City: Kansas City, MO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 5235 Oak St.
City: Kansas City, MO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 5700 King (Shawnee)
City: Kansas City, MO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 1701 American Royal Court
City: Kansas City, MO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 330 W. 63rd St.
80. Moon Marble Company
City: Kansas City, MO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (913) 441-1432
Address: 600 E. Front St.
Description: The owner of this store is a big kid himself, so children always have a blast here. Along with keeping aisles filled with yo-yos, magic tricks, game boards, and old-fashioned tin toys, Bruce Breslow makes marvelous marbles while you watch. And of course there are plenty of the round wonders to buy—whole buckets of them—as well as collectible marbles from all over. This fascinating place—popular with Boy Scouts and their pops—is open Tues through Sat, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Demonstrations usually take place Tues, Fri, and Sat from 10:30 a.m. until 3 p.m., as long as there’s a willing audience (and a marble artisan). Large groups are welcome, but call to schedule a demonstration.
City: Kansas City, MO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 300 Ward Pkwy. (Country Club Plaza)
82. Ernie Miller Park And Nature Center
City: Kansas City, MO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (913) 764-7759
Address: 909 N. Kansas
Description: Introduce your nature boy or girl to this 113-acre park that’s been preserved in all its glorious natural state. Three trails wind through ecological habitats such as grassland, meadow, and forest. It’s a terrific place for birding—look for woodpeckers, sparrows, owls, and woodland songbirds—as well as sighting other wildlife, like white-tailed deer. Pick up a pocket-sized guide at the Nature Center (or print one from the Web site), where you can spend time with a terrific wildlife diorama and interpretive displays. General hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mon through Sat and 1 to 5 p.m. Sun.
83. Penn Valley Skate Park
City: Kansas City, MO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (816) 513-7500
Description: Kansas City Parks and Recreation made a lot of kids happy when it opened a skate park on the west side of a beautiful urban park. It features a square shallow end with metal coping, clamshell-shaped midsection, and 10-foot-deep huge bowl. The park, open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (unless wet or rainy) is for skateboarding and in-line skating only, and protective equipment must be used at all times. Competitive or demonstration events require special approval; call the number listed above. One blogger writes that “the trans throws you awesome.” We’re guessing that’s a good thing. For links to other facilities in Kansas City (including Blue Springs and Independence), visit www.skateboardpark.com.
84. Overland Park Soccer Complex
City: Kansas City, MO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (913) 685-1512
Address: 13700 Switzer Rd.
Description: How much do the good folks of Overland Park love their kids? About $36 million worth. That’s the price tag for the new 96-acre soccer complex, the first of its kind in the country. Everything is primo here, including the 12 lighted, regulation-size fields with synthetic turf and the clubhouse. The expense has already paid off for Johnson County, and by more than just having a spectacular space for this soccer-hungry community of kids. The complex has already signed the US Youth Soccer National Championship with more big name national competitions on the way. But back to the local needs: rentals for games and tourneys range from $20 to $50. Prices are less for special-needs children. The complex is open seven days a week, from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m.
City: Kansas City, MO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 2450 Grand Blvd. (lower level of Crown C
86. Theatre For Young America
City: Kansas City, MO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (816) 460-2083
Address: 30 W. Pershing Rd.
Description: For more than 35 years this company’s mission has been to foster educational and emotional growth of children through drama. The good news is that children don’t even realize they’re learning; they’re too busy laughing or getting immersed in the actions on stage. TYA, as it’s called, mounts five or six shows a year in a range of subject matters from ancient to contemporary. The plays are appropriate for preschool ages and up. The staff and volunteers also offer classes in voice, body movement, and conflict management. Individual classes as well as four-day and one-week residencies are available. Performances are held at the H&R Block City Stage at Union Station, a wonderful facility with comfortable seats and excellent lighting and sound.
87. Gottlieb Planetarium Shows
City: Kansas City, MO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (816) 460-2020
Address: 30 W. Pershing Rd.
Description: One of Kansas City’s hidden gems, this planetarium hosts several fascinating kid-friendly programs, including an animated laser light show that includes favorite tunes from classic rock and retro hits. The 360-degree domed screen takes you on an incredible tour of the stars as they appear over Kansas City. Tickets are $6 or discounted with the purchase of another attraction at Union Station. The planetarium is open Tues through Sun.
City: Kansas City, MO
Category: Tours & Attractions
89. Warkoczewski Observatory
City: Kansas City, MO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (816) 235-1606
Address: 800 E. 52nd St.
Description: Locate Orion faster than you can say, “Warkoczewski,” through this 16-inch telescope mounted on the roof of Royall Hall on the University of Missouri–Kansas City campus. The observatory is named for the late Stanley Warkoczewski, a retired sound engineer who, along with his wife, Helen, spent 10 years constructing the telescope in his basement before donating it to the school. Stan died in 1997 at the age of 91, but we think he’s up there, just to the east of Pegasus. The observatory is open one hour after sunset on clear Fridays from Apr through Nov. It’s best to call the number above to confirm that it will be available.