Free Family Fun

If you’re looking for family fun on a budget, Kansas City offers many terrific free attractions the entire family will enjoy. Experience the story of Kansas City's own Hallmark, from its founding in 1910 to the present day. Visit the Hallmark Visitor’s Center and watch as greeting cards and wrapping paper are made and participate in hands-on fun as you make a souvenir gift bow with the push of a button. Then, head next door for a visit to Kaleidoscope, a free hands-on art center for children, where imaginations know no limit as kids create jigsaw puzzles, glow-in-the-dark art, crowns and more.

Right across the street at Crown Center, kids enjoy free exhibits for hands-on fun. Animal Tales & Trails is open through May 6, where kids explore animal life up close. Then, Dinosaurs: Land of Fire and Ice (May 26-Sept. 9) comes to town with realistic, fully touchable dinosaurs, including a Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops. After visiting these exhibits, head upstairs to Chip’s Chocolate Factory, where your tastebuds will be tempted as fudge makers demonstrate their craft and serve samples.

KidScape, a free exhibit at the Johnson County Museum is an interactive kid-sized city with a hospital, city hall, theater, shops and park. Kids love to play and explore the adult world through their eyes.

Opening annually on April 1, the Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead depicts a turn-of-the-century farm at an incredible 12-acre park with more than 200 farm animals, gardens, a dairy barn, pony rides and much more. Best of all, admission to the farm is free Monday-Thursday and only $2/person Friday-Sunday!