Category: Missouri

A 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

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

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!

St. Louis Summer Bucket List Part 2

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.

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

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!