Top 10 Kansas City Attractions for Families
Planning a family trip to Kansas City? Check out our 10 Must-do Kansas City Attractions that promise you the best of both sides of the Missouri.
Kansas City Attractions for Families
Centrally located, Kansas City is not only easy to access from across the Midwest, but it is a great road trip stop no matter where your family vacation may be taking you.
The Kansas City area comprises of two cities, one on each side of the Missouri River – Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri (KCK and KCMO to locals). The Missouri side is the larger city, although the Kansas side boasts several suburbs that offer a wide array of appealing attractions.
Check out this list of stops that will help your family create lasting vacation memories.
Be royal with a visit to Kansas City!
Kaleidoscope
A part of the larger Crown Center area in downtown Kansas City, Kaleidoscope is a free art studio sponsored by Hallmark Cards. Parents and kids alike will be dazzled by the array of supplies, including Hallmark cards and gift wrapping, from which to make countless art projects and creations. Sessions are for kids of all ages, but you do need to call ahead and reserve a spot.
For more on Hallmark’s Kaleidoscope events go here.
Stone Lion Puppet Theater
This traveling puppet theater presents shows all over the Kansas City area, and most are free to the public. Shows feature a variety of puppet types, including marionettes, masks, shadow play, mouth, and rod puppets. On the website, you can find information about performances and detailed information about the shows themselves, including age appropriateness.
Read more about Stone Lion Puppet Theater here.
Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center
If you’re looking for an outdoor adventure in the middle of the city, go no further than the Discover Center. The park offers hiking trails that connect with other local trails, demonstrations in the butterfly garden, bird feeding garden, and more, and tours that emphasize how urban environments can work in harmony with nature.
Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center
KC Zoo & Swope Park
Swope Park is an 1800-acre park in the heart of Kansas City, offering several appealing venues and attractions. The cornerstones of the park are the Kansas City Zoo, Go Ape Zip Line Adventures, the Starlight Theater, and the Lakeside Nature Center. The park, one of the largest urban parks in the country, includes numerous picnic shelters, hiking trails, playgrounds, swimming pool, splash pad, and even a cricket field.
Worlds of Fun Amusement Park
A one-stop amusement park, here you have rides for all ages, a expansive water park, and also a PEANUTS-themed zone with 21 PEANUTS rides for little ones.
Check out the Worlds of Fun website for more info.
Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead
If animals are high on your family’s interest list, this stop gives you the chance to bottle feed goats, milk cows, and ride in a horse-drawn wagon. Explore the flower and vegetable gardens, and visit a one-room school house, Native American encampment, and a turn-of-the-century main street. Tickets are only $2 per person every day and weekdays after 2 pm admission is free.
Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead
Money Museum
Where does your money go after it leaves your wallet? At this museum, part of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, kids can trace where the money goes, see what $40 million looks like, and try to pick up a gold bar. Best part, admission won’t cost you anything.
Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
Explore the rich history of the Negro Baseball leagues and the social and cultural history of our nation from the 1860’s through the 1960’s when the leagues were operational. A compelling experience, the museum is designed to immerse visitors in a self-guided trip through time to see what a segregated world was like.
National Museum of Toys and Miniatures
Here you’ll find the largest collection of antique toys anywhere in the world. Exhibits rotate regularly, but you can be certain you’ll always find a unique and intriguing collection of toys for viewing. The museum regularly offers kid-friendly exhibits for an inexpensive admission fee.
National Museum of Toys and Miniatures
National World War 1 Museum and Memorial
This attraction is the official memorial in honor of World War 1, designed to educate visitors about the forces that led to the war, how the war played out, and how the fallout from the Great War set up the conditions for the second World War to emerge. While this might be a heavy experience for younger ones, it is a powerful stop that can help all remember the sacrifices of an earlier generation and understand geopolitical forces that still affect our world today.
National World War 1 Museum and Memorial
Pin this collection of our top 10 Kansas City Attractions for your vacation planning:
Kansas city is so much more than BBQ, Jazz and Fountains – though any trip to the city would be remiss without indulging in all three!
For more family travel ideas, check out our 10 BEST Disney World Resorts or our Guide to Everything You Need to Know to Visit Universal Studios.
Two dim-witted, inseparable friends hit the road for their ten-year high school reunion and concoct an elaborate lie about their lives in order to impress their classmates.