Unique & Hidden Gem Activities for Families

Explore the best unique & hidden gem activities for families options for kids and families in Lawrence

KU Natural History Museum

KU Natural History Museum

From dioramas to hands-on exhibits. Part of the KU Biodiversity Institute, examining the earth's history & tracking ongoing discoveries.

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Lawrence Rotary Arboretum

Lawrence Rotary Arboretum

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Historic Lecompton

Historic Lecompton

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Lake Shawnee

Lake Shawnee

Multiple outdoor recreation options. Manmade lake/recreation area with fishing, boating & swimming plus tennis, golf, camping & gardens.

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Ted Ensley Gardens

Ted Ensley Gardens

37.5-acre garden with trails & picnics. Large garden park with 1,500 species of plants & flowers, picnicking, trails & rock gardens.

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Ernie Miller Park & Nature Center

Ernie Miller Park & Nature Center

Nature trails & educational exhibits. 116-acre nature preserve featuring trails & an education center with animals, exhibits & programs.

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Museum of Deaf History, Arts and Culture

Museum of Deaf History, Arts and Culture

Deaf history museum with events & more. Museum with exhibits, historical information, events & workshops related to the hearing impaired.

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Combat Air Museum

Combat Air Museum

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop-Farm

Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop-Farm

Museum & farm with historic reenactments. 19th-century farm & living history museum with historic reenactments & era–specific activities.

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NOTO Escapes

NOTO Escapes

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Museum Of Kansas National Guard

Museum Of Kansas National Guard

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Great Overland Station

Great Overland Station

Historic railroad station restoration. This historic 1927 train station featuring classic architecture has undergone a major restoration.

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Kansas State Capitol Visitor Center

Kansas State Capitol Visitor Center

Domed statehouse with guided tours. Tours explore the state capitol building's chambers, murals & library & offer views from its dome.

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Ward-Meade Park

Ward-Meade Park

Botanical garden & historic buildings. Serene botanical garden on the grounds of a Victorian mansion with other historic structures.

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Old Prairie Town at Ward-Meade Historic Site and Botanical Garden

Old Prairie Town at Ward-Meade Historic Site and Botanical Garden

History park with 19th-century buildings. Guided tours offered in a replica 1800s town with a schoolhouse, church, general store & gardens.

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Club Run & Jump

Club Run & Jump

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Mulvane Art Museum

Mulvane Art Museum

University museum with local artwork. University museum featuring exhibits by local artists, an interactive art lab & classes.

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Kids Empire Olathe

Kids Empire Olathe

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Big Shunga Park

Big Shunga Park

Trails, a playground & a baseball field. Sizable green space featuring trails, a BMX track, a baseball field & play equipment.

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Ensor Park & Museum

Ensor Park & Museum

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Topeka Zoo

Topeka Zoo

Classic menagerie & animal programming. Lions, bears, alligators, bugs & more, plus educational programming & a roster of special events.

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Gage Park

Gage Park

Well-kept park with many attractions. A popular park for picnics, with attractions including a pool, carousel, gardens & outdoor concerts.

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Superkidz Club

Superkidz Club

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Shawnee Town 1929 Museum

Shawnee Town 1929 Museum

1920s farm town with hands-on exhibits. Open-air museum in a recreated 1929 farm town offering tours, exhibits & school programs.

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West Ridge Lanes Family Fun

West Ridge Lanes Family Fun

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Big dice

Big dice

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead

Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead

Historic farmstead with animals & food. Spacious farmstead featuring replicas of life on the prairie, an ice cream parlor & wagon rides.

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Johnson County Museum

Johnson County Museum

Suburban history & 1950s electric house. Museum preserving Johnson County's suburban history, featuring a 1950s electric model house.

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Johnson County Arts And Heritage Center

Johnson County Arts And Heritage Center

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Activate Games

Activate Games

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Inspired Play Cafe Overland Park

Inspired Play Cafe Overland Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens

Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens

Gardens, trails & recreation areas. Gardens, trails & recreation areas plus educational programs & events on environmental issues.

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BRKTHROUGH Overland Park

BRKTHROUGH Overland Park

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Tiny Tots Indoor Play

Tiny Tots Indoor Play

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Breakout KC Escape Room | Park Place

Breakout KC Escape Room | Park Place

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Museum at Prairiefire

Museum at Prairiefire

Colorful museum of natural history. Bright, uniquely designed museum with changing natural history exhibits on dinosaurs & space.

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Sauer Castle

Sauer Castle

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Parkville Nature Sanctuary

Parkville Nature Sanctuary

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Strawberry Hill Museum & Center

Strawberry Hill Museum & Center

Kansas City history in Victorian digs. This museum dedicated to Kansas City history & its past residents is housed in a historic Victorian.

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Hümanette

Hümanette

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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The Regnier Family Wonderscope Children's Museum of Kansas City

The Regnier Family Wonderscope Children's Museum of Kansas City

Interactive & educational exhibits. Museum featuring hands-on exhibits about art, science, math & reading designed for kids.

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The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures

The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures

Antiques & collectibles on display. Eclectic array of collectible toys, antique marbles & miniature reproductions of fine furnishings.

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The Ewing and Muriel Kauffman Memorial Garden

The Ewing and Muriel Kauffman Memorial Garden

Tranquil place with greenery & a pool. Spacious burial site of the namesake philanthropists landscaped with fountains, sculptures & paths.

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Science City at Union Station

Science City at Union Station

Hands-on science exhibits for children. Family-friendly museum with interactive science displays, including a test kitchen & planetarium.

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Old Red Bridge - Love Lock

Old Red Bridge - Love Lock

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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SEA LIFE Kansas City

SEA LIFE Kansas City

Oceanic exhibits & play areas. Family-friendly exhibits featuring more than 5,000 sea creatures, plus a play area & group packages.

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LEGOLAND Discovery Center Kansas City

LEGOLAND Discovery Center Kansas City

Amusement center inspired by Lego toys. Family entertainment center featuring Lego toy displays, rides & a 4-D theater, plus a gift shop.

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Kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscope

Art & activity studio for children. Colorful, upbeat center offering creative arts & crafts sessions for kids, free of charge.

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Arabia Steamboat Museum

Arabia Steamboat Museum

Time capsule of pre-Civil War life. Big collection of everyday objects pulled from a steamboat that sunk on the Missouri River in 1856.

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Kansas City Northern Railroad

Kansas City Northern Railroad

Rides on a miniature railroad. Miniature railway in Frank Vaydik Park open weekends May–Sep for rides around a 1/2-mi. track.

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Bruce R Watkins Cultural Center

Bruce R Watkins Cultural Center

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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The Rabbit hOle

The Rabbit hOle

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Lakeside Nature Center

Lakeside Nature Center

Wildlife exhibits, animal rehab & trails. Animal rescue facility in Swope Park with live wildlife exhibits & 3 interpretive walking trails.

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Penguin Park

Penguin Park

Grassy public park with play equipment. Whimsical public park featuring giant animal sculptures, a picnic shelter & barbecue grills.

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Atkins-Johnson Farm and Museum

Atkins-Johnson Farm and Museum

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Worlds of Fun

Worlds of Fun

Theme park with rides & entertainment. Theme park boasting roller coasters, thrill rides, live entertainment & a Snoopy-themed kids' area.

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Santa Fe Park Picnic Pavilion

Santa Fe Park Picnic Pavilion

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Prehistoric Putt Independence

Prehistoric Putt Independence

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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The Peace Pavilion

The Peace Pavilion

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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National Frontier Trails Museum

National Frontier Trails Museum

History of the settlement of the West. Museum & interpretive center exploring the history of the settlement of the American West.

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1859 Jail Museum

1859 Jail Museum

Walk-thru cellblock & Federal-style home. Limestone cellblock where the outlaw Frank James did time, next to the town marshal's former home.

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Vaile Mansion

Vaile Mansion

Museum in a 31-room Victorian home. Museum in an ornate 31-room Victorian home, built in 1881, with historic furnishings.

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The Exit Room

The Exit Room

Escape-room group-challenge space. Escape-room adventure space offering group challenges & team-building problem-solving games.

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Kanga's Indoor Playcenter Independence

Kanga's Indoor Playcenter Independence

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Missouri Town Living History Museum

Missouri Town Living History Museum

Living history museum on 1800s farm life. This living history museum depicts19th-century farm life with original structures, exhibits & tours.

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Native Hoofed Animal Enclosure

Native Hoofed Animal Enclosure

Visit this great place for kids and families!

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Explore More Activities

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