Kansas City hotels and things to do

[uk_wildcat]

My dh has a business trip near Kansas City and the kids and I are going to tag along for a quick trip.
Where should we stay for 2 nights next week and what can we do cheaply or free?
We prefer Hyatt or Marriott because we earn points and use them for free nights, but I am open to any suggestions.
I have researched online all afternoon but can't make a commitment to a location.

 

[pantherlj]

How old are your kids?

The top 2 free/cheap things that come to my mind are Deanna Rose and Kaleidoscope

http://www.hmkaleidoscope.com/visit.asp#

http://www.opkansas.org/Things-to-See-And-Do/Deanna-Rose-Childrens-Farmstead

Science City is fun too but $10 admission

We did all 3 our past 2 trips out there and they are on our list for repeat visits this summer.

 

[KKB]

Crown Center is a shopping center w/ lots of summer activities in & around it. The Plaza is nearby--a shopping/entertainment area w/ lots of fountains. Quite lovely.
If you need to stay near the airport, Embassy Suites is nice w/ free breakfast/happy hour. There is an inexpensive water park nearby ($8). Aslo nearby is the new Zona Rosa shopping center.
Worlds of Fun/Oceans of Fun isnt' too far from the airport. Not super cheap, but look at their site online for deals. $20 after 4PM is pretty cheap for a nice amusement park and it isn't terribly busy, especially during the week. (we were there last Friday night and the longest waits were 10-15 min which is the longest we have ever waited)
If you have a zoo membership at home, KC may honor it. It is a terrific zoo.
Hope this helps!

 

[jedijill]

My dh has a business trip near Kansas City and the kids and I are going to tag along for a quick trip.
Where should we stay for 2 nights next week and what can we do cheaply or free?
We prefer Hyatt or Marriott because we earn points and use them for free nights, but I am open to any suggestions.
I have researched online all afternoon but can't make a commitment to a location.

Which part of town will you be in? If you are downtown, the Country Club Plaza is cool to walk around and shop/eat. Crown Plaza is downtown and has a Crayola Cafe, Fritz's (restaurant where a model train brings your food) plus many other shops.

West of town is Cabela's, the Nascar track, KC T-bones baseball team (Super fun and cheap!!!), Great Wolf Lodge, Schlitterbahn, and lots of shopping/restaurants.

North is Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun.

HTH

Jill in CO (formerly of KC)

 

[Disney_Freak56]

Which part of town will you be in? If you are downtown, the Country Club Plaza is cool to walk around and shop/eat. Crown Plaza is downtown and has a Crayola Cafe, Fritz's (restaurant where a model train brings your food) plus many other shops.

West of town is Cabela's, the Nascar track, KC T-bones baseball team (Super fun and cheap!!!), Great Wolf Lodge, Schlitterbahn, and lots of shopping/restaurants.

North is Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun.

HTH

Jill in CO (formerly of KC)

I believe Jill means Crown Center -- not Crown Plaza -- it's a common mistake, my hubby calls it Crown Plaza all the time and I've worked in that area for over 5 years now.

Crown Center also has a Clifford exhibit that runs through the end of the summer. Hallmark's corporate office is located at Crown Center. Kaleidoscope is within the Crown Center area.

There is a Hyatt that is within Walking distance of Crown Center -- there are skywalks that connect the Hyatt to the Crown Center shopping/dining area. A Walkway over to Union Station and Science City which is connected to the Westin Crown Center hotel.

Most of the shops are mid-to-high range stores, but are fun to browse.

I just heard that there is a trolley that will start running from Union Station to Independence, Missouri -- the home of former President Harry Truman. I don't know a lot about it, but do recall that it only costs $1, but I'm not sure if that's $1 each way or round trip -- either way -- it's still pretty cheap.

Kaleidoscope is free, but you should call or check their website to see if their sessions are open to the public -- kids do have to be of a certain age and they are usually looking for a parent or older sibling to act as a helper during the session.

Depending on which day of the week you'll be here, there are Free Friday night Flicks on the lawn at Crown Center -- you'll need to bring something to sit on though if you prefer not to sit on the ground.

Hope this helps!

 

[Frye7127]

Just got back from spending a week - Deanna Rose in Overland Park is free if you live in OVP, but there may be a small charge otherwise maybe, not sure as my DH lives one block away and was free for us. Very good.

Kansas City Zoo is a must do. Very, very nice, and on our list of something to do again.

T-Rex Cafe - at the legends if you like that sort of thing. T-bones stadium is nearby and they were out of town when we were there, so we did the Royals game instead - loads of kids stuff to do when the game gets a bit much.

Crown Plaza and The Plaza are nice to kill some time. Played at the water splash pad for a bit and was fun for DS - liked the water show there.

Schlitterbahn was loads of fun - go after three for a discounted ticket and you will still have plenty of time. Crowds were not bad, very clean, and loads of sunshine. not completely finished, so you will have plenty of time to do everything many, many times.

Union Station was nice to visit, but we didn't get to do anything there. They have a Dinosaur show that is cool if you like that sort of thing - DS not interested though. Lots to look at and this is where Science City was. We did not get to do anything like that there.

World War I museum, Neilson-Atkins museum (free), and the toy and miniature museums were on our list, but we didn't get to do. They were closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, so that ruled them out. By friday, we were whipped and just hung around the apartment.


We had a wonderful week and can't wait to get moved there.

 

[momto2inKC]

There is so much to do around here! The website www.visitkc.com has tons of info and coupons for discounts. Kaleidascope is quite fun for the kids, my kids have been a ton if times on field trips. Union Station/Science City is also a really neat place to go. The KC zoo is nice. Deanna Rose Farmstead is also another good choice. Oh, and there's a Disney Store at Oak Park Mall, just in case you need a Disney fix

 

[uk_wildcat]

Ok, so I booked the Hyatt at Crown Center in KC because it seemed to be in a good location and we were able to get a good rate. I also booked the Drury Inn at the Arch in St. Louis so we would be close to downtown and I like the free breakfast, popcorn, drinks and evening snack options.
I think we will do the Science City, Crayola Cafe, Kaleidoscope and maybe just hang out in the rooftop pool in KC.
In St. Louis I think we will do the zoo for sure and maybe the Arch.
Someone mentioned that I should get tickets to the Arch ahead of time - is this a good idea?

 

[austinosphere]

Go see where Walt started it all - Laugh-O-Gram was the company Walt made when he was in Kansas City and got them started in animation.

From what I understand, prepared to be underwhelmed as far as what's there, BUT, it is an important part of Disney history.

http://www.cartoonbrew.com/wp-content/uploads/waltskansascity.jpg

 

[kytiam]

If your kids are older, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is beautiful and free everyday.

 

[jedijill]

I believe Jill means Crown Center -- not Crown Plaza -- it's a common mistake, my hubby calls it Crown Plaza all the time and I've worked in that area for over 5 years now.

Crown Center also has a Clifford exhibit that runs through the end of the summer. Hallmark's corporate office is located at Crown Center. Kaleidoscope is within the Crown Center area.

There is a Hyatt that is within Walking distance of Crown Center -- there are skywalks that connect the Hyatt to the Crown Center shopping/dining area. A Walkway over to Union Station and Science City which is connected to the Westin Crown Center hotel.

Most of the shops are mid-to-high range stores, but are fun to browse.

I just heard that there is a trolley that will start running from Union Station to Independence, Missouri -- the home of former President Harry Truman. I don't know a lot about it, but do recall that it only costs $1, but I'm not sure if that's $1 each way or round trip -- either way -- it's still pretty cheap.

Kaleidoscope is free, but you should call or check their website to see if their sessions are open to the public -- kids do have to be of a certain age and they are usually looking for a parent or older sibling to act as a helper during the session.

Depending on which day of the week you'll be here, there are Free Friday night Flicks on the lawn at Crown Center -- you'll need to bring something to sit on though if you prefer not to sit on the ground.

Hope this helps!

Thanks Mary! The altitude is melting my brain.

 

[kassreese]

I found a link about taking the trolley to Independence. It would be an all day event because it leaves at 10 a.m. and doesn't leave come back to Union Station until 5:30 p.m. However, it runs all over Independence to various tourist sites, so you could make it a day.

http://pressreleases.kcstar.com/?q=node/36580

FYI - the portion of the link in Crown Center that connects directly to Union Station is closed due to office construction. You can take it to the Blue Cross Blue Shield Building and then walk outside and across the street.

Have fun in KC! Make sure you get some BBQ while in town - Jack Stack or Arthur Bryant's are my fav!

 

[jedijill]

I found a link about taking the trolley to Independence. It would be an all day event because it leaves at 10 a.m. and doesn't leave come back to Union Station until 5:30 p.m. However, it runs all over Independence to various tourist sites, so you could make it a day.

http://pressreleases.kcstar.com/?q=node/36580

FYI - the portion of the link in Crown Center that connects directly to Union Station is closed due to office construction. You can take it to the Blue Cross Blue Shield Building and then walk outside and across the street.

Have fun in KC! Make sure you get some BBQ while in town - Jack Stack or Arthur Bryant's are my fav!

Oklahoma Joe's is my all time favorite! It managed to knock Arthur Bryant's off the top of my list.

Jill in CO