Best Museums & Educational Spots for Kids
Explore the best best museums & educational spots for kids options for kids and families in Independence
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.
National Frontier Trails Museum
History of the settlement of the West. Museum & interpretive center exploring the history of the settlement of the American West.
The Peace Pavilion
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Vaile Mansion
Museum in a 31-room Victorian home. Museum in an ornate 31-room Victorian home, built in 1881, with historic furnishings.
Puppetry Arts Institute
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Bruce R Watkins Cultural Center
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
The story of segregated baseball. Exhibits on segregated league's 1920 founding to Jackie Robinson's 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers debut.
Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium
Wildlife habitats & interactive exhibits. Zoo in Swope Park with zookeepers offering animal interaction & informative chats.
The Rabbit hOle
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Blue Springs Historical Society
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Kaleidoscope
Art & activity studio for children. Colorful, upbeat center offering creative arts & crafts sessions for kids, free of charge.
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.
SEA LIFE Kansas City
Oceanic exhibits & play areas. Family-friendly exhibits featuring more than 5,000 sea creatures, plus a play area & group packages.
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.
Science City at Union Station
Hands-on science exhibits for children. Family-friendly museum with interactive science displays, including a test kitchen & planetarium.
Museum of Illusions
Visit this great place for kids and families!
National WWI Museum and Memorial
Largest set of WWI artifacts in the U.S.. The nation's only public museum dedicated to WWI, with a large collection of photos, weapons & more.
Money Museum
Tours & exhibits in a financial center. Historic coins & bills, a huge cash vault & more, on view in a federal bank building with tours.
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Art museum galleries & sculpture garden. Art collection spanning 5,000 years in neoclassical & modern galleries, plus a sculpture garden.
TWA Museum
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art
Works by international modern artists. Modest museum housing a permanent collection & special exhibitions of challenging contemporary art.
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.
The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures
Antiques & collectibles on display. Eclectic array of collectible toys, antique marbles & miniature reproductions of fine furnishings.
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.
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.
Johnson County Arts And Heritage Center
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Johnson County Museum
Suburban history & 1950s electric house. Museum preserving Johnson County's suburban history, featuring a 1950s electric model house.
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.
Museum at Prairiefire
Colorful museum of natural history. Bright, uniquely designed museum with changing natural history exhibits on dinosaurs & space.
Legler Barn Museum & Depot
Visit this great place for kids and families!
Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art
Community college-affiliated art museum. Johnson County Community College's modern-art facility including an auditorium, cafe & classrooms.
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.
Kansas City Automotive Museum
Exploring the area's auto industry. Museum dedicated to the local auto industry, with over 30 cars on display & interactive exhibits.
Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop-Farm
Museum & farm with historic reenactments. 19th-century farm & living history museum with historic reenactments & era–specific activities.
Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens
Gardens, trails & recreation areas. Gardens, trails & recreation areas plus educational programs & events on environmental issues.
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.
Ernie Miller Park & Nature Center
Nature trails & educational exhibits. 116-acre nature preserve featuring trails & an education center with animals, exhibits & programs.
Ensor Park & Museum
Visit this great place for kids and families!
TimberRidge Adventure Center
Outdoor recreation & team-building. Outdoor recreation & team-building activities, including a ropes course, zip line & climbing tower.
KU Natural History Museum
From dioramas to hands-on exhibits. Part of the KU Biodiversity Institute, examining the earth's history & tracking ongoing discoveries.
Explore More Activities
Discover more events and activities happening in Independence.