Family Adventure in Chicago

Are you looking for a fun family adventure within driving distance from St. Louis? Look no further than Chicago (a 5 hour drive)!! We visited my family in Milwaukee for Thanksgiving this year and wanted to take our daughters to Chicago for a little mini-vacation beforehand. My 5 year old has been wanting to either visit Chicago or South America (she learned about both in school). Out of these two, my husband and I thought Chicago was a little more doable, ha! 

We planned most of our trip with CityPASS, a fantastic way to save money on attractions in lots of cities. This was our four daughters’ first time exploring the city, so we were excited to check out as many attractions and museums as we could fit in. You can save a whopping 48% on regular admission prices, which was so great for our family. I downloaded the free CityPASS app and it was super easy to select my tickets of what attractions we chose. When we arrived at an attraction, I just pulled up our app and we were good to go to show our tickets! 

Our 4-Day Chicago Itinerary

 

Day 1: 

Drove to Chicago 

Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo (free)

The Farm-in-the-Zoo (free) 

Checked into our hotel (Loews Chicago Hotel)

Walked from our hotel to the Shoreline Sightseeing Architecture River Tour

(We timed this just as the sun was setting, which I recommend because the city lights were beautiful)!

 

Day 2: 

Sloomoo Institute 

American Girl Doll Store & Cafe (ate lunch with my girls’ dolls)

Museum of Ice Cream 

Swam in our hotel indoor pool

 

Day 3: 

Skydeck Chicago

The Bean 

Maggie Daley Park

Christkindl Market

 

Day 4: 

Check out of Loews Chicago Hotel

Shedd Aquarium 

Field Museum 

Museum of Science and Industry

Drive to Milwaukee for Thanksgiving!

In this blog, I’ll share 5 of our attractions that we chose through CityPASS. I partnered with CityPASS for this trip, which I was so thankful for. I highly recommend them as a company! Everything was seamless for booking attractions. I’ll share the other attractions in another blog post. 

Shoreline Sightseeing Architecture River Tour

Since this was our girls’ first trip to Chicago, we wanted to choose something that would give them a view of the city. This boat tour was just incredible! Our tour was at 4:45pm, which I highly recommend! We arrived as the sun was setting and then we were blown away by the lights of the city as the boat moved throughout the city. Many buildings had Christmas lights up too! This was a 60 minute tour with a guide speaking through the history and architecture of Chicago. The guide was very knowledgeable and we learned a lot! 

There is a deck on the top of the boat with benches and chairs. We brought out all of our winter gear (my girls wore their snowsuits) and it was really needed with the wind and cooler weather. Stairs lead to the cabin with a cafe to order hot chocolate and some other snacks. There are restrooms around the corner too. At the front of the boat was a small viewing area and you could still hear the guide over the speaker. 

I think my favorite part of the tour was reaching Lake Michigan and then the boat slowly turned for us to take in the view of the whole Chicago skyline at night. It was so incredible!

Skydeck Chicago

We saw Chicago by boat and then Chicago from Willis Tower the next day! Skydeck is located in Willis Tower, which is the third-tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. This is the highest observation deck in the United States!! We rode the elevator up to the 103rd floor and then viewed Chicago from the observation windows. Luckily, we had a clear and sunny day, so we saw buildings pretty far out! 

This location was where I was extremely thankful we had the CityPASS. There was an expedited line so we didn’t need to wait in the line for the elevator. After we took our time observing through the windows, we walked to the Ledge (also on the 103rd floor). The Ledge is made up of 5 glass floor balconies with 1.5 inches of thick glass! You can look straight down and see how tall we were–it was crazy! The Ledge is included with admission and there was a separate line for CityPASS holders too! We were able to go to the Ledge three times with our tickets and skip the lines. Each party gets 90 seconds for photos, so it was nice we could go more than once. 

Shedd Aquarium

I have such fond memories of visiting Shedd Aquarium when I was younger. This is the 3rd largest aquarium in the Western Hemisphere (after the Georgia Aquarium & Monterey Bay Aquarium). There are 32,600 different species of sea life at Shedd and you could easily spend all day here! First we walked to the Abbott Oceanarium where we saw Beluga whales swimming close by. You can view the whales and dolphins above water, but you can also take the stairs down to view them from under water! The penguins, sea otters and starfish are downstairs too. 

We saw one of the free Aquatic shows, which happened to be on dolphins! This was a fantastic show. Another favorite section was the Wild Reef. I recommend hopping in line for this right away, because there is an elevator ride to arrive at the Wild Reef. This leads to the sharks in its own underground wing. There are 540 species of life shown in this public display!

Field Museum

Next to Shedd Aquarium is the Field Museum. The Field Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum in Chicago. It is one of the largest natural history museums in the world. It has more than 24 million objects and explores more than 4.6 billion years of history!!

Here are two of our favorite exhibits we saw:

The Evolving Planet:

View SUE, the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex ever discovered! They have both fossils and casts of MANY dinosaurs and animals. The exhibit starts with single-celled organisms and walks through the years and stages of history until early humans. 

Inside Ancient Egypt:

This exhibit explores a burial chamber that dates back to 2400 BC! There are 23 human mummies and 30 animal mummies. There are floor-to-ceiling hieroglyphs too!

Museum of Science and Industry

Located in the only remaining building from the 1893’s World’s Fair, this is the largest science museum in the Western Hemisphere. There are hundreds of exhibits and 35,000 artifacts!! We loved walking beside the WWII German U-Boat (only one of five remaining U-boats in the world) and exploring through the mirror maze. One of the neatest things we did was descend into the mine shaft! We loved learning about the technology and history of coal mining. 

Because we went during the winter season, we loved seeing the “Christmas Around the World” exhibit. There are more than 50 Christmas trees decorated! Each tree is decorated by a different country. It was so interesting to learn about different customs and traditions!

Overall, we just loved these Chicago attractions and museums. I felt like there was so much more to learn and discover here. We can’t wait to return as a family again soon!

Family Adventure Camp: Philmont

Camp Philmont

Family Adventure Camp: Philmont

Philmont is 140,000 acres in New Mexico, making it the largest youth camp in the country. There are over 315 miles of trails and 770 campsites. Philmont is a high adventure base for Boy Scouts of America (one of the 3 locations in the US). We had a blast last summer at Family Adventure Camp at Bechtel Summit Reserve in West Virginia. We were excited to try this location this summer! Philmont is a new location for me and our daughters, but my husband, Mark,  has been here for Scouts growing up. 

Family Adventure Camp at Philmont includes lots of fun activities (hikes, climbing, outdoor adventures and camping). It is family-friendly for all ages and you don’t have to be in Scouts to attend. It is open to anyone (all ages and all skill levels). You choose your own adventure and pick an itinerary that works for your family. There is a half week or full week option. You can choose to do the scheduled activities or just rest and take in the scenery too. Each day, our family chose our own adventure. There are different tracks or schedules that you can choose from. Because of our kids’ younger ages (ages 7, 5, 3 and 8 months old), we chose the “Mini Bear,” where our experiences were targeted to younger children. 

We were partnered with other young families in the same track we chose, which was just so fun to get to meet other adventure families!

Each event and hike is guided by a great and supportive staff. Philmont hires over 1,000 summer staff to run programs, treks and Family Adventure Camp.

Lodging

We stayed at one of the glamping tents for the week. There is a queen-sized bed and a separate room with 2 bunk beds (4 twin beds). The beds were super comfy, there was electricity, a ceiling fan and all linens were provided (pillows, sheets and blankets). The main room was spacious enough where we could put a pack n’ play next to our bed (for our 8 month old to sleep in). There were groups of 4 glamping tents facing each other with a gas campfire in the middle. It was really nice to start up quickly for s’mores!

The bathrooms are in a building next to the glamping tents and are all family style, where the toilet and shower are in one room. The restrooms were so clean and also enclosed (not open to the air). Towels are included, but bring your own shampoo and body soap.

Food

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are all included with Family Adventure Camp Philmont. The food is great and they offer kids’ meal options for some days too. For example, there were corn dogs offered one night when there was a more spicy meal offered. There is a large outdoor covered patio or also a larger room indoors to eat. A highlight for my kids were the plethora of drink options from milk to Gatorade to lemonade! High chairs were available as well. 

Included Child Care

Small Fry Center is included with Family Adventure Camp (no additional charges). There is a building on the property with amazing staff members to watch children from baby to 6 years old. If your kid is above age 6, they have a separate kids’ program called “Trappers.” 

Small Fry has their own weekly schedule with fun events going on too. Our kids were mostly with us, but it was really nice to have this option. You can drop off your kids for as little or up to the full days. While we were here, it was our 8th wedding anniversary. On our anniversary, Mark and I dropped our girls off while we went for a walk and grabbed milk shakes! It was so nice to have the time as just the two of us. 

Some parents were here for a conference, so their kids were at Small Fry the whole day and there was a weekly schedule for them (and they took them to lunch). Some of the high adventure activities offered are for a certain age, so it is nice to have the option to drop off younger kids if needed too.

Evening Family Events

In addition to the fun daily activities, there are free events to choose from in the evenings. One night we had Junior Wrangler night. We fed the ponies, goats and other animals! Another night was Western Night, where we dressed in our Western attire, ate buffalo burgers (from buffalo raised on Philmont’s land) and tried line dancing! I think my favorite evening event was Happy Trails night with lawn games, branding, dinner & ice cream and face painting.

camp philmont

Activity Choices:

High Ropes Course & Climbing Tower

Our 3 older kids tried the climbing tower (auto belay). There was one section with a slight incline, which was perfect for new climbers. The high ropes course is for ages 11 and up, so my husband and I adventured up there. This was something out of my comfort zone (my legs were shaking, ha!), but I loved showing my kids that I can try new things too! Our girls also tried crate stacking while here. You stand on a crate and are handed a second crate. You have to balance and climb onto the new crate without falling! Our 7yo made it to 9 crates (she was attached to a harness to catch her when she fell). I believe the current record is 23 crates!

Craft Center

Imagine pretty much any art you can create in one place…and this is it. It is open every day (can visit more than once). From painting pottery to mosaics to tie dye to leather stamping to resin, there is so much to create here. There is even a maker’s space with a sewing machine, sand art and lots to paint. The staff helped encourage our family to try new crafts. My 7yo made her own pottery cup while taking a pottery spinning class for the first time!

Lover's Leap Hike

This was our favorite hike! A guide led us on this family-friendly 3 mile hike. It was 1.5 miles to an incredible overlook. The trail goes into a canyon with epic views along the trail. We initially had to delay our hike because of thunder, but we were still able to complete it. 

Hunting Lodge Campout

We were driven to a one night tent campout next to the historic hunting lodge of Waite Phillips. Phillips gave 127,000 acres of his favorite ranch in New Mexico to Boy Scouts of America. The iconic Cathedral Rock just above the Cimarroncito Reservoir was beautiful. We received a tour of Phillips’ historic hunting cabin, had a chuckwagon campfire meal (yummy biscuits over chili) and storytime around the campfire. The wonderful staff set up our tent, gave us sleeping pads and pillows/linens. This was a fun one night trip before returning back to our glamping tent! In the morning, we hiked 1 mile down to the reservoir with our 2 guides. Staff picked up our gear and then picked us up from the reservoir to drive back. The wildflowers here were incredible. 

Abreu Homestead Camp

We were led by staff to a beautiful Mexican homestead camp. We learned about the homestead here in the wilderness and what life was like in the early 1900s. The staff was dressed in character (the backcountry staff lives here all summer). We saw how they lived and even helped to make Adobe bricks. My girls were living their best life by packing mud into the brick molds! There was also the BEST root beer in the trading post here, which tasted even more amazing after the hike here.

Dino Hike

Philmont is home to one of the only two confirmed Tyrannosaurus Rex footprints in the world! This is a 2.25 mile round trip hike. Super kid-friendly! The trail winded through a beautiful valley. In 1963, geologist Charles Pillmore discovered a 96cm long fossil footprint. It is a fossilized track of the hind foot of a T-Rex from 65-70 million years ago. A little further up the trail, we saw the fossil of a Hydrosaur claw.

Archery & Shooting Range

From shotguns to archery to BB guns to sling shots to ax throwing, there was so much to explore here. It was my 5yo’s first time with a bow and arrow. She loved it. Staff gave us dog food for the slingshots, which attracted “Chunk” the squirrel who kept a close eye on the dog food!

Pony Rides

Riding Mickey the unicorn was a huge highlight for my girls! Our girls loved brushing the ponies and learning more about their care. We also held chickens, fed goats and donkeys! This was such a peaceful and fun experience. 

There is so much history at Philmont and we enjoyed learning more about the area and people. We learned about the Santa Fe trail at the Kit Carson Museum and also learned about the origins of Scouting at the national Scouting Museum.

Our week at Philmont’s Family Adventure Camp was such a positive experience. I just can’t say enough about this beautiful place. We made many happy family memories here and look forward to more future adventures here! 

To reserve your Family Adventure Camp adventure, head here to find out more!

A Weekend in Kansas City

weekend in Kansas City

Looking for the perfect weekend trip from St. Louis? Just 3.5 hours away, Kansas City makes the ideal family-friendly getaway. 

This was our family’s first time exploring Kansas City! We had been last year visiting Great Wolf Lodge, but had yet ventured throughout the city. We were frankly blown away by all of the options to choose from!

Weekend in Kansas City

Kansas City Lodging

We stayed for two nights at Hilton Kansas City Country Club Plaza (779 W 47th Street, Kansas City, MO). Our room was very comfortable with 2 queen beds on one side of the room and one pull-out couch on the other side. A main highlight for our kids (and parents too!) was the fun panel to swim in between the indoor and outdoor pools!

There is a free, public parking garage across the street from the Hilton. We chose to self-park in the garage attached to the hotel–which was super easy to take the elevator from the lobby to our van. 

We overall loved this location because we enjoyed walking up and down the Country Club Plaza. This area is 15 city blocks with dozens of fountains, restaurants and shops! All of the architecture is Spanish-inspired and it was just so peaceful!!

Day 1

 

We arrived in the afternoon and checked into our hotel. We saw the outdoor pool from our hotel window and quickly changed into our suits! After swimming to our heart’s content, we walked to dinner from the hotel. We walked around the Country Club Plaza and were happy to eat at Brio Italian Grille. The service was quick, the food was great and in large portions and my kids loved the bendable plastic straws that could move into silly shapes.

Day 2

Breakfast: Messenger Coffee Co 

We started our morning here at the Country Club Plaza location just up the street from our hotel. Our favorite pastry was the blackberry crumble! Right outside of the shop is a warthog sculpture (replica of one in Florence), which we rubbed for good luck. 

Address: 318 W 47th St, Kansas City, MO 64112

LEGOLAND Discovery Center

 We arrived a little before 10am (when they opened). I’d allow for some time to park in the parking garage near Crown Center. I really liked this plaza because LEGOLAND and SeaLife are located in the same building, and then our lunch spot was just right across the street at Crown Center. There are over 2 million LEGO bricks in this one-story center. I appreciated the one story because it was easier to keep an eye on our kiddos. Highlights for us were the Earthquake Table (where we designed buildings and then placed on a mat that shook) or the LEGO Pizzeria (where my daughters could design their own LEGO brick pizzas and even slide them in a LEGO oven). There was a separate room to see Kansas City in LEGO bricks and there was a switch to see day and night! The interactive car racing was a blast. The “Design-your-own Quilt Square” was a blast too, where we designed a square out of LEGO bricks and added it to a wall next to other decorated squares. 

Address: 2475 Grand Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64108

Lunch: Fritz’s Railroad Restaurant

All aboard!! After LEGOLAND, we walked across the street to Crown Center. Every table in this iconic train restaurant gets food delivered by an overhead train! We ordered by phone and had fun watching the train carry a basket of burgers for us. There were even fun conductor hats to wear!

Address: 2450 Grand Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64108

weekend in kansas city

SEA LIFE Aquarium

After lunch, we walked back across the street to enter SEA LIFE. This is the same entrance as LEGOLAND, so it was easy to navigate and figure out where to go. Each day around 1pm, the larger tank with sharks, sting rays and larger fish are fed. We all had fun watching this! The aquarium is all one level (similar to LEGOLAND), but it was extensive and seemed large. There were many exhibits to view and it was hands-on, especially with the touch pool! My favorite exhibit was the seadragons! We could have spent much longer here than we initially thought. 

Address: 2475 Grand Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64108

Science City at Union Station

This is one of the top 25 science centers in the country…and I was shocked. 92,000 square feet with over 300 interactive exhibits. It is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2024 and there is just so much to explore here!! We really could have spent all day here and not seen everything. There is an extensive indoor and outdoor space to explore here, as well as a new robotics exhibit, illusions experience and dinosaur dig. We all created art in the Makerspace, we walked through a cave and my husband rode the SkyBike! There is a kids’ climbing area, a mirror maze, a water table exhibit and so much more. 

Address: 30 West Pershing Road, Kansas City, MO 64108

weekend in kansas city

Disney100: The Exhibition

After Science City, we went downstairs at Union Station to the new Disney exhibit. This exhibit goes through the history of Disney over the past 100 years. Walt Disney began his animation career right in the heart of Kansas City. Kansas City is one of the first three cities to host the historic North American tour!

There were so many different props and artifacts, like Cinderella’s slipper. There were also some interactive exhibits where we could listen behind-the-scenes to different movies, like Frozen and The Little Mermaid. My kids’ favorite exhibit was hearing different languages while watching Moana and Encanto (they could select the language to listen to)!! It was so interesting to see the actors and voices behind each language presented. My favorite was seeing the history of Walt Disney and how he built Disney and the creation of his story boards. The exhibit ends with Disney’s quote: “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”

Address: 30 West Pershing Road, Kansas City, MO 64108

Dinner: Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que

This is one of Kansas City’s best barbecue restaurants and Joe has earned national recognition. Originally sold from this gas station location, there was a line out of the door and many tables inside to sit and enjoy. After our very fun day of exploring, we definitely built up an appetite. The ribs were the best we had ever had. Seriously, they were incredible. 

Address: 3002 W. 47th Avenue, Kansas City, KS 66103

Day 3

Breakfast: Mildred’s

We woke up feeling rested after yesterday’s fun and busy day (the kids slept through the night- yay!). We checked out of our hotel and ate breakfast at Mildred’s. It is a family owned and operated cafe that serves delicious home-made pastries. Their cinnamon rolls or the gooey butter pastry were winners in our books! We loved the relaxing vibe here. It was a tasty and great stop. 

Address: 1901 Wyandotte St, Kansas City, MO 64108

Penguin Park

Our original plan was to make a stop at Penguin Park after breakfast. This park has a 26-foot kangaroo slide and a 23-foot penguin to play inside! Due to the pouring rain, we were unable to play here, but I did walk around to get some of these pictures to show you. 

Address: 919 E 14th Ave, North Kansas City, MO 64116

North Kansas City Public Library

Since we had time before The Rabbit hOle opened, we stopped at the nearby North Kansas City Public LIbrary. There were some animals on display, many toys and books, as well as relaxing chairs by multiple cozy fireplaces. What a lovely and peaceful library!!

Address: 2251 Howell St., North Kansas City, MO 64116

The Rabbit hOle

I would have come to Kansas City just to experience this gem. As an elementary school teacher now turned stay-at-home mom, I’ve read a fair amount of children’s books. So I was just thrilled to see this brand new literary experience in North Kansas City. To enter the exhibit, you climb down into a huge cave-like rabbit hole and then emerge into a magical immersive museum.  Your favorite children’s books are brought back to life!! They have copies of children’s books by each exhibit, so you can sit and read the book together as a family. Some of our favorites were Strega Nona, Caps for Sale, Frog & Toad and My Father’s Dragon. Make sure to check out the Goodnight Moon exhibit behind the bookstore/gift shop. This truly is a world of wonder and reminded me so much of the City Museum, but all book-themed!

Address: 919 E 14th Ave, North Kansas City, MO 64116

Lunch: Chicken N Pickle

This is Chicken N Pickle’s original location, which opened in North Kansas City in 2016! There is now a second operation now in Overland Park. There is also a location that opened recently in St. Louis (which we haven’t visited yet), so we loved checking this out. It was great food and a fun family-friendly environment. The rain let up after lunch and we played outside after eating lunch. There are lots of yard games here (Bean bag toss, Battleship, Jenga) in addition to pickleball courts!

Address: 1761 Burlington St, North Kansas City, MO 64116

Kansas City, you were so good to us!! We quickly fell in love with this beautiful city. From the unique museums to immersive experiences to great food, Kansas City is so family-friendly. Not to mention, it was just a quick car ride from St. Louis. We are already looking forward to our next trip!

A Weekend in Wichita

A Weekend in Wichita

Just 5 hours from St. Louis, Wichita is the heart of the country and it is the largest city in Kansas. This weekend in Wichita was our first time exploring Kansas and our family was floored by the natural beauty, as well as the rich history of this area.

We explored Wichita for 2 nights/3 days over 4th of July. Here is a snapshot of what we visited while there. 

A Weekend in Wichita

Weekend in Wichita Day 1: 

OJ Watson Park 

We had a blast exploring this 119-acre park in Wichita. They offer a miniature train ride, pony rides, miniature golf, paddle boat rentals and $1 sno-cones!! We really liked the train ride around the lake. It reminded us of the St. Louis Zoo train and we saw many ducks swimming!

Exploration Place

Think Science Center + Magic House in St. Louis! There are lots of hands-on exhibits. Wichita claimed the Air Capital of the World in 1928 (and it still is true today), hence the many airplanes here. My favorite exhibit was the interactive medieval castle! The Children’s area is all-things Kansas, including lots of farming and gardening topics. To end our visit, we viewed a movie in the largest dome theater in Kansas (attached to Exploration Place). We saw “Sea Lion: Life by a Whisker,” which followed a sea lion colony in Australia.

Keeper of the Plains

Along the Arkansas River, there is an incredible urban trail!! It is more than 10 miles long. It goes right by the Exploration Place! We walked along this trail and viewed the lighting of the Keeper of the Plains statue. At 9pm each night in the summer (weather-dependent), the Keeper of the Plains statue has a ring of fire for 15 minutes. This 44 foot sculpture honors the region’s original citizens and has become a special symbol for Wichita. This is the spot where the Big and Little Arkansas rivers join. 

Boats & Bikes

We rented a pedal boat and watched fireworks along the Arkansas River! Our boat rental was right along the riverfront. There is also a public dock here, so you can bring your boat for no charge. They have life jackets here for kiddos 30lbs and up, so make sure to bring a proper infant life jacket if needed. The fireworks were over the river and it was so unique to view them from the pedal boat. People lined up to watch fireworks on both sides of the river too!

Weekend in Wichita Day 2: 

Field Station: Dinosaurs

We started the morning with dinosaurs! There are over 40 life-sized and realistic dinosaurs here!! Seriously so cool. We walked along the trail to view the dinosaurs up close. There are informational signs by each one to learn more. We also really enjoyed the fun shows (included with admission). We saw a show on the mighty T-Rex, which included fun facts and songs. There is also a dinosaur maze, digging site, bounce house and more. 

Tanganyika Wildlife Park

Then, we went to one of the most unique places we have ever visited: Tanganyika! Mark swam with penguins (the only place in the USA), I fed the lions and our girls fed giraffes and rhinos! We had a meet-and-greet with the penguins and rhinos, where we learned more about these animals, fed them and pet them. The rhinos were much softer than I thought! There are many animals to view and pet (my girls’ favorite animals to pet were the kangaroos). The splash pad and playground were right next to covered pavilions and a concession stand. They really thought of everything here and we definitely could have spent more time here. 

Gallery Alley

This interactive alley is in downtown Wichita. It features a large spider! My favorite art installation was the “make a wave” exhibit. You pull on the rope to cause other ropes to move, creating a wave!

Gallery Alley Wichita

Weekend in Wichita Day 3: 

Great Plains Nature Center

This is a fantastic and free nature center just outside of Wichita! Head inside the nature center first to pick up free turtle food. Inside here, there are many exhibits and animals for viewing. It blew me away! Outside, there are many short trails including boardwalks, which I could walk on all day. We had so much fun feeding the turtles and (very large) fish off of the boardwalk. 

Great Plains Nature Center Wichita
Great Plains Nature Center Wichita

Cowtown Museum

We then stepped back into time at Cowtown! There are over 25,000 historical artifacts and 54 buildings here. It spans 23 acres and is nestled in Wichita’s Museums on the River District. It mirrored what Wichita looked like from 1865-1880. Cowtown reminded me of a much larger version of historical Faust Park. People were in character and there were cooking demonstrations, as well as free horse carriage rides. 

cowtown museum Wichita
cowtown museum Wichita

Lodging: 

We stayed at Hyatt hotels next to Wichita State University. Our room had 2 Queen beds and a pull-out couch, which was great to fit our family. The included breakfast buffet and indoor pool were wonderful too! The hotel is just 2.5 years old, so everything feels clean and modern. 

Wichita lodging
Wichita lodging

Top 3 places to eat: 

  1. Donut Whole for unique donut flavors! Make sure to go in the morning (before they sell out) as they make them fresh each day. This reminded me a lot of Strange Donuts in STL. I chose a cinnamon coconut and it was heavenly!
  2. Cocoa Dolce for the best chocolate shop in town! It is rated Wichita’s best chocolate. Mark got a mocha with 70% cocoa and I got a hot chocolate with 54% cocoa–so tasty!
  3. B & C Barbeque is the highest reviewed barbeque restaurant here. I’m still dreaming about the ribs and the brisket!

Would we visit here again? Yes. In a heartbeat. My kids actually started crying when we left because they had so much fun here. Frankly, I was blown away by Wichita and the proximity to St. Louis was a huge plus! Thank you for a great visit, Wichita. We are excited to return again soon!

St. Louis Summer Bucket List Part 2

St. Louis Summer Bucket List

Missouri is full of great spots and attractions to enjoy in the summer. After writing Part 1, I couldn’t stop adding more places! Here is part 2 of yet more summer sports to explore. 

 

Gateway Arch Riverboat Cruise

50 S. Leonor K. Sullivan Boulevard.,

St. Louis, MO 63102

 

We love taking the historic paddleboat cruise along the Mississippi River. Not only is it an amazing view of the Gateway Arch, but we learned so much history on the tours as well! They have dinner cruises, live music and tours. My personal favorite is the Skyline Dinner Cruise!

Parking is available on the levee and payment is by card only. 

City Museum

750 N 16th St

St. Louis, MO 63103

 

This is a former warehouse of the International Shoe Company, the City Museum is a must to visit! Artist Bob Cassilly purchased what would become this STL gem in 1993 and opened the doors in 1997! We love visiting here in the summer because we can enjoy the outdoor climbing and rooftop even more. There are 29K artifacts from all around the world, a 10-story spiral slide and a 3 story cave.

There are old chimneys, salvaged bridges, construction cranes, miles of tile, fire truck, school bus and even two abandoned planes!

We went recently on the rooftop for the first time with our kids…and we all loved it!! Our favorites were the variety of slides (featuring sliding below while people are climbing up it on steps right above you), the giant praying mantis & the out-of-commission school bus!!

Union Station

1820 Market St

St. Louis, MO 63103

 

All under one roof at this historic train station turned into an epic vacation spot!! There are some awesome attractions here to enjoy. There are two free shows daily! There is a beautiful free light show in the Grand Hall. These are projected on the ceiling every night at the top of the hour from 5-11pm. The fire show is at the koi pond every night at the top of the hour from 5-11pm. It was set to songs and was so fun! There is also the St. Louis Wheel (we love to go while the sun is setting), a ropes course, the St. Louis Aquarium, mini golf, carousel and a mirror maze. 

Laumeier Sculpture Park

GPS Coordinates: 38.54993° N, 90.41413° W

(Off of Laumeier Park Rd)

 

We park at the south end of the parking lot at the trailhead and we like to hike through the woods on the Eastern Woodland Trail (where there are sculptures along the trail). We then come out to the big field with mounds to climb.

 

After the mounds, you can keep walking along the paved trail toward the children’s sculpture garden or circle back to your car. We love the central lawn with my kids’ favorite being the large eyeball! It is a perfect spot for a picnic.

Grant’s Farm

7385 Grant Rd.

St. Louis, MO 63123

 

It doesn’t feel like summer without a visit to Grant’s Farm! Open for 70 years, this historic farm is a long-standing staple here in St. Louis. From tram rides to bottle-feeding lambs to viewing the beautiful Clydesdale horses, Grant’s Farm has it all. They offer behind-the-scenes tours, where we were able to feed camels and tortoises! Seasonal events are always a blast here too. 

Missouri Botanical Garden

7385 Grant Rd

 St. Louis, MO 63123

 

Missouri Botanical Garden has 79 beautiful acres in St. Louis and it was founded in 1859! It is one of the oldest botanical institutions in the United States and a National Historic Landmark. Extended summer Thursday evening hours, the incredible Children’s Garden and free concerts make the summer here extra special. One of our favorite spots is the Japanese Garden. We like to bring quarters to feed the Koi fish along the bridge and boardwalk!

 

If you have a membership through the Botanical Garden, you also have admission entrance to Shaw Nature Reserve and the Butterfly House. 

 

Pickle Springs

Dorlac Rd

New Offenburg, MO 63670

 

This is an outstanding 1.9 mile unpaved loop in Sainte Genevieve. There are waterfalls, shallow caves and bluff overlooks. The trail is mostly shaded with some steep inclines. Between the vistas and box canyons, this has a little bit of everything. I call this one the perfect family hike because it has so many fun things to climb, and has creeks and views too! Pickle Creek may be flowing in some spots and it is more rain-dependent. The layered sandstone dates back to 500 million years old, and this Natural Area is a National Natural Landmark!

Mastodon State Historic Site

GPS Coordinates: 38.379370, -90.394553

 

This is one of our favorite creeks to explore in the summer! We park by the area called the Mastodon State Picnic area (.8 miles off Seckman Rd, not the museum entrance). It is in the rear parking lot past the playground.

 

More directions from Mastodon’s website:

Located off of 1-55, the Imperial Exit (exit 186 if heading South bound). Next take W Outer Rd, and Seckman Rd will be your second Left. Follow Seckman Rd for about .8 miles. Park in the rear parking lot, to the left of the bathrooms (past the playground).

 

We took a short hike (about 3 minutes) along the trail and then set up camp! The creek is shallow, shaded and has so many rocks—so perfect for little kids. We like to set up a picnic blanket on the side of the creek. 

 

I recommend getting there early in the morning to avoid crowds. Just a heads up that Seckman Rd will be having construction for most of the summer of 2024 and you will have to pass through the back roads. 

St. Louis Summer Bucket List

Elephant Rocks State Park

7390, 7406 MO-21

 Belleview, MO 63623

 

It’s not every day you can see 1.5 billion-year-old granite! This area is known for massive boulders. Located in Belleview, this state park has unbelievable views. There is a 1.0 mile paved Braille trail here, as well as lots of opportunities to climb the beautiful granite. We also like to see the old engine house! Instead of hiking on the trail that goes on the perimeter of the boulders, we love to hike up the incline in the middle. The view from up here is breathtaking! 

On our last visit, we had the place to ourselves by arriving at 8am. The parking lot was more packed by noon, but it was still pretty spread out on the boulders. The main restrooms are located by the parking lot, and a portable bathroom is across from the playground.

There are many wonderful areas to explore in St. Louis and Missouri! Make sure to check Part 1 as well. Happy summer exploring!!

St. Louis Summer Bucket List Pt 1

Summer in St. Louis is the best. Yes, I know I am biased with living here and raising my kids here, but I strongly believe that summers are magical in STL. There are so many family-friendly activities happening during these warmer months. 

If the hot and humid weather may deter you from exploring more of Missouri in the summer, try exploring first thing in the morning. I like to pack up our car the night before and sometimes even have breakfast packed, so we can be ready for an adventure first thing before the heat kicks in more! 

Here is Part 1 of the list of our family’s favorites, which include some parks, trails and attractions. This list includes both paid and free experiences as well. 

 

Paddle Forest Park

6101 Government Dr.

St. Louis, MO 63110

Experience Forest Park on the water!! There are 22 acres of waterways in Forest Park and I think this is the more iconic way to see beautiful and historic Art Hill. Big Muddy Adventures (Paddle Forest Park)’s location is right next to the Boathouse (a great spot to grab some food after paddling). They have paddle boats, canoes, single kayaks, double kayaks and stand up paddle boards to rent on site. No reservations, just first come, first serve. They are open daily!

We have rented paddle boats and canoes, and it was very family-friendly (no age limit). I brought our kids’ life jackets along and it was about .5 miles to famous Art Hill. My kids wore swimsuits so we could get close to the fountains! 

Wabash, Frisco & Pacific Mini Railroad

101 Grand Ave.

Glencoe, MO 63038

The Wabash, Frisco and Pacific Railroad is a two mile round trip ride along the 12 inch gauge mini railroad! Established in 1939, it is celebrating 85 years this year!! It is about 40 minutes of a ride (riding into the woods along the Al Foster trail, the engine turns around, and then ride back the way you came). You book by train car, not by person. Our family of six easily fit into one train car (open-air). Each train car is $20, which I thought was very reasonable, especially because all of the proceeds go right back into the trains! It is completely volunteer-operated. 

Hours:

11am-4pm

Sundays, only May through October

Closed November through April

Book Tickets Here 

Saint Louis Zoo

1 Government Dr.

St. Louis, MO 63110

Home to 16,000 animals, this is 90 acres in the heart of Forest Park…and FREE. With the extended summer hours, check out this sweet opportunity to hand-feed the giraffes. 

The timings for the giraffe feedings are 11:30am and 2:30pm daily (if the weather allows and the giraffes choose to come up to be fed). Each ticket gets you 2 leaves to feed ($5/zoo member and $7/non member). Make sure you have a credit card on you because the payment is cash-free. 

Last year, we fed the giraffes from long sticks holding leaves. Because of the new fence this year, you can hand-feed the giraffes. No reservations, but make sure to head to the giraffe area and kiosk next to the exhibit for about 10 minutes before the feeding time. It is so much fun!

I like to park at the South entrance (which is $15 for admission), but there are other options of free parking on the street especially if you arrive early in the morning. The zoo is very stroller-friendly and I love the lactation room and family restrooms by the Carousel.

Purina Farms

500 William Danforth Way

 Gray Summit, MO 63039

From dog performances to farm animals to wagon rides, Purina Farms is such a blast. When you enter the visitor’s center, there are some interactive areas and adoptable animals before entering the animal barn. There are tunnels, rope swings, trikes on the top floor and lots of animals (goats, pigs, horses, cows, bunnies, etc) on the bottom floor. We always look forward to the live cow milking in the barn. They even invite kids to come up and try milking the cow!

Also, it is right down the street from Shaw Nature Reserve, so this is a great place if you feel like hiking afterwards! 

Lone Elk Park

1 Lone Elk Rd

St. Louis, Missouri 

This unique St. Louis safari is a county park that has elk and bison. You can hike a trail among the elk or drive through the 546 acre park to view animals and the beautiful nature. This park is free to enter, but there is a cup for donations by the entrance. I recommend arriving right when the park opens at 8am. The rangers and the feed truck go through the park at 6am, so the wildlife is still usually close to the road for easy viewing. The elk and the bison are separated, and it is so fun to watch the herds. My lucky place to spot elk is near the Ralph Foley shelter. You can book the behind-the-scenes tour following the feed truck on the St. Louis County Park website. While it is very early, it is SO worth it. 

Lone Elk Park

1 Lone Elk Rd

St. Louis, Missouri 

This unique St. Louis safari is a county park that has elk and bison. You can hike a trail among the elk or drive through the 546 acre park to view animals and the beautiful nature. This park is free to enter, but there is a cup for donations by the entrance. I recommend arriving right when the park opens at 8am. The rangers and the feed truck go through the park at 6am, so the wildlife is still usually close to the road for easy viewing. The elk and the bison are separated, and it is so fun to watch the herds. My lucky place to spot elk is near the Ralph Foley shelter. You can book the behind-the-scenes tour following the feed truck on the St. Louis County Park website. While it is very early, it is SO worth it. 

Brentwood Park

2924 Brazeau Avenue

Brentwood, MO

Check out this beautiful 32 acre park in Brentwood. There is a 2.7 acre playground and 2 unique climbing structures (one targeted for more younger kiddos). 6 swings, 4 slides, 2 zip lines, this place is a gem. It also connects to the Deer Creek Greenway and has 3.2 miles of paved trails here.

The big silo next to the splash area is the water capture system. It’s the biggest sustainability feature in Brentwood Park! It takes the water used at the splash bad and recycles it to use throughout Brentwood Park to keep the grass and plants green. It’s going to capture about 200,000 gallons per week (which is 4,000,000 a year!).

Restrooms are open, as well as a drinking fountain (located by the pavilion)!

Kress Farm Garden Preserve

5137 Glade Chapel Road

Hillsboro, MO 63050

Kress Farm Garden Preserve is a little bit of a drive (located in Hillsboro), but this is one of my favorite trails which ends at a cliff cave!! There are five family-friendly trails here. It is free admission and volunteer-run. The summer hours are daily 9am- 3pm, but make sure to call ahead of time to double-check a volunteer is there. 

The one-mile blue trail (clips shown in the reel) starts by the pavilion. It is an unpaved trail that is not stroller-friendly. No dogs are allowed on the preserve.

The hike is mostly flat, but has some gradual hills. It is .5 miles to the cliff caves (which has a spur trail to the caves), and then we turned around for .5 miles back at the pavilion.

Magic House

St. Louis’ Children’s Museum

516 S Kirkwood Rd

 St. Louis, MO 63122

55,000 square feet in the heart of Kirkwood! From the waterfall patio to the creek area to the sandcastle beach, we love exploring outdoors here. The mud kitchen has muffin tins and my girls love making some great recipes!

The indoors are amazing as well. We always seem to gravitate to the science lab and art studio (right next to the member entrance), as well as the Lego tables by the construction exhibit. It is never too crowded right at opening hours at these spots.

Make sure to check out the new permanent exhibit, Story Time Magic, which brings beloved stories to life!! 

Columbia Bottom Conservation Area

801 Strodtman Rd

 St. Louis, MO 63138

Columbia Bottoms is one of our favorites to visit in summer…and it is free.

 When you enter the Conservation Area, follow the sunflower signs until you arrive at the current field in bloom. The fields will be rotated through a few weeks as they bloom (usually until mid-August)!

Since the fields are planted in rows, the girls and I had fun walking between the flowers. It was so peaceful! Load on all the mosquito spray and sunscreen!! 

 

Have you checked out these great spots? Our family loves spending time together around St. Louis, especially in the summer. 

Check out Part 2 for more summer bucket list ideas!