Do you have a Dino Lover in your home? You can embark on a Jurassic Journey your children will love! From Dinosaur Dining, to amazing Larger than Life Dinosaurs in the Garden, to parks and playgrounds with Dinosaurs, and Dino Rock 'n Roll... we have it all! This is your Complete Guide to Dinosaur Fun in Kansas City!
Jurassic Gardens
Jurassic Gardens at Powell Gardens (1609 N.W. U.S. Highway 50, Kingsville, MO) thru Aug. 14. Garden admission applies: $9.50/adults, $8.50/seniors and $5/children 5-12. 816.697.2600 www.powellgardens.org.
Journey back to the prehistoric world when more than 20 dinosaurs and oversized ancient insects return to Powell Gardens. The exhibit, designed by Guy Darrough, Missouri’s own self-taught paleontologist and artist is fun for the whole family! Powell Gardens is one of our favorite family outings, especially with the addition of the Heartland Harvest Garden and it's an annual tradition to attend the Butterfly Festival in August. With giant dinosaurs greeting us throughout the foliage, the fun is even bigger and better than before!
Paul Mesner Puppets: The Dinosaur Show!
Paul Mesner Puppets presents, "The Dinosaur Show" June 8-July 3 at their studio in Kansas City. BONUS: Save $ on Tickets with this Paul Mesner Puppets Coupon!
No bones about it – The Dinosaur Show will tickle your funny-fossil and stimulate your imagination. Paul Mesner Puppets digs into the past to bring the dinosaurs to life, using hand, rod, shadow and body puppets in a prehistoric tale.
Dine with Dinos in Kansas City
Next time you're shopping at The Legends Outlets in Kansas City, treat the kids to lunch at the T-Rex Café a larger-than-life dining experience you won’t forget! The restaurant features life size dinosaurs that“come to life” among waterfalls, aquariums, and ice caves. Activities include Build-A-Bear Workshop’s Build-A-Dino store in the restaurant where children can create their own dinosaur friend and a excavate fossils in a bone dig. (1847 Village West Pkwy, KCKS. 913.334.8888). This summer, also enjoy FREE MOVIES at the Legends 14 EVERY Tuesday & Wednesday in June and July, Li'l Legends Kids Club every Thursday and LIVE at the Legends FREE Concerts every Saturday night!
Rock ‘N Roll Dinosaur Style.
KC’s Kid Rockers, Dino “Dinosaur" O’Dell & the Veloci-Rappers performs live concerts in Kansas City all year long. Dino O’Dell sings a number of Dinosaur tunes and he's performing for FREE at venues all around KC this summer! Another favorite local kids' singer, Mr. Stinky Feet, is known for his song, "Bop, Bop, Dinosaur." Learn about FREE Summer Concerts in 2011 and check the KCParent.com Calendar to find a performance near you.
Find Fossils.
Take a Day Trip to Lawrence and visit the KU Natural History Museum. The Museum features an extensive collection of fossils, including the Mosasaur, the largest known lizard to have lived. (1345 Jayhawk Blvd., Lawrence, KS 66045. 785.864.2344. www.nhm.ku.edu). Enjoy a complete Day Trip in Lawrence while you're there. Or, Dig for Dinosaur Bones at Union Station's Science City where they City feature a Dinosaur exhibit where children can see real dinosaur skeletons, dig for fossils, and learn about paleontology. (30 W. Pershing Rd., KCMO. 816.460.2020).
Read about Reptiles at the Reading Reptile in Brookside
(63rd and Wornall, KCMO. 816.753.0441. www.readingreptile.com). The Reading Reptile is a gem of a bookstore tucked in Brookside. Enter a dream world of children’s literature and let your dinosaur fanatic explore their passion for reptiles… or perhaps, after so many Jurassic Journeys, they’ll choose a new favorite theme! While you’re at The Reading Reptile, enjoy a Free Friday Night Film or story time. Wander next door to Brookside Toy and Science and then treat the kids to ice cream at Topsy’s. Make it a day of fun your young explorers will love. Discover more terrific Children's Bookstores in KC.
Pick Berries with Nerluc the Dinosaur
The Berry Patch is a U-Pick Berry Farm in Missouri and one of our top picks for Berry Picking in KC. Families pick their own blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries throughout the summer. They also feature a Family Fun Zone with an obstacle course, Berry Train, and Nerluc, the dinosaur. TIP: It is very important that you call ahead for picking hours. Berries are typically ready mid-June, but weather impacts the schedule. They provide a great picking report when you call. (22509 State Line Road Cleveland, MO. 816.618.3771. www.theberrypatchonline.com).
More Dinosaurs in Missouri:
- Metal Dinosaurs in Centralia, Missouri (13200 Hw T, 2 ½ hr drive from Kansas City) This is a roadside attraction. You will find half a dozen dinosaurs welded from metal implements in the yard of this home.
- St. Louis Science Center in St. Louis, Missouri (5050 Oakland Ave., 314.725.5645. 4 ½ hr drive from Kansas City). The St. Louis Science Center features a dinosaur exhibit including a giant roaring dinosaur.
More Dinosaurs in Kansas:
- Dinosaur Not So National Park in Erie, Kansas (Hwy 47, 1.25 miles west of Hwy 59. 620.244.3489, 2 ½ hr drive from Kansas City). Twenty metal dinosaurs, the largest over thirty feet long, were created and welded by Robert Dorris. The park is open during daylight hours to visitors who are welcomed to drive in, photograph, and enjoy the art.
- Riverside Park in Independence, Kansas (north side of town, east of U.S 75 at 120 N. 6th St. 316.332.2512, 2 ½ hr drive from Kansas City) features a stegosaurus, a corythosaurus and a brontosaurus.
- Sternberg Museum of Natural History in Hays, Kansas (600 Park St. 785-628-4286, 4 ½ hr drive from Kansas City) is devoted mainly to dinosaurs. The most unusual artifact was discovered by Mr. Sternberg: the "fish within a fish" fossil. The museum features life-sized models and murals of dinosaurs.
- Welded Dinosaurs in Rose Hill, Kansas (256 W. Rosewood St., 3 hr. drive from Kansas City). Phil Brinkly welds scrap metal dinosaurs, bugs, and pigs. Some of the dinosaurs are riding motorcycles or in other humorous poses.
- Play on the Dinosaurs at Leawood City Park (10601 Lee Blvd., Leawood, KS).
Still looking for more great family fun ideas in Kansas City? Check out our Kansas City Calendar of Events and Going Places in Kansas City on KCParent.com.
Note: This list was compiled by the staff of KC Parent Magazine and may not be reproduced in print or online without permission. If you have an addition to this list, please email kristina@kcparent.com