Day One

Get your creative juices flowing at Kaleidoscope’s family art sessions, located in Hallmark’s Crown Center headquarters. Kids (and their adults) create art at different stations using leftover card supplies, crayons, markers and other free crafting supplies. No reservations necessary; check the online schedule at hallmarkkaleidoscope.com. 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 several tasty options. Gates Bar-B-Q, with six locations around the metro, is known for pork ribs; the three 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 Two

Open-air Kauffman Stadium finished a renovation in 2009, giving the 38-year-old stadium a 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 Art Deco 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 dig in sand for dinosaur bones, play a giant floor piano or learn about tornadoes. 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.

For information: Kansas City Convention and Visitors Association, (800) 767-7700; visitkc.com [1]