When was the last time you had fun exploring your own hometown? This spring break, hit up favorite Kansas City tourist hot spots and see the city through the eyes of a visitor.
Destination #1: Downtown
The Coterie on Level I of Crown Center is known for high quality professional children’s shows. This March, they are presenting PUFFS... or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years...at a Certain School of Magic and Magic. For seven years, a certain boy wizard went to a certain school of magic. But in this story, the sorting hat assigns us to the house of Puffs—where an owl informs an ordinary American named Wayne that he’s a wizard. Together with his school of magic pals – Oliver, Megan, and heartthrob Cedric – they wonder if conquering evil is in the cards for them.”
While you’re at Crown Center, be sure to treat the kids to lunch at Fritz’s, where trains deliver food to your table, or split a pizza at D’Bronx. Play for free at Fairytale Village: A FREE Exhibit at Crown Center thru May 3: Discover a world of make-believe as classic children’s tales come to life. Meet the Ice Queen in her Ice Palace and experience the giant adventures of “Jack and the Beanstalk.” Sit in Cinderella’s magic carriage and later stroll with “Little Red Riding Hood” through the woods to Grandmother’s house. Run safely inside the brick house of “The Three Little Pigs” and then have lunch with the “Seven Dwarfs.” See “Pinocchio” come to life and more! This interactive exhibit includes a reading area where parents can share their favorite tales with their kids.
For more free fun, pop over to Kaleidoscope, 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 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.
Another family favorite is a visit to Science City at Union Station. This year, Science City is EXPANDING! This is their announcement: "It's Science City’s biggest expansion since its 1999 opening, and starting March 14, this major new initiative will dramatically change the landscape of how our community serves our youngest learners, ages birth-7.
In this behind the scenes preview, we take a look at "All Aboard" - a brand new train centric space that explores how steam engines work while encouraging play, exploration, observation and collaborative problem-solving. Just one of three amazing new spaces opening to the public on March 14.
We can't wait to share these new spaces with you! You’ll be coming back again and again, so get your Union Station Membership now and enjoy unlimited free visits to Science City along with many other exclusive benefits! unionstation.org/membership."
with the KC Rail Experience.
Rides aboard the KC Streetcar are always free (use our KC Streetcar scavenger hunt for more fun), and many stops include attractions with free admission. Tour the National Archives (near Union Station) and explore their free exhibits. Visit the Central Library and explore one of the most enchanting children’s library departments in the area. Visit the Money Museum and take a free tour leaving with a souvenir bag of shredded cash.
National World War I Museum and Memorial is not only a Kansas City landmark, but an American landmark. The museum tells the story of the Great War through interactive displays, thought-provoking films, and eyewitness testimonies. The museum houses one of the largest collections of WWI artifacts in the world. With family guides and hands-on exhibits the museum is an educational attraction for all ages.
Destination #2: Midtown/Country Club Plaza
The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures is one of the most fun and engaging museums in town. The first impression is incredible: A giant rotating spiral of backlit toys greets visitors who delight in finding their own favorites and discovering new ones on the animated real-life collage. Exhibits include a Grandma’s Attic display showcasing toys and presenting their individual stories as treasures to be discovered. Visitors enjoy interactive exhibits, learning more about the process of making both miniatures and toys.
Then take a stroll through Kauffman Memorial Gardens (4800 Rockhill Rd., Kansas City, MO). The 2-acre garden features more than 7,000 plants and flowers. This free attraction is part of the Kauffman Legacy Park in the heart of Kansas City. Powell Gardens, in partnership with the Muriel McBrien Kauffman Foundation and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, manages and maintains the garden.
Just a few miles away, visit the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, voted the best museum in the United States on Yelp.com. Home to one of the largest galleries in the nation, the museum maintains a permanent collection representing art from throughout history and around the world. Visitors enjoy the galleries and, on sunny days, picnic or stroll the landscaped museum grounds and sculpture garden.
Top off the day with a nice lunch or dinner at one of the restaurants on the Country Club Plaza. From March 23 to April 19, watch the Plaza’s annual transformation into an Easter wonderland. Every year, beautiful bunny and springtime animal sculptures decorate the Plaza’s courtyards and street corners.
Destination #3: Kansas City, KS
Located in the heart of Village West, the state of Kansas’ top tourist destination, Legends Outlets is the only outlet shopping destination serving the greater metropolitan region. Legends Outlets is the home to more than 75 leading designer and favorite brand-name stores including Coach, Banana Republic Factory Store, Gap Factory, J.Crew | crewcuts, Nike Factory Store, Polo Ralph Lauren Factory Store, Tommy Hilfiger Outlet, and Under Armour® Factory House, among many more, which offer savings of up to 65 percent off regular retail prices.
Stay at Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City, KS, (866.640.6353) an indoor water resort with a four-story interactive treehouse water fort, winding lazy river and numerous slides, including the Triple Twist, a high speed, five-story drop into a huge funnel followed by twists and turns. All of this is housed in a luxurious hotel!
Take in a little sightseeing as well. History buffs will enjoy a tour of Grinter Place (1420 S. 78th St., Kansas City, KS, 913.299.0373), the oldest home in Wyandotte County, for a look at frontier life along the Kansas and Missouri border.
Destination #4: Independence, MO
For a treat, head over to the Independence Square for ice cream at Clinton’s Soda Fountain or lunch at a local restaurant. Take a mule-drawn wagon ride with Pioneer Trails Adventures and listen to the history of the town where three trails began, two Civil War battles raged and, of course, Harry Truman lived.
Independence offers a variety of historic sites to tour. Learn more about President Truman on a tour of the Truman Home. Or visit the National Frontier Trails Museum, which tells the story of Lewis and Clark and the Westward Expansion on the Oregon, California and Santa Fe trails through artifacts and the journals of early pioneers. Vaile Mansion is a beautiful Victorian mansion telling the history of one of Independence’s original wealthy families, and the Bingham-Waggoner Estate was home to Missouri artist George Caleb Bingham and tells the story of the Civil War in Missouri. Be sure to visit kid-favorite Puppetry Arts Institute, a puppet museum that performs live puppet shows for children and offers puppet making workshops.
Destination #5: Kansas City Zoo
Explore the Kansas City Zoo, with more than 1,700 animals on 202 acres, it's the most affordable family fun for kids of all ages. Travel all over the world without ever leaving the Kansas City Zoo. Take a spin on our Endangered Species Carousel, ride the train, then continue your journey on the tram to our award-winning Africa exhibit. Fly overhead to get a birds’eye view of giraffes, hippos, zebras and more on our Sky Safari, landing at “one of America’s best chimpanzee exhibits” as proclaimed by renowned primatologist Jane Goodall. Visit Polar Bear Passage, Helzberg Penguin Plaza, the Discovery Barn, and Stingray Bay. Stroll down Tiger Trail and get nose to nose with primates, orangutans, tigers and more. Take a walkabout through a mob of kangaroos. Let your cubs run loose in the Tropics then catch the Sea Lion Splash and Wings of Wonder shows.
For more local ideas, check out our KC Going Places guide your go-to directory featuring all local museums, attractions, and sites.