Exploring KC/MO

Last fall, my bestie Trina moved to Kansas City for an awesome new job. Obviously I was sad, but so excited for her and her new adventure. Plus, it meant lots of fun visits to KC! Last weekend, the family made our first trip to visit her and it did not disappoint. It was Sawyer and Scout’s first trip to KC, MO and Kansas!

In true Trina style, a few days prior to our trip, she sent me a spreadsheet to help us plan our trip. When we arrived she had a special gift bag for us with some of her favorite KC things (she is the best!). Our original plan included some fun outdoorsy activities, but the weather had other plans! With a forecast of snow, we picked some hot spots that were indoors instead.

First stop was Fritz’s Railroad Restaurant for lunch! This place is a must see if you have kiddos who like trains. You place a call from your table for your food and when it is ready is delivered to your table via train! Luckily we went on a Friday when it wasn’t super busy, but normally expect a wait!

website: www.crowncenter.com/Maps/Fritzs-Railroad-Restaurant

After lunch we stopped at the Under the Sea Adventure in Crown Center to kill time before our appointment at LegoLand. It is a free exhibit that is running from Feb. 11 – May 7. You walk in and it is like you are under the sea with things to play on and explore. It was a great way to keep the kids entertained.

website: www.crowncenter.com/Event-List/under-the-sea-adventure

Then we headed to LegoLand, a trip requirement per Sawyer! It has two rides, 10 LEGO build and play zones, and a 4D cinema plus lots of other things to play on. I recommend purchasing your tickets in advance to save, we actually did the combo package with the aquarium. Sawyer rode the Merlin’s adventure ride like 10 times, he thought it was the coolest! He also really liked seeing the Master Builder at work! Scott enjoyed the karaoke exhibit and LEGO pizza kitchen.

website: https://kansascity.legolanddiscoverycenter.com

We ended our first day at the SeaLife Aquarium. Our friends who had just visited had recommended not going on a Saturday because they get so busy, so we opted for Friday late afternoon. It was practically empty so we had a blast. Sawyer loved the scavenger hunt where you get stamps at different exhibits and then earn a coin at the end. He wasn’t a huge fan of the interactive rock pool but John, Trina, and me had fun feeling the sea stars, urchins, and crabs. Another awesome exhibit is the Doodle Reef where you get to design a fish or sea creature on screen and then submit to see it large in their digital aquarium swimming. Sawyer and Trina both made fish we got to see in action.

website: www2.visitsealife.com/kansas-city/discover/aquarium-exhibits

Saturday, started with a homemade breakfast by our wonderful hostess, complete with Kansas’ own Roasterie Air Roasted Coffee (www.theroasterie.com). And since we didn’t sleep as much as we would have liked, we also decided to stop by this adorable little coffee house (a quaint one-room shack full of locals) called Hi Hat (www.facebook.com/pg/Hi-Hat-Coffee) for an extra dose of caffeine. You definitely should check it out when the weather is nice, it has outdoor seating, which is much larger than the room inside. It says they serve breakfast and lunch too.

Of course, we made a stop to IKEA to shop and browse. We ended up buying close to a cartload of stuff for around $30…only at IKEA!

We ate lunch at home and put the boys down for nap so Trina and I could have some bestie time. She took me to West Bottoms district (www.westbottoms.com) to shop at the Painted Sofa, a store with new and old unique home furnishing. Some of the stores at West Bottoms are only open during “First Weekends” which is sort of like a big antique festive once a month. Luckily Painted Sofa (thepaintedsofa.net) is open weekly so we could visit while I was in town. I was able to find a centerpiece and greenery for our new breakfast nook.

When the boys woke up from nap, we drove to Union Station for a visit to Science City. My advice if you are planning a trip with kids is make sure to allow a whole day or afternoon for this, as we only had two hours and it wasn’t nearly enough. This place is awesome! I completely understand why it was named one of the country’s 25 best science centers by Parents Magazine! It is a place of exploration, experimentation, and discovery for kids and adults. Their site even says you can expect something new with each visit. Some of the highlights for us were the KC Rail Experience, the Nature Center, the Dino Dig, and of course the Helicopter.

website: www.unionstation.org/sciencecity

After the afternoon of science, we headed for dinner at Waldo’s Pizza. Seriously, it was so good with tons of topping options. We opted for the St. Louis Style Thin Crust, which on their menu is described as “extra thin, crispy crust glazed with garlic butter and a light touch of pizza sauce with a rich blend of mozzarella, provolone, Swiss, and cheddar cheeses”. Now you see why? We also did their sample flights of beer so we could experience some Kansas City brews (Sawyer and Scout went with milk). The winner for all of us went to Cider Block Cherry from Cinder Block, a North Kansas City brewery. It was divine!

Website: https://waldopizza.net

There is so much more we want to do on our next trip! We already have an adults-only weekend plan for Trina’s birthday in July so stay tuned for more recommendations soon!

Thank you to Trina for being the best hostess and tour guide on our trip!