We were in the Great Green Room, a place we’d imagined often during countless bedtime readings of “Goodnight Moon.”
The perspective felt a little off, just like it does on the page. Everything was there: the telephone, the red balloon, the bowl full of mush.
My husband and I watched as our girls, 7 and 10 (and blessedly not too old to enjoy picture books), climbed right into the bunny’s bed. Our oldest grabbed a copy of Margaret Wise Brown’s classic from the nightstand and started reading the familiar words out loud.
The afternoon we spent at the Rabbit Hole, Kansas City’s wacky and wonderful new museum dedicated to children’s literature, was full of moments like this. The immersive and interactive space—which opened this spring after eight years in the works—fills an old warehouse with fanciful scenes and characters from kids’ books.
Our trip down the Rabbit Hole was the highlight of a delightful 24 hours we recently spent around Kansas City, Mo., where we also fell for Thai barbecue and caught an exciting game at the trailblazing new women’s soccer stadium.
Step Onto the Page
At the Rabbit Hole, it really feels like you can step into the pages of favorite books—and then climb, jump, and explore. (The curious will even discover that the giant face of “David” from David Shannon’s “No David!” has a squishy, tennis-ball sized booger up its nose.)The museum in the enclave of North Kansas City was created by former bookstore owners Pete Cowdin and Deb Pettid. They worked with authors, illustrators, and an in-house team of artists to bring more than 50 beloved books to life. The entrance itself is spectacular—you really do go through a rabbit hole of sorts, walking into a burrow-like tunnel with books embedded in the walls and emerging into a space filled with characters.
“We read this book in first grade!” our youngest kept exclaiming, climbing into the pink floral chair from “A Chair for My Mother” by Vera Williams and giggling at the talking toilet in one of the bathroom stalls (a villain from Dav Pilkey’s “Captain Underpants” series).
There were plenty of favorites from my and my husband’s childhoods, too. We poked around the blue-and-white kitchen of “Blueberries for Sal,” watched as the kids slid down a pole in a firehouse straight out of “The Fire Cat” and wandered through a room filled with miniature scenes from Russell and Lillian Hoban’s Frances books.
Next to each exhibit were copies of the book itself—and this created a lovely mix of activity, with some children rushing about and others quietly curled up reading to themselves or a grownup.
There’s also a cafe and a (delightful) bookstore with copies of the books that are part of the exhibits, as well as lots of other titles.
Women’s Soccer Shrine
The unique magic of the Rabbit Hole is one reason K.C. should be on family travelers’ radar right now. Another is the fabulous new CPKC Stadium, one of the few in the world built for a women’s team in any sport.It’s home to the Kansas City Current pro women’s soccer team—and its Missouri River setting is stunning, especially at sunset. (The stadium is hosting the National Women’s Soccer League championship match on Nov. 23. The next season begins in March.)
We caught an exciting game during our visit over the summer. At one point, star player Temwa Chawinga kicked the ball so wide it went out of the stadium and dropped into the river. The entire stadium cheered.
Fusion BBQ
The stadium, which opened in March, is also home to local food vendors, including the justifiably famous Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que.During a previous visit, we stopped at the original Joe’s in a former gas station and found the burnt ends to be worth our time waiting in line. This time, we drove out to Kansas City’s biggest suburb, Overland Park in Kansas, for “Thai-KC” barbecue at Buck Tui. The chef and pit master, Ted Liberda, grew up in Kansas City eating his immigrant mom’s Thai cooking (she’s a chef in nearby Lawrence).
