Day 5 of our trip was yet another full day!

I really wanted to check out the Kansas City Zoo even though the entire week had been quite a scorcher.  The great thing was, when we arrived and bought our entry tickets, it came to half the price! Why? Well because they only charge half price when a heat advisory is in effect, and you can ride the tram to the Africa section for free that day.  First of all, this zoo is much larger than it looks on the map! But it is by far the coolest zoo I’ve ever been to.  My day was already made when we went through the Australia section first and had a kangaroo hop right across our path!  So neat!  I also loved the Penguin exhibit (with real ice being made inside it!) and the really cool monkey house area where the monkeys could walk over the glass above you!  We did take the tram out to the Africa section because the heat was already getting to us. Lots of neat exhibits out there as well, but the heat definitely wore us down.  They did have a 1 1/2 month old gorilla though who was absolutely adorable!

After our morning at the zoo we drove back over to the Crown Center to try out Fritz’s Railway Restaurant.  A friend had recommended this place to me and judging by the line we had to wait in to get in I was sure it would be worth it.  It’s worth it for the experience alone, but the food was also good and really inexpensive.  It’s you standard diner food, but when you order you have to pick up the phone at your table and call the kitchen to place your order (this can take some time and can be hard to hear.)  Then after awhile, a train car is sent out of the kitchen and brings your food to your table.  So neat!

Our next stop in the day was the Arabia Steamboat Museum.  This museum exists because the Arabia Steamboat sank in the Missouri River in the 1800’s. In the 1980’s a family excavated the ship out of a cornfield.  Everything in the ship’s cargo was completely preserved and has been cleaned and put up for display in the museum.  It was definitely worth the visit.

Following the museum we went to RAYGUN T-shirt store.  We are huge fans.  Then we went to the hotel for a little bit before grabbing some pizza a few miles from the hotel at Minsky’s.  They claim to have the best pizza in Kansas City, and I’m pretty sure they do!

Total Cost for Day: $153.77

Zoo Admission: $15 Lunch: $17.85 Steamboat Museum: $31.52 Dinner: $20 Hotel Cost: $69.50

Fort those of you who don’t know me well, let me tell you that when I travel, I always, ALWAYS, look for the best deals!  TripAdvisor is my best friend when it comes to planning a trip.  I figure out what the must-sees are in an area based on others reviews, what hotels I can stay at for cheap (without being disgusted with my living space), and of course, checking out the must visit lower budget restaurants are in the area.

Another fun fact is that my husband and I have been married for 3 years now, and each anniversary I try to plan a little trip somewhere.  For our first anniversary we stayed local (and at home) but made visits to a few museums and lighthouses in the Milwaukee area.  Last year, we had an early trip planned since we were moving to St. Louis on our actual anniversary, but went to Door County in Wisconsin for a few days a week prior to our move.  This year I wanted to go check out Kansas City.

One of my goals in life is to visit every state and every state capitol.  Kansas City is about an hour away from Kansas’ state capitol of Topeka, so we decided that if we were going to make the trip, we would add on a day and see what the state’s capital had to offer.  We also decided to add a day to the end of our trip as well, to Independence, MO which sits as an outlying suburb of Kansas City on the MO side.  I wanted to check this place out since I knew that’s where the Oregon Trail started and I also read raving reviews about the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library located there, so it seemed worth the extra day.

Well all that being said, in the next few blog posts, I hope to details the adventures we had in those three cities but I also wanted to let everyone know that it is possible to take a trip for two to the Kansas City area for 6 days, 5 nights and see 13 attractions and eat 10 meals for under $700!  Don’t believe me….check out the details in my next few blog posts and you can see how this trip could happen for you too!  Trips can be a lot more affordable than you imagine!

After some encouragement from my husband, I have chosen to start another blog!  This blog will focus on all of the fun places I travel to and the many, many places where I find some yummy goodies.  From time to time I may even include some fun recipes I’ve tried in our home!  While I already have a blog that keeps my friends and family updated on the events in our lives, this one will solely be focused on food and travel!  I’m excited for this new journey!