Located in the heart of downtown Kansas City, Union Station is an active train station, piece of living history, and an architectural masterpiece. It’s also an impressive entertainment hub, featuring exhibits, movies, restaurants, Science City, a planetarium, and so much more. Union Station has something for everyone. Recently, the Macaroni Kid Mom Ambassador team made visits to two kid-friendly destinations located inside Union Station. And, they're giving us the opportunity to give away some family 4 packs to those destinations to a few lucky Macaroni Kid readers!
A few moms ambassadors had the opportunity to take their families to experience Dinosaur Road Trip. Dinosaur Road Trip is a family adventure along historic Route 66, featuring famous roadside attractions, and a couple dozen life-size animatronic dinosaurs! The ambassador families had a fantastic time taking a “trip” across the country, "visiting" US cities, checking out dinosaur fossils, watching videos, and even completing a scavenger hunt!
One mom and her husband enjoyed reading about the roadside attractions, and her two boys were absolutely enthralled with the super cool dinosaurs! Her 4 year old was initially convinced they were real!
Another mom took her two boys, and was impressed by the safety protocols that were in place. She said all staff were wearing masks, everything was clean, and there were hand sanitizer stations set up throughout. There were big red stickers on the ground to remind people to keep a social distance and others that showed the perfect selfie spots.
Dinosaur Road Trip runs through January 6th, and is open every day of the week from 9am-5pm. Both mom ambassadors agreed it’s a fun exhibit that is perfect to enjoy on it’s own, or before or after a visit to Science City.
And speaking of Science City, I had the opportunity to take my daughter there a few weeks ago. Right now, Science City is welcoming visitors in two time sessions. There’s a 9:30am-12:30pm session, and a 2:00pm-5:00pm session. It's structured this way so Science City can clean and sanitize between sessions for the safety it's visitors. Additionally, Science City has done an excellent job putting safety measures in place. During our visit, the staff all wore masks, hand sanitizer was readily available in multiple locations, and there were signs identifying social distancing hot spots, and signs limiting the number of people in certain areas. I was impressed, and felt very safe throughout our visit.
We arrived at 9:45am for the morning session, and stayed busy right up to the end of the session, about the time when we started getting hungry. We hadn't visited Science City in about about a year due to the pandemic, and I was shocked by how many new attractions had been installed since our last visit!
The first attraction we visited that was new to us was “All Aboard”, a new train themed area, offering a range of learning and exploring opportunities for younger kids, around ages 4-7, . My daughter could have spent the entire day in that room. There’s a steam locomotive and mail car where your kiddo can operate levers and cranks to make the train whistle blow, and a sleeper car and dining car, where we spent a lot of time doing imaginative play. There are a few opportunities for kids to build their own tracks and move trains, which I had a hard time peeling my daughter away from. There’s even a model train display, with a tunnel that young children can climb through, that takes them to a secret porthole in the center of the display! That’s just a few of the activities in the new “All Aboard” attraction, but I highly recommend it for anyone who has a young train fan at home.
We also spent considerable time in “Creative Corner” where my daughter was able to paint on glass walls, experiment with the Sand Spinners, and create her own constellations using the light tables. She especially liked this activity, because she’s really into asking questions about the sun, moon, and stars right now. We also spent about 15 minutes in the Science on a Sphere exhibit. Science on a Sphere is a projection system that displays images using a large suspended sphere. My daughter is only 4, and she was fascinated by the different visuals she could select. She was able to view the Earth, Sun, and several other objects in our solar system.
Nature Works was probably the other favorite of the day, both for my daughter and for me. There were so many unique, interesting animals on display; lizards, birds, snakes, turtles and more. We timed our arrival to Nature Works perfectly, just in time for the snake feeding. Yes! They do a live snake feeding! I thought my daughter would be terrified, but instead, she was absolutely awestruck. The gentleman doing the feeding did a really nice job, explaining in advance exactly how the snake would trap the mouse, and the events that would follow. I was amazed at the small group of kids who sat in front of the snake tank, watching closely and patiently waiting for the snake to eat his lunch.
I also want to be sure and mention the new “Let’s Play” area. This area is new, and was specifically designed for children ages birth to 3 years, and their caregivers. I was really pleased to see this new exhibit, because it’s one of the only things I had wished Science City had when my daughter was younger. “Let’s Play” has a sensory garden, wavy waterbed, pretend play area, all kinds of ramps and runs for the kiddos to climb and crawl over, and an air and gravity play area where kids can float scarves in the flight lab and float pit balls on the air table. And, for parents and caregivers, there’s a kitchen area where you can have snack time, prep bottles, access a family restroom and the private nursing room. Such a nice addition for those with little ones, and I commend Science City for this important new addition.
Everywhere you turn at Science City, there is an activity to try and a space to explore. When at Science City, you’re truly surrounded by science, learning and fun. In addition to the exhibits described above, we explored so much more! We played on the indoor playground, splashed in a giant water table, wove through a black light maze, learned about “The Amazing Brain”, walked in a giant power wheel, made pattern bracelets while learning about our DNA, and more! And of course, we spent time outside on the outdoor playground, where kids can continue to learn through play by exploring simple machines, climbing a unique play structure, and more. We even played a game of giant checkers!
Science City is a fantastic place for hands-on learning and exploration for kids and parents alike. It’s one of my favorite attractions in Kansas City, and a place I’ll continue taking my daughter for years to come.
We always end our mornings at Union Station with lunch at Harvey’s, located in the heart of the Grand Hall. The menu prices are reasonable, and the service is excellent. My daughter likes it because they let her color on the paper tablecloth, and I love it because the food is delicious and the views are beautiful. Even if you don’t want to stop in for a full meal, they have a really great dessert menu if you want to treat the kids for good behavior!
I hope you’ll make a visit to Union Station soon to enjoy Dinosaur Road Trip, Science City, or any number of other attractions that are back open. Union Station is always a crowd pleaser and a wonderful place to visit. And, it's a place you can feel confident and safe about returning to with your family during this time. Give us a shout after you visit, and please feel free to share your photos tagging @kcmacaronikid for a chance to be featured on our Instagram stories!
Union Station has given Macaroni Kid KC a family 4 pack of tickets to Science City, and a family 4 pack of tickets to Dinosaur Road Trip! All you have to do to enter is complete this ENTRY FORM. Winners will be selected and notified next Monday, October 26th.
