Welcome to the “Heart of America” where Kansas City family attractions such as hundreds of majestic water-spouting monuments, cultural treasures and yummy barbecue await.
The rich tapestry of Kansas City, Missouri is made up of many colors. Families of all ages apprecaite the small, but world-class art museum. Explore a restored train station, and a Jazz and Blues District with a museum complex devoted to the contributions of African-Americans. For more information on Kansas City, Missouri attractions, lodging and dining, log onto VisitKC.
Great Fun for the Kids
(Toddler to Age 8)
Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium
6800 Zoo Drive in Swope Park
Kansas City, MO 64132
816/595-1234
Tour America’s second largest urban park, a 200-acre setting that includes the KC Zoo and new Sobela Ocean Aquarium. (It’s free with zoo admission and requires timed entry tickets.) You’ll get to know more than 1,700 exotic animals and more than 8,000 marine life specimens. Learn how the planet’s ocean currents unite animals by studying the 34 habitats. Hop aboard the zoo train, tram or boat, or take a ride on an Endangered Species Carousel. Join the Lorikeet feeding. Head indoors to the “Discovery Barn,” an area just for kids and families where you can see animals up-close and participate in the interactive learning.
Kaleidoscope
2500 Grand Boulevard
Kansas City, MO 64108
816/274-8300
A favorite area of the Hallmark Visitors Center at the Crown Center, Kaleidoscope is a unique creative art workshop for kids, offered free of charge. Mountains of materials are available from recycled items from Hallmark’s card manufacturing process, and kids are encouraged to let their imaginations go wild. Plan ahead for this terrific and unique attraction, because it is closed Sunday and Monday. Review the Kaleidoscope site for the current schedule of sessions and workshops and book your time slot.
The Toy and Miniature Museum
5235 Oak Street
Kansas City, MO 64112
816/235-8000
Located on the campus of the University of Missouri-Kansas City, this museum features the private collections of three long-time Kansas Citizens who, due to their extensive holdings, were often told that “they should start a museum.” Currently occupying 38 rooms of a former private home dating from 1911, the museum has been expanding since its inception in 1982. The collections include scale miniatures, more than 100 furnished dolls’ houses and room settings; a transportation room showcasing trains, toy cars and planes; displays of 19th century German toys and examples of many American toy manufacturers; a collection of Russian lacquer boxes; and nostalgic and contemporary toys from the 1950s through the present.
Belton, Grandview & Kansas City Railroad Co.
502 East Walnut St
Belton, MO 64012
816/331-0630
Located about a 30 minute drive from downtown KC in Belton, a town built by the railroad, this all-volunteer operation recreates small town railroading dating from the 1920’s. Hop aboard such cars as a 1920’s open window coach, a 1960’s open-air flatcar with picnic tables and a 1970’s red caboose pulled by a 1957 diesel-electric locomotive, and enjoy a 5-mile-long, 45-minute round trip excursion to the past.
Fun for Older Children
(Up to age 18)
Science City at Union Station
30 West Pershing Road
Kansas City, MO 64108
816/460-2020
Union Station was declared “the gateway to the West” by President Woodrow Wilson when built in 1914. It’s definitely among the top Kansas City attractions since its beautiful restoration in 1999. Discover cinemas and live theaters, restaurants, shops and train service in the second largest train station in the nation. It’s also home to Science City, an interactive and entertaining facility featuring dozens of hands-on exhibits. Visitors can land a space shuttle, solve a crime in the Crime Lab and ride a bike 10 feet in the air. There is an exbiti on the history of railroading in America, as well as an 8,000 square foot model train layout. At the Dino Lab, the largest lab of its kind in America, you can watch a real paleontologist work on dinosaur fossils as he prepares them for exhibition at Science City.
Airline History Museum
Kansas City Downtown Airport – Hangar 9
201 NW Lou Holland Drive
Kansas City, MO 64116
816/421-3421
Visitors can take a close look at a restored Lockheed L1049 “Super G” Constellation, a Martin 404, a Douglas DC-3 and more at this museum celebrating the history of propeller-driven transport aircraft. The museum also features films, books, designer hostess uniforms, galley items, instrumentation, and other airline memorabilia.
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
4525 Oak Street
Kansas City, MO 64111
816/751-1ART
Considered the most distinguished art museum in the Midwest, the Nelson-Atkins displays more than 33,500 items dated from 3000 B.C. to the present. Best known for its outstanding Asian art collection, especially works from China, the museum also presents extensive holdings of European and American art. Both inside and outside the museum (in the adjacent 22-acre Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park) you will find the country’s largest collection of British sculptor Henry Moore’s monumental pieces, as well as works by other modern masters. Catch a movie or a meal at the stately Rozzelle Court Restaurant. This museum is free to the public; closed Tuesday and Wednesday.
Leila’s Hair Museum
1333 South Noland Rd.
Independence, MO 64055
816/833-2955
Recognized as one of the “100 Most Unusual Museums in the Country”, this museum boasts thousands of objects made from a very strange medium, human hair. There are 159 wreaths and over 2,000 pieces of jewelry constructed from hair, as well as portraits of babies with human hair attached. You can also see the locks of Marilyn Monroe and Abraham Lincoln. Who else can say they’ve done that?
Harry S. Truman Sports Complex
1-70 and Blue Ridge Cutoff
The Harry S. Truman Sports Complex is home to two of KC’s top teams. The Kansas City Royals play baseball at Kauffman Stadium. The Kansas City Chiefs play football at Arrowhead Stadium.
Crown Center
2450 Grand Boulevard
Kansas City, MO 64108
816/274-8444
The international headquarters of Hallmark Cards, this enclosed shopping and entertainment center boasts a LEGOLAND Discovery Center, restaurants, offices, theatres, cinemas, the Kaleidoscope Art Studio, the SeaLife Aquarium, free ice skating, hotels and free parking. On site, the Hallmark Visitors Center tells the history of the greeting card company whose humble beginnings date to the 1910. Through exhibits such as World War II greetings and the World of Charles Schulz, visitors discover how the cards have reflected various eras and trends for nearly 100 years. There’s a short film; entry is free of charge so allow about one hour for your visit. Open daily; Hallmark Visitors Center closed Sunday and Monday.
Comedy Club of Kansas City
1130 W 103rd Street
Kansas City, MO 64114
816/326-8776
This popular adult comedy club does a 7pm show on many nights and it’s a comedy show that kids can enjoy!! Based on suggestions from the audience, the fast-paced interplay is funny, clean (the early show at 7:00pm only) clever, and never the same.
Jesse James Historic Sites
103 N. Water Street
Liberty, MO 64068
816/736-8510
The Jesse James Bank Museum is located on the Historic Square in Liberty, about 20 minutes from Kansas City. Built in 1858, it is the site of the first successful daylight bank robbery in peacetime. Visitors view photographs, the original bank vault, and learn about the legend of Jesse James and the infamous James Gang. There is also a museum of the Civil War. The Jesse James Farm Home is located in Kearny, about 15 minutes from Liberty or 25 miles from KC. Here you can tour the restored homestead where Frank and Jesse grew up and eventually planned robberies with their band of outlaws.
Fun for the Whole Family
American Jazz Museum
1616 East 18th Street
Kansas City, MO 64108
816/474-8463
Part of the Museums at 18th & Vine arts complex, this is the first museum in the country devoted exclusively to this uniquely American musical art form. Just walk in, put some headsets on those kiddoes tuned to Duke Ellington, and just watch them tap their toes. The interactive exhibits include information on and sample recordings by such legends as Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie and Charlie Parker among others. Admire the original musical instruments. The John Baker Film Collection presents fun footage on the themes of “Big Bands,” “Women in Jazz” and “African American Dance and Jazz.” In the evenings, visitors can enjoy performances at the Blue Room, a jazz club attached to the museum and the restored Gem Theater.
Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
1616 East 18th Street
Kansas City, MO 64108
888/221-NLBM, 816/221-1920
The Negro National League was founded in 1920 at the former Paseo YMCA, one block from the museum. This facility recreates the look, sound and feel of baseball during the height of the Negro Leagues. Join them right after the Civil War and feel their demise in the 1960s while circling a replica baseball field with life-size bronze statues of some of the early players. At 18th and Vine, your kids will understand, ever so gently, the horror of racist indignities suffered by these amazing athletes.
Harry S. Truman’s Independence, Missouri
As the jumping off point for wagon trains heading west, Independence is known as the “Queen City of the Trails.” And, as the home of President Harry S. Truman, there are several sites devoted to our 33rd President and his family. (About 20 minutes’ drive from Kansas City.)
Start at the Truman Presidential Museum & Library built in 1957, which houses nearly 10 million papers, books and historical material relating to Truman’s life and administration. The museum features extensive audio-visual components and new interactive exhibits. Until his death, the former President maintained an office at the building and both he and his wife are laid to rest in the library courtyard.
The Harry S. Truman Office and Courtroom sites are located in the Jackson County Courthouse which dates from 1933. Visitors are introduced to the former President during a 25-minute film entitled “The Man From Independence.” You can also tour the offices and courtroom used when he began his life in public service.
Harry S. Truman Home and its Visitor Center are located about one mile away. The 14-room Victorian mansion was built by Bess Wallace Truman’s grandfather in 1885. It became known as the “Summer White House” during the Truman Administration, and is where the President and his wife lived from the time of their marriage in 1919 to their deaths.
The College Basketball Experience
1401 Grand Boulevard
Kansas City, MO 64106
816/949-7500
Ready to let off some steam and shoot a few hoops? This interactive (potentially very active) multimedia experience introduces contemporary heroes of college basketball in a Hall of Fame, and allows visitors to try their skills. It’s a very fun and immersive experience all ages — even those who don’t follow the sport — will love. Be sure to allow time for this interlude between the city’s wonderful, yet more traditional, museums.
National Frontier Trails Museum
318 West Pacific
Independence, MO 64050
816/325-7575
Explore pioneer history and westward migration in the mid-nineteenth century by learning about the Santa Fe, Oregon and California Trails used by traders, settlers and fortune seekers. Follow wagon trains as they withstand rugged terrain, extreme weather and health hazards to settle the newly acquired West.
Patee House Museum
1202 Penn Street
St. Joseph, MO 64503
816/232-8206
About 30 minutes from KC’s metropolitan area, the Patee House was the eastern headquarters of the Pony Express. Now an eccentric museum, it features a hodgepodge of weird artifacts and memorabilia dating to the 1800s. Standouts include a 1920s gas station, the dentist office of Walter Cronkite’s father, a horse-drawn hearse and a 1,050-pound ball of string. The museum served as a headquarters for the Union army in the Civil War, and was also used as a luxury hotel, a girl’s college, and a shirt factory. Also on the museum property is the Jesse James Home, home of the outlaw – see more about him above.
Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun
4545 Worlds of Fun Avenue
Kansas City, MO 64161
816/454-4545
Patterned after the Jules Verne adventurous tale, “Around the World in Eighty Days,” Kansas City’s Worlds of Fun features five themed continent areas over 236 acres. Over 50 rides and attractions from mild to wild rides (including Camp Snoopy, Fury of the Nile, Zambezi Zinger and MAMBA, one of the worlds tallest, longest and fastest roller coasters), ethnic foods and live entertainment. Adjacent to this park is Oceans of Fun, the Midwest’s largest tropically themed water park featuring a million-gallon wave pool, several water slides, two special children areas and more. They also do fun Halloween events. Note that Gold Season Pass holders can get free season tickets for any guest ages 3-5 who accompany them. If you can’t get enough after one day, check out their on-site motel and campground. Open summers only.
Black Archives of Mid-America in Kansas City
1722 E. 17th Terrace
Kansas City, MO 64108
816/221-1600,1640
KC’s historic district houses the largest depository of material on African-Americans in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Oklahoma. Horace M. Peterson (namesake of the Visitors Center at the Museums of 18th and Vine) founded the collection. Its scope ranges from a rich variety of memorabilia to newspapers, diaries, correspondence, historical documents and photographs. A fascinating resource that collects, preserves and makes available information on Black social, economic, political and cultural contributions in the Midwest.
A Final Note about Kansas City Barbeque
With roots in the cattle industry, Kansas City has evolved into a barbeque-lovers heaven with over 100 tantalizing restaurants to choose from. Learn the basics from Henry Perry, the “Father of KC Barbeque,” Charlie and Arthur Bryant, George Gates and others who experimented and created their own versions of this slow-smoking technique.
Arthur Bryant currently serves his legendary meats at 18th Street and Brooklyn in Kansas City, while Gates BBQ, originally located at 19th and Vine, operates five restaurants in the greater KC area. Try them both (they also sell bottled barbeque sauce to take home), and discover many others (try Harp BBQ) on your own.
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