A must visit! I had read wonderful things about Science City before our move here and immediately…read moreadded it to my bucket list of places to take my kids. When it came home on the field trip flyer for one of their schools I knew I had to go. We had an incredible time and as a field trip it was fantastically organized (with multiple other schools there that day). We were able to explore and enjoy all of the exhibits, eat lunch, and play some more. Within days after the field trip we returned so my other kids could also have a day of fun. It was a great outing for our family. Full of things to do it is so easy to spend a full day here. Science City is a must if you are looking for something to do with your family within the city.

I read so much about the Science museum before I landed in Kansas, and being a science buff myself,…read moreI was really curious to visit...but, that day, for some reason they did not open, maybe a private event, or some school children's field day, or, something like that... I did get to see their gift shop though. They have many gifts with pie on them,( the science symbol pie, not the food pie....) maybe if I have visited the actual museum I would have understood the relevance. Pretty cute though....T-shirts, cups, even boxes... But those are not the only things, there is also environment friendly jewelry, agate animals, galaxy lamps, science games, hats, and other souvenirs. Is you need any memento from Kansas , this is the place to buy ! Prices are pretty reasonable and there is stuff for every pocket. If I get a chance to visit Kansas again, my first stop this time is going to be Science Museum at the Union Station.

This is a super fun activity center for kids. It is free to enter. They have a session every 45…read moreminutes which allows smaller group of kids to enjoy the activities. The area is full of different types of hands on activities like glueing shapes, painting, coloring, solving puzzles, arts and crafts. Each table had its own accessories like stickers, papers, accessories for kids to use their imagination to create different things. The passageway goes to a separate room where kids can act out puppet shows and interact with movie making process. Lots of associates constantly walk around the floor refilling the tables and making sure kids are enjoying their time. When the session is about to end, they notify all the parents to head toward the exit.

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

Anyone who looks at my reviews know that a 5 is rare! This exceeded any expectation I had and I was…read moresmiling so Much my cheeks hurt. What an Immersive experience! Books were SO much a part of our parenting I was transported to such deep memories. The attention to detail! The places to sit and read incorporated throughout! We went to an Adults only event just to check It out and we have already bought tickets to take our adult kids next month!!!

This museum is exceptional! I felt like a kid again seeing my favorite storybooks come to life!…read moreEvery single nook and cranny of this space was well thought out and artistically crafted. It was nice to have places for the kids to climb and explore. And there were also spaces to rest and be quiet. I like that each book was unique on display so it wasn't the same old thing over and over again. What I really loved was that they have multiple copies of each book represented in said section. So the ones we hadn't read and were interested in, we were able to discover like The Funny Thing and The Fire Cat. And ones we were aware if were fun to read while exploring like Goodnight Moon (my absolute favorite part), Babar, Frog and Toad, and No, David! The bus ride is a must; so creative and heart warming. We didn't purchase tickets for The Three Robbers experience, but peeking inside I wish we had, it looks great. The docents and volunteers were all knowledgeable of the books. And they were very kind when needing to remind kids of the museum rules. If I lived here I would by an annual membership for sure. And would have gladly paid more than the current $16 admission as I think this experience is worth much more.

This was a fun place to spend an hour or two with my toddlers before starting a long car drive! We…read moregot in for about 50% off using our Children's museum pass from another state. Loved the outdoor space to explore with little trikes and a playhouse, wheelbarrows, etc. There were several reading books set areas set up with books to read to your kids, a large overhead climbing area, lots of busy boards, tables set up with smaller building toys for older kids, and more!

My visit and I was impressed! Things for all kids 2 years and up. I I am looking into buying a…read moremembership because I could see going back several times as my granddaughter gross. There is real life activities, such as a kitchen, a grocery store, a train, that has additional things for kids to do that mock real life, which includes a cooking apron, a train engineer, coat, etc. They have an outdoor area and when we were there, it was cooler and rainy, but I could see that this is a wonderful extension to additional play areas suggest a treehouse, a farm silo and a farmers market. Now the treehouse was a little bit dirty, but I think it's probably the time of the year and that it was really damp and wet during our visit. There's a place for you to have lunch. There are organized activities in the afternoon, which we did not participate in, but that goes additional things to do in the afternoon if you're there for a long period of time. The employees there were more than helpful and friendly . Facility was very clean and well organized.

Talk about a fabulous way to repurpose an iconic building in JoCo! The site of the old King Louie…read morebowling alley has given way to the Arts & Heritage Center containing an exhibit better known as the Johnson County Museum. Instead of erecting another concrete monstrosity, JoCo took a piece of its expansion and history to house that very same dynamic. The Arts & Heritage Center itself is a wonderful facility, blending local & regional art, classes, and community space. It also doubles as an election polling location particularly focused on early voting opportunities (exercise your right!). Taking that classic 1960s suburban architecture, complete with stone walls & beams in a pseudo-flying buttress, and turning it into a new piece of the community is a *chef's kiss* of civic planning. Where you once may have tried to pick up a 7-10 split, you now can tour decades of people & progress. The museum itself costs $6 for adults with discounted admission for seniors, veterans, & children. It doesn't take long to get immersed in the interactivity and to get mesmerized by JoCo's storied past. Take in the public art displays or stop into the gift shop for keepsakes of the visit. Virtually every event has been well-documented, notable people are memorialized, and the chronology only keeps moving forward. Northeast Kansas continues to grow and find new ways to reinvent progress, so be sure to grasp the spirit of expansion that has occurred in this beautiful metro area.

The Johnson County Museum is a great example of a thoughtful use of space. I was pretty young when…read morethe King Louie building was in its prime but I know it held importance for many in the community so it's wonderful to see it repurposed as an arts and heritage space. To start with, the museum itself is great, it's super well thought out, and tells the story of the region and of Johnson County, and the growth of the KC suburbs. This story is complex, and filled with some less savory history, so I am especially proud of this museum for not shying away from the truth of this history and having sections of the museum dedicated to redlining, and moments of inequality here. My favorite part of the museum is the electric house, which was moved into the space to preserve a unique time in Johnson County history when the burbs expanded and became modernized. It's honestly worth the price just to see that house preserved as well as it is. If you are a parent, this place gets even better as your admission includes Kidscape which is a great indoor play area for kiddos between the ages of 18 months and 7 I'd say. They do a good job of keeping this space clean and for the price, it's one of the better deals for places to take kids on a cold day in KC. Finally, this space also houses a theatre and we go here for ballet classes which is great. All in all it's a wonderful asset to the community and I'm glad it's here.

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

Unfortunately, this location didn't live up to expectations. Having visited the St. Louis Museum of…read moreIllusions, I found this one to be significantly smaller and lacking the same variety of exhibits. Given the price point, the experience felt a bit underwhelming and short. If you've been to their larger locations, this one might leave you disappointed.

Beautiful building. The main hall is free and open to anyone. Lots of cool info on dinosaurs,…read morespace, and an interactive section where you take a quiz, make a dinosaur and see it on a big screen next to you. Upstairs is a discovery room that I want to like so much but it's just so poorly run. It seems to me that there's not enough staff or funding maybe to keep everything organized and neat so a lot of it is disheveled or there's stuff missing. Worth a visit on a free day or with a pogo pass but I wouldn't pay for it.

It's a cute small museum. I was honestly expecting a lot more especially for the price. There were…read moreonly two exhibits open. My two year old was also a little fussy and I felt a bit judged by the staff. They kept running over to me to "make sure" he was supervised. I was already a bit stressed trying to calm him and this wasn't helpful. It didn't always feel very welcoming, but it is a beautiful space.

The art deco is beautiful. This building is must see. Don't miss it, if you are in Excelsior…read moreSprings.

Art deco splendor! A…read moreworking city building filled with reminders of the spring waters heydays here. Love the intact water bar which is now the welcome center. Lots of surrounding picture displays of the town's history and notable persons with connections to the general area. **No special water to drink or bathe here!

This is one of KCs gems - and thankfully not so hidden. This museum was founded by 2 women - 1 with…read morea love of toys and 1 with a love of miniatures. I've visited several times and am always amazed at the popular toys from each decade and the incredible to scale miniatures. During this visit we were one of the first to attend the grand opening of the Native American miniatures exhibit. It's so cool. I recommend everyone check it out. This museum is a must visit for all ages.

The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures, despite being one of the bigger museums in KC, is…read morehonestly kind of a hidden gem in town. I never went before they renovated, but once they did I made my way here and immediately wondered what had taken me so long. You might think to yourself that this is for kids or on the flip side you might think that it's just for collectors - both couldn't be more untrue. The first fun thing is just the massive historic building that this place is in - if you like architecture and exploring old buildings you'll enjoy that part of it. The next thing you'll notice is that there is a ton to see here, from the ornate details of dollhouses, to miniatures that will blow your mind, to nostalgic barbies, there really is something for just about anyone. I like how you can come here to be reminded that everyone once was a kid and that toys tell a unique story about humanity in their own way. If you haven't been this is a great thing to do on a rainy day in KC. I would recommend it for older kids - maybe 10+ and for anyone who enjoys history or museums.

This museum has relocated to inside of the Truman Memorial building a few blocks west of the…read moreIndependence square - it was originally a few blocks south of the square. Admission is free with donations accepted. It starts with a 20 minute video that i recommend to get you acclimated to the importance that the frontier trails played in shaping this nation's history and growth. The museum is broken into sections on the California, Sante Fe, Oregon, and Mormon Trails and also showcases the Lewis and Clark Expedition and the fur trade. There's lots to read and lots of artifacts. It was personally intriguing since I have recently discovered that ancestors of mine trekked both the California and Mormon trails. There are certainly more interesting and larger museums in the region but i would recommend this one highly to show why our metropolitan area was critical to westward expansion.

My interest in the Oregon trail starts here in Independence, Missouri, since I know that the…read moremajority of the westward expansion movement in America started here in Independence in the mid 1800's. I know on the Oregon Trail since my youth playing the video games and that sparked my interest in seeing the real stuff in person. So once the opportunity came to see artifacts and exhibits pertaining to the Oregon Trail was made available, I jumped at the chance to see it before leaving the area. It was nice to come to this museum after searching on TripAdvisor and Yelp to find a good museum that caters to the Oregon Trail. I arrived here around 3:30pm on a brisk and casual Monday in October 2017 after picking up my rental car in Overland Park, KS. I had about an hour to browse through everything before leaving the museum at 4:30pm. The museum itself isn't large but had quite a bit of exhibits and information about the Oregon trail and its associated historic significance in the independence Missouri area. For the most part though, it was nice to see more of the artifacts and historical stories that made the travel from Independence mo to Oregon, California, and even Utah way back before the invention of the car. Those were rough times on the frontier and these brace souls risk their lives for the betterment of themselves and the growing country. The overall experience here at the National Frontier Trail museum was very fascinating, good, positive, and educational. I learned more about some of the pioneers' stories and the incredible hardships they had to endure throughout their journey: diseases, dehydration, starvation, weather, and the hostile Native American people were basically the main contributors to what they had to put up with on their long haul to the Pacific Ocean. This place does charge admission fee, but I lucked out, since I came in late, I got charged the senior rate, so I saved a couple of $$. Admission fee is get nominal though, so it is always good to support museums that support your need for knowledge and curiosity. They accept major credit cards, as well as cash. I was here when they had construction equipment here nearby, but I chose to park around the corner. They have parking spaces here for people visiting. Just didn't know how that would work, but I had a nice walk to and from the car regardless. For the most part though, my experience really wanted me to solidify my knowledge base of the Oregon trail and how the American pioneers risked death to achieve their dreams of living on the edge of the western fringes of America. The museum building itself was one story, but large enough to accommodate the exhibits, its artifacts, and collections of items that relates to the Oregon trail and its associated westward expansion of American civilization past the Mississippi River. The place was very much kid friendly and clean. It's quiet and casual like a library, so do yourselves favor by keeping your concerns and conversations to a dull roar. Be respectful that they kind of frown upon loud people and obnoxious individuals. If you are interested in this part of American history and near Independence, Missouri, consider coming and spending some time here. You will be enlightened by the hardship and sacrifices needed to undertake and understand what they did to survive and to build a nation. Hard work and dedication to what you do makes waves. 5.0 stars for the overall experience. You might want to have lunch first before coming here. It can be worth it if you stay long and soak up the knowledge and be amazed. I wish I could have been there earlier but had a time crunch. Support local! A+