St. Louis is full of incredible places, but the heart of the city is Forest Park.

Nearly twice as big as Central Park, the incredible space available to residents and tourists alike is maintained by thousands of volunteers and a staff dedicated to keeping one of the most special places in country beautiful.

Meet St. Louis sat down with Lesley Hoffarth, president and executive director of Forest Park Forever, to understand the history behind St. Louis’ biggest treasure, and how it stays that way.