The Top 15 Things to do in Kansas City with Kids

Kansas city is a fun city to explore, here are the top 15 things to do with kids in the city.

Kansas City

I have to say that Kansas City is under-rated. I would probably not have just visited Kansas City if I hadn’t lived there, but now that I have, it’s a nice place to visit. You should add it to your list of places to visit.

When we first decided to move to Kansas, I was a little nervous. I have driven through Kansas before and it’s a bunch of fields followed by more fields. Oh, and some random Subways along the way. However, Kansas City is nothing like just driving in a field. There are tons of things to do, and a lot of free things as well. We had a fun time exploring the city.

It has a big city feel, but it’s a smaller city, which makes it easy to navigate, and there aren’t as many people everywhere. There are also a lot of outdoor things to do, so it’s not just the city.

Here are our top favorite things to do in Kansas City with our kids.

15 Things to do in Kansas City with Kids

See the Fountains

Did you know that Kansas City is called the city of Fountains. There are over 200 registered fountains. You can explore them all around the city. Some of them are pretty fascinating. It’s free, and fun.

Price: FREE

Location: All over Kansas City

Open: 24 Hours

The Zoo

I was super impressed with Kansas City’s Zoo. You can easily spend 2 days there. There is so much to see, and they have several shows and rides. You can feed the stingrays and watch the penguins march. If you live close, get the season pass, it’s well worth it.

Price: $16-$18.00 per person, 2 year old’s are free

Location: 6800 Zoo Drive Kansas City, MO 64132

Open: 9-4:00 (5:00 some seasons)

The Aquarium

Who doesn’t love a good Aquarium? Kansas City has a pretty good one. Walk through the water tunnel, pet a string ray, or see the sea turtle rescue center.

Price: $22-39

Location: 2475 Grand Boulevard Kansas City, MO 64108

Open: 9:00-5:00 (But varies according to day)

The Crown Center

Crown center is an old shopping center with some interesting shops inside. There are a lot of local shops inside. They also have a couple candy stores, a nice toy store, and you can eat at Crayola which is super fun for the kids. It is right by the aquarium.

Price: Free

Location: 2450 Grand Blvd Suite 200, Kansas City, MO 64108

Open: 11 am – 6 pm

Kaleidoscope

Another super fun thing by the Crown Center is Kaleidoscope. It is a creative center for kids, and it’s free. They do sessions every hour for 45 minutes. Arrive at the beginning of a session and they will let you roam free for 45 minutes. They have crafts everywhere. You can make puzzles, paint pictures, play with glow in the dark paint, or make little craft boxes. The kids had a blast.

Price: Free

Location: 2500 Grand Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64108 (it’s in the crown center)

Open: 9:00 – 4:00

Ride the City Trolley

There is a city trolley that goes straight through the center of the city, and it’s free. It runs year round and there are great stops along the way including the next 5 listed below. I think it makes about 8 stops in the city.

Price: Free

Location: The KC Streetcar project is a two-mile route running primarily along Main Street in downtown Kansas City connecting Kansas City’s River Market area to Crown Center and Union Station.

Open: 6:00 am – 10:00 pm (12:00 am on the weekends)

Downtown Library

The trolley stops right in front of the downtown Library which is huge, fun to walk around, and has a great kid’s section.

Price: Free

Location: 14 West 10th Street Kansas City, MO 64105

Open: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Farmer’s Market

The River Market farmers market is a must see. It is open year round, rain or shine, and it’s great. It is huge and has a variety of vendors. There are more vendors in the Summer, but we found it was just as nice in the Winter. It is at one of the ends of where the trolley stops.

Price: Free (unless you purchase something)

Location: 20 E 5th St., Ste. 201, Kansas City, MO 64106

Open: 7 Days a week year round.

Arabia Steamboat Museum

Right by the Farmer’s Market is the Arabia Steamboat Museum which is pretty cool. It doesn’t look as cool on the outside, but it’s a must see. If we didn’t go inside, my kids liked to watch the fake steamboat propeller they have at the entrance.

Price:

Children (3 and under) – Free

Children (ages 4 – 14) – $5.50

Adults – $14.50
Seniors (60 and older) – $13.50

Location: 400 Grand Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64106

Open: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Union Station

The trolley’s last stop is Union Station. It is huge and fun to explore. At one end they have a trains museum. It is so cool. It’s free, although they do ask for donations to keep it running. It has every type of miniature train you can think of. They are built up like little cities, and they have some made of Legos. My son goes crazy when we go there. It never gets old.

Price: Free (they have things in there to purchase)

Location: 30 West Pershing Road Kansas City, MO 64108

Open: Differs according to events and different places inside

Science City

Another thing inside Union Station is called Science City. This place is huge, and there is so much to explore. Anything science you can think of, they got it. They also have an outside portion that is super cool.

Price: $14.00-$23.00 (depending on what you participate in and age)

Location: 30 W Pershing Rd Kansas City, MO 64108

Open:

Tuesday – Saturday:
10 AM – 5 PM
Sunday: 12 PM – 5 PM

Basketball Experience

There is a place called the College Basketball Experience that is connected to the Sprint Center. It is pretty fun. They have open courts, and a ton of different simulators for just about every basketball drill. If you love basketball, you’ll love this place.

Price: $11-$15

Location: 1401 Grand Boulevard Kansas City, MO 64106

Open: 11-4:00 pm

Lego Land

Another fun place is called Legoland. If your kids love Legos, they will love it.

Price: $25

Location: 2475 Grand Boulevard Kansas City, MO 64105

Open: 9-5:00

Deanna Rose

A fun outdoor activity that is not in the city is the farm, Deanna Rose. It is south of the city in Overland Park. It has super cheap admission, and endless fun. You can feed the goats, go fishing, ride a pony, and they have a ton of park equipment. You can watch them milk a cow twice a day, which is pretty cool. We always had a great time there.

Price: $3/person 2 and older.

Admission is free for all guests after 2 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, except on holidays.

Location: 13800 Switzer Rd, Overland Park, KS 66221

Open: 10:00 – 4:00 (closed Mondays)

Money Museum

The Money Museum is a nice little gem. It’s free and super interesting, and you can get free tickets to other attractions by filling out their survey.

I hope you enjoy Kansas City as much as we did. We are so glad for all we got to do there! It really is a great city.

Price: FREE

Location: 1 Memorial Drive, Kansas City, Missouri 64198

Open: Monday – Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00pm to 3:30 p.m.

KC Parent

If you need more ideas for things to do in Kansas City with kids, I would check out kcparent.com. They have the most up-to-date information about events going on in the KC area. They have endless information, and I used them a lot.

The Top 15 Things to do in Kansas City with Kids

The Top 15 Things to do in Kansas City with Kids

Kansas City