Best of the Midwest: Kansas City

I’m so excited to be taking part in a blogger linkup with some other amazing bloggers from the Midwest! A linkup is basically a group of posts about the same topic that bloggers coordinate and post around the same time. Here is my post on the Best of the Midwest!

I am from the Kansas City area, specifically the Kansas side (sigh…). And one of the newer attractions on the Kansas side in the suburb of Overland Park, Kansas is Prairie Fire. If you have heard of the Plaza in Kansas City, it is like that. It is an outdoor shopping center, has a movie theatre and museum, and there are also apartments.

A few weeks ago, my family and I had a ~nerdy~ family day at Prairie Fire, and it was pretty cool.

Museum at Prairie Fire

The museum is crazy beautiful on the outside!

Part of what makes the museum great is that it isn’t all that expensive. You can see some exhibits completely free. Tickets range in price from $8-$22, depending on the part of the museum you want to see. They even have a student discount.

When we went to the museum, they had a cool exhibit on the brain. The exhibit had everything on the brain from visuals of the neurons to interactive puzzles and basic foreign language practice.

It was a really cool experience, learning about the brain. After going through the exhibit, we stopped in the small gift store. I didn’t end up getting anything, but they had tee-shirts, books, puzzles, games, and more.

Cinetopia

After the museum, we went to the movie theatre, Cinetopia, to see Finding Dory. It was a cute movie, and I think it lives up to the expectations set by Finding Nemo. We picked a showing with a full service restaurant. Before the movie started, there were waiters walking around taking and delivering orders for food and drinks.

The chairs were huge and had drink holders and small tables. You could order just about anything from the basic popcorn to a full meal; my dad chose salmon sliders. It was nice to have food brought to you, because navigating the stairs of the theatre to find seats and having your hands full is not easy.

Walking Around

We lucked into going out on a nice day; Kansas summers are usually accompanied by intense heat and humidity. After the movie was over, we walked around Prairie Fire. The center has different restaurants and shops and even a bowling alley.

We went into a music store and a game store and looked around, but I didn’t find much. We also decided to stop into a store called Decadent. And oh man, that name fits!

Decadent has a lot of different desserts. You can get ice cream, donuts, cookies, brownies, and so much more.

I had the skillet cookie, and it was honestly the best thing ever. It was very filling, but it was worth it.

Since I have been home from college for the summer, I have had a lot of time to spend with my family and around my town. I still loved getting to spend a day with my family. We didn’t go anywhere for vacation, so this was our stay-cation.

Visit Prairie Fire

If you are in the Kansas City area, you should spend a day out at Prairie Fire. There is just so much to do in that place. You can shop, eat good food, go bowling, see a movie, go to the museum.

If you are not from Kansas City, this city is big on its outdoor malls/shopping centers. The Plaza that I mentioned earlier was the first of its kind in the country. How cool is that! Now the whole area has centers emulating the original beauty of the Plaza.

Of course, the shops and restaurants vary from place to place, but the concept of a place to go and do different things, and having it be outside, is pretty cool. Places like Prairie Fire might not be the best in the heat of summer or the dead of winter, but they are worth a visit.

If you live in KC, you should check it out for a little stay-cation of your own. If you will be visiting or passing through KC, you should also check it out. They have a Mexican restaurant if you want a real meal.

Final Thoughts

While I don’t see myself living here for my entire life, I am proud to have grown up in and around Kansas City. I love seeing the different parts that this area has to offer. I loved having a nice day exploring a new part of my town with my family, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it.

Thanks for reading!