There are a lot of great places to visit in Kansas, but if you want to look for fun day trips for Kansas families outside the state….check out some fun places we have visited recently!
Fun Day Trips for Kansas Families
Oklahoma Aquarium
We ventured down to Tulsa, Oklahoma and went to the Oklahoma Aquarium last month and had a great time. You may not think of Oklahoma as a place that would have an exceptional aquarium…but it does! We were really impressed by the number of exhibits and the overall quality of the Oklahoma Aquarium.
They are open every day (except Christmas day) from 10am till 6pm and they stay open till 9pm on Tuesdays. Admission is reasonably priced at $15.95 for adults, $13.95 for seniors/Military, $11.95 for children ages 3-12 and under 3 are free.
The Oklahoma Aquarium features thousands of salt and fresh water fish and animals in more than a million gallons of water! These are the exhibits: Shark Adventure, The Ecozone, Ozark Stream, Coral Reef, Aquatic Oklahoma, Extreme Fishes, Marvels and Mysteries, Amazing Invertebrates and they are working on a Sea Turtle Experience.
One of our favorite experiences was the Shark Adventure…it is such a cool area and sharks are always fun to see! The kids loved the tunnel of sharks and the fun interactive exhibits at the end of the tunnel.
We also loved being able to touch some of the creatures in the interactive and hands on areas. My toddler was really excited to touch the starfish!
We had a great day at the Oklahoma Aquarium and it was a place the whole family enjoyed. It was definitely worth the short drive down to Tulsa!
Golden Driller Statue
While we were in Tulsa we decided to make a quick stop at the Golden Driller Titanic Oil Man Statue at the Expo Square at 4145 E. 21st St. South. I will admit the kids kind of balked at stopping to see a giant statue of an oil man…but they were actually pretty impressed once we got there.
This statue is HUGE…as in 76 feet tall and is actually the tallest free-standing statue in the USA. I thought this was well worth the quick stop and it is a really good photo opportunity. Tulsa, Oklahoma used to sit upon the world's largest known ocean of oil and the city called itself the “Oil Capitol of the World”. So, the statue is really fitting for this part of the country where drilling derricks are everywhere you turn!
I think you can see by the pictures just how big this Golden Driller Statue is….so if you are in the area stop by and take a picture on his boot! Plus…this is FREE! 🙂 If you want to read more about this statue, head over to Roadside America for more info!
Science Museum Oklahoma
A day at the Science Museum Oklahoma in Oklahoma City will wear your kids out! I guarantee they will sleep good after you leave. The Science Museum is just that fun and interactive! I remember going there about 15 years ago and I couldn't believe how much had changed and how many new exhibits have been added. This is a PHENOMINAL place to visit and we plan to go back again!
They are open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, Saturday from 9am to 6pm and Sunday from 11am to 6pm. The museum is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The cost is $14.95 for 13-64, and $12.95 for 65+ and 3-12 year olds.
I cannot stress enough how much fun we had at the Science Museum Oklahoma. There are lots of areas to explore and we honestly did not get to see everything while we were there. The main exhibit areas are: Science Floor, Art Galleries, CurioCity, Destination Space, Tinkering Garage, Gadget Trees, Kid Space, Aviation, Mind Games, Tiny Tracks and Explorazone.
We spent a large part of our time in CurioCity and I think the kids would still be there today if we would have agreed to just leave them there playing! This is a huge area that is just hands-on fun. It is fun for everyone too! My husband and I had a great time acting like kids and were amazed at some of the exhibits.
We also really liked the Tiny Tracks area because train exhibits are just plan fascinating to look at. They have a real, fully restored Pullman Parlor Car that you could tour and it was really awesome.
There are so many exhibits, shows, things to see and learn that you won't run out of something to do while you are there. I highly recommend this as a day trip…in fact you may want to stay overnight so you can spend 2 days there!
Myriad Botanical Gardens
We spent some time one afternoon visiting the Myriad Botanical Gardens in Oklahoma City. The gardens are located right in downtown Oklahoma City at 301 W. Reno Ave. This is such a lovely place to visit in the center of a large city. The building itself is a unique cylindrical conservatory and is really beautiful.
There is the Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory inside the large building. This area is open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm and Sunday from 11am to 5pm. It is $8 for adults, $7 for Seniors/Military/Students 13-19 (or with college ID), $5 for children 5-12 and 4 and under are free. There are beautiful grounds all around the Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory that are free and open daily from 6am to 11pm.
The Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory is not a really large place, but inside is a plant lovers paradise! It is a little haven in the city and if you love to look at plants, tree, butterflies, flowers…you are in luck! There are many areas inside for great photo ops too! There are some really unusual plants, trees and flower inside. It was fun to see a real Chocolate Tree!
We spent time outside in the free Children's Garden. There are free-form adventures, a hedge maze, plus climbing and play structures. The day we visited was chilly, but that did not stop the kids from running, climbing and having a ball!
This is a great day trip for young and old alike! While you are downtown be sure to stop by the Oklahoma City National Memorial.
Have you visited any of these places? What was your experience? Check out another fun day trip we took in Kansas at Big Brutus!
I received complimentary passes to the Oklahoma Aquarium, Science Museum Oklahoma and the Myriad Botanical Gardens in exchange for sharing my families experiences at each location. All opinions expressed are 100% my own!
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