Still a 5 star experience here night or day. Came here for the light installation exhibit on the…read moretower and it was pretty neat. I'm not sure just coming for the light show makes it worthwhile, but just seeing the tower and the city at night along with the show definitely does.

After dinner, Tim and I made our way to the national World War I museum to see the Liberty's Beacon…read morean artistic light installation of artist: Onionlab . There are three installations of light shows on different weekends each light show last about six minutes and replays every 10 minutes starting at 7:30 pm and ending at 10:30 PM.The light show we watched had scenes that talked about sacrifice, courage, and World War I archives found in the museum. such a wonderful event to end our evening. I plan on seeing all three installations showings at three different weekends if you're out and about near Union Station Crown Center walk up the hill we know there's a lot of steps take 15 minutes to watch this cool light show.

This was really fun! More than I was expecting. Check in was easy, they are doing contact tracing…read morewe had to fill out info. we ordered tickets from Groupon. We avoided touching much, so there were some illusions we didn't do, but were able to do most of them. There are tips and explanations with each illusion. It doesn't take real long to go through maybe 30 minutes or so, but it was fun and enjoyable. Highly recommend for adults or kids!

Over priced and over rated…read more Too small. Things looked old and touched too much. Wack! Don't waste your time or money.

I finally made it to Union Station in Kansas City today. I knew it was one of those places you're…read moresupposed to see here, but I honestly didn't know much about it besides being a beautiful old train station. And yeah... I could probably spend a while here just looking at the building itself. I walked around the Grand Hall, checked out the architecture, the trains and all the little details. Then I realized how much stuff is actually inside. Science City, a planetarium, exhibitions, restaurants, model trains... I wasn't expecting all of that. But strangely, my favorite part was just being there. This place has been around for more than 100 years, and somehow it still feels alive. People everywhere, things going on, trains still coming through. It doesn't feel like an old station that was preserved just so people could look at it. I really enjoyed walking around today. I came mostly to finally see Union Station, and left understanding a little better why this place is such a big part of Kansas City.

Just stepping foot in the building is a cool experience. The architecture is beautiful. I love…read moreanything historical and going here is a treat. I attended an exhibit on the Berlin Wall. It was very informative and interesting. I'd say very thought provoking considering the times we live in. A great reminder of why love and unity should always win. Fear, ignorance, and division are the tools of authoritarians. I left a message on the wall on the way out which is in one my photos. The station has some fun places. I stopped by the slime factory and grabbed myself a new tub of slime just because! I had left the exhibition and wanted some pure fun! Parisi coffee was busy. I stopped in at made in KC and Rally House. I'd consider both of these very sports related but they have some MO and KS trinkets as well. I did get a kick out of the signs for the private event for the KC fashion week. As someone who loves fashion, I'd be very curious to see what makes it into the KC fashion week lineup! There's definitely a practical, midwestern theme to dressing for many here. A lot does seem to close early even on a Saturday. Most things were closing between 5-6pm. You have to pay to park. Anywhere from $7 for 4 hours and then up from there. Still fun and I highly recommend.

*Missing Review(s)?…read more In my opinion this is one of the best museums in the world. No doubt,pound for pound I would put the Nelson Akins up against any museum anywhere. I love art so, traveling to Kansas City regularly in the early to mid 2000s,I naturally visited the Nelson Adkins. Walking into the building was not particularly interesting as the entrance had been modernized and different from the exterior. However,once you walk into the galleries,you are stunned. The overall building design,galleries and quality of art seems almost out of place in Kansas City. Not that they don't deserve it,every city should be so lucky,it just seems a surprise. One special thing they had, that is just wonderful, is the cafeteria style cafe in a significantly beautiful atrium. I took many pictures and posted them of the entire facility including the marvelous food over several years. I have been trying to come up with a good excuse to go to KC for a Nelson-Adkins fix! Seriously,maybe an UYE! Now for "The"truly significant impact this museum had on my life.On the second floor you could walk out doors, taking you into the large atrium that holds the cafe. Around this walkway were many Rodin sculpture. I must have past these sculpture a dozen times on my walk to the descending stairs in order to eat During one visit as I exited the doors,passed the sculptures,I noticed a large photographic presentation. Stopping to look closer,I learned it was regarding details of Rodin's Hell Gates. If you have the slightest interest in art,look it up, amazing. After lunch,I returned to this exhibit reading all about the Hells Gates. Finding out there are only two bronze cast of this magnificent sculpture,I felt I just had to see one if not both. One is at the Rodin museum in Paris. If I needed a reason to go to Paris( you don't) this was as good as any. I'm proud to report a few months later I was standing in front of the Gates Of Hell at the Rodin museum Paris. All because of a visual display at Nelson Atkins... Go!

My visit to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art was extremely disappointing. While the museum itself…read morewas beautiful the behavior of several staff members completely ruined the experience. Throughout our visit we were repeatedly followed and monitored. At one point, as we were leaving through a doorway a staff member who was entering saw us exiting and immediately turned around after looking directly at us. Another staff member approached us in a very confrontational manner under the guise of "guiding" us and even laughed after I responded with "yikes." The micro-aggressions were impossible to ignore. They didn't even seem "micro." The behavior from staff was excessive, unwelcoming, and deeply uncomfortable. It's unfortunate that such a culturally significant and visually appealing place is staffed by people who ruin the experience. I genuinely hope the museum addresses and provides better training on how staff members interact with guests.

Took our 4 year old granddaughter to visit. She had just been there a couple of weeks before but…read morewanted to go back again! This place is PERFECT for little ones. Lots of exhibits that are fun for them, and some stuff that adults will like also. I loved the reptile room - really cool things in there. She loves to do art projects and there were several places for that as well. I had my doubts before we went, but we all had a great time. A little pricey but worth it. We will take her back, I'm sure.

Kansas City has some of the coolest spots, this is one of them! Science city is located inside the…read moreiconic Union Station in downtown. Current parking rates are free for the first 30 minutes, $7 for 30 minutes - 1 hour, 4+ hours (all day) $16. Double check before going. Tickets for science city run at $16 per person, which is not bad for what's included. This huge building had so many different sections with tons of things to do!! Very age appropriate, creative, room to run around. My daughter's favorite area was the room with paint and cleaning tools. Honestly it's a fun spot for adults too. If I lived in the area, I'd say a membership is totally worth it! We spent almost 4 hours here and we didn't get to see everything. 10 out of 10 recommend. One downside is, no outside food or drinks are allowed. I didn't see anywhere to buy food inside either, I could be wrong, but prepare or eat ahead!

Awesome place for the kiddos to do art and keep their art work :). Careful with scissors , I…read morehelped my toddler for the first time and she cut me haha my fault ‍. But it's a big area very nice for kids !

Took grand niece there were kids from Leawood Ks bussed in 2 years older…read moreThan my niece they instruct adults to let the kids decide what to make and what to do the helicopter parents couldn't abide by that and made the stuff for the kids our grand niece did it all her self and she was 2'years younger Not enough time to complete everything Hours are really screwy one place says one Thing another place says different

First--this museum is free. So much cool history of money. And seeing it sorted and stored. Plus…read moreyou get a free bag of shredded money. It was fun and inspiring.

What's not to like about this money museum inside Kansas City's beautiful Federal Reserve building?…read more Admission was free, parking was free and no reservations were required. I was subject to an airport-style screening when entering, but the staff were professional and fairly friendly. The museum included the extensive Harry S. Truman coin collection, which was a wall of coins from our country's founding to present, including gold and silver coins - nice! The exhibit area included bills from our country's founding to present, including large denominations and Confederate currency. It also included a gold bar lift challenge, a counterfeit currency exhibit, interactive exhibits for the kiddos and a wall of $100 bills totaling $40 million. It was also possible to see the operational currency processing area (no pictures allowed) where they don't print currency, but they do review it for counterfeit, worn, soiled or damaged bills and then distribute it to regional banks. The bad bills are shredded and available for free in small packages as you leave the tour. I also noticed a small theater with a Federal Reserve educational video playing on a loop. The museum is located very close to the National WWI Memorial, a scenic KC skyline viewpoint and Union Station. Overall, it was an excellent experience and a great way to see the history of US currency.

We made a trip this past weekend to KC and had a blast. This was our first stop! I had seen clips…read moreon social media and knew my little book worms would love it. We bought our tickets ahead of time, so we could secure our time slot. However, it looked like you can get tickets there the day of. Tickets are fairly priced, $16/person. This place is a lot bigger than I thought. Once you go down the rabbit hole, there are little burrows to crawl through, stop by and check out the rabbits little house before making your way through. It took us about 2 hours to go through, my kids loved all the interactive pieces to it. They could climb in nearly everything, there was a slide, a fire pole, etc. If you aren't familiar with the books, don't worry, they keep them stocked at each section so you can read it! Once we were done, we made our way to the bookstore. They had a wonderful large staircase that people could just relax and read books which I thought was wonderful little touch. They had a great selection of books and had a section of all the books from the displays. They have a coffee shop but unfortunately it was closed when we were there. The staff was wonderful, the volunteers are all scattered throughout to help customers. The volunteers and staff truly love books and children. We will absolutely be back again!

Well put together museum where all the books you grew up comes alive…read more Brought my kids and their cousins here. They loved it. Got to sit on a story time and caught the bus. Make reading great again!

If you are looking for an underrated gem, this unassuming museum is an absolute must-visit. Our…read moregroup spent about 1.5 hours exploring, and it was worth every minute. Tip: Start on the 2nd floor as the museum is split across two floors. The 2nd floor is Toys and a complete walk down memory lane. It's packed with nostalgia, featuring games and classic items from the last century--everything from vintage Mouse Trap to Chinese Checkers. The 1st floor is Fine Miniatures. Do yourself a favor and save this for last. The first floor houses fine scale miniatures that are plain mind-blowing. The level of craftsmanship and architectural detail in these tiny masterpieces is unbelievable. Before you leave, make sure to pop into the nifty little gift shop. They have some super fun items, including mini tabletop versions of games like Mini Monopoly. Highly recommended!

A group of us spent part of our weekend exploring this incredible museum in the heart of Kansas…read moreCity, and it was pure magic from start to finish. ​The fine-scale miniatures are an absolute marvel of patience, precision, and artistry. Having recently visited the Truman Library, seeing a miniature replica of Truman's Oval Office shrunk down with microscopic accuracy--right down to the tiniest nitty-gritty details on the desk--was amazing to see up close. There are far too many highlights to squeeze into one miniature review, but the massive 1,000-pound dollhouse from the late 1800s completely stopped us in our tracks. ​On the toy side of the aisle, wandering through generations of playthings was a blast--even if realizing I'm officially old enough to be part of vintage museum nostalgia was a funny, slightly bittersweet pill to swallow. They also have three hypnotic rolling-ball kinetic sculptures where you just zone out watching the spheres navigate intricate winding tracks. It's oddly calming, very zen, and almost impossible to pull your eyes away from. ​To top off the visit, I nearly committed accidental petty crime on the way out. I picked up an adorable tiny Monopoly game in the gift shop, got distracted, and walked right out the front door before realizing I hadn't paid. When I hurried back inside to confess, the cashier laughed and pointed out the irony of accidentally playing a real-life Get Out of Jail Free card with Monopoly. ​Definitely check this place out, whether you appreciate mind-boggling micro-craftsmanship or just want to let your inner kid run loose for an afternoon.

The Arabia Steamboat Museum ends up being one of those places that sticks with you because it…read morecaptures a moment in American history that feels both impossibly distance and strangely familiar especially now that we live in a world where your Amazon package shows up overnight (or faster!). Or it doesn't and you just go online and they ship you another without a second thought. Back in the 1850s, nothing was that simple, nothing was that quick, and when you needed something, it might take weeks to arrive from hundreds of miles away and sometimes it never arrived at all which is exactly what happened here when a fully loaded steamboat carrying people and supplies hit something in the river and went down. Everyone survived but their cargo didn't and that lost cargo sat buried for more than a century before it was unearthed and brought here, laid out in a way that lets you see the everyday objects that people depended on long before modern convenience existed. Walking through the museum feels like stepping into a time capsul cracked open just enough for you to peek inside with shelves and cases full of tools, clothing, canned goods, personal items and all the little necessities that once took weeks of travel to reach their destination. It's fascinating and honestly a little humbling to stand in front of these perfectly preserved artifacts and think about how fragile the supply chain used to be, how one unlucky moment on a river could scatter someone's plans across the mud for more than a century. What makes the visit bittersweet is knowing that they're losing this space later in 2026 which is a real shame because the museum feels so rooted here and it's hard to imagine it anywhere else. If you've ever been curious about frontier life or you just enjoy the kind of museum that tells a story you didn't know you needed, see it all while you can because it's absolutely worth the stop and once you've walked through the collection, you'll be glad you didn't miss out. It's worth pointing out that the name "Arabia" has just the name of the steamboat and it has nothing to do with the Middle East so you can set that thought right away and just enjoy the story for what it is. [Review 837 of 2026 - 551 in Missouri - 26018 overall]

The Steamboat Arabia Museum is a hidden gem and easily one of the top museums in the country! It…read morecovers a piece of American history that I knew nothing about, and formats the story beautifully. Why this museum is a must-see: 1. Flawless Storytelling: The layout walks you chronologically through the boat's journey, its sinking, and its remarkable discovery in a cornfield decades later. It's succinct, clear, and fascinating. 2. Live Preservation: My favorite part was the lab where you can see staff actively working on cleaning and recovering the massive collection of artifacts. It makes the experience feel alive and ongoing. 3. Incredible Artifacts: The sheer volume of perfectly preserved items on display--from boots to fine china--is mind-boggling. If you're anywhere near Kansas City, do yourself a favor and check this out. Highly recommended!