The Truman Dam Visitor's Center in Warsaw, MO

The Harry S Truman Dam and Reservoir Visitor's Center is a pretty cool day trip. It's a leisurely 2 hours from Kansas City. I've been here a few times and was excited to take my kids this summer. The visitor's center is a free museum located on the bluff above the Truman Dam. The center provides a spectacular view of the dam and lake below as well as the birds flying by who seem oblivious to you looking at them! They have a few prehistoric bone replicas and other exhibits inside. when we went they had a taxidermied bald eagle. There is a theater area where we watched a short film about the history of the area up until the engineering marvel that is the dam. We also happened upon a quilter's guild working away and several locally made quilts on display! It was a lovely bonus for our visit!

Strollers are a breeze here (they have both a ramp and an elevator to get upstairs) and I've never seen the place crowded.  The kids will enjoy the displays and the telescopes upstairs for checking out the surrounding area. My daughter really liked locking in on birds perched in the nearby trees. Outisde there is a nature trail, and a cabin to see. There is no admission fee to the visitor's center.

A short drive away from the visitor's center is the Lost Valley Fish Hatchery. We were unfortunate because we were there on a Monday, and they are closed on Mondays! Boo. The hatchery houses an aquarium with displays of local fish and they have a fishing pool outside. Bait and tackle inside the visitor's center are free to use and there is no charge for your child to fish. If you're interested in learning about how a fish hatchery works, this is a great place to stop!

Last but not least, Warsaw is a great place to visit just for good ol' lake fun on Truman lake, so for a day trip, this one will not disappoint.

Big Cedar Lodge (near Branson MO)

Big Cedar Lodge is a resort vacation destination south of Branson, MO. Plan on a 4 hour drive from Kansas City. We found ourselves here for a family event, so I have to confess that we didn't have to pay for our lodging, which might alter my opinions a bit.

This place is set in the beauty of the Ozarks, so nature abounds, although the actual resort has a feeling of "manufactured" nature. It's like camping for people who like the idea of camping but don't want to actually rough it in any way. There are several pretty swimming pools and a lake beach, canoes and paddle boats, mini-golf, and other activities like horseback riding, for an extra fee. We thoroughly enjoyed the lazy river, but who doesn't like lounging on an inner tube, winding through beautifully landscaped man-made water features?

The cabin we stayed in was designed to look rustic and had a few taxidermied animals for decor, so be prepared for that, and it had a nice view of the lake in the back. There are two restaurants, but our cabin had a kitchenette, so we ate there.

One thing that I didn't really like was that everything was spaced out just far enough that you had to use a shuttle service to get from place to place. I prefer walking, and we did a lot of that, opting for a good hike to riding the shuttle a few times. We also hiked the nature trail the lodge provided, which was a pleasantly deceptive 7 miles. This isn't to say that the shuttle service was bad. The shuttles were prompt and the drivers were very courteous.

Kids? Sure, if they like swimming (this is 90% of what you'll do here). Also, you'll have to clench your teeth as you are repeatedly whisked away on shuttles winding through hilly narrow alleys without your beloved car seats!

Okay, so here's the real deal. This isn't a spot for those who are economically minded (which is why I note that we didn't pay for our stay there). Without a discount of some sort the absolute cheapest you're going to get for a weekend night is around $200. During the week, maybe $130. The plus side is that you won't be spending anything on entertainment (unless you choose to) because you can spend all day lazing around their swimming pools. I prefer road trip style vacations, so this destination resort thing seems a little monotonous to me, and man-made streams, waterfalls, etc... are pretty, but it's all fake, and I just couldn't get that out of my mind as I took it all in.