A Kansas City Spring Break Staycation
Plan an amazing and unforgettable spring break staycation taking the time to be a tourist in your own town!
Museum Mondays
Kansas City is home to loads of museums for every age and interest. Always call ahead for hours before visiting. These are a few of our favorites that happen to be open on Mondays.
Johnson County Museum ( http://JoCoGov.org/dept/museum/home). The highlight of this free historic museum for our family is the interactive KidScape Exhibit, a child-size village complete with a hospital, theater, city hall, shops, park and more where children explore careers and life as adults through props, costumes and play buildings.
Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm (Mahaffie.org). Mahaffie offers wonderful interpretive programs all year with activities ranging from blacksmithing to pioneer games to concerts and cooking, but our hands-down favorites are the stagecoach rides through the farm.
Independence was home to the 33rd president of the United States, Harry S. Truman. Learn about his presidency at the Truman Presidential Library (TrumanLibrary.org). There, visitors participate in interactive exhibits including a replica Oval Office. They also explore Truman artifacts and special exhibits.
Ticket Tuesdays
There’s nothing like live theater to spark a child’s imagination. This March, your family can enjoy these local productions for kids.
The Coterie (TheCoterie.org) is known for high quality professional children’s shows. This March, they are featuring two productions: To Whom It May Inspire (March 3-7, targeted to grades 6-12). The Coterie brings the inspirational words of historical and contemporary authors, statesmen, explorers, teachers, scientists, inventors—even kids themselves—together in this production created and directed by Coterie artistic director Jeff Church. Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat (March 31-May 17, targeted to grades K-5). Featuring Sally and her brother, their pet fish, Thing 1 and Thing 2 and all of the favorite moments from the classic Dr. Seuss tale. Zany fun and adventures abound!
Theatre for Young America (TYA.org) brings E. B. White’s beloved children’s classic Charlotte’s Web to stage March 3-April 11. Delight in the adventures of Wilbur the pig, Fern, the little girl who loves him, and, of course, Charlotte, the wise and wonderful spider.
Wild Wednesdays
Get up close and personal with wild animals at one of these attractions.
From March 7-31, the conservatory at Powell Gardens (PowellGardens.org) is transformed into a vibrant tropical rainforest filled with Blue Morpho butterflies. The exhibit will feature great hands-on learning about the rainforest and butterfly conservation. Bring the cameras and explore the beauty of the gardens.
Meet exotic animals at the Kansas City Zoo (KansasCityZoo.org), where Nikita and Berlin, Kansas City’s resident polar bears, entertain and educate as they swim and play. Next, visit the Helzberg Penguin Plaza to meet dozens of delightful penguins and moon jellyfish. Take a ride on the train to see kangaroos in Australia or take a trip on the tram to Africa where lions, giraffes, zebras and monkeys live. You’ll always find something new to learn at the zoo.
Touch and hold sea stars, sea urchins and horseshoe crabs in the touch pool at Sea Life Aquarium (VisitSeaLife.com/kansas-city). The attraction features a tropical ocean tank with a walk-through underwater tunnel and an enthralling 2- to 3-hour journey from the fresh waters of the Missouri River to the deep, dark abyss of the Atlantic Ocean. On your journey, you will encounter stingrays, octopuses, turtles, sharks and tropical fish.
Cedar Cove (SaveOurSiberians.org) is an animal refuge for a variety of endangered or rescued big cats. Tour Cedar Cove where you will see leopards, cougars, wolves, bobcats, a white tiger, black leopards and caracals. Call ahead for hours and tours.
Thinking Thursdays
Keep those academic skills sharp with an educational (but still fun) outing or two!
Young children enjoy Wonderscope Children’s Museum (Wonderscope.org), a hands-on museum with interactive exhibits including the H2Oh! Room, where children experiment with water, and Farm to Market, where kids gather eggs, feed animals and learn about crops. Tinkerspace is an exhibit where kids build, experiment, collaborate and construct structures and contraptions in an exciting environment, and Raceways is a place where youngsters play with gravity and motion. This museum is filled with many more interactive exhibits where touching is not only suggested, it’s required!
The entire family enjoys Science City at Union Station (UnionStation.org/sciencecity), the area’s largest, most interactive science museum with something for visitors of all ages. Favorite exhibits include the Challenger Exhibit where you gear up as an astronaut for space flight, DinoLab where children dig for bones and watch as fossils are preserved, Echo Cave where children learn about nature firsthand, and exhibits about health, engineering, water, optical illusions and more. Top off your visit with a planetarium show for an unforgettable experience.
One of the most thought-provoking and imaginative toys of all time, the LEGO® brick, is enjoyed to the fullest at LEGOLAND® Discovery Center (LegolandDiscoveryCenter.com/kansascity), where the imagination can soar through many interactive play areas, a 4D cinema, LEGO® miniland, building workshops, two LEGO®-themed rides and exhibits.
FREE Fun Fridays
Family fun on a shoestring is the name of the game at these Kansas City attractions! See KCParent.com for “Free Fun” all month long!
Kaleidoscope (HallmarkKaleidoscope.com) is one of the best destinations in Kansas City, according to our readers and their kids. This free hands-on art center, courtesy of Hallmark, invites visitors into a magical realm of creativity, where kids can create jigsaw puzzles, glow-in-the-dark art, crowns and more.
Next door to Kaleidoscope, experience the story of Kansas City's own Hallmark, from its founding in 1910 to today. Visit the Hallmark Visitors Center (HallmarkVisitorsCenter.com) and watch as greeting cards and wrapping paper are made, then participate in hands-on fun as you make a souvenir gift bow with the push of a button.
Driving through Kansas City, you notice a building with an airplane mounted on the roof, and it arouses your curiosity. What could it be? That airplane has become the trademark of the Roasterie, known for selling premier air-roasted coffee. The business offers one of the most fun free tours in town. Visitors watch as coffee goes from bean to brew. Call 816.931.4000 for reservations.
Unleash your inner motorcycle enthusiast with a free behind-the-scenes tour of the Harley Davidson Vehicle and Powertrain Operations Plant (Harley-Davidson.com), where visitors 12 and up watch the assembly of a V-Rod from start to finish.
There is only one shop in America where professional level violins, violas, cellos and basses are crafted, and it is located right in Downtown Merriam. K.C. Strings is the shop where more than 20 craftsmen make world-class instruments. You can schedule a tour for an in-depth view into the science of stringed instruments by calling 913.403.8999.
Kristina Light’s family loves to explore Kansas City and all it has to offer.