Everything you need to know about attending a Kansas City Royals game at Kauffman Stadium with kids

We were provided complimentary tickets to attend a Royals game. All opinions are my own.

My family recently embarked on the road trip of a lifetime. During an epic 11-day road trip, we had the chance to see seven different home baseball games throughout the Midwest. We saw games in St. Louis, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and called this bucket list-worthy trip our #roadtripofdreams… and it really was. I can’t wait to share it all with you so you can plan your family’s own epic Midwest baseball road trip! Last week I shared everything you need to know about visiting St. Louis for a Cardinals game. Today I’m sharing our experience, tips, and recommendations for attending a Royals game at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, and why it’s one of the most kid-friendly MLB stadiums we’ve ever seen. Stay tuned in the weeks ahead for more recaps on the different games we saw and cities we experienced, as well as an overall itinerary for a Midwest baseball road trip. Here’s everything you need to know about attending a Kansas City Royals game with kids!

Kauffman Stadium game experience

If you’re going to a Royals game at Kauffman Stadium with kids, your first stop should be Guest Services behind home plate to get a free “First Game Certificate” for the kids! This was such a cool touch, and really set the tone for how family-oriented the stadium is. Sawyer even loved it, though he was the only one in our family not rooting for the Royals (he proudly wore his White Sox jersey from his Little League team last year to the game).

It was really cool to see a stadium in person that my husband and I have seen on TV our whole lives (Kauffman Stadium is the 6th oldest active MLB stadium, built in 1973), with its iconic outfield waterfall. We also found it to be a very friendly environment (more of the Missouri hospitality we experienced in St. Louis). We also noticed that every part of the stadium had great views – not a bad seat in the stadium to watch the game (see Kansas City Royals tickets information and more on their website here). It was also clear that the Royals celebrate tradition, with a great Hall of Fame and statues inside the stadium on-site.

For a bit of baseball nostalgia, the Hall of Fame in left field (located behind Gate A) is a cool museum area with jerseys and memorabilia from the last 51 years of the Royals, including Jackie Robinson!

Food and concessions at Kauffman Stadium

You can’t experience a baseball stadium fully if you don’t experience their concessions! Kauffman Stadium has a large variety of different kinds of concession stands with some really unique options (in addition to the classic beer and hot dogs, of course). Here are some great options to check out in the different stands:

• Craft n Draft Area (a more adult-oriented area that has almost every Boulevard Brewing beer on tap and a great view of the entire stadium)
  • Fried Deviled Eggs (Whole Grain Mustard, Candied Bacon, Parmesan Crust)
  • Drunken Beef Barbacoa Nachos (Habanero Queso, Charred Corn, Black Bean, Pico de Gallo, Chipotle Sour Cream)
  • Korean BB (Smoked Pork Kielbasa, Korean BBQ Sauce, Daikon Kimchi Slaw)
  • Burnt End Mac n Cheese (Onion Tanglers, Green Onion, Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ)
• Available at several stands
  • Cheesy Corn Brisket-Acho (Chopped brisket, BBQ baked beans, cheesy corn, cole slaw, and BBQ sauce all over a bed of corn tortilla chips)
  • Vegetarian and gluten-free concessions options (click here for more information)
• Custom Crust Pizza Stand
  • Grilled Peach and Goat Cheese (Georgia Peach, Arugula, Goat Cheese Crumbles, Balsamic Reduction)
• Custom Crust 2.0 Pizza Stand
  • Sausage & Olive Pizza (Italian Sausage Crumbles, Sliced Green and Black Olives, Roasted Red Peppers)
• KC Steak Co. Stand
  • Chili Crunch Burger (Burnt Ends Chili, Pepper Jack Cheese, Fritos)
• Miller Lite Bar
  • Brats and Tots
  • Buffalo Chicken Tots (Tater Tots, topped with shredded chicken, buffalo sauce, blue cheese dressing and bacon pieces, garnished with sliced green onions)
  • BBQ Brisket Tots (Tater Tots, topped with smoked brisket, white queso sauce, and drizzled with BBQ sauce. Garnished with sliced green onions)
• Rivals
  • Chimichurri Flank Steak (Sautéed Peppers and Onions, Roasted Corn, Black Beans, Monterey Jack Cheese, PDG, CLSC)
  • French Toast Ice Cream Sandwich (Maple Pecan Bacon Crumble, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream on Classically Prepared French Toast)
• Market Place Salad Shop
  • Fresh Fruit Salad (Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Honeydew, Grape, Strawberry, Blueberry, Mint Syrup)

Activities for kids and families at Kauffman Stadium

As I said earlier, the Kansas City Royals’ Kauffman Stadium is one of the best stadiums for kids out of all the MLB stadiums we’ve seen. A lot of this is due to the massive Outfield Experience kid’s area located behind the Crown Vision board (behind center field). There are a ton of things for kids to do, including a fun playscape, a splash pad, a carousel, mini golf, a miniature field, batting, throwing, and base-running challenges (the boys loved getting to race from home to first with a timer), kids shopping (kid-sized stores with only kid’s items), and kid-friendly concession stands. The area is also equipped with bench and table seating and large TV screens so no one has to miss the game action while the kid’s take a play break.

Hotels near Kauffman Stadium for attending a Kansas City Royals game

There aren’t many hotels right near Kauffman Stadium, so we chose to stay in downtown where there are many more options. Since we’re Hilton people, we decided on Home2 Suites Kansas City Downtown, and had a great experience. The room included a kitchenette and a curtain partition to separate the adult’s and kid’s sections. The hotel was impeccably clean and our beds were very comfortable. We especially loved the complimentary breakfast bar which had delicious grab-and-go breakfast sandwich options.

We loved attending the Royals game at Kauffman Stadium, and were thrilled we got to see them win. It was one of the most family-oriented and kid-friendly stadiums we visited during our #roadtripofdreams, and we definitely recommend a visit if you’re traveling to the Kansas City area. Stay tuned next week for our experience in Minneapolis for a Twins game, and the whole Midwest baseball road trip itinerary in the weeks ahead.

Related posts:

• Route and recommendations for planning the ultimate Midwest baseball road trip
• Visiting St. Louis for a Cardinals Game (and the best hotel near Busch Stadium)
• Traveling to Minneapolis for a Minnesota Twins game in style
• Family vacation in Chicago for a Cubs game
• Taking your kids to a Detroit Tigers game at Comerica Park
• Visiting Cleveland with kids for a Guardians
• Traveling to Cincinnati for a Reds game