I have been to a lot of children’s museums and it is great to watch my kids have a fun time. But the Rabbit hOle in Kansas City, Missouri is not an ordinary children’s museum. This unique space allows you to immerse yourself in the storybook world as you walk through spaces that replicate many well-known and some less-known children’s books. I honestly can’t say who enjoyed the museum more, my kids or myself.
So if you find yourself anywhere near Kansas City, I highly recommend visiting this place. Here are my tips for a great time at the Rabbit hOle.
Book your entry time to the children’s museum online.
The Rabbit hOle includes a children’s museum, bookstore, and cafe. Only the children’s museum requires a ticket. The Rabbit hOle encourages visitors to book an entry time to the children’s museum ahead of time online, although it sounds like some tickets are available day of. The Lucky Rabbit Bookstore, however, is free.
Always confirm the hours online. The Rabbit hOle was closed every Monday (as of our visit), with a few exceptions.
The bookstore is sizable and has a little indoor amphitheater with tiered seating for sitting and reading and special events. It does not cost anything to visit the bookstore and you can find the bookstore hours online. If, however, you want to attend story time in the Goodnight Moon room that is within the bookstore, you need to buy a story time “ticket” for each child ($5 at the time of our visit), which is essentially a voucher to be spent at the bookstore. This story time ticket does not give visitors access to the children’s museum that has the rest of the exhibits.
As with any ticketing prices or information, you should check the website because things could change.
Book the first entry time and go straight to the bookstore before the children’s museum.
I recommend getting the first time slot if you can and going straight to the Goodnight Moon room in the Rabbit hOle’s bookstore. Everyone is so excited to go down the rabbit hole that takes you to the children’s museum right when they get there. Instead of following the crowd, we cut to the Goodnight Moon room before exploring the children’s museum and had the great green room entirely to ourselves.
The Goodnight Moon room is so sweet. Watching my husband read Goodnight Moon to our kids while sitting in front of a crackling fire inside the great green room, complete with kittens, mittens, a bowl full of mush, a comb, and a brush, warmed my heart. We have read Goodnight Moon countless times to our children and our parents read it countless times to us. This was such a special moment and really set the perfect tone for our whole experience in the Rabbit hOle.
Outside food is not permitted.
There is a cafe where you can sit and eat purchased food, but outside food is not permitted.
While the children’s museum was closed on Mondays, Max’s Kansas City Cafe was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays at the time of our visit. The cafe has seating and a nearby restroom. The foods offered at the cafe are inspired by children’s books.
Read the stories.
I suggest you look at the list of exhibits ahead of time. Consider reading some of the books to your kids so they are familiar with the scenes they will see.
Once there, give yourself plenty of time to read the books. You can read Blueberries for Sal in the kitchen where little Sal and her mother preserve their berries, shake your hands and stomp your feet with the mischievous monkeys as you read Caps for Sale, and look over the whole cityscape and countryside as you laugh at Curious George’s adventures. The Rabbit hOle provides many copies of the various books it has recreated and there are plenty of places to sit down and enjoy the books together.
Parking is on Knox St. and the entrance is on 14th Ave.
We found the parking and entrance a little confusing. It can be hard to find street parking on weekday mornings, but there is a large parking lot east of the building entrance, on Knox Street. The subtle entrance is located on 14th Ave (not the ramp on Knox Street), which is a short walk around the corner from the parking area.
Leave your stroller behind, but the building is accessible.
Strollers are not permitted in the children’s museum. You won’t want a stroller anyway. There are so many things for you and your kids to crawl on and under, as well as nooks and other fun spaces to explore.
The museum is doable for toddlers and young kids on foot. There are also places you can sit down with a book.
The Rabbit hOle’s website says it is wheelchair accessible with ramps, elevators, etc. I have not, however, fully vetted the accessibility of their spaces.
New exhibits are coming to the children’s museum.
The Rabbit hOle is still constructing and opening new exhibits. There is already a lot to explore now, so no need to wait for the new exhibits to open. But we will definitely be back to see what else they create!
Check out my post on the Omaha Zoo for another family-friendly gem in the midwest!
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