The Meadows Park Rink Opened Last February. This Is Its First Full Winter.

When Lake Saint Louis cut the ribbon on the ice rink at The Meadows last February, skating was free that day. The Parks Director thanked the Lake St. Louis Farmers & Artists Market for donating the admission, and BC's Kitchen poured free hot chocolate. That's according to the ribbon-cutting video the Western St. Charles County Chamber of Commerce posted on February 13, 2026.

That opening came very late in the season. The rink had been planned to open in mid-November and close at the start of March. Opening in February meant Meadows Park's first winter lasted only a few weeks. The season starting this month will be the first time anyone in Lake Saint Louis sees what a full winter at the rink looks like.

Built for November, opened in February

In March 2025, St. Louis Magazine described the first phase as "slated to open later this year." The rink was to be an 8,000-square-foot sheet open "weather permitting, November 15 through March 1, with anticipated high traffic during the holiday season."

Teddy Chattah, asset manager for The Meadows at owner Cohen Equities, told the magazine the rink "promises to be a vibrant hub for winter fun with family and friends."

The holiday stretch of that plan never happened in 2025. The Meadows' own homepage puts the park's grand opening in February 2026. That makes the stretch from Thanksgiving 2026 to New Year's Day 2027 the rink's first real holiday season. Those are the weeks the developer expected to be the busiest.

The November 15 to March 1 window came from a 2025 forecast. It isn't a published schedule for this winter, and the weather still gets a vote.

What is actually at 830 Fountain Grass Drive

The city's recreation catalog describes Meadows Park as a year-round public park of just over two acres. It's built so the same ground does different work in each season.

The table changes what to expect in winter. The playground that draws families in July is closed from now until spring. In winter, the park's attractions are the ice, the fire pits and the pavilions. Parents planning a visit with kids too young to skate should keep that in mind.

The city runs this rink, not the shopping center

The rink sits in a shopping center, but it's a city facility. When the park was announced in 2024, First Alert 4 reported that the City of Lake Saint Louis would manage the park. Cohen Equities would oversee the separate entertainment complex next door.

St. Louis Magazine reported that the land for the first phase was donated to the city by Cohen Equities.

Because the city runs it, decisions about the rink go through city boards. The Lake Saint Louis Park Board's agenda for its October 20, 2026 meeting listed "Ice Rink 26/27 Season and Operations" as a discussion item. That means the details of this first full season were still being worked out at a public meeting less than three weeks before this post went up.

For opening day, hours and pricing, go to the city's Meadows Park page or call the rink information line at (636) 622-8211. Both are listed on the Chamber's ribbon-cutting post.

The storefronts around the rink filled in during 2026

Last February, the rink opened next to a shopping center with a few more vacancies than it has now. The Meadows has called itself the downtown of Lake Saint Louis since 2008, according to Chattah's comments to St. Louis Magazine. Over the past nine months, it added several places that fit a winter evening at the rink.

• Lakeside Bookshop, Suite 108, 10 Meadows Circle Drive. This independent bookstore was announced as already open in an April 20, 2026 release.
• Fuego Tex-Mex, Suite 326, 21 Meadow Circle Drive. This full-service restaurant serves fire-grilled tacos, burritos, fajitas, brunch and has a bar. It held its grand opening July 13.
• Sip Society, Suite 414, 11 Meadow Circle Drive. This family-owned drink shop opened September 25. Its menu runs from coffee and teas to energy drinks, dirty sodas, protein shakes and frozen cocktails.
• Discover Strength, Suite 110, and The Pilates Perspective, Suite 214. A June 9 announcement said both studios were open and taking clients.
• Go Play!, Suite 308. Its grand opening was announced for Monday, February 16, the same month the rink opened.

Fuego and Sip Society are both new since last winter's short season. Lakeside Bookshop, too, wasn't announced until April. That means the warm-up stop, the coffee and the dinner after skating are all options that didn't exist when the rink first opened. BC's Kitchen, the restaurant that served hot chocolate at the opening, is still on the center's directory.

The part still marked "Coming Soon"

The rink was supposed to be phase one. The same 2025 St. Louis Magazine piece described later phases "planned for the 2026–27 holiday season." Those include a hospitality and sports entertainment complex, an indoor/outdoor multipurpose event lawn, local dining, and space for concerts and live events.

That holiday season starts in a few weeks. The Meadows' page for the City Park & Entertainment Complex still labels the project "COMING SOON." The construction time-lapse on that page is titled "Winter 2025." No operator for the indoor complex has been publicly named. The city's October 8, 2026 Planning & Zoning agenda listed an electrical substation and a credit union sign as new business.

So this winter, the rink is still the only finished piece of the larger plan. Whatever crowds come to The Meadows during the holidays will come for the ice, the fire pits and the shops around them. The event lawn and entertainment building are still to come.

Before your first skate this season

1. Check the Meadows Park page or call (636) 622-8211 for opening day. The Park Board was setting season operations in late October, and the Nov. 15 date was only a 2025 projection.
2. Plan for skating, not the playground. The turfed playground closes for the winter season.
3. Ask about pond hockey when you call. The city lists it as part of winter programming at the rink.
4. Pick your warm-up spot ahead of time. Sip Society, Fuego Tex-Mex and Lakeside Bookshop are all within The Meadows.

The address for your map app is 830 Fountain Grass Drive, Lake Saint Louis, MO 63367.

The Julie Moran Team follows changes like Meadows Park because they affect what a winter weekend in Lake Saint Louis looks like for the people who live here. If you're wondering how the new park and the long-planned entertainment complex fit into your home's value, ask us for a free home valuation.