Kansas City or St. Louis?
 

We'd like to take a road trip from Minnesota this summer with our 10 and 6 year old and are considering Kansas City or St. Louis. (They both seem a reasonable distance for driving and offer a major league ballpark--the only real criteria we have.) We enjoy activities like museums (though not really art), historical sightseeing, sports-related activities, and animals/nature. I've read about about both places in some gudebooks and simply can't choose. KC attractions that sound interesting are the zoo, Negro League museum, and Science City. STL attraction sound interesting are the Arch, Butterfly House, and City Museum. Any suggestions or insight about either city is welcome...make your case for why we should choose one over the other. :) Thanks!

I would choose St Louis. Cardinals, our favorites, the arch and museum with elevator to top, the always busy Mississippi,the zoo. Used to be a sightseeing boat on the river, locals would know if one still runs and will have lots of other ideas. Our kids loved St Louis.

I live near Kansas City and would still recommend St. Louis...their ballpark is right downtown--new but looks old (and their team probably actually wins sometimes), they have a good (and free!) zoo, the St. Louis Science Center is far better than Science City in KC, the arch is cool. Not on your list, but someplace worth considering in StL is Grant's Farm...another free attraction. The Missouri Botanical Gardens are gorgeous, they have good restaurants and the Missouri History Museum is in St. Louis also. I think the national Bowling Hall of Fame is in St. Louis!

I've lived in both cities and I would go with St. Louis, also. The Zoo is much better, your kids would love the City Museum, Grant's Farm. There is a children's section at the botanical gardens, a history museum that has special exhibits -- I know they had a baseball exhibit at one time. The Butterfly House is in a park with an old carousel and new playground areas. There is a bowling museum downtown, I think. And the Cardinals are usually a lot more fun to watch..

oh and The Science Center in ST. Louis is much better, as musicfan states.

I dearly love KC, and have lived in both, but would also have to go with St. Louis. For one thing, it's such a baseball city, and once you've poured out of the ballpark there are many fun places within walking distance.

The City Museum -- not a museum -- for sure. St. Louis has many attractions, as musicfan says, that are free. It's possible to park your car and get around to a weekend's worth of amusements and food on the Metrolink.

KC tends to be a tad less humid in the summer, with more in the way of breezes off the plains, so a Minnesotan might be less likely to suffer. Before the summer solstice is usually more bearable than July and Aug. You might luck out with nice weather, of course.

I've driven many times the past few years between St. Louis and Northfield, where my daughter is in school, and the highways are just fine these days.

When you decide let us know, and we'll steer you to more specifics.

We just made a trip to Kansas City and it really depends on what's new to you! Kansas city's riverfront wasn't much but they have great museums! steam boat arabia and Science city are my favorite. you can stay in downtown KC close to union station and walk several places or take a cab. Also indoor walkways between hotels/restaurants.

St louis: the zoo is the best of the best and free! Actually forest park in general is awesome. The riverfront has much to do and good food close by. don't miss the arch! really cool and very high up!

Why don't you do both? A few days in St. Louis (go a few miles east across the Mississippi to Cahokia Mound -- it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site.) Then drive four hours west to Kansas City. Stop at the cool places along the way -- maybe take a blue highway through the Missouri wine country. It's beautiful.

Both cities have much to offer, and Kansas City has a really great minor league baseball team (the T-Bones -- formerly the Duluth team) and a professional soccer team with a great new stadium!

Try them both and you decide which you like! You don't have to pick sides, either.

Also, lots of Civil War history in both places, and this year marks the 150th anniversary of the start of the war.

***just two cents from Kate, a lifelong Missourian raised on St. Louis but living in Kansas City for 20 years...

Thanks so much to all of you! Kate's suggestion of doing both is tempting, but it looks like it'll be St. Louis this year. We have yet to choose dates since we'll need to coordinate our own lives along with schedule of home games for the Cardinals. We'll be okay if it's hot and humid--winter won't let go of its grip on us in MN this year so we're looking forward to being uncomfortably hot instead of cold. Thanks again!

OK. Well, if it's St. Louis, here are some suggestions besides the zoo, which is great.

The City Museum. The coolest place ever! Your kids will love it. My teens love it! http://www.citymuseum.org.

Cahokia Mounds: http://www.cahokiamounds.org

Crown Candy Kitchen makes the best malts in the world and the best candy, too! http://www.crowncandykitchen.net.

Tower Grove Park -- a really neat park near the Missouri Botanical Gardens (which are great, too.) The park was a gift to the city from Henry Shaw. http://towergrowepark.org

Go to the Hill for great, authentic Italian food. It's near the botanical gardens, too. http://www.hill2000.org/

And for a fun experience, visit Turtle Park. Giant sculptures of turtles that kids can play on: http://stlouis.missouri.org/citygov/...rk/turtle.html The sculptures are by the guy responsible for the cool City Museum.


Ok, now you've got me ready to head east to St. Louis...

Have fun!