Top 20 Places to Take Kids in and around Kansas City - 2021
2021 Best Places for Kids in the Kansas City region!
2021's best places to take kids in the Kansas City area, based on KidsOutAndAbout's annual reader survey. But there is LOTS more to do around the area...Get great ideas here at KidsOutAndAbout.com! The terrific organizations listed below are just the starting point: Browse through our site and calendar to find lots more, sign up for our fabulous weekly e-newsletter, and be sure to click on Everything That's Free.
1. Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead
The Farmstead is designed to depict a 1900's Kansas family farm. Visit the nearly 250 animals and birds of prey, learn about growing flowers and vegetables, experience a Kanza Indian encampment or a one-room school house, and take a stroll through main street to the fishing pond. Deanna Rose brings the charm of the farm to children living in the city. Children treasure such memories as bottle feeding baby goats, fishing and taking a horse drawn wagon ride through the woods.
2. Kansas City Zoo
The Kansas City Zoo is located in historic Swope Park. With more than 1,700 animals and over 200 acres, the Zoo is the most affordable fun in Kansas City! With its world-class exhibits and exceptional programs, the Zoo attracts visitors from around the world and families from close to home.
3. C.W. Parker Carousel Museum
The museum tells the history of C.W. Parker who produced carousels in Leavenworth, KS. Visitors are able to ride a 1913 Parker Carousel.
4. Urban Air Adventure Park
If you’re looking for the best year-round indoor adventure and amusements in Overland Park, Lenexa, the rest of Johnson County or beyond, Urban Air Adventure Park is the perfect place. With new adventures behind every corner, we are the ultimate indoor playground for your entire family. Take your kids’ birthday party to the next level or spend a day of fun with the family and you’ll see why we’re more than just a trampoline park. Conveniently located at 87th/435 and 143rd/Metcalf.
5. Science City
Science City is a place of wonder, where kids and adults can find something new with each visit. Throw the don't touch mindset out the window. There are no tests and no wrong or right answers, just a chance to explore with freedom and pure imagination.
6. Wonderscope Children's Museum of Kansas City
Wonderscope is the region’s only fully accessible, nonprofit children’s museum dedicated to providing STEAM – Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math – educational experiences for young children and their families. Wonderscope features 30,000 square feet of indoor exploration and 1/2 acre of year-round outdoor adventure, all with a unique Kansas City theme. The museum is easily accessible via public transportation and major roadways.
7. The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures
The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures preserves and exhibits the world's largest collection of fine-scale miniatures and one of the nation's largest collections of antique toys.
8. Worlds of Fun/ Oceans of Fun
Kansas City's amusement park with 235 acres of family rides, thrill rides & waterslides including 7 world-class rollercoasters and Oceans of Fun.
9. My Local Library
Of course, the libraries in the Kansas City area are not really ONE place, but MANY places... but it's important to emphasize how valuable libraries are for family learning and fun. The libraries in our area are wonderful about posting their events to the KidsOutAndAbout calendar so you always can get ideas for free things to do with your kids that celebrate education and imagination. KidsOutAndAbout.com takes this opportunity to salute the wonderful children's librarians who serve our community with such dedication. They're proud that locals voted them to the best places to take kids this year!
10. Union Station
You can still catch the train at Union Station's AMTRAK STOP and head out across the country. You'll also find a permanent rail exhibit called the KC RAIL EXPERIENCE, exhibit spaces for traveling exhibits produced by the Smithsonian, National Geographic and other international organizations, a PLANETARIUM, an interactive science center SCIENCE CITY and a vibrant Theater District featuring GIANT-SCREEN MOVIES, LIVE THEATER, and so much more.
11. KC Parks
For 125 years, Kansas City, Missouri Parks and Recreation has provided facilities, programs and recreational opportunities for the community that contribute to an aesthetically pleasing environment and enhanced quality of life. The department maintains 221 parks, 12,242 acres of parkland, 158 miles of trails and bikeways, 29 lakes, hundreds of athletic fields and tennis courts, 103 playgrounds, and five public golf courses. Miles of scenic boulevards and parkways crisscross the city, where 48 fountains and 122 monuments and sculptures surprise and delight. Ten community centers, along with eight museums, provide the setting for socially equitable and community-driven programming.
12. The Nelson - Atkins Museum of Art
We welcome and provide free admission to all, and deliver unparalleled opportunities to enjoy, appreciate and understand the finest visual arts and the varied cultures they represent—on our campus, online, and throughout Kansas City.
Every day, in all we do, the Nelson-Atkins is committed to nurturing excellence, inspiring creativity and building community through the power of art.
13. Chicken N Pickle
Chicken N Pickle is a unique, indoor/outdoor entertainment complex located in North Kansas City. It's a family-friendly destination featuring pickleball courts, a variety of yard games, a rooftop bar and a full-service restaurant using locally sourced foods to offer delicious dishes, including kids meals for $5 and under. Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America and Chicken N Pickle offers pickleball lessons, junior clinics, and hosts charity tournaments for all skill levels. Its mission is to provide an atmosphere that fosters fun, friendship, and community.
14. Kaleidoscope
Kaleidoscope nourishes the creative spirit. It is a place where children and their families are invited to be creative, have fun, and feel good about their own special ideas.
15. Boulevard Drive-In Theatre
The Boulevard leads the way in digital technology, and was the first drive in theater in the world to install digital sound and 4K resolution digital projection! card. Double-feature drive-in movies at a classic, family-friendly venue with a snack bar & a playground.
16. Kansas City Starlight Theatre
Starlight Theatre Association is dedicated to producing, presenting and promoting excellence in musical theatre and the performing arts for diverse audiences of all ages, with continued programming for families and children.
17. LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Kansas City
LEGOLAND Discovery Center is the ultimate indoor LEGO playground with 2 rides, 10 LEGO build & play zones, a 4D cinema & much more!
18. Louisburg Cider Mill
In the spring of 1977, just outside of Louisburg, KS on K-68 Highway, the groundwork began for the opening of a fledgling roadside Apple Cider stand that was to be called the Louisburg Cider Mill.
Planted through the vision of a serial entrepreneur named Emmett O’Rear, and cultivated for decades by visionary leaders Tom and Shelly Schierman and an incredibly loyal team of associates, the Louisburg Cider Mill has grown to become one of Kansas’ premier attractions, and a draw throughout the Midwest.
19. Museum at Prairiefire
The Museum at Prairiefire is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to meaningful learning and engagement with science, culture, art and natural history.
As well as hosting a variety of dynamic, authentic Natural History, Science and Art exhibitions, the Museum at Prairiefire offerings include regular events, interactive activities and programs for adults and children.
See stunning artifacts from national and regional collections, let the kids explore in the the Discovery Room, or get out of this world with a Virtual Reality Experience. Join us for Science Happy Hour, Cinema & Science or bring out the kids for The Little Explorers Club. There’s something for everyone, and any age!
20. The Coterie Theatre
The Coterie Theatre, named "One of the Five Best Theaters for Young Audiences" in the U.S. by TIME magazine, provides unique theatre experiences for families and young audiences. The company is nationally recognized for its one-of-a-kind programming that features a year-round season of live plays and musicals on the company's mainstage, for which individual, group, and season tickets are available.
Winners in Special Categories
In the second part of our survey, we asked readers to select their favorites in the categories of arts education, sports/physical education, and STEM education. These were the winners:Top Arts Educator
The Coterie TheatreThe Coterie Theatre, named "One of the Five Best Theaters for Young Audiences" in the U.S. by TIME magazine, provides unique theatre experiences for families and young audiences. The company is nationally recognized for its one-of-a-kind programming that features a year-round season of live plays and musicals on the company's mainstage, for which individual, group, and season tickets are available.
Top Sports Educator
YMCA of Greater Kansas CityEverything the Y does is in service of making us—as individuals and a community—better. From advocacy to early education, disease prevention to sports, swim lessons to after school programs, everything we do helps strengthen our neighborhoods and the people who live here. When you join the Y, you're committing to more than simply becoming healthier. You're supporting the values and programs that strengthen our community.
Top STEM Educator
STEAM StudioSTEAM Studio provides the opportunity for all ages to explore, innovate and collaborate on STEAM activities and challenges. Everything we do starts with the Design Thinking process. It's our foundation for coaching kids to solve problems and challenges, and to become 21st century global citizens! Our offerings include after-school programs, field trips, summer camps, Scout programs as well as professional development opportunities for teachers.
