Kauffman Stadium (The "K") and the KC Royals

Kauffman Stadium, or "the K" as many people call it, is home to the major league baseball team the Kansas City Royals. My husband is a baseball fan so we head out to the stadium every year at least once. It has recently added some new attractions to entertain the kiddos, including a playground, but most of these attractions are for an additional fee. Despite this, if you want to see a professional sports team in Kansas City, baseball is still far cheaper than football.

 Reasons to take your kids to the "K"
1. It doesn't usually get too crowded...maybe this means the baseball isn't that great...but you don't have to be smashed in with strangers.
2. They do have some fun stuff for the kids to see, besides the baseball game that is! This includes a carousel and playground, as well as a batting cage and a chance to see how you compare to the big leaguers in a speed test. They call these activities the "Outfield Experience."
3. Fireworks Fridays and Buck Nights. The fireworks shows on Friday nights are the best in town. They put community 4th of July displays to shame. Buck Nights are when hotdogs and small (very small!) sodas are just $1. If you can catch a Buck Night on a Friday, it's a win-win!
4. A beautiful ball park. Kauffman Stadium is home to a fountain and waterfall display, making it unique amongst baseball stadiums.

Reasons not to take your kids to the "K"
1. Strollers are pretty much impossible for most ticket holders. They do have elevators available if you need them, but just getting to your level isn't the end of your climb. Unless you have handicapped seats, you're almost certainly going to find yourself going up stairs (a lot of which are steep). Plan on carrying the little ones!


2. Tickets start at $14, and go as high as around $250. $14 a seat isn't cheap for a large family, and that's for the worst seats there, but as I said earlier, it doesn't usually get that crowded and often you can sit just about anywhere in the upper levels. They also offer ticket deals from time to time and lap babies and toddlers do not need a ticket.

3. Parking is $10. This is another additional expense to consider. The stadium is located in an area that makes it difficult to park elsewhere.

4. Lines. There are often long lines at the kids activities, and on Buck Nights or other popular promotion nights there can be long lines at the concessions too. The concession staff isn't always well-trained and the prices are ridiculous.

5. Bag Checks. Yes, they will go through your bags before you enter the ballpark. This isn't by itself a big deal, but it makes it so you can't bring in any outside drinks. They even made me dump out water in a baby bottle. My advice--locate the water fountains.

Other things I've learned along the way...
We have found signing our daughter up for Slugger's Blue Crew to be a good investment. It's $25 (as of 2013) and includes a jersey, tickets for the "outfield experience" activities, and some other goodies that change each year, plus two ticket vouchers. The tickets alone are worth the $25, and every year  we've signed up so far we've been sent another set of ticket vouchers in the Fall. This isn't promised or mentioned on website, it just has always happened. Sure these tickets aren't for the best games, but for us a day at the ballpark is less about the baseball and more about the family time!

The stadium has tours available if you're interested, although I feel that I've seen all I need to as a spectator there. If you go on a Sunday they have a "Fun Run" where they allow the kids to run around the bases on the field. (Blue Crew members get to cut to the head of the line for this--sometimes the line is pretty long, but it moves fairly quick)

Is it your kids first time at Kauffman Stadium? Run them by the office to get their free personalized "Official Royals Fan" certificate!