Siouxland Families

UPDATE: The Ranch KC closed in spring 2026. I am leaving my review up for now in case people are still curious about what it was like. You can check out more of my KC faves here. On a recent trip to Kansas City, I had the opportunity to visit a new restaurant, The Ranch KC, and I was so impressed I wanted to share about it with all of you! My former hometown of Kansas City is one of my favorite travel destinations, not just because I love seeing my family and friends there, but also because there are great places to play, shop, eat, and explore. And The Ranch KC is definitely going on my list of great little places to eat in the KC area for future trips too! The Ranch KC is at its heart a barbeque restaurant with a relaxed atmosphere and lots of kid-friendly options, so I definitely recommend it as a great way to get some KC BBQ, especially if you're visiting the area with kids.  Where is The Ranch KC? The Ranch KC is located at 17207 S US Hwy 71 in Belton, ...

Kansas City is one of my favorite family trip destinations, and each time we visit, I've been trying to show my kids more of the amazing fun, history, culture, and adventure in KC. My family has lived in the Kansas City area since at least the 1880s and I lived in a KC suburb as a teen, so it's kind of my hometown, but it's also a big city several hours away from where we live now. I feel like this gives us kind of a unique perspective as sort-of-locals, sort-of-visitors to Kansas City. Every time we go, besides enjoying the wonderful company of family and friends, we find something new to enjoy. And I'd love to share more of that with you. So, here's my guide to visiting Kansas City with kids, and I'll keep updating it as I myself discover more of KC myself! Must-See Fun for Kids in Kansas City The National World War I Museum the world's largest collection of artifacts from World War I is right in the heart of Kansas City, and it's a must-se...

The Midwest is full of festive holiday events, and many of the best holiday events and light display happening in the coming weeks in nearby cities and rural communities. Here are some of my top picks for Christmas events within about 4 hours or so of Sioux City that could make a really fun day trip or weekend trip for families in the Siouxland area! (Want to stay closer to home? Check out my list of Christmas events in Sioux City instead.) *Please excuse my digital dust. 2024 update is in progress and there may be a confusing mishmash of events from both 2023 and 2024 for a very short time during the update process!* Sioux Falls Sioux Falls Winter Wonderland at Falls Park, photo courtesy of Sioux Falls CVB Winter Wonderland at Falls Park features over 300,000 lights on hundreds of trees and poles, and will be lit every night while open The 32nd Annual Parade of Lights  on Phillips Ave from 13th to 5th Streets Enjoy Carols + Cocoa with the Premiere Playhou...