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 minigolf, 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 $14 (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 $37 adults, $9.95 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 $26 adults, $9.95 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 year-round and features animals of Australia, Africa, and more in their natural habitats, as well as the Sprint IMAX Theater. Admission to the zoo and IMAX during high season costs $14 adults, $8 children 3 to 11; on Tuesday, zoo-only admission costs $5 for all.
