KC Kids Family Roadtrip…Part 1

Well, we made it!  Safe and sound at home in KC after 6 days on the road. Looks like we made it just in time to welcome the 104-degree day that awaits us tomorrow!

We had a terrific time and visited some really cool attractions.  Our first stop was Indianapolis, IN.  Indy is about an 8-hour drive east on I-70.  It’s an easy drive, with St. Louis making for an easy pit stop along the way.  We stayed at Caribbean Cove. I think it was a Holidome in a former life, and now resembles a Coco Key; complete with indoor water slides, big water dumping bucket and the whole nine yards.  The kids LOVED it. Aside from the ridiculous humidity in the water park, it was okay!  A fun kickoff to the weekend.

We visited the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, and this was far and away the best family museum I’ve ever seen.  It was simply amazing.  It was large, colorful, educational, hands-on and just plain fun!  We actually went back the next day because we didn’t get to see everything by closing time.  Within its four floors, there are science-themed exhibits, historical exhibits, a century-old carousel, a vintage toy display, and more.  There was a special Barbie-themed area, and I really enjoyed learning more about Anne Frank in the ‘historical’ section.  So much to see, touch, smell and explore.  Awesome! Best part?  Free parking and you can eat right there.  And the food was really good, and good for you!

We hit the Indianapolis Zoo, and went through rather quickly due to the heat.  We caught a 1030am dolphin show which was fantastic.  It was indoors, and the dolphin pool was enormous!  There were 3 trainers and 6 dolphins when we went, and they put on a great show for the hundreds in attendance. Plus…it felt great to sit indoors in the A/C! Definitely a highlight of the Zoo trip.  Also fun was the shark-petting tank. Have you ever heard of a dog shark? There were about 25 of them in a 2-foot-deep pool, and the kids couldn’t get their little hands in there fast enough!  We hit the polar bear/penguin/fish exhibits at the end.

I must say, as awesome as Indy’s Zoo was, the polar bear exhibit didn’t come close to what we now have in Kansas City!  Nikita is such an active young cub in an amazing environment…we are really fortunate!

Next stop…Oxford, Ohio!  Stay tuned.