KCKidsFun

For our next weekend getaway, we are heading east! East on I-70 that is, all the way to St. Louis, MO. Depending on where you’re coming from, you can expect to get to St. Louis in about 4 hours or less. Columbia provides a great bathroom/snack/stretch-the-legs stop at about the halfway mark.

I have two suggestions as far as lodging—first, you might want to consider camping! After all, it is summer…and the memories will be long lasting for sure. I found a great looking campsite adjacent to Six Flags theme park. Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park features resort cottages, cabin rentals, tent sites and RV camping. I plugged in a few weekend dates and found that a 4-6 person, air-conditioned “tent” goes for around $60/night. A steal compared to a full-service hotel! If you were more inclined to go the way of the standard hotel/motel, the suburb of Clayton on the western city limits would be a great choice. It’s safe at night, very close to the city, and has a wide range of hotel types and prices from which to choose.

Upon arriving, look for those newspaper racks that feature local magazines, like KC’s “Pitch.” St. Louis has two particularly good ones for your needs—Riverfront Times newspaper, which features upcoming concerts, events, activities and restaurant information. For strictly restaurant info., you’ll want to pick up SAUCE. Both are free publications and may even contain some special offers or coupons.

You’ll want to check out Downtown: The Riverfront, the Gateway Arch (museum and ride to the top!) Tickets to ride the tram to the top of the Arch can be purchased in advance and cost $7 for adults; kids to age 13 cost $3. It’s well worth it…a thrill your kids won’t soon forget! You’ll also want to check out the Old Courthouse (where the Dred Scott case was heard) and the Old Cathedral (oldest west of the Mississippi). The nearby City Museum is great for kids and was made of unique, found objects. It boasts old chimneys, salvaged bridges, construction cranes, and even two abandoned planes! It’s part playground, part funhouse, and all architectural marvel. You won’t want to leave downtown without going to Busch Stadium. If you’re not lucky enough to take in a Cardinals’ game, the Cardinal Baseball Museum is nearby.

Another neat part of town is the Soulard neighborhood. It’s approximately 5 minutes south of downtown on Broadway and resembles Kansas City’s Westport or Crossroads districts. You’ll want to check out the Farmer’s Market (an inexpensive way to feed the family) as well as the multitude of local bars and restaurants. The Anheuser-Busch Brewery tour is also nearby—and it’s FREE! After a long day, mom and dad can take the edge off with a beer and let the kids drink all the complimentary soda they can handle.

Next up on our tour is Forest Park. It is 500 acres larger than New York’s Central Park! Did you know that this was the site of the 1904 World’s Fair and was attended by over 20 million people? Once inside the park, follow signs to the world-class zoo, the Art Museum, the History Museum, the Botanical Garden and the Science Center. Are you sitting down? ALL OF THESE ARE FREE!!!! EVEN THE ZOO!!!

Another fun option for the kids is The Magic House/St. Louis Children’s Museum. The museum features 100s of hands-on, engaging exhibits spread over four floors. Your kids will love touching the electrically charged ball and making their hair stand on end (like yours probably is at this point in the summer!) Admission is $7.50 and this hugely entertaining and educational museum is located in Kirkwood, just off I-44 at the Lindbergh Exit. You might want to call before you go – they’re doing a lot of highway construction in St. Louis this summer and several stretches of highway are closed. You might need to find a detour – but it’s worth it!

I briefly mentioned Six Flags, if you’re looking for a full day, theme park experience. Another larger attraction is Grant’s Farm, which is situated in Affton, MO. If you are heading from Clayton-area lodging, go south on Hanley Road, which turns into Laclede Station Road. Turn left on Gravois and right on Grant Road. Anheuser Busch owns Grant’s Farm, and its most famous residents are probably the A-B Clydesdale horses. You can visit them along with the 1000+ other animals via the FREE tram tours through the reserve; ending with a petting zoo. Tram, shows, entrance– all are FREE!

Readers—any other St. Louis hot spots? Feel free to submit your ideas! Enjoy!

Check out the whole series of KC Kids Fun Weekend Getaways by clicking here.

We’ve already discussed ‘going out-of-town, in town’ as well as road-tripping it to Omaha. Both would be great options for you and your kid(s) this summer! Today, I’m going to introduce you to several fun (and easy on the gas tank) trips in eastern Kansas. You could plan several day-trips, or combine for a fun weekend away.

First stop, Ft. Scott, KS. It’s very easy to get to, located just over an hour south of KC on Highway 69. The “Fort” in Ft. Scott refers to the military-constructed roadstop connecting Ft. Gibson, Oklahoma, to Ft. Leavenworth in Kansas. Visitors to Ft. Scott’s National Historic Site can see how a frontier post from the 1800’s looked! A little history lesson–the fort is located on a 17-acre parcel of land and saw many disagreements and fights between our country’s differing slavery factions: free-Kansas and slave-Missouri. (Missouri is only 5 minutes away from Ft. Scott.)

Aside from the terrific history lesson you can provide for your children, Ft. Scott boasts many quaint bed and breakfasts and old-fashioned shops, including great antique shops. Families can be whisked around town in the neat trolley cars which are sure crowd-pleasers! For more information on Ft. Scott, check out the town’s website, www.fortscott.com.

Two additional Kansas cities you’ll want to visit are Topeka, KS and Lawrence, KS. Topeka is the state capitol of Kansas and is about an hour due west of KC on I-70. You’ll want to check out www.topeka.org when planning your trip. Some highlights: The Topeka Zoological Park features a top-notch gorilla exhibit (“Discovering Apes”) and another highlight the kids will love is the Tropical Rainforest exhibit. If libraries and museums are your thing, you won’t be disappointed. Try the Combat Air Museum (www.combatairmuseum.org) which is located at Forbes Field and features one of the world’s best displays of operational combat aircraft. Another fun option is Old Prairie Town at Ward-Meade Historic Site. Old Prairie Town features a Victorian home, turn-of-the-century town, a log cabin, plus a botanical garden. Get the kids away from their video games and rediscover the past!

A mere 25 miles east on I-70 from Topeka lies Lawrence, KS–home of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Champion Jayhawks! A good place to start is www.visitlawrence.com. Lawrence boasts many world-class cultural, educational and entertainment options. Downtown Lawrence (fondly known as “Mass Street”) is a distinctive, historical place brimming with unique shops, restaurants and music. On select Fridays throughout the year, you can catch one of the popular Downtown Lawrence Gallery Walks from 7-9pm. No visit to Lawrence would be complete without a tour of the KU campus. The University of Kansas is situated high on a hill overlooking the city and the main artery running through it is Jayhawk Boulevard. For a sports-related thrill, take the kids to Allen Fieldhouse–lots of basketball history there, from Phog Allen to Bill Self. You’ll enjoy the onsite Sports Hall of Fame. Eat lunch or dinner on Mass Street–a great option for the kids is Teller’s, which is located in an old bank building! Kids will love seeing the original bank vault. Community Mercantile on Iowa Street offers salads, sandwiches, fresh baked goods and coffee. If you want to spend the night in Lawrence, there are several options for you and your family: The Eldridge Hotel (www.eldridgehotel.com) is a beautiful hotel located in the middle of everything on Mass Street. While on the pricey side, special packages can be purchased in advance. Maybe you’d want to save the Eldridge for a special night away with your significant other!! If you’re like my family, all you really want is a clean bed, a shower and an indoor pool–so you can check out the usual suspects–Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn Holidome, etc.

Have fun without going too far away!! Readers–feel free to post any suggestions or comments about the Weekend Getaway Series. I’m sure there are many places I’ve neglected to mention, and many I’ve yet to visit!

Today is May 1 and all of a sudden, summer vacation seems to be REALLY close to happening! In our effort to recommend cost-conscious, quick weekend getaways, we’ll start with a trip to Omaha, Nebraska. My husband and I took our then 5-year-old son there last summer and we had a fantastic weekend. The drive was just under 3 hours, which is perfect (especially if you can time it with nap time)!! From KC, simply head north on I-29.

I found a fantastic resource you may want to check out as you plan your trip: www.visitomaha.com. This is the Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau site and is chock-full of great information including an up-to-date events calendar. You can even check out various hotel/motel options and scan the restaurants. A few of the highlights you’ll want to consider:

• The NCAA College World Series (baseball) takes place June14-25 at Rosenblatt Stadium. I’ve never been, but have friends that go each year and say it’s a blast. The baseball is very competitive and the players are fantastic. The whole atmosphere of a college sporting event is so energizing! For ticket information, go to www.ticketmaster.com. Reserved seats are already sold out, but there are some GA tickets remaining. Ticket prices are $19 and $26.
• Old Market/Downtown is a really fun family-oriented place where you can eat, drink, play and sleep. It is known as Omaha’s Arts & Entertainment District. We stayed in the Embassy Suites/Old Market and it was nice to be able to walk right out the hotel door and see tons of restaurants, bars and shops right in front of us. Plus, it’s always good to make the kids use their legs…wears them out for a good sleep! It goes without saying that there are many kid-friendly places to eat in Old Market…an especially good choice is Spaghetti Works. Everyone should find something they like to eat here!
• Perhaps you haven’t yet heard, but the A#1 reason to go to Omaha with your kids is the world-renowned zoo! The Henry Doorly Zoo is open year-round and is only minutes from both Old Market and Rosenblatt Stadium. Once inside the zoo, your family could easily spend 2 days just taking in all there is to see and do. Scott Aquarium features a ‘touch tank,’ and if you prefer hot sand to water, you’ll want to see the world’s largest below-ground desert exhibit, featuring nocturnal desert animals. The gorilla exhibit is entertaining for adults and kids alike, and the penguins will fascinate you for hours!! Kansas City should take a cue from our neighbors to the north by upgrading and improving our own zoo! Once you see the Omaha Zoo, you’ll know why it’s world-renowned.

Have a great weekend in Omaha! We’d love to hear (or read) any comments or stories about your weekends out and about this summer! Have fun and be safe.