Dont wait for your neighborhood school to schedule a field tripKansas City is full of unique and wonderful museums and historic sites. Browse this list of just some of the metro areas museums and see which ones would appeal to the interests of your children. Bring a few friends and make it a fun group event! A museum is a wonderful place to spend a rainy fall afternoon. Please call ahead for hours of operation and admission prices as these often change seasonally.
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 & several fully restored relics from the past.
American Royal Museum
1701 American Royal Ct. Kansas City, MO
www.AmericanRoyal.com 816.221.9800
Kids of all ages will learn about the role of agriculture in business as they enjoy several hands-on exhibits.
Arabia Steamboat Museum
400 Grand Blvd. Kansas City, MO
www.1856.com 816.471.1856
In 1988 a group of modern-day KC adventurers uncovered the lost Arabia & 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.BeltonRailroad.org 816.331.0630
All aboard for a 45-minute round trip re-creation of a small town American railroad. Family-oriented activities. 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 & nature inside the center.
Childrens Museum of Kansas City
4601 State Ave. KC, KS
www.KidMuzm.org 913.287.8888
Permanent displays as well as a great deal of hands-on activities. Weekly workshops for kids of all ages.
Frontier Army Museum
100 Reynolds Ave. Fort Leavenworth, KS
913.682.4113
Focuses on Ft. Leavenworths role in westward expansion. See horse-drawn military carriages, a 1790 prairie schooner & a 1917 JN4D Jenny bi-plane.
Hallmark Visitors Center & Kaleidoscope
2501 McGee Tfwy. Kansas City, MO
www.HallmarkVisitorsCenter.com 816.274.3613
www.HallmarkKaleidoscope.com 816.274.8300
Learn about the Hallmark story in a display of 14 remarkable exhibits. Kaleidoscope is a magical art studio where children can be creative & feel good about their own special ideas!
Jackson County Historical Society
129 W Lexington Ave., Independence, MO
www.JCHS.org 816.461.1897
Dedicated to the preservation, interpretation & educational use of regional history. Bookshop, 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 told through artifacts, interpretation & interactive exhibits. Located in beautiful John Brown Memorial Park, 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.
Johnson County Museum of History
6305 Lackman Rd. Shawnee, KS
www.JoCoMuseum.org 913.631.6709
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 & classes.
Kansas City Fire Museum
1019 Cherry St. Kansas City, MO
www.Artcom.com/Museums 816.474.0200
Because so many children dream of becoming firefighters, visit this 1910-era fire station housing artifacts, apparatus, 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 & 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 provide endless opportunities for education and entertainment.
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 share the heritage of the area. Learn about the Leavenworth pioneers who conquered the West & 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 & more. Museum about Lenexa's colorful history.
Mahaffie Farmstead & Stagecoach Stop Historic Site
1100 Kansas City Rd. Olathe, KS
www.Olatheks.org/Visitors/Mahaffie 913.971.5111
Beautiful limestone house that offered a stagecoach dining stop on the Santa Fe Trail. Regular activities & special events.
The Museums at 18th & Vine
American Jazz Museum &
Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
1616 E 18th St. Kansas City, MO
816.474.8463
The American Jazz Museum pays tribute to America's top jazz musicians while the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum re-creates the look, feel & sounds of Negro Leagues Baseball from the 1860s to the 1950s.
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 & 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 Monets vast Water Lilies & more!
Pony Express National Museum
914 Penn St. St. Joseph, MO
www.PonyExpress.org 816.279.5059
Learn about the formation, function & termination of the Pony Express.
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. Kids won't realize how much they're learning.
Shawnee Town
57th & Cody Street Shawnee, KS
www.CityOfShawnee.org/ShawneeTown 913.248.2360
Historic pioneer town includes the first jail in the KS Territory. Special re-enactments & events.
Toy & Miniature Museum
5235 Oak St. Kansas City, MO
www.UMKC.edu/tmm 816.333.9328
Thirty-three rooms of antique toys, dollhouses & 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 12 U.S. Presidential Libraries. Interactive exhibits on the Truman Presidency will help you learn more about this amazing man who became our 33rd President.
WonderscopeChildrens Museum
5705 Flint St. Shawnee, KS
www.Wonderscope.org 913.268.4176
Kids will enjoy hands-on camps and workshops, interactive exhibits, plays, musical performances & much more!