With kids · Kansas City · United States
Kansas City with kids
Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: John LeCoque, Public domain
Quick answer
Kansas City works well with children: Science City and the Legoland and Sea Life attractions are under one connected roof at Crown Center, the zoo has a new aquarium, and barbecue restaurants are casual and noisy. Distances mean a car or rideshare is useful beyond the streetcar line. Top picks: Union Station and Science City, Legoland Discovery Center and Sea Life at Crown Center and Kansas City Zoo and Aquarium. Families usually base themselves in Crown Center and Union Station.
Key facts
- Family picks
- 6
- Best area for families
- Crown Center and Union Station
- Rainy-day options
- 3
Best things to do with kids
Architecture · Crown Center
1.Union Station and Science City
The 1914 Beaux-Arts station has a Grand Hall with a 95-foot ceiling and three huge chandeliers, and still serves Amtrak trains. The building also houses Science City, a hands-on science centre for children, plus a planetarium, a model railroad exhibit and touring exhibitions.
Walking through the Grand Hall is free; pair it with the WWI Museum across Pershing Road.
- Time needed
- 1 hour; 3 hours with Science City
- Cost
- Low cost
- Architecture
- Kids
- History
- Rainy day
- Photo spot
Aquarium · Crown Center
2.Legoland Discovery Center and Sea Life at Crown Center
Two indoor family attractions sit side by side in the Crown Center shopping complex: a Lego play centre with a Miniland model of the Kansas City skyline, and Sea Life, an aquarium with an ocean tunnel and touch pools. Both suit children under about ten best.
Combination tickets bought online cost less than paying for each at the door.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
Zoo · Swope Park
3.Kansas City Zoo and Aquarium
In Swope Park, one of the largest urban parks in the US, the zoo covers more than 200 acres with an African savanna section, a polar bear exhibit and the Sobela Ocean Aquarium, which opened in 2023. A train and a sky ride help with the distances.
Plan the African section first while children have energy; it is a long walk from the entrance.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Nature
Museum · River Market
4.Arabia Steamboat Museum
The steamboat Arabia sank in the Missouri River in 1856 carrying 200 tons of frontier supplies. The river moved, and in 1988 a family dug the wreck out of a Kansas cornfield; the museum displays what they found — boots, dishes, tools and preserved pickles — and the restoration lab where conservation continues.
Go on a weekend morning and combine it with the City Market stalls just outside.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Kids
- Rainy day
Experience · Truman Sports Complex
5.Chiefs or Royals game at the Truman Sports Complex
Arrowhead Stadium, home of the NFL's Chiefs, is known for tailgating that starts hours before kickoff and crowd noise once it does. Next door, Kauffman Stadium is the Royals' baseball park, with a 322-foot-wide fountain display beyond the outfield. Both stadiums sit beside I-70 about 12 km east of downtown.
Chiefs tickets are scarce and expensive; a Royals game in summer is the easier, family-friendly way to see a game.
- Time needed
- 4–6 hours with tailgating
- Cost
- Expensive
- Book ahead
- Chiefs home games usually sell out; buy through the team's official ticketing well ahead.
- Iconic
- Kids
- After dark
Museum · Country Club Plaza
6.Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
The neoclassical museum and its glass Bloch Building extension hold an encyclopedic collection, with particular strength in Chinese art, European paintings and photography. General admission is free. Outside, the Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park has Henry Moore bronzes and the four giant Shuttlecocks by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen scattered across the lawn.
Start in the Bloch Building and finish on the south lawn so you see the Shuttlecocks in late-afternoon light.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Art
- Free
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Rainy-day ideas
- Union Station and Science City — Walking through the Grand Hall is free; pair it with the WWI Museum across Pershing Road.
- Arabia Steamboat Museum — Go on a weekend morning and combine it with the City Market stalls just outside.
- Legoland Discovery Center and Sea Life at Crown Center — Combination tickets bought online cost less than paying for each at the door.
Where families should stay
$$$ · Best for families, first-timers and quiet stays
Crown Center and Union Station
Crown Center, built by Hallmark, combines hotels, a shopping centre with Legoland Discovery Center and Sea Life Kansas City, and a covered link to Union Station, home of Science City. The National WWI Museum and Memorial is across the road on the hill. It is the most practical base for families who want to walk to the children's attractions and ride the streetcar into town.
- Good
- Indoor walkways in bad weather; Children's attractions on site; Streetcar stop at Union Station
- Watch out
- Feels corporate after shopping hours; Few independent restaurants
- Nearby
- Union Station, Science City, National WWI Museum and Memorial, Sea Life Kansas City
Family travel tips
- Crown Center's covered walkway to Union Station keeps children out of the heat or cold.
- The Nelson-Atkins lawn with its giant Shuttlecocks is a free place for children to run.
- Royals games often have promotions and fireworks nights aimed at families.
- Pack hats and water in July and August, when afternoons are very hot.
- Worlds of Fun and the Oceans of Fun water park, north of the river, are open seasonally for older children.
Day trips for families
- Independence, Missouri (About 20 minutes by car) — Harry S.
- St. Joseph, Missouri (About 1 hour by car) — St.
When to go with children
The best months overall are April–May and September–October. Weather by month.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Kansas City good for kids?
Kansas City works well with children: Science City and the Legoland and Sea Life attractions are under one connected roof at Crown Center, the zoo has a new aquarium, and barbecue restaurants are casual and noisy. Distances mean a car or rideshare is useful beyond the streetcar line.
+What can kids do in Kansas City?
Union Station and Science City, Legoland Discovery Center and Sea Life at Crown Center, Kansas City Zoo and Aquarium, Arabia Steamboat Museum and Chiefs or Royals game at the Truman Sports Complex.
+Where should families stay in Kansas City?
Crown Center and Union Station: Hallmark's office-and-shopping complex beside the grand 1914 railway station.