Where can your kids perform an operation, put on a play, and break out of jail before serving you a burger and running off to play on a covered wagon? You’ll find all this and more at KidScape at the Johnson County Museum. In this guide, we cover everything you need to know to plan a fun day of pretend play.
What Kids Will Love
KidScape is a 3500 square foot interactive play space. There are over a dozen different play
areas including a hospital, diner, jail, school room, post office, theater, farmhouse, and city market. You can see pictures of them all on this handy visual checklist.
My kids love to serve up burgers and ice cream in the diner, teach a lesson in the school house, deliver the mail, shop in the market, and show me all the cool things they find.
For kids that aren’t yet mobile, there is an area in the center of the room called the tadpole pond that is enclosed so that they won’t get stepped on. There are even baby toys available for the littlest visitors.
What Moms Will Love
Probably my favorite thing about KidScape is that it’s all in one room. I loved visiting when my youngest was a baby and my oldest was a preschooler. I could easily sit in the middle of the room and keep an eye on both kids while they enjoyed their separate play areas.
Who It’s Best For
Toddlers, preschoolers, and young children that enjoy pretend play. Babies and older kids are welcome but it is really a space sized for and geared toward young kids.
Location and Parking
8788 Metcalf Ave, Overland Park, KS 66212 on the lower level of the Johnson County Arts and Heritage Center. Parking is free.
Admission Cost
Daily admission to the Johnson County Museum (which includes KidScape) is $4 for kids and $6 for adults ($5 for adults over the age of 60). KidScape is closed from noon – 12:30 p.m. This allows the staff time to reset and clean.
Membership
Family memberships for up to six people are available for $60 annually. Family members are not named so I have shared our wrist bands with friends when we’ve met up for play dates. In addition to free admission, you also get discounts on special events and exhibits at the Johnson County Museum and a discount in the newly expanded gift shop.
Bathrooms
There is a family restroom right outside the doors to KidScape as well as restrooms and water fountains down the hall.
Nursing Room Availability
No nursing room on site.
Stroller and Wheelchair Accessibility
There is an elevator to get you downstairs to KidScape. Stroller parking is available right outside the entrance to KidScape.
Seating Areas
There are two or three benches for seating as well as the padded stools that surround the soft play tadpole pond.
Food Policies and Purchase Options
No food or drinks are sold on site or allowed inside KidScape but there are tables and seating options upstairs in the Creative Commons where you can eat a packed meal or snack.
Birthday Parties
Birthday parties for 30 guests are available on Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. – noon and afternoons from 1 p.m. – 4 p.m., but KidScape is also open to the public during that time (with a reduced capacity). The party package includes up to 3 hours of play time as well as 90 minutes in a private classroom. Outside food and drinks are welcome.
Special Events
Sensory Friendly Mondays are offered once a month.
Don’t Miss This Hidden Gem
One of our favorite things at the Johnson County Museum are the dog-shaped chairs in the Creative Commons upstairs. My kids will line them all up, sit on them, and pretend they are real doggies. There are also some fun spinning chairs nearby! KidScape is the perfect spot for indoor play in Kansas City!
