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New Kansas City attraction named to national list of top summer travel destinations

Silas Reynolds, 3, of Liberty, popped out of the exhibit for the book “Perez and Martina,” at The Rabbit hOle.
Silas Reynolds, 3, of Liberty, popped out of the exhibit for the book “Perez and Martina,” at The Rabbit hOle. tljungblad@kcstar.com

One of Kansas City’s newest museums continues to receive national recognition two months after it opened.

The Rabbit hOle,” an interactive children’s literature museum that sits in a 165,000-square-foot building at 919 E. 14th Ave. in North Kansas City, was named to People Magazine’s list of “25 Things to Eat, See and Do This Summer.”

“Children’s stories come to life at the Rabbit Hole, a new museum in Kansas City, Mo.,” the magazine said about the museum. “Within the 40 life-size, book-themed exhibits — from Goodnight Moon to Caps for Sale to Robert the Rose Horse — kids play, touch, climb and, of course, read as much as they want.”

Monkeys wave to book editor Rachel Davis of Kansas City in the “Caps for Sale” exhibit at the Rabbit hOle.
Monkeys wave to book editor Rachel Davis of Kansas City in the “Caps for Sale” exhibit at the Rabbit hOle. Tammy Ljungblad tljungblad@kcstar.com

The museum is included on the list with “Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky Tonk,” the new Nashville bar opened by country star Garth Brooks; “The Portal,” an art exhibit created by singer Jewel at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas; and the world’s largest penguin facility at the Detroit Zoo.

Kansas City was featured in The New York Times’ “52 Places to Go in 2024” list, and the new museum was a big part of the city’s inclusion.

Other featured stories in what the museum website calls a “radical literary wonderland” include “Harry the Dirty Dog,” Amelia Bedelia, “Where the Sidewalk Ends” and “Bread and Jam for Frances.”

Nearly every exhibit includes some aspect aspect of interactivity, including several featuring tunnels and spaces to crawl through. On the wall of every exhibit sits a rack of multiple copies of the book for kids to pick up and read.

Osa Harper, 10, and her sister, Maggie Harper, 4, of Kansas City, tried out the bed in The Great Green Room, an exhibit based on the book “Goodnight Moon.”
Osa Harper, 10, and her sister, Maggie Harper, 4, of Kansas City, tried out the bed in The Great Green Room, an exhibit based on the book “Goodnight Moon.” Tammy Ljungblad tljungblad@kcstar.com

The museum’s hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursdays and Saturdays; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fridays, and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. It is closed Mondays.

Admission costs $16 for people ages 2 and over, and you can buy tickets on the museum’s website.

Guests will receive a wristband when they arrive that may be used for same-day re-entry, according to the website. Wristbands must be intact and cannot be used after they have been removed.

This story was originally published May 21, 2024 at 11:51 AM.

Joseph Hernandez
The Kansas City Star
Joseph Hernandez joined The Kansas City Star’s service journalism team in 2021. A Cristo Rey Kansas City High School and Mizzou graduate, he now covers trending topics and finds things for readers to do around the metro.
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