to blues and funk. Jazz takes the forefront during an 8-11 p.m. show Friday at Robbie’s House of Jazz in Webster Groves. Viviano will perform with saxophonist Jerry Greene and his jazz quartet, which features guitarist Tom Byrne, bassist Chris Watrous and drummer Montez Coleman. Viviano…

From singing on the back of his father’s vegetable truck in the early days when a music career was just a dream, to getting style tips from Tony Bennett, vocalist Tony Viviano has done it all. Throughout the course of his 40-year career, Viviano has become comfortable in many musical genres, from jazz and rock to blues and funk. Jazz takes the forefront during an 8-11 p.m. show Friday at Robbie’s House of Jazz in Webster Groves. Viviano will perform with saxophonist Jerry Greene and his jazz quartet, which features guitarist Tom Byrne, bassist Chris Watrous and drummer Montez Coleman. Viviano…

Walking into the showroom at the Kemp Auto Museum in Chesterfield is like stepping back in time to an era when cars were called roadsters and friends lounged in the rumble seat to get a little air. The museum has dozens of gleaming automobiles nestled side by side on a polished black tile showroom floor that reflects the cars’ images as if they were parked next to water. It opened in 2006 primarily to showcase an impressive collection of Mercedes-Benz vehicles. “This is the only automobile museum in the United States that features Mercedes-Benz automobiles,” museum curator Rodger Van Ness …

Walking into the showroom at the Kemp Auto Museum in Chesterfield is like stepping back in time to an era when cars were called roadsters and friends lounged in the rumble seat to get a little air. The museum has dozens of gleaming automobiles nestled side by side on a polished black tile showroom floor that reflects the cars’ images as if they were parked next to water. It opened in 2006 primarily to showcase an impressive collection of Mercedes-Benz vehicles. “This is the only automobile museum in the United States that features Mercedes-Benz automobiles,” museum curator Rodger Van Ness …

From musicians and magicians to face-painting and fireworks, First Night 2012 at Grand Center in St. Louis offers something for everyone this New Year’s Eve. “I’m really excited about it this year,” said Travis Howser, director of events and theater for First Night. “It’s a wide range. I think there’s a general perception that this thing is specifically for families. Now it is a really family-friendly festival, and we do have a lot of families, but with the range of performances that we have, it’s for everyone. Every age, race, whatever—that’s what I find most exciting about the festival, is …