Considering visiting Rabbit Hole, Kansas City’s recently opened children’s museum, and wondering if it is worth it?
We’re locals, and after hearing much anticipation about it in recent years, we made it a point to visit the first week it opened.
So, we’re sharing our honest review on this new addition to North Kansas City.
Let’s get into it!
Is Rabbit Hole Worth It?
You’ve surely heard about this new immersive children’s literary museum in North Kansas City – after all, it’s been in the works for eight years now!
It officially opened on Tuesday, March 12th, 2024.
It’s not your typical “museum” – it’s incredibly interactive and engaging with endless opportunities for climbing, sliding, and playing.
During our visit, it was hard to find any kid without a huge smile on their face.
The place is incredible, and you can tell the couple behind the concept, former owners of Brookside’s Reading Reptile children’s bookstore, have put hours upon hours of effort and thought into it.
So, is it worth visiting? Based on our experience, absolutely!
The Rabbit Hole Experience
After passing through the lobby, you’ll be directed down stairs designed to look like you’re walking along the ground into a hole – a rabbit hole, that is!
Once inside, the pathway is lit by blue lights and you’re made to feel like you’re finding your way underground through the rabbit hole.
It goes on for longer than we expected, which really builds up the anticipation.
Finally, there’s a bright light – you’ve made it!
Technically, would it be considered the rabbit’s den? Unsure, but regardless, the space you’ve entered is pretty incredible.
There are 45 interactive exhibits, each based on a different children’s storybook from the United States.
Depending on how much your kiddo wants to stop and read the books, you could easily spend 1 – 2 hours here. We had a three-year-old and were there for about an hour.
We loved that there was a wide range of books and authors represented!
All the exhibits are contained within one large room, so you can move to and from each as much as you’d like.
Occasionally, we’d have to wait our turn for an exhibit to be available, but that wasn’t an issue.
They had staff walking around helping assist as needed.
The highlight for us? At the end, you can go into a room modeled after “Goodnight Moon” – it truly looks exactly like the illustrations.
Overall, we loved it.
We know we will be back – and we’ll probably notice details that we didn’t pick up on from our first visit.
Another reason to return is that they clearly have more planned. There will be a cafe in coming months and more exhibits will be added.
The former warehouse building is four stories tall, so there’s plenty of room for more.
We can’t wait to see what’s to come for Rabbit Hole, and are thrilled to have this incredible new addition to Kansas City!
Know Before You Go
Just a few items to keep in mind before your visit.
How much are the Rabbit Hole tickets?
For visitors two years old and over, the cost is $16/person. They do have discounted pricing for families who qualify for free school lunches.
They have an annual membership program for those planning to come by often.
While they do allow walk-ins, they offer timed tickets you can purchase in advance online. We do recommend this as they might reach capacity and be unable to take walk-ins when you arrive.
The space is fairly large, but we do like the timed ticket policy because it could easily get really crowded if admission was unlimited.
What are the Rabbit Hole hours?
The hours are as follows:
Monday: CLOSED
Tuesday: 10am – 6pm
Wednesday: 10am – 6pm
Thursday: 10am – 6pm
Friday: 10am – 8pm
Saturday: 10am – 6pm
Sunday: 12pm – 6pm
(final admission 1 hr. before closing)
We arrived when it opened on a Wednesday and there was already a line – although, it was during spring break.
If your kiddo doesn’t do well with crowds or overstimulation, you may want to consider visiting during off hours.
Where is the Rabbit Hole?
It’s located in North Kansas City at 919 E 14th Ave. It’s near the Iron District, which would be a great stop for a treat before or after your visit.
The entrance to the building is not well marked – perhaps part of the allure?
Upon arrival, you’ll be able to park in the back of the building. The entrance to the museum is a nondescript door with “General Offices” above it.
Additional Considerations
Unfortunately – but understandably – strollers are not allowed inside the museum.
While this was not an issue for us, it could be a challenge for some families. They do allow you to leave your stroller in the lobby, so you can use it from the parking lot into the building.
Before visiting, we wished we had looked up the list of books represented by the different exhibits so that we could have re-read them leading up to our visit.
This may have helped make it even more engaging for our kiddo – they could have more easily recognized characters and aspects of the story.
So, we encourage you do do that!
Thanks for Supporting Local!
We hope this review was helpful – if you’re looking for other kid-friendly activities, read our guide to 23+ Best Things to do with Kids in Kansas City or our article on the Best Free Family Activities in Kansas City.