Kansas City is a great place to live. In addition to non-stop festivals and activities, our region boasts a wide array of fun and engaging opportunities for families in the many museums KC offers.
Toy & Miniature Museum of Kansas City
Laura Taylor, museum educator for the Toy & Miniature Museum of KC, bubbles with enthusiasm while discussing opportunities available to families. “The miniature gallery is brimming with miniature replicas of some of the most celebrated works of art in the world. You can visit Louis XV’s glittering study in the Palace of Versailles, experience the quiet solace of Federico da Montefeltro’s Liberal Arts Studio in Italy and peruse the nooks and crannies of a colonial mansion—all in an afternoon at the Toy and Miniature Museum.” A unique place for informal learning and fun, the museum also hosts hands-on sessions for “toy makers” of all ages.
Children will spend time enraptured by the Rube-Goldberg-like machine in the marble room and the full range of dolls in the Barbie exhibit, while adults laugh as they pore through the antique toys and board games, reminiscing with one another, “I remember when…”
Shoal Creek Living History Museum
The Shoal Creek Living History Museum is an exciting place for families to visit the 1800s. Standing inside the grounds of Hodge Park near Liberty, the village consists of more than 20 authentic 19th century buildings that take visitors back in time. While the grounds are open daily for self- guided walking tours, families really get a sense of the past during one of the museum’s many events. Summer programs help children see what school was like for our ancestors, while the October Harvest Festival is a real, old-fashioned county fair, complete with baked goods contests and sack races. With reenactments and activities scheduled throughout the year, Shoal Creek Living History Museum provides an opportunity to see living history at its finest.
Nerman Contemporary Art Gallery
Johnson County Community College’s campus boasts a family-centered art museum buzzing with activity. Guided tours for children and family groups, available via the museum’s website, include a variety of hands-on elements to enhance children’s learning experiences with the diverse collection of artworks.
Karen Gerety Folk, the museum’s curator of education, points out the Early Explorations and Contemporary Creations classes, where, on Saturdays from October through April, students explore and discuss identified pieces of art, then return to the classroom to create “unique finished projects inspired by the art in the museum.” JCCC is hailed as one of the top 10 college campuses for public art in America, with “outdoor sculpture and paintings, ceramics, photography and works on paper installed throughout the campus.”
Shawnee Indian Mission
In Fairway, KS, history still stands in a 12-acre National Historical Landmark dating to the early 1800s. There, visitors learn where “Shawnee Mission” got its name: in a time of American expansion when many Native Americans faced a changing way of life, the children of Shawnee, Delaware and other Indian nations attended manual training at the Shawnee Mission in three of the now-oldest buildings in the state.
This fall, the mission will celebrate its 26th Fall Festival on Oct. 13-14 and the Holiday Open House on Dec. 1. Visit the Kansas Historical Society’s website for schedules and a calendar of events.
Special Trips You Don’t Want to Miss!
- The Toy & Miniature Museum of KC’s Adventures in Learning Series features hands-on take-and-make sessions for all ages! Check out the museum’s online calendar for upcoming sessions.
- Nerman Art Gallery’s Early Explorations and Contemporary Creations classes operate on Saturdays October-April. Visit the museum’s website for contact information .
- Shoal Creek Living History Museum’s Harvest Festival: Saturday, Oct. 13, 10:00 to 4:30, $5/person, 6 and under free. Bring your baked goods or crafts for the judging!
- Shawnee Mission’s Fall Festival: Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 13-14, 10:00-5:00. Food, crafts, reenactments and melodrama will take visitors back in time.
Kimberly Brownlee loves visiting local festivals with her family to learn about culture, gain insights into history and eat amazing food!