St. Louis City Museum’s Towering Jungle Gym of Found Objects Includes a Plane and Ferris Wheel

The <a href="http://www.citymuseum.org/">City Museum of St. Louis</a> touts themselves as a place "where the imagination runs wild" and after seeing their insane hodgepodge of found objects - from not just one, but two <a href="http://inhabitat.com/costa-rican-hotel-suite-takes-flight/">airplanes</a> and a working ferris wheel - we think they deserve the moniker! From their MonstroCity, a pile of aircraft fuselages, a fire engine, and a castle turret all entwined amidst a maze of wrought-iron slinky-like tunnels to enchanted caves where you can crawl through the mind of a master artist to an amazing collection of architectural relics to a shoelace factory to an aquarium to the world's largest pencil (seriously, what <em>don't</em> they have here?), this may very well be the craziest and coolest museum on the planet.

With all there is to choose from in the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/museum-of-the-moving-image-unveils-elegant-new-look-after-3-year-green-renovation/">museum</a>, we're not quite sure where to start.

To give you some background, the attractions aren't just made from recycled objects, the building itself is also repurposed (it used to be a shoe factory).

And though the exhibits may seem like they're all over the place, there is a method to the madness.

The museum started as a glimmer in classically trained sculptor Bob Cassilly's eye as a wonder-filled playground where his grandkids could play.

Almost everything within the walls of this fantastic fun factory was constructed from objects found around St. Louis, including old chimneys, salvaged bridges, construction cranes, a school bus, a bank vault and a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/santa-monicas-ledsolar-powered-ferris-wheel/">ferris wheel</a>.

The museum truly has something for everyone. Kids and adults are invited to squirm through the swirling wrought iron tunnels of MonstroCity, which Cassilly describes as "the most monumental, monolithic, monstrous montage of monkey bars in the world."

Physical exertion not your thing? How about gigantic writing utensils? The museum is home to a 76 foot long, 21,500 lb. pencil - the largest in the world.

For aspiring artists, Art City is an interactive workshop where you can create your own <a href="http://inhabitat.com/art/">art</a> or observe the pros demonstrating their craft.

If art's not your cup of tea, why not scurry through a treehouse, wriggle though an underground tunnel, or wander through the Enchanted Forest, an oceanic fantasyworld on the museum's<a href="http://www.citymuseum.org/firstfloor.html"> lower floors</a>.

And there's even a Toddler Town where smaller kids can stretch their imaginations.