Road Trip To KC (Kansas City, Union: hotels, home, neighborhood)

[TiredOfChicago]

So my wife and 3 kids (5,3, and 9 months old) are taking a road trip from Chicago to KC next weekend. What hotel should we stay at that would have some things for the kids to do as well as being kid friendly (The Great Wolf is tad expensive right now) and also, what are the must eats for BBQ while we are down there which will be a Friday/Saturday and part of Sunday.

[christina0001]

At those ages, I would imagine any hotel with a pool would be considered fun. You may want to stay near Worlds of Fun and/or the Kansas City Zoo (I personally would prefer the zoo).

[TiredOfChicago]

Yeah, they will be fine with a pool as long as it's indoor...I assume it can be pretty oppressive there as far as heat and humidity goes. I think we would do the zoo over the Worlds of Fun, looks to be quite overpriced IMO in comparison to Six Flags up here in Chicago.

[northbound74]

Worlds of Fun is actually pretty good. They have much shorter lines, and just as good rides compared to the many Six Flags I've been to.
The heat may not be too bad. Today, the high might reach 80.
We do get heat, but it's hasn't lasted for long periods of time this year.
There's a hotel next to the sports complex, that has an indoor water park. Shariton? I think.
The hotels around Crown Center are also a very good choice. It's a mall with lots of kid-friendly stuff, and you can walk through a skywalk to get to Union Station, another place with plenty of activities for kids.
LC's is my favorite BBQ, but it's in a marginal neighborhood. I've heard good things about Oklahoma Joe's on the county line of Johnson and Wyandott counties.
If you have time, check out the Country Club Plaza and Nelson-Atkins art museum.

[kcmo]

I have posted this same replay many times. It has worked out well, so here goes again...

Stay in Crown Center. The Hyatt and Westin both can offer very good rates for very nice hotels. Under $150. Much less if you do priceline or something.

I would try for the Westin though.

Then you would have access to a bunch of attractions within the downtown/plaza area via taxi or max bus but much of what you will want to do is within walking distance.

Go to Fritz in Crown Center. The original one is in KCK, but the one in crown center is better in my opinion and it's the one all the tourists go to.

Also within walking distance is Union Station where you can fill a day with train related stuff.

The station itself is an amazing train station and there is a foot bridge behind the station where you can walk across one of the busiest railways in the nation. Over 250 trains a day pass under the bridge including Amtrak trains.

The station is also home to a railroad museum which is part of Science City. I think you can buy passes to the RR Museum alone or to the Science City as a package. Your son would enjoy the RR Museum as well as Science City and if you have time grab a movie playing at the IMAX or the planetarium.

There are also model trains in the lower level of Union Station and sometimes in the main hall. If you are lucky, you might even hit a model RR show which happen about twice a year at the station.

Also within walking distance of the westin or hyatt is the hallmark visitors center which might interest you as well as the WWI monument and museum.

But like I said, if you want to see even more of the city, it's all a $5 cab ride away in the downtown and plaza areas or you can take a MAX bus and most kids like to ride city buses.

I would also agree that Worlds of Fun is a good park. Go after 4pm and it's half price, they close late and you can typically do everything before they close.

You might also hit a Royals Game if they are in town. Sundays are extremely affordable for families as they offer packages with tickets, food and drinks for four for only 40 bucks. You can also look into staying at the Sheraton near the stadiums for one night if you plan to hit a Royals game or Worlds of Fun. They have a good indoor water park, but it's not as expensive as great lodge.

If you are staying downtown, you can take the metro to the game for free because you will get vouchers for tickets at the stadium.