Exploring Some of Kansas City's Most "Grown-Up" Museums

Writing has always been my first love—specifically writing about Kansas City. But, once upon a time, it was my dream to be a museum curator. Once, in my teens, while I volunteered at a local museum, I was visiting with the curator about her job. She told me how she dreamed of working at a museum, going behind the scenes and discovering the secrets held within. And that is exactly what intrigued me. I loved learning stories about the people who lived long ago, who shaped the world we live in and who once held in their hands the artifacts we now admire.

Yes, I abandoned my career in museums for my greater love of writing, but museums still hold a special place in my heart. And so, I take my children to museums, including those typically considered “grown-up” attractions. Every one of my daughters has visited the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the Truman Presidential Library, the National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial and other similar sites in strollers, holding hands and, now as early elementary girls, with notebooks in tow.

I want my children to be comfortable learning, exploring, asking questions and discovering new things. I want them to begin to appreciate art and find their favorite pieces. I want them to ask and inquire about historic inventions that may seem archaic to us but were perhaps used by our grandparents and great-grandparents just a few generations ago. I want their world to be larger than their bedrooms and playrooms, and so we visit museums.

These are a few of our favorite not-just-for-grown-ups attractions in Kansas City and why we, as a family (including young children), love them:

The National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial (100 W. 26th St., Kansas City, MO, 816.888.8100). More than 50 years ago, my grandfather proposed to my grandmother at Liberty Memorial, and more than 10 years ago my husband proposed to me at the same spot. We make it a tradition to revisit every year and take photos, and we especially love to go to the top of the tower for spectacular views of the city. Within the museum walls below, however, lies one of the best historic sites in the Midwest, the National World War I Museum. With tremendous state-of-the-art exhibits telling the story of World War I and, more importantly, the soldiers and civilians of the era—their sacrifices, their journeys—this is one of Kansas City’s most important attractions.

Before our visit, we talked a bit about the war, and the girls visited with our elderly neighbor whose father fought in World War I.

Realizing that World War I is a complex era of history for anyone to grasp, but especially the youngest visitors, the museum provides a free family gallery guide booklet for children. The guidebook includes a map of the galleries, games, puzzles, question and answer sections for various exhibits and a scavenger hunt to complete throughout the galleries. The guidebook is wonderful and helped my children appreciate learning about the artifacts and exhibits throughout the museum. We learned about German spiked helmets, the American Red Cross, the role of women during the war and differences between the various militaries. Hands-on exhibits throughout, including large-screen technology allowing visitors to design propaganda, explore World War I-era Kansas City and learn more about the period, helped shape our girls’ perspective of history.

The museum takes a full afternoon to explore, and they do offer a café for a snack break, as well as trips to the top of the tower (an elevator ride followed by climbing several dozen stairs to the top) for photos.

The Discovery of King Tut at Union Station (30 W. Pershing Rd., Kansas City, MO, 816.460.2020). Union Station brings world-class touring exhibits to Kansas City for wonderful educational opportunities without the price of a travel fare, and as a local mom, I love this! The Discovery of King Tut exhibit offers a recreation of King Tut’s tomb and treasure. The exhibit takes visitors on a journey to learn about the 1922 discovery of the young pharaoh’s tomb and an exploration of more than 1,000 treasures. Audio tours are included, allowing guests to select which portions of the tour to listen to in their chosen order. The exhibit first teaches about King Tut’s Egyptian era and culture, then it covers the discovery of his tomb and treasure. Finally, visitors experience firsthand a replica site of the burial chamber and learn about ancient Egyptian burial practices, religious beliefs and customs. 

Before the tour, we read about Egypt and King Tut in particular (thanks to the local library), and we visited the Egyptian art on display at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.           

First Fridays in the Crossroads On the first Friday of each month, the Kansas City Crossroads district becomes a celebration of the arts for the entire community. With live music on street corners, food truck vendors in the district, a variety of fantastic restaurants to choose from and dozens of art galleries to explore, First Fridays are a firsthand arts experience unlike any other. Visitors will find a variety of galleries to enjoy, each featuring different artists working with a variety of media and exhibiting all types of art. So much to see and enjoy! Before visiting, I always explore the Crossroads district website for information on current exhibits. Some exhibits are more family-friendly than others, and some are more interesting to our family than others. We never have time to see them all, so I choose in advance which galleries to explore. It is a wonderful free way to learn about a variety of current art forms, and many of the artists are on hand to answer questions about their art.

Arabia Steamboat Museum (400 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO, 816.471.4030) The steamboat Arabia sank in 1856 in the Missouri River, and the Hawley family excavated her remains, creating one of the most fascinating museums in the metro. Families learn about life in the 1850s and the day-to-day objects families would use in their homes, all discovered in the bottom of the Missouri River in the shipwreck. The exhibits cover the discovery of the steamboat, her rescue and the restoration of the treasures aboard. Before visiting, read about life in the 1850s with classic children’s books like Little House on the Prairie or the works of Mark Twain.

                I know my children do not understand all the nuances of history or art when we visit a museum, but I also know that learning about historic treasures, having the opportunity to ask questions and explore and seeing things firsthand spark a curiosity and interest that will serve them well. And, in my opinion, discovering the secrets of treasures is, well, amazing fun!

Kristina Light has many fond memories of discovering treasures at historic sites in her youth with her friend Evelyn, and now she takes her girls on “treasure hunts.”