3 Spring Break Getaways Less than a Tank of Gas from KC
This spring break, try an adventure that "not too far" from home! We have three ideas in the Midwest that kids LOVE!
The Gathering Place in Tulsa, Oklahoma is hosting family fun during Spring Break! This March, Gathering Place will host free events for families during Spring Break. Tulsans of all ages are invited to enjoy a week full of fun, free entertainment from Monday, March 13 through Friday, March 17 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., daily. In partnership with more than 20 local organizations, guests can participate in over 30 hands-on, educational, and unique activities located throughout the 66.5 acres of the park. Spring Break at the Gathering Place Schedule.
The Gathering Place is an unbelievably cool park in the heart of Tulsa! Some of highlights include:
Chapman Adventure Playground is the place for kids to learn through play. In this five-acre kingdom, you will be transported to a magical land where anything is possible. Kids can let their imaginations run wild by exploring the playground’s signature towers, slides, climbing features, play gardens, sand lot and water areas. Chapman Adventure Playground contains elements to engage children at various developmental levels and with different physical abilities.
The Spiral Connector is one of the most iconic realms in the Park. These majestic towers, seven in total, are specifically designed to encourage physical play while stimulating the imagination. With a series of climbing structures, slides, suspension bridges, puzzles and instruments, each tower is completely different and promises a unique experience each visit.
The Land of River Giants is a larger than life feature that takes imagination to the next level! Ride the slides of the Blue Herons, climb in and out of the Paddlefish, and relax in the cradle swings. These Oklahoma native creatures bring a one-of-a-kind experience while reminding us of the natural beauty throughout the Park.
Located on the west side of Adventure Playground, Skywalk Forest takes adventure to new heights. From thrilling slides to unique net climbing structures, the play opportunities are sky high. Skywalk Forest pathways float twenty feet above the ground level, and one even crosses above the Caterpillar Bridge sidewalk.
Fairyland Forest is a special section of Adventure Playground that brings fairytales to life. This networked series of tiny houses invites preschoolers in for an enchanting experience.
Built with toddlers in mind, Volcanoville is a padded play area with low level climbing elements and bright colors specially designed to engage and stimulate your child's mind. Toddlers 6-24 months of age will increase their cognitive abilities while learning through play.
Learn more about The Gathering Place here.
Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium
500 W. Sunshine St., Springfield, MO, 888.222.6060. Admission charged.
Weekend getaways to Springfield, MO, are an easy family overnight or even day trip for the ambitious. We love visiting Wonders of Wildlife. This fantastic natural history museum and aquarium is a phenomenal attraction and requires most of a day to visit and enjoy thoroughly.
Wonders of Wildlife bills itself as the "largest, most immersive fish and wildlife attraction in the world!" The attraction was created by Bass Pro founder Johnny Morris. His love for nature is contagious, and his passion comes across in every aspect of this attraction.
The museum includes first, a natural history museum, with breathtaking exhibits showcasing the history of the Ozark region, Native American heritage, the Lewis and Clark Expedition and wildlife from around the world. From sheep to bears, deer to antelope ... we saw thousands of animals. The centerpiece of this half of the museum is the Great African Hall with beautiful displays showcasing African animals. The lighting and sounds of the hall transform from day to night while you are there, creating the feeling that you are among the elephants, zebras and giraffes on the African tundra.
I recommend spending the morning in the natural history portion, then taking a lunch break at Fish Tales, a lunch spot for the museum, or heading to a restaurant within Bass Pro shops or in the neighborhood. After a midday meal, return to visit the aquarium. We ate at Fish Tales on our visit, enjoying pizza and sandwiches.
The aquarium is truly spectacular. This is unlike any aquarium we have ever visited. The displays include not only aquariums, but swamp exhibits, fishing exhibits and history exhibits celebrating the history of fishing, the sport of fishing and even the passion America's presidents have held for the sport.
The 1.5-million-gallon aquarium adventure features 35,000 live fish, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and birds. We loved the shark exhibit, we were transported to the bayou in the swamp exhibit, and the stingray exhibit is the best we have ever experienced. My girls enjoyed seeing sloths, bears, alligators, flamingoes, otters and countless sea creatures, including octopus, sharks, clown fish, rays, jellyfish and other fish from around the world. The stingray touch pool, the finale of the attraction, is truly world-class.
Have you ever wanted to swim with penguins? Pet a sloth? Hold a lemur? Believe it or not, there is a magical zoo right in the heart of Kansas (near Wichita) where you can do all that and more!
Tanganyika Wildlife Park is unlike any other zoo we've visited—this privately owned zoo is small and intimate, but every exhibit is beautiful, immaculate and spacious and offers the most natural habitat possible for the animals.
Visitors customize their park experience with the activities they book. You may elect to participate in all their "Wildly Different Experiences" or purchase the opportunities a la carte. The park offers more than 15 experiences hand-crafted by Tanganyika keepers. Each animal encounter deepened our understanding of and appreciation for the animals and how to care for them. This is truly the perfect getaway for all ages and makes a wonderful multigenerational vacation. We visited with grandparents, parents, teens and children, and all eight of us highly recommend this trip!
The ultimate animal lovers’ bucket list getaway is the Ultimate Weekend Experience. Families spend three days learning about animals through unique experiences, meeting wonderful zookeepers—all of whom have a contagious passion for animals and for making unforgettable memories.
Some of our favorite experiences included:
The Otter Meet & Greet where we met three Asian small-clawed otters. We watched as they ate and played, participated in training and even posed for a picture. During this, our first animal encounter, we learned the park uses only positive reinforcement training for all the animals.
At the Giraffe Encounter, we went behind the scenes for a tour of the African/Asian barn. The giraffe exhibit at Tanganyika Wildlife Park is especially beautiful. The zoo uses as many natural barriers as possible to create the best habitat for its animals and the best viewing space for visitors. Each member of our family participated in target training (the giraffes touch their noses to the target) and fed lettuce to the very happy reticulated giraffes.
The Small Cat Meet & Greet was a favorite for our teen girls! We met Jade, an African serval, and Hazel, a Eurasian lynx. During this encounter, we "played with the cats," throwing them toys, taking photos and helping train them with ... you guessed it ... target training.
At the Sloth Encounter, we all fell in love with Chewbacca and Molasses (what perfect names for sloths!) and Sydney and Oscar. We fed Chewbacca a delicious salad of yummy fresh fruits.
The Origins Tour was one of my favorite experiences at Tanganyika Wildlife Park. This interactive behind-the-scenes tour gave us the history of the Tanganyika Wildlife Park and the chance to see many wonderful animals in person, including Amur leopards and lions!
We experienced the Penguin Meet & Greet, feeding, and our grand finale ... the penguin swim! We learned about penguins and their care, had the opportunity to feed them, and then, we swam with the penguins! Keepers gave us clear instructions for safety and told us exactly how to enter the pool and interact safely with penguins. Tanganyika Wildlife Park provided wet suit rental and towels (and clean bathrooms with showers for changing). We spent about 30 minutes in the water playing with penguins, including Nugget, the charming young penguin we met earlier in the day. My girls learned the names of many of the penguins and fell in love with these beautiful birds. This was truly an incredible family bucket list experience!
In addition to the Wild Encounters, our family loved the feeding stations. Visitors may feed Ring-tailed lemurs, giraffes, pygmy hippos, Indian Rhino, lorikeets, African tortoises, bunnies and guinea pigs.
Tanganyika is truly a boutique zoo right in the heart of Kansas. With a passion for animals and conservation they strive to provide the best animal and visitor experiences to inspire future generations of animal lovers.