We love visiting cities in the Midwest and a Kansas City family vacation was on our list of destinations for exploring. In this guide you will find 8 fun things to do in Kansas City with kids. All of these suggestions are tried and tested locations by both of my boys so they are good for kids ages toddler to at least 8 years old. Don’t just take my word for it, get out and visit these places yourself on your next family vacation Kansas City.
Some of these visited places were sponsor. Here at Mommy And Me Travels we always provide our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, and/or experiences on topics, events, and/or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely my own. This post contains affiliate links which means I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you if you make a purchase using the links in this article. Click here to see my disclaimer.
Kansas City Outdoor Activities
Are you planning a visit to Kansas City and looking to get some fresh air with outdoor activities? We have you covered. There are so many fun things to do in Kansas City with kids that this list will be a great starting point for your next family adventure. Did you know that Kansas City is nicknamed the city of fountains? If you try all of our Kansas City outdoor activities listed below, then try a scavenger hunt with your kids and go searching for all of the fountain locations across the city.
Kansas City Zoo – First Up On Our List Of Fun Things To Do In Kansas City With Kids
There are many kids activities in Kansas City but one that should not be missed is a visit to the Kansas City Zoo. The Kansas City Zoo is more than 200 acres with over 1700 animals for you and your kids to explore. There is also several fun rides throughout the park that you’ll want to try out. (If visiting during COVID restrictions most of the rides are closed. The tram and train are still running.)
During our visit, unfortunately, West Africa was closed so we didn’t get to see a lot of the big cats. Even with this we still had a great time. The exhibits are open air, we even had a kangaroo pay us a visit on the walking path. The highlight for my youngest was making a buddy at the penguin exhibit. It was super cute that the penguin walked up to the glass and played with Josh then when we left so did mr. penguin.
When planning your trip to the Zoo in Kansas City make sure you block an entire day for your family adventure. You will need to secure tickets before your arrival so make sure you know what day you want to spend here. You can bring water and food into the park. Rentals of wagons and strollers are available for your visit.
Worlds Of Fun – Our Second Stop Of Outdoor Activities In Kansas City
World Of Fun is located in northern Kansas City and is an amusement park and waterpark all with one admission price. It is unfortunate, but during our visit in the summer of 2020, the waterpark was not available for use due to COVID-19. Our family did have an amazing time with all of the amusement park rides. We glimpsed into the waterpark area and it did look like a great time to be had by all. Hopefully on a return trip we will be able to make our back to Worlds Of Fun and check out the Oceans Of Fun area.
If you have a toddler or younger/smaller kids, then make your way to the Snoop Park area. These rides are geared towards the younger kids but there are enough of them to spend hours riding and riding and riding some more. My sons road every ride in this area, then went and road as many “big” rides if they were tall enough. If you have an older/bigger child, don’t worry there are plenty of rollercoasters and thrill rides to keep them entertained also.
Your kids will thank you if you are in the Kansas City area and make plans to spend a day at Worlds Of Fun and/or Oceans Of Fun. Looking to continue the fun of exploring the world when you get home? Check out the Universal Yums Snack Boxes so your family can explore a different countries food via snacks every month. Buy your Universal Yums Snack Boxes Here.
Dodge Town – Our Third In The Kansas City Outdoor Activities Lineup
Dodge Town park is a wild west playground located in Antioch Park is part of our outdoor activities Kansas City. This area is a kids version of the wild west with a school house, bank, post office, city hall, blacksmith shop, jailhouse, general store, and many others. With all of these fun kid sized play areas it is a great place for the kids to explore and expand their imagination with all kinds of activities. There also are several play areas around this child sized village are great for all ages and skill abilities, from a train themed playground to an obstacle course themed play area complete with a giant climbing rock.
After the kids finish playing cowboy and indians, take a stroll around the beautiful park ground, complete with a lake, water fountains, and walking paths; and test their make believe skills with all the different types and levels of ‘bridges’. Be quick on your feet if you don’t want them to get wet as some of the areas are open like lily pads and if they miss their step they could get wet up to their knees.
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Indoor Activities Kansas City
In addition to the many fun outdoor activities that Kansas City offers, there are also a ton of indoor activities for the family enjoy. The majority of the indoor activities Kansas City are all located within an indoor walking path that connects Crown Center with Union Station so you can easily avoid the bitter winter weather or the blazing summer heat. Let’s have some fun and go exploring these fun indoor Kansas City activities.
Sea Life Aquarium – First Indoor Kansas City Activity To Explore
Sea Life Kansas City Aquarium is great for all ages of kids who love to explore, touch, and venture through the world of undersea life with lots of beautiful exhibits to entertain everyone. There are several hands on activities like dancing with a seahorse, feeding a seahorse, coloring on a tablet in front of artful beautifully designed tanks, touching tanks full of star fish and shark eggs, and so much more.
The Sea Life Aquarium will only take a few hours, even with a toddler. Get your tickets online before you arrive so you have your time slot reserved. Don’t worry if you book ahead of time and then are running a few minutes late, you will still be able to get in the door. Included in the ticket price is validated parking in crown center garages for up to 6 hours. You should definitely add this to your list of fun things to do in Kansas City with kids.
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Legoland Discovery Center – Indoor Kids Activities Kansas City
Legoland Discovery Center is located in Crown Center next door to the Sea Life Aquarium. You can easily participate in both places in one day. Bonus is that you can buy a combination ticket to save you money.
Legoland Discovery is a great way to spend a few hours letting the kids explore their imagination. Do your kids love building with legos? If so, this place is a must visit. At this indoor kids Kansas City activity, kids are able to ride rides, climb a moving wall, roam through an indoor playground, catch a 4D movie, and of course, build around on many different set up adventures that will keep them running in circles to find their favorite lego building place for hours.
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Union Station Planetarium – Kansas City Attraction For Families
Next up on our indoor activities in Kansas City is the Union Station Planetarium. It is located inside Union Station on the lower level. Throughout the day there are multiple kid friendly shows to explore within the stars. The planetarium is a great way to build in a little rest time for your kiddos. They will get to sit down, relax, and take an adventure in all at once.
At the Union Station Planetarium each show is geared towards different age groups. We did 2 different and fun showings. The first geared towards young kids and was about a Magic Treehouse that took kids exploring the planets. The second was geared towards toddlers and was Sesame Street’s Big Bird, Elmo, and their new friend exploring the starts and moon. Each show is 30 minutes and once it starts you can not leave and re-enter so make sure to build a bathroom stop into your time before entering the show.
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Dinosaur Road Trip – Union Station Exhibit Dinosaurs Kansas City
The Dinosaur Road Trip is the current exhibit at Union Station KC (or at least it was during our visit). This was an amazing trip through USA cities that had a dinosaur showcasing each city. Your kids get to explore places they have been in person and/or places they have seen on TV.
The Dinosaur Road Trip exhibit is about your kids getting to learn and explore dinosaurs in a fun family travel adventure. Your road trip will make stops at places like Las Vegas, Washington DC, St Louis, New York City, and many others. This adventure will take you about 45 minutes and that is only if the kids are really into spending time at each exhibit.
Westin Waterfall – Between Kansas City Crown Center and Union Station
As mentioned previously, Kansas City is known as the city of fountains. The Westin Waterfall is one of those indoor fountains that you should definitely include in your adventures. It is beautiful and easily accessed on the indoor walking link between Kansas City Crown Center and Union Station.
Finding the Westin Waterfall is easy enough when you walk in from the link. The Westin Waterfall is 60ft of multi-level beauty with a large beautiful garden that crawls up multiple levels along the side of each waterfall. Your kids will love how magical this place is since it is a six story waterfall inside a building.
Wrap Up Of 8 Fun Things To Do In Kansas City With Kids – Make The Most Of Your Kansas City Family Vacation
Looking for things to do in Kansas City with kids? I hope these indoor and outdoor Kansas City kids activities will give you a lot of fun family adventures for you to your kiddos to enjoy together. Do you know of any other fun things to do in Kansas City with kids? Share them in the comments below so that we can explore them next time we visit Kansas City.
If you haven’t joined our Facebook Group: Little World Adventure Travelers yet then don’t wait. You will get to hear about all types of places around the world and ask questions to make sure you aren’t missing anything as you take off to build your next adventure.
Check out our tips for traveling with kids on these post:
12 Tips for Road Trips with Toddlers
25 Tips for Saving Money on Food While Traveling
20 Ultimate Packing Tips and Tricks
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