Kansas City's Science City

Science City is a kid-friendly science museum located in Kansas City's Union Station. I remember going as a kid and having a blast, so I was excited to take my daughter for their Halloween event. It hasn't changed much over the years. My daughter really enjoyed herself although I wasn't 100% impressed.

Admission: Adults $13.50 and kids are $11.50. I'm not sure why adults are charged more since this is a place for kids. For an average family it would cost $50 to get in, which I think is pretty steep.

When we went the exhibits showed their age and the abuse of the thousands of children that have ran through this place. This doesn't mean they don't have some cool stuff to see and do though. It's all in how you look at it. A few activities were shut down or broken as well. My favorite things are the "mind-bending" illusions and the sets that play with your sense of reality. My daughter loved the dino-dig area and pretty much anything she could climb and play on.

The staff seemed young and not altogether that interested in the kids running around. More like the staff at an amusement park than the staff at a museum...although Science City feels more like an amusement park than a museum. They do have some live animals to see and occasionally host a new exhibit, but if you've done it once, you probably don't need to do it again for a few years since it hasn't changed much since I was a kid!

Some pros to this place is that it is housed in Union Station so you can also explore the KC Rail Experience and the Arvin Gottlieb Planetarium. The KC Rail Experience is included in your Science City admission, but the planetarium is not. Sometimes they run deals that include the planetarium, but otherwise it's an additional $6. My daughter loved the planetarium, so I think it's worth the price. If you're on a budget, you can just do the planetarium without doing Science City as well. Science City and Untion Station are also right next door to Crown Center, (and connected via a walkway) which is a fun shopping center.

Parking: Parking is free for 30 minutes, then $1 for every 30 minutes after that for a max of $10. For us, if you are doing just Science City, 2 hours should do it ($3-$4 to park), but parking is free at Crown Center with validation and that's just a short walk away, so plan accordingly!