Be a Tourist in Your Own Town for a Day
Kansas City is full of unique and wonderful museums. Browse this list of some of the metro area museums and see which ones would appeal to the interests of your children.
Kansas City is full of unique and wonderful museums. Browse this list of some of the metro area museums and see which ones would appeal to the interests of your children. A museum is a wonderful place to spend a rainy fall afternoon. Feel free to share this list with the teachers and scout leaders in your life as these would make wonderful field trips or after school outings. You may want to call ahead for hours of operation and admission prices.
Airline History Museum
201 NW Lou Holland Dr. Kansas City, MO
www.airlinehistorymuseum.com
816.421.3401
See the story of early airline travel, with exhibits of all phases. Extensive airline memorabilia, fully restored Super G Constellation and Martin 404, and a Douglas DC-3 that is being restored.
Arabia Steamboat Museum
400 Grand Blvd. Kansas City, MO
www.1856.com
816.471.1856
In 1988 a group of modern-day adventurers uncovered the lost Arabia and her magnificent cargo. Their find has been called the King Tut's Tomb of the Missouri River!
Belton, Grandview & Kansas City Railroad Co.
502 Walnut St. Belton, MO
www.orgsites.com/mo/beltonrailroad
816.331.0630
All aboard for a 45-minute round trip re-creation of a small town American railroad. Family-oriented activities. Private departures available. Ideal for your train enthusiast!
Cave Spring Interpretive Center
8701 E Gregory Blvd. Kansas City, MO
www.cavespring.org
816.358.2283
36-acre nature park & historic site on the Santa Fe Trail. Hiking trails, small cave, picnic shelter, exhibits on history and nature inside the center.
Children's Museum of Kansas City
4601 State Ave. Kansas City, KS
www.kidmuzm.org
913.287.8888
The Children's Museum of Kansas City provides an innovative, hands-on learning environment where young children explore, discover, and imagine through play. It is home to more than 40 hands-on exhibits dealing with science, history, art and technology. Exhibits include a shadow retention wall, grocery store, a slice of city streets, a crawl-around salt water aquarium, chain reaction demonstrations, and simple machines.
Frontier Army Museum
100 Reynolds Ave. Fort Leavenworth, KS
913.682.4113
Focuses on Ft. Leavenworth’s role in westward expansion, exhibiting one of the finest collections of horse-drawn military carriages in the nation, including a 1790 prairie schooner and a 1917 JN4D “Jenny” bi-plane.
Hallmark Visitors Center
2501 McGee Tfwy. Kansas City, MO
www.hallmarkvisitorscenter.com
816.274.3613
See one of the world's most creative companies come to life. Learn about the Hallmark story in a display of 14 remarkable exhibits, from our founder's humble beginning in 1910, to the creation of the world's largest greeting card company.
Jackson County Historical Society
129 W Lexington Ave., Independence, MO
www.jchs.org
816.461.1897
Dedicated to the preservation, interpretation and educational use of regional history. Bookshop and 1859 Jail, Marshal's Home & Museum.
John Brown Museum
1000 Main St. Box 37 Osawatomie, KS
www.kshs.org/places/johnbrown
913.755.4384
The story of Bleeding Kansas is told through artifacts, interpretation and interactive exhibits. Located in beautiful John Brown Memorial Park, the museum was dedicated by Teddy Roosevelt in 1910.
John Wornall House Museum
6115 Wornall Rd. Kansas City, MO
www.wornallhouse.org
816.444.1858
Authentically restored antebellum home built in 1858. Used as a field hospital during Battle of Westport. Annual educational programs & events. Special exhibits, workshops, Make It/Take It crafts and children's camp.
Johnson County Museum of History
6305 Lackman Rd. Shawnee, KS
www.jocomuseum.org
913.631.6709
Step back in history and discover your future. See what has lured people to Johnson County for the past 175 years. Includes 14 hands-on stations and changing exhibit gallery. Youth programs include tours and classes.
Kaleidoscope
2501 McGee Kansas City, MO
www.hallmarkkaleidoscope.com
816.274.8300
Kaleidoscope is a magical art studio where children can be creative and feel good about their own special ideas by creating with bows, cardboard, jazzy junk, making puzzles and painting with melted crayons!
Kansas City Fire Museum
1019 Cherry St. Kansas City, MO
www.kcfiremuseum.com
816.474.0200
Because so many children dream of becoming a firefighter, visit this 1910-era fire station housing artifacts, apparatus and hands-on displays, as well as educational activities for kids.
Kansas City Museum
3218 Gladstone Blvd. Kansas City, MO
www.unionstation.org
816.483.8300
The museum features displays of regional and natural history, a recreated 1910 corner drugstore complete with working soda fountain, and a 50-seat planetarium.
Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art
4420 Warwick Blvd. Kansas City, MO
www.kemperart.org
816.753.5784
The permanent collection, temporary exhibitions, free public programs, special events, and the ever-popular Café Sebastienne provide endless opportunities for education and entertainment. The heart of the Museum is its permanent collection, which has more than tripled in size in the past ten years.
Leavenworth County Historical Society
1128 5th Ave. Leavenworth, KS
www.leavenworth-net.com/lchs
913.682.7759
Housed in the Carroll Mansion, the society works to discover, preserve and share the heritage of the area. Encourages pride in Leavenworth pioneers who conquered the West and built a united nation.
Lecompton Historical Society
393 N 1900 Rd. Lecompton, KS
www.lecomptonkansas.com
785.887.6285
Civil War history; Territorial Capital of Kansas; Constitution Hall, National Landmark; Territorial Capital Museum, National Register Site.
Legler Barn Museum
14907 W 87th St. Pkwy. Lenexa, KS
www.grapevine.net/~lhskc
913.492.0038
Historic stone barn, railroad depot, caboose and more. Museum about Lenexa's colorful history.
The Museums at 18th & Vine
American Jazz Museum &
Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
1616 E 18th St. Kansas City, MO
www.americanjazzmuseum.com
816.474.8463
Take a tour of two of the city's most celebrated museums at the 18th & Vine Historic Jazz District. The American Jazz Museum pays tribute to America's top jazz musicians while the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum re-creates the look, feel and sounds of Negro Leagues Baseball from the 1860’s to the 1950’s.
National Frontier Trails Museum
318 W Pacific Ave. Independence, MO
www.frontiertrailsmuseum.org
816.325.7575
Trace the arduous and inspiring journeys of pioneers as they headed for Santa Fe, Oregon and California. View exhibits, diaries and videos.
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
4525 Oak St. Kansas City, MO
www.nelson-atkins.org
816.751.1ART
Visit the gods of ancient Egypt. Reflect inside an authentic Chinese Temple. Survey the magnificence of Claude Monet’s vast Water Lilies. Discover some of the 28,000 pieces in the collection of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
Science City at Union Station
30 W. Pershing Rd. Kansas City, MO
www.unionstation.org
816.460-2020
Part of historic Union Station, Science City provides real hands-on fun, all in the name of science. Dig for fossils or land a space shuttle in a NASA-style simulator. Kids (of all ages) won't realize how much they're learning.
Toy & Miniature Museum
5235 Oak St. Kansas City, MO
www.umkc.edu/tmm
816.333.9328
Thirty-three rooms of antique toys, dollhouses and world-class scale miniatures. Three annual special exhibits.
Truman Presidential Museum & Library
500 West U.S. Highway 24 Independence, MO
www.trumanlibrary.org
816.268.8200
One of only 10 U.S. Presidential Libraries. Two interactive exhibits on the Truman Presidency will help you learn more about this amazing man who became our 33rd President.
Wonderscope Children's Museum
5705 Flint Street, Shawnee, KS
www.wonderscope.org
913-268-8130
Wonderscope provides enjoyable hands-on environment for children ages six months through 10 years and their families, as well as school and community groups. With 10 permanent exhibits, plus a performance area, one can explore the arts, humanities and sciences. The museum also hosts special events, and traveling exhibits.