Last Friday was the grand opening of the brand new Regnier Family Wonderscope Children’s Museum in South Kansas City, Missouri. I had the opportunity to take my four year old daughter to visit the brand new museum, and it was an incredible experience.
The moment we stepped inside, my daughter started jumping in place with such pure joy and excitement, I thought her little heart was going to explode! And honestly, on the inside, I was feeling much the same way. The new Wonderscope Children's Museum is absolutely beautiful from top to bottom. They thought of absolutely everything, and I can't wait for all of you to have the opportunity to explore it yourselves! For now, though, I'll tell you a bit about our visit.
We began our session at the Wonder Climber, a giant KC-themed floor-to-ceiling play structure, located in the center of the museum. This was my daughter's favorite part, and we spent a large portion of our visit there. At the very top kids can even board a school bus that actually takes you outside of the building!
Right next to the Wonder Climber is the Crossroads of Past and Future, which contains a riverboat, a railway car, and horse-drawn covered wagon. Each structure had areas good for the littlest explorers, up to older children. My daughter especially like playing in the covered wagon, and warming her camp food over the pretend fire.
Next, we spent quite a long time in the WonderMart and Kansas City Cafe. The WonderMart is similar to the play grocery store at the old Wonderscope location, but is much bigger with a wider variety of foods and ways to play. The Kansas City Cafe offers children an opportunity to prepare meals and serve them up at an old fashioned counter, or to "diners" at the tables throughout.
The Creation Station: Design Lab and Art Studio was a favorite of the day. We spent time building with magnetic tiles on a giant light table, painting on giant glass windows, coloring on easels, sawing and drilling, watching others make robots, and making creations using the unlimited art supply station that's stored at child-level, so they can access whatever supplies their little hearts desire. This area is great for school age children with longer attention spans, for sure!
WaterWorks is another fantastic hands on play area, featuring a large water play area, where children can splash and play, and even engineer a course for little plastic balls to travel through.
On the Move was an area I wasn't sure my daughter would be into, but she proved me wrong. In this area, kids can play basketball, test the speed of their soccer kick, hang out in KC themed locker room, and more. Perfect for active kiddos and sports fans!
Outside is the large NatureScape play area, where we enjoyed playing in the instrument garden, garden beds, oversized sandbox, and more.
For those with children under 4, there's also a really nice-sized area called Kid City. It offers all kinds of play for younger children, with a pretend play area, climbing structures, sensory fun, and more.
There are also party rooms, a gift shop, a lunchroom, and the all-important nursing room.
Here are all the details to help you plan your visit to Regnier Family Wonderscope Children’s Museum:
Hours:
All visitors (members and non-members) must get tickets online in advance
- Tuesday through Sunday
- Two sessions 9am-noon and 1pm-4pm (maximum 250 visitors per session)
Click here for Morning Session Tickets (9am-12pm)
Click here for Afternoon Session Tickets (1pm-4pm)
Admission:
All visitors (members and non-members) must get tickets online in advance
Wonderscope Members: Free
Children under 2 years of age: Free
Children ages 2-15: $12
Adults ages 16 and over: $9
Active Military, Reservists, and their family: $10 for children: $7 for adults
Museums for All is our commitment to ensuring opportunity for all families to learn, play, and grow at Wonderscope. Learn more about Museums for All.
Here are a few important guidelines to be aware of before your visit:
- If you or anyone in your household feels unwell, do not come to Wonderscope.
- Any visitor exhibiting signs of illness will be asked to leave.
- All visitors must practice social distancing from other families.
- All adults and children 3 years or older must wear face masks, shields, or other protective face coverings
- Consumption of outside food and drink will be limited to the Picnic Zone
Memberships
A Wonderscope membership gives you an opportunity to save money and enjoy unlimited Wonderscope visits. Family memberships start at just $80. Buy or renew your membership online today! (If you live near the new location, you're going to want to one!)
I hope you all enjoyed this little preview to the new Wonderscope Children's Museum, and hope you get to plan your own visit very soon!
I was provided tickets to experience the new museum, but the opinions expressed here are my own.
