Kansas City St. Patrick's Day Parade

The Kansas City St. Patrick's Day Parade is a tradition with a lot of families in the area. It's held on St. Patrick's Day each year in downtown Kansas City. Since the holiday often lands mid-week, people even take long lunch breaks just to go. If you like parades, I recommend it. There are a few hassles to consider before you head out.

Parking is difficult to find. But if you keep looking, you will find it! I say to bring a stroller for your tot in case you have to walk a long ways to get to the parade route, but be warned that it will be difficult to maneuver once you're on the sidewalks of the parade route.
Get there early if you plan to sit on the street. We brought camping chairs to sit in, and I'm glad we did because it would be a long time to have to stand. A lot of people do stand though.

There are other activities for the kids besides the parade. These change from year to year, but you can count on vendors walking the streets selling green novelties! I enjoyed taking my daughter, but it isn't something I feel compelled to do every year.

Coco Key Water Resort

I was lucky enough to be invited to visit the Coco Key Water Resort, located inside a Holiday Inn, here in Kansas City. It's close to Kauffman stadium, right off I-70, but don't miss your exit because it's hard to get turned back around!

My daughter had a blast. The waterpark has several kid-friendly slides and spray areas of varying depths, but if you're wanting to actually swim, this isn't really the place. It's more of a splash and be splashed kind of place! The day we went was a home school day with discounted admission ($5!), so there were lots of kids and since it's inside, it was very loud. The lazy river was closed for some reason, but otherwise we got to try everything out. There are two large slides for those who are more adventurous, and a "hot tub" area that seats lots of people, but otherwise, this is a kids zone.

You can get food at the resort, but we didn't, and honestly, I wouldn't want to eat there. It smells of chlorine and doesn't feel very appetizing. This isn't to speak ill of it though--for our discounted admission it was tons of fun! I've been to another of these "hotel water parks" and this one was better despite the lazy river being closed. I don't recommend bringing a toddler unless you want to sit in 1ft of water the entire time. I left mine with Grandma so me and my 6 year old could explore everything there was to play on!
Parking: There is plenty of free parking at the hotel.

Admission: $10 for a day pass. There are different rates if you actually stay in the hotel, and occasionally a discounted ticket day comes up, such as when we went. $10 isn't bad, but there are a lot of options for water fun that are less than that if not free.  The hours vary a lot so call ahead or check their calendar before going out.

Lockers? There are locker rooms and lockers to store your stuff. They were clean the day we went and spacious to boot.



Where? 
Holiday Inn SE Hotel - CoCo Key Water Resort
9103 E. 39th Street
Kansas City, MO 64133
1-877-425-2746

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!

Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead

The Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead is an institution in the Kansas City area. This place is a fantastic way to spend a day with your kids. Admission to the farm is free on Monday through Thursday and only $2 on Friday through Sunday, making it one of the most affordable activities around. The farm features several fee-based activities to help generate income and has a general store and ice cream shop as well, but your kids will be entertained without spending a dime if need be.

Activities include pony rides, bottle-feeding baby goats, and fishing. Your child can also pedal around on a tractor or play on one of the playgrounds available both inside and outside the farm. Structures on the grounds include a dairy barn, schoolhouse, teepee, and bank, with plans to add more in the future.

The farm has several animals, not all of which are farm animals. The animals on display can change, but we've seen a bobcat, bald eagle, buffalo, and a great-horned owl. The farm animals include your standard pigs, goats, and cows, but they also have ducks and rabbits. There is a butterfly garden and working vegetable and flower garden plots, as well as a short nature trail area. In the Fall the farm offers hayrides and pumpkins, for a fee.

Location:
3800 Switzer Rd
Overland Park, KS 66221
913-897-2360

Hours: 

9am to 5pm

It's only open from April 1 - Oct. 31

I definitely recommend taking your kids here. My babies love this place! 

If you would like to do some of the paid activities, consider getting a combo ticket. Other things to note are that they do not allow outside food and drinks. This excludes water bottles and children's snacks (and therefore is sort of a vague rule) They offer birthday party packages but those seemed kind of pricey to me.

Strollers are certainly allowed and can go just about everywhere without too much trouble. The only problem is that, being a kids place, there are a lot of strollers, so expect some traffic jams! There are a few bathrooms scattered around the grounds. I've found the ones in the dairy barn often have lines.