PDF Family - Midwest Living

[Pages:4]CENTRAL MIDWEST

Family planner

Squeals of delight, giggles of nervous excitement, awefilled stares? Just imagine the kids' reaction when you pull up in front of a giant water park. Or stop at a quirky malt shop for a sweet treat. Or finally get close to a real dinosaur skeleton. Family vacations don't have to be exotic to be a whole lot of fun.

MISNOMER

Experience hours of splashing, sliding and swimming fun at the Still Waters Resort in Branson, Missouri.

background

Some activities are as much fun for adults as they are for kids: Learning about exotic animals, watching a baseball game, playing with craft supplies or eating a meal that's as messy as it is delicious. Kansas City offers ageless entertainment options at every turn, ensuring a thrilling getaway for the whole family (800/767-7700; ).

itinerary

Kansas City Skyline

CENTRAL MIDWEST

Kansas City getaway

PLAY TIME A

seemingly endless supply of craft materials awaits kids at Kaleidoscope, at Hallmark's headquarters in Kansas City.

DAY

1

Get your creative juices flowing at Kaleidoscope's family art sessions in Hallmark's Crown Center headquarters. Kids (and their adults) create art at stations using leftover card supplies, crayons, markers and other free crafting supplies. No reservations necessary; check the online schedule at . The Kansas

City Zoo houses more than 1,000 animals, including elephants, giraffes, polar bears and chimpanzees. Every trip to Kansas City must include barbecue, and luckily, there are many tasty options. Gates Bar-B-Q, with six locations around the metro, is known for its zesty sauces; the two Arthur Bryant's Barbecue locations serve especially tasty burnt ends. For a comfortable, kid-friendly hotel, the Holiday Inn Southeast is ideal: its CoCo Key Water Resort will keep little ones (and perhaps big ones, too) plenty entertained, and kids eat free.

DAY

2

Open-air Kauffman Stadium finished a renovation in 2009, giving the 42-year-old stadium a more modern feel. It's a fun place to watch the Royals play ball and catch some sun. And it's affordable, with cheap seats

starting at $8. At Union Station, stunning Beaux Arts architecture captures the bygone romance of riding the rails. Kids, however, are more apt to love the station's hands-on Science City, where they can walk through a cloud, play on an interactive floor to make DNA or learn about water conservation. Just north of Union Station, River Market offers plenty of ethnic restaurants and a bustling weekend farmers market, for any number of interesting and inventive snacks.

5

Places to splash around

MILLENNIUM PARK The zero-depth, black granite Crown Fountain stays cool even on hot days, perfect for the littlest tykes to play in. Tall towers at either end of the Chicago fountain (in Millennium Park) sometimes shoot water straight out (312/742-1168; millenniumpark .org).

Adventureland Just outside Des Moines, a family-friendly amusement park features three roller coasters and a water park (800/532-1286; ).

Kalahari Resort An indooroutdoor water park, indoor theme park and bowling thrill kids in Wisconsin Dells (877/525-2427; wi).

4

Familyfriendly stays

Water Park of America This indoor water park destination, featuring a wave pool and lazy river, slides and a surf simulator--all Minnesotatheme--is in the Radisson Hotel Bloomington by Mall of America (800/333-3333; ).

Citygarden A free interactive mecca of sculpture, fountains and greenery claims a slice of St. Louis' downtown. Visitors are welcome to play in the fountains and climb on the sculptures (314/241-3337; ).

STILL WATERS RESORT A marina and easy access to Silver Dollar City attract families and boaters to a Branson, Missouri, condolodge resort (800/777-2320; stillwatersresort .com).

4

The Depot Renaissance Minneapolis Hotel A good choice for families who want to stay downtown, this hotel and indoor water park is close to the Mill City Museum and features a skating rink in the winter (612/375-1700; ).

Rainbow Ridge Farms Bed and Breakfast Goats, sheep, pigs and ducks, plus a go-ahead-and-getdirty attitude, make this Onalaska, Wisconsin, B&B (near La Crosse) a perfect fit for families (608/783-8181; ).

Grand Harbor Resort and Waterpark This sevenstory hotel and indoor water park (featuring a tree house and lazy river) stands on the Mississippi riverfront in Dubuque, Iowa (866/690-4006; ).

3

Ice cream stops

PORTLAND MALT SHOPPE Choose from more than a dozen flavors of ice cream and smooth malts at this small shop along Duluth's Lake Superior shore. Open April? October (portland ).

Schopf's Hilltop Dairy Between the homemade ice cream and the corn maze, there's plenty for the family to do at this Door County, Wisconsin, dairy and dessert shop (920/7439779; ).

Crown Candy Kitchen Opened in 1913, this familyowned St. Louis soda fountain and candy store serves up old-fashioned malts, cones and sundaes. Try the Johnny Rabbit Special: a banana malt with whipped cream, nuts and nutmeg (314/621-9650; ) .

2

Science museums

1

Motherdaughter date

American Girl Place This destination for young girls and their moms anchors Water Tower Place along Chicago's Magnificent Mile. Shoppers will find plenty of historical-themed dolls and clothing, plus a great cafe to share lunch or tea (877/247- 5223; ).

$7.95 U.S.

4

Science Museum of Minnesota The Human Body gallery features the Cell Lab, where kids can perform guided experiments, including extracting wheat germ DNA. Other exhibits in the Saint Paul museum cover mathematics and paleontology (651/2219444; ).

Field Museum Sue, the largest T. rex skeleton ever discovered, stands in this expansive Chicago museum, along with several other dino skeletons. Evolution, plants of the world and gemstone exhibits fill a day (312/922-9410; ).

MIDWEST LIVING?

BEST OF THE MIDWEST?TRAVEL 2015

TRAVEL BEST

2015

MIODFWTEHSET? F R O M T H E E D I T O R S O F

?

log0 shadow

2015

& RDERSBISOVHUREOTSCSPlKLlSRAEEKSTETSMALlUTOIRRSRAATENI!LTSS

FIOTLINLPEOLRWUAS ROIEUSR

Display until May 19, 2015

LOOKING FOR MORE TRAVEL IDEAS?

Discover the Midwest's newest must-see events and attractions, best lodgings, most scenic parks and most enticing road trips in one information-packed publication. Best of the Midwest? offers state-by-state travel guides to the region's top attractions,

eateries, hotels and inns. Whether you're planning a romantic getaway, a family retreat, a week-long adventure or a quick day trip, you'll find hundreds of great vacation ideas. Available on newsstands, or visit to order.

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download