Kansas City With Kids: A Guide to a Fun Family Vacation in Kansas City

Before our girls were born, we loved to take trips. Somehow getting away, even just for a short period of time to someplace not that far away, refreshed us. Once the kids started coming we decided that we still wanted to be able to "escape" on our beloved getaways and that we wanted our kiddos to enjoy them as well. The idea of going away from the business and stress of our real lives and spending time enjoying each other and making fun memories together inspired us to make a plan.

We decided that we wanted to get away once a year. Because our budget and time are limited we wanted somewhere we could drive to in a reasonable amount of time in our own vehicle. We also were looking for a place with lots for kids and families to do, that wasn't super expensive as we take other trips to visit family throughout the year. Our goal was to take time away to relax and have fun making memories together. We looked at a few destinations, but settled on Kansas City. We love Kansas City it has been a great family vacation destination full of many fun memories for us and our girls!

Here are our Favorite things to do with our kids in Kansas City:

Great Wolf Lodge

Our girls look forward to staying here all year long! It is a fantastic indoor water park with kids in mind. I really appreciate that they are very safety aware by having good lifeguards, the kind that actually pay attention, on duty in every area of the park, and providing life jackets and safe flotation devices. They also have lots of seating for parents who are watching but not swimming. My kids love it because it is super fun! My adventure loving girl adores the huge slides and will stand in line over and over. There is also a huge bucket that dumps water over an amazing water tree house. My quieter girl appreciates the shallow pool with the slower slides and fun fountains. They both love the pool for swimming and jumping and floating down the lazy river. In addition to great water fun, this Kansas City spot for kids features a fun wizards game played with live wands in the halls and a fun art room as well as an arcade, kids spa, restaurant and cafe. We almost always begin our family trip to Kansas City here simply because the girls can't wait to enjoy it! You can find more information about this stop on our Kansas City getaway using the link below.

T-Rex Cafe

Not far from Great Wolf Lodge, we always make this fun restaurant a stop on our Kansas City getaway. There is so much to look at, life sized dinosaurs, a huge fish tank and lots of life like scenes from the dinosaur era. The food is good and reasonably priced. We usually order first and then one of us walks the girls around to look at the displays as it sometimes takes a while to get your food. You can also pay a minor admission fee and enter the "dino excavation area" where kids can dig for bones and explore a miners cave. Fun, different, and very reasonably priced!

Science City

This fun Kansas City kid's attraction is located near Crown Center in the Union Station. That means not only can you have a ton of fun learning cool science concepts while you play, but you can see a lot of other cool stuff too. Last time we were there a science fair was set up, so we wandered and looked at all kinds of neat projects. There is also a kid's theater and traveling exhibit display housed in the building. You can use the link below to check our their site information. It's good to call ahead though as some of the attractions sell out fast.

Crayola Cafe

My artistic girl can hardly wait to eat at this unique venue. She loves the color and the art inspired menu names. It is located in the Crown Center Mall right next to the Crayola store. We usually visit the store first as there is a lot to see and then settle in to eat. The food is good but a touch pricey. Kids meals come with a fun crayon shaped cup and they get a neat place mat and fun colors to design it with while you wait.

Each year we try to do one new thing. You can use the links below to see just how many activities there are to choose from. There are things for every season and every price range. You can also plan by area you plan to be in. Here are a few pictures of fun things we have found to do! We hope your family has a much fun as we do on our Kansas City getaway.