Spring break in Kansas City is fast approaching and you are probably looking for ways to keep your kids occupied! Never fear, we’ve pulled together 101 ideas for your family from cat cafes to new indoor play spaces and fun spots for a last minute day trip. Scroll down to items 55-101 for lots of free and inexpensive ideas that won’t break the bank. Get out there and explore all that Kansas City has to offer and make some great memories with your kids!
Unleash your imagination this Spring Break at LEGOLAND Discovery Center! You’ll build, create and play in 10 themed areas jam-packed with millions of LEGO bricks, then save the day on two BRICK-tastic rides, and meet your favorite LEGO characters! You can even see iconic Kansas City landmarks built in miniature inside MINILAND, plus even more LEGO fun!- Check out Activate, an active gaming facility in Overland Park.
- Visit one of the area’s cat cafes like Sugar Kittens, Whiskers, or Melissa’s Second Cup Cat Cafe and play with some adorable, adoptable cats.
- Have a family staycation at a hotel with a pool or Great Wolf Lodge.
- Go bowling at an old school bowling alley or a fancy new one that takes reservations.
- Enjoy climate controlled indoor mini-golf at Prehistoric Putt indoor mini-golfing, Craft Putt, or Tap-Ins at the Greenhouse.
- Plan a last minute day (or two) trip to one of these 20+ family vacation spots within 5 hours of KC.
- Pack a lunch and spend the day at Wonderscope.
- Go swimming at a local community center. Most have day passes and open swim hours. Great Wolf Lodge even offers a day pass.
- Visit the planetarium at Union Station. There are several shows to choose from.
- Make a trip to Science City, they have exhibits for kids of all ages to enjoy, including toddlers.
- Visit Bluhawk entertainment district. They offer bowling, laser tag, sports simulators, an arcade, and more.
- Get energy out at a trampoline park like Get Air, Sky Zone, or Urban Air.
- Relax a bit and let your kids play at Kidscape at the Johnson County Museum. The entire exhibit is enclosed in one room. Admission is free on March 19!
- Reach new heights while indoor rock climbing at RoKC.
- Take the whole family to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
- Go to open gym to get the wiggles out at a nearby gymnastics studio.
- Teach the kids how to roller skate at a local rink like Skate City or Winnwood Skate Center.
- Visit the indoor play place Club Run and Jump in Olathe.
- Check out the new exhibit Titanic: An Immersive Voyage at Union Station.
- Get crafty at one of Creative Culture’s two locations (and enjoy a fancy milkshake!)
- Take your little ones to one of the many play cafes in the metro.
- Paint your own ceramics at a local studio like Paint, Glaze, and Fire or Potter’s Haven Art Studio.
- It might still be too cold for the park but your kids can stay warm playing on the play sets at Rainbow of the Heartland.
- Enjoy the giant indoor playground and inflatables at Fun Run in Liberty or Blue Springs.
- Visit a local arcade.
- Take your sports lover to the College Basketball Experience.
- Get creative at Hawaii Fluid Art in Zona Rosa or Overland Park.
- Bounce the wiggles out at Pump it Up.
- Check out Kanga’s Indoor Playcenter in Independence.
- Shop for inexpensive craft supplies at Scraps KC.
- See Diary of a Wimpy Kid on the stage at Theatre for Young America.
- Hit the road for a day trip to Lawrence (Up and Away Play is perfect for kids). The KU Natural History Museum has free admission.
- Visit the Museum of Toys and Miniatures.
- Attend Planet Comicon from March 27-29. On Friday and Saturday, children ages 7 and under are free. Sunday is Family Day and kids 12 and under are free!
- Check out the new Rainbow Slime Co. at Union Station (make reservations!)
- Visit Ya-Ya’s Alpaca Farm in Garden City, MO.
- Take a day trip to Springfield, Missouri.
- Visit the Kansas City Zoo.
- Make a day trip to the Kansas Children’s Discovery Museum in Topeka for their
Take Care With Peanuts exhibit.
- Need to get some work done? Check out one of these spots where mom’s work while kid’s play.
- If you have a kid that loves trains, visit one of the best places for train lovers in Kansas City.
- Check out BRKTHROUGH, a social gaming place perfect for older kids and teens.
- Visit Powell Gardens or the Overland Park Arboretum and look for early signs of spring.
- Try a new pizza place, donut shop, or ice cream parlor.
- Visit the Peace Pavillion in Independence.
- Do a cooking camp or workshop at Tastebuds Kitchen.
- Get your kids enrolled in swimming lessons. Many places even offer jump start lessons over spring break!
- Spend the day at Kids Empire in Olathe or Lenexa. Your receipt lets you come and go all day!
- Step into the past at Mahaffie Stagecoach Shop and Farm Historic Site for their Spring Break Living History event on March 19-21.
- Spend a day in Downtown Overland Park.
- Visit the Louisburg Cider Mill. You can get fresh cider and donuts year-round!
- Have a blast at Superkidz Club in Shawnee.
- Take your kids for a “mom and me” pedicure at one of these local salons.
- Take your family on a hike at one of the many local trails.
- Visit a library with a fun children’s section.
- Explore one of the many nature centers in the metro.
- Visit a new park. Have a little one? Check out our guide to the best parks for babies and toddlers.
- Play a board game at Cardboard Cafe, Pawn and Pint, or ReRoll Tavern.
- Check out the free indoor play areas at Foundry Church.
- Visit Kaleidoscope to get your craft on.
- Plan a family game night.
- Camp out in the living room and make s’mores in the microwave.
- Make a Lawn Mower at Lowe’s on March 21.
- Bring your teen to game at The Zone at Indian Creek Library in Olathe.
- Celebrate the start of spring with Free Cone Day at DQ on March 20.
- Use painter’s tape on your floor to create roads for your toy cars.
- Let your kids play “the floor is lava.” The Netflix show by that name is also really good.
- Visit the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
- Challenge yourself with this list of 200+ Minute to Win It Games.
- Build a blanket fort.
- Make a sensory bin with things you already have like rice or beans and measuring cups.
- Set up a water play station for your kids in the sink or bathtub.
- Introduce your kids to a favorite movie from your childhood.
- Eat at a restaurant when kids eat free.
- Have a screen free day.
- Go through old family photos.
- Make a visit to the Money Museum.
- Paint kindness rocks and hide them in a nearby park.
- Have a dance party.
- Arrange a playdate swap with a friend.
- Check out the Hallmark Visitors Center.
- Have an indoor Easter egg hunt. Take a it up a notch by making it a flashlight game.
- Get a jump on some spring cleaning.
- Attend one of the area St. Patrick’s Day parades.
- Try an easy origami project.
- Check out Dinosaurs, Land of Fire and Ice , the new free exhibit at Crown Center.
- Explore the Parkville Nature Sanctuary. And check out our suggestions for spending a day in Parkville.
- Visit the Native Hooved Animal Enclosure in Lee’s Summit.
- Ride the KC Streetcar. Some fun free stops would be the model train gallery at Union Station and the Central Library.
- Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with these 5 free printable and digital activities.
- Enjoy these screen free indoor activities for toddlers.
- Plan out a garden to plant later this spring.
- Check out the murals in the Crossroads district.
- Make and donate some Happy Kits for Children’s Mercy.
- See a demonstration of how a marble is made at Moon Marble Company.
- Visit Chicken N Pickle in the Northland or Overland Park and enjoy their yard games including cornhole, ping pong, bocce, battleship, and Jenga. Join the Kids Crew for special deals and events.
- Bake cookies or muffins and deliver them to friends and neighbors.
- Try one of these 20 baking soda experiments for kids.
- Visit Scheels in Overland Park. They have $1 mini-bowling and ferris wheel rides as well as a candy store.
- Host a movie night with movie theater style snacks.
