Union Station - Kansas City, Missouri

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Union Station - Kansas City, Missouri

The Union Station in Kansas City was built in 1914, and it has been completely restored as a cultural and entertainment center. During the station’s heyday as a train station, many thousands of people passed through there on their way to other places. The area was over 850,000 square feet, and it had restaurants, a cigar store, a barbershop, railway offices, freight and mail building, and a powerhouse to provide steam and power. The Station was closed in the 1980s, and sat empty until 1996 when funding for renovations was passed. The renovations were completed in 1999.

Today, the Union Station in Kansas City is filled with excellent dining choices, unique shops, an Amtrak stop and various exhibits and activities. These exhibits include the KC Rail Experience and traveling exhibits that are from the Smithsonian and other organizations, a planetarium, the Science City, which is an interactive science center, and a theater district which has both live theater and giant-screen movies.

Each area of the Union Station is a distinct activity to have fun. For instance, the Science City has over 50 interactive areas for kids and families to enjoy. There is the Dino Lab, the Test Kitchen, Echo Cave, and the Severe Weather Station. Another exciting activity is the KC Rail Experience, which is an exhibit that details the fascinating history of the railroad. The exhibit includes railroad artifacts, vintage railroad cars and a locomotive simulator to get a feel for the experience of an engineer.

The traveling exhibits that are currently at the Union Station in Kansas City include one featuring the First Ladies of Missouri, which is on loan from the Kansas State Museum, and another one entitled "Through the Photographer’s Eye," which gives viewers a snapshot of life in Kansas City in the 1950s. An upcoming exhibit is all about the interesting and exciting world of robots, which opens on September 29.

The Gottlieb Planetarium offers several interesting shows about the planets and stars, as well as entertaining Laser shows set to various music groups such as the Beatles, INXS, the Police and many others.

The theaters include the Regnier Extreme Screen, which is a giant screen where you can currently experience sharks in 3D and flying with America’s best fighter pilots. The stage productions include the Talley Plays, and a fun play based on the children’s book, Go Dog, Go.

The Union Station is open from 6 a.m. to midnight daily. It is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Admission to the Union Station is free, but you must pay for the various attractions. A round trip ticket is $13.95, and includes admission to all of the attractions. The Express Ticket is for general admission, and includes the Science City, the traveling exhibits and the Gottlieb Planetarium. A One Way ticket, which is $5.95, gives you admission to your choice of the KC Rail Experience, Gottlieb Planetarium, or one Regnier Extreme Screen movie. Tickets can be purchased on the lower level at the ticketing kiosk, and can also be purchased online.