Kansas City's most centrally located attraction for kids is Science City, in the restored 1914 Union Station, cater-cornered from Crown Center at 30 Pershing Rd. (tel. 816/460-2020; www.sciencecity.com). At this multilevel, interactive museum, open daily, kids can create a personal newspaper front page, anchor a TV news program, bicycle across a tightrope, train as an astronaut, solve a crime, play miniature golf, take a tour through the human body, dig for fossils, explore Kansas City's history, view the stars at a planetarium, catch a movie in a five-story theater, climb aboard vintage trains at the KC Rail Experience exhibit, and more. Admission to everything is $20 (children 3 and under are free).
For outdoor fun, there's the 175-acre theme park Worlds of Fun, I-435 and Parvin Road (tel. 816/454-4545; www.worldsoffun.com), open daily in summer and weekends in April, May, September, and October, with six roller coasters, including the Patriot, the longest, tallest, and fastest full-circuit inverted roller coaster in the Midwest; dozens of other thrill rides, like the tumble-and-spin Thunderhawk; and Camp Snoopy for younger kids, featuring attractions based on the comic strip. Admission is $39 adults, $15 children under 48 inches and seniors. Next door is Worlds of Fun's water-themed counterpart, the 60-acre Oceans of Fun (same contact information as Worlds of Fun, above), open June through August and featuring 18 water slides and various pools (including a wave pool). Admission costs $28 adults, $15 children under 48 inches and seniors. Discounts are provided for combined passes and evening admission.
The revitalized Kansas City Zoo, at I-435 and 63rd St. in Swope Park (tel. 816/513-5700; www.kansascityzoo.org), is open daily 9am to 5pm and features animals of Australia, Africa, and more in their natural habitats. Admission is $11 adults, $9.50 seniors, and $7 children 3 to 11; on Tuesday, prices are $8, $7, and $6 respectively.
