Plan a Staycation in Kansas City

It’s officially cold outside, which means some of you might be getting cabin fever. Let’s be honest. We all love our families dearly, but sometimes we can all start to drive each other crazy when we’re cooped up inside. Enter the brilliant idea of STAYCATIONS!

We recently planned a staycation with our neighbors, who have kids close to the same age as ours. We didn’t want to spend a ton of money or travel too far, so we landed on the Legends. It turned out to be even better than we expected and it was pretty darn affordable as well, which is always nice. We had eight people total, so we ended up getting adjoining rooms at a hotel that had a swimming pool. The adjoining rooms were perfect because the kids thought it was super fun to run back and forth. We also have these fold out cots for the kids, so they were able to set those up near each other. Surprisingly, the telephones in the rooms were a huge hit. They kept calling each other and that kept them busy for at least one hour. Apparently, it doesn’t take much to entertain them.

During our stay, we walked over to have lunch at Dave and Buster’s and then the kids (and parents) were able to play games afterward for about one hour or so. (Pro tip — We told the kids that Dave and Buster’s doesn’t allow you to play games until after you eat lunch. Yep, we lied, but we had a much calmer lunch because of it.) And did I mention you can grab a beer or a cocktail as you walk around watching your kids try to grab stuffed animals with “the claw” 40 million times? You can! After Dave and Buster’s, we walked back to the hotel to swim for a couple hours. There was a hot tub too, and we brought along some swim toys, so this was a big hit. We finished off the day by doing a little shopping, walking to another restaurant for dinner and then turning on Christmas movies for the kids in one of the rooms before hitting the hay.

It was just one night, but we all commented about how it really felt like we got away for awhile. It was a nice break from the regular weekend routine and it was only a 15-minute drive away!

Because we have not done many staycations, I asked my fellow KCMB writers for other recommendations. Here are a few and please comment with your own so we can all get some new, fun ideas!

  • Great Wolf Lodge: When you check in here, you really won’t need to leave. There are plenty of things to do including the giant indoor water park, multiple dining options, an arcade, nightly storytime and dance parties, holiday themed crafts and the rooms themselves are really fun, too! Pro tip — keep an eye on Groupon and similar “saver” sites for deals!
  • Crown Center: This is such a beautiful place to be during the holidays when everything is decorated and lit up! Book a hotel room and visit Union Station, LEGOLAND, Sea Life Aquarium, Kaleidoscope, ride the streetcar, check out the Mayor’s Christmas Tree and take in all the fun for kids at Crown Center!
  • Downtown Lee’s Summit: I haven’t been yet but I’ve heard so many good things about the shops and restaurants and just the whole vibe of the downtown here. It’s on our list of places to check out.
  • Truman Library & Museum: There is an amazing slice of history right here in the metro that is worth checking out. The Harry S Truman Library and Museum in Independence is perfect for the little history buffs in your family. This would be a great place to hit during a staycation to inject a little education in your off time!
  • Lawrence: You could easily spend a day on Massachusetts Street. You could probably spend all of that day inside The Toy Store. It’s a three level toy store with the top floor being almost all books! They have a ton of the throwback toys that you we used to play with like Slinkys, Etch-a-Sketch and the BEST selection of stuffed animals! There are tons of great restaurants in Lawrence. A few of my favorites are Free State Brewery, Lawrence Beer Company, Burger Stand and Limestone Pizza. The library is great for kids, too!

Let us know YOUR favorite place to staycation! Cheers to getting out for a day or two and not driving each other crazy!

Julie Breithaupt
Hey! My name is Julie and I use too many exclamation points! My husband Grady and I are attempting to raise two wild women, Mia and Reese. We live in Shawnee where our faux bulldog Marge rules the roost. My hobbies include driveway drinking, going to parks and desperately trying to have date nights. My likes include the Jayhawks, coffee, craft beer and ChapStick. My dislikes include samesiders (people who sit on the same side of the booth when no one is on the other side), jerks and grocery shopping.