Are We There Yet?

Kansas City is as family-friendly a city as they come. The metro area is chock-full of outdoor sculptures and fountains, parks, museums and attractions, all within easy reach.

BY KELLY BARBIERI

To visit the metro area’s family-oriented destinations, hop on the KC trolley (an all-day ticket allows riders to get off and on as often as they like) and check out the city’s open plazas and green spaces, including Loose Park and Country Club Plaza. You can also hit the Old World marketplace for a little bit of shopping.

If your kiddies have a penchant for theme parks, plan a day trip to Worlds of Fun, located 10 minutes from downtown and accessible by the Metro bus. The amusement park covers more than 235 acres of land and is listed as the No. 1 tourist attraction in Kansas City.

The traditional amusement park is themed around Jules Verne’s adventure book Around the World in Eighty Days, and features more than 100 rides and attractions, including six roller coasters, a host of thrill rides and an award-winning live entertainment roster.

The park’s water section, Oceans of Fun, is one of the largest water parks in the Midwest, offering fun for guests of all ages, including Paradise Falls, a four-story interactive attraction that features water cannons, water slides and a 1,000-gallon bucket that empties every five minutes on guests below; the Buccaneer Bay, where you can test your seamanship aboard a challenging kayak or canoe; and Coconut Cove, a huge “superpool” offering 20,000 square feet of fun.

You can also take the tykes over to Camp Snoopy, which features several rides and attractions designed especially for smaller children. Hosted by the world-famous Peanuts characters, Camp Snoopy encourages children and parents to spend the day together enjoying family versions of Worlds of Fun’s most popular rides.

Tickets prices are $38 for adults and children 48 inches or taller, and $12 for children older than three years old and shorter than 48 inches. Children younger than three are admitted free.

If you’re in the mood for an amusement park-like atmosphere, but the weather isn’t cooperating, head to Cool Crest Family Fun Center, which has more than 50 years of entertaining experience. While it might not boast roller coasters or wave pools, it does feature four 18-hole mini-golf courses, a 7,000-square-foot arcade, a go-cart track and heaps of batting cages. If you’re hungry, there’s a pizzeria that serves a host of family-friendly fare.

Kiddies and parents with artistic minds can find their muse at Kaleidoscope, located in the heart of KC. Here, visitors can create one-of-a-kind artwork, design their own unique puzzle, even construct a skyscraper using scrap material provided by Kansas City-based Hallmark Cards. The exhibit is specifically designed for children 5 to 13. During the school year, it tends to be booked up with school groups, but the experience is such a treat for the kids that it’s worth trying to make a reservation.

Kaleidoscope also offers free 55-minute sessions throughout the year. Favorite activities include a stroll through a country-themed area, where kids can ride on the back of a giant bug, and the city-themed area, where children can construct tall buildings in a single bound.

A definite stop should be Science City, where kids can play and have an educational experience simultaneously. Let curiosity be your guide through more than 50 interactive areas, providing some real hands-on fun. It is located in Kansas City’s historic Union Station, a fully restored 1914 landmark home to a permanent rail exhibit with vintage rail cars, a planetarium, a giant-screen movie theater and a live theater. “You can come to Science City for a couple of hours, then spend the rest of the day exploring everything else Union Station has to offer,” says Sarah Biles, Union Station’s marketing director.

Once at Science City, head to the Dino Lab, where everyone in the family can indulge their interest in dinosaurs. Union Station and the University of Kansas have formed a partnership to develop this unique laboratory, the largest of its kind in America. For the first time anywhere, the whole scientific process involved in prepping dinosaur specimens will be on full public display. You can see it all, from the delicate work of extracting the ancient bones encased in rock to the pouring of plastic replicas. While the venue is marketed to kids, Science City’s demographic spans generations. “I have seen adults come in here and have a great time without children, but mostly the parents get involved in the interactive experience with their children,” Biles says. “Either way, everyone has a good time.”

There is also fun for the whole family (yes, even hard-to-please teens) at Paradise Park, located in Lee’s Summit, about 30 minutes west of KC. The complex is divided into two areas: the Children’s Edutainment Center and the Family Entertainment Center. The CEdC caters to children nine years old and younger and their parents. It’s fun, but it’s also interactive learning. Through imagination and play, children are given all the tools they need to build creativity and social skills. The FEC is geared toward teens, and features activities such as batting cages, mini golf, a climbing wall, bumper cars and an arcade.

Paradise Park boasts both indoor and outdoor areas, but perhaps the most unique entertainment is the foam factory. Fire foam balls through air-powered cannons, geysers and blasters. The multi-level factory allows you to choose a side, or fend for yourself. Blast cannons at competitors while maneuvering across platforms, climbing cargo nets and sliding down the tunnel slide.

Indoors or outdoors—educational, artistic or thrilling—Kansas City has plenty of family fun to keep children of all ages and temperaments entertained and involved.

YOUR GUIDE TO KANSAS CITY FAMILY FUN

Worlds of Fun
www.worldsoffun.com

Science City
www.sciencecity.com

Union Station
www.unionstation.org

Kaleidoscope
www.hmkaleidoscope.com

Cool Crest Family Fun Center
www.coolcrest.com

Paradise Park
www.paradise-park.com