Talk about a fabulous way to repurpose an iconic building in JoCo! The site of the old King Louie bowling alley has given way to the Arts & Heritage Center containing an exhibit better known as the Johnson County Museum. Instead of erecting another concrete monstrosity, JoCo took a piece of its expansion and history to house that very same dynamic. The Arts & Heritage Center itself is a wonderful facility, blending local & regional art, classes, and community space. It also doubles as an election polling location particularly focused on early voting opportunities (exercise your right!). Taking that classic 1960s suburban architecture, complete with stone walls & beams in a pseudo-flying buttress, and turning it into a new piece of the community is a *chef's kiss* of civic planning. Where you once may have tried to pick up a 7-10 split, you now can tour decades of people & progress. The museum itself costs $6 for adults with discounted admission for seniors, veterans, & children. It doesn't take long to get immersed in the interactivity and to get mesmerized by JoCo's storied past. Take in the public art displays or stop into the gift shop for keepsakes of the visit. Virtually every event has been well-documented, notable people are memorialized, and the chronology only keeps moving forward. Northeast Kansas continues to grow and find new ways to reinvent progress, so be sure to grasp the spirit of expansion that has occurred in this beautiful metro area. read more

See all

The Johnson County Museum is a great example of a thoughtful use of space. I was pretty young when the King Louie building was in its prime but I know it held importance for many in the community so it's wonderful to see it repurposed as an arts and heritage space. To start with, the museum itself is great, it's super well thought out, and tells the story of the region and of Johnson County, and the growth of the KC suburbs. This story is complex, and filled with some less savory history, so I am especially proud of this museum for not shying away from the truth of this history and having sections of the museum dedicated to redlining, and moments of inequality here. My favorite part of the museum is the electric house, which was moved into the space to preserve a unique time in Johnson County history when the burbs expanded and became modernized. It's honestly worth the price just to see that house preserved as well as it is. If you are a parent, this place gets even better as your admission includes Kidscape which is a great indoor play area for kiddos between the ages of 18 months and 7 I'd say. They do a good job of keeping this space clean and for the price, it's one of the better deals for places to take kids on a cold day in KC. Finally, this space also houses a theatre and we go here for ballet classes which is great. All in all it's a wonderful asset to the community and I'm glad it's here. read more

Johnson County Museum - Museums Near Me - Overland Park, Kansas

First time I've been in the building. I went in for early 2024 election voting. Bright and cheerful atmosphere. I was able to look around a bit. Museum has mural, history of Johnson County. Huge open space for kids to learn and participate in fun activities, read more

See all

Very nice display of the history of the area, modern and interesting reading and artifacts. My grandkids especially love the play town area and the electric house. I also like the seating in the top level and the staff is nice and welcoming. read more

Johnson County Museum - Fun photo op - Museums Near Me - Overland Park, Kansas

See all

This review is based on Kidscape only. Smaller than expected so don't expect it to be a full children's museum but it's still a great space for younger children to play. They designed it like a little town with a burger/ice cream shop, farm, post office and more. It's best for toddler age children. My 2 year old loves play food and kitchenware so he has a lot of fun here. We typical spend 1.5 to 2hrs here. It's a great place to take the little ones in the area that's pretty affordable as well. read more

This is the best kid-friendly, hidden gem of Overland Park. It's a beautiful and bright space that invites children to explore with their hands but is still very informative for adults. The museum itself is an exploration of OP's history. Love. There are also hands-on activities that kids can try out as they learn about the past. There's a bean bag toss where kids learn about newspaper routes and how the paper was delivered, an example of the home in the 1950's where you can ring the doorbell and open the fridge to see the capacity, and an old school typewriter. That's just a few interactive things you'll find in the museum. I've been taking my son since he was one. He's 2.5 now and STILL enjoys walking through the museum portion. There's also a dedicated children's play area called Kidscape. It's SO nice. A small space with different sections for open-ended play: hospital, diner, "grocery store," apple picking, puppet show theater, train table, a little "jail," construction area, and boat to go fishing. We spend 1.5-2 hours there every time. It's really great for little kids and toddlers. I bought the annual pass and it's worth every penny. You aren't allowed to eat in there so just head upstairs in the lobby/common area for a lunch break. I also know they have a lot of different programs for kids AND adults ranging from art to movement. I'll probably enroll my son when he's a little older. We love this museum. It's the best on a rainy or cold day or if you don't have anything planned and are looking for something to do with the family. read more

I have to say, this place is surprisingly great. I have no ties to KC so the sentiment of it being the old King Louie is lost on me, but as far as a clean/safe place to take kids to play...hands down the best. There is a wide open kids space with a market area, ice cream shop, park, theater, school, jail, and hospital. It can get a bit chaotic when a school group comes in, but if you go first thing in the morning it's cheap and a perfect way to kill a couple hours. It's like Wonderscope but clean and all in one open space for the kids to run free and be creative. The museum itself is cool, and a nice place to walk through to find out a little more about JoCo. Give this place a go, you won't be disappointed. read more

See all

Only come here for kidscape, a fun little play area downstairs full of imagination play scenes and outfits. Great if you have younger kids. Not sure the cost of a membership, but a day pass is fairly cheap and definitely worth it. read more

Johnson County Museum - Inside kidscape - Museums Near Me - Overland Park, Kansas

They have a kids area with exhibits imitating different professions such as doctor, farmer, school teacher etc. My kids seemed to enjoy the exhibits but I think it could have been bigger. Other than the kids area the main attraction is the all electric house. Just wish the museum was bigger. The whole museum takes less than 1.5 hours to complete including kids area. The gift shop was small but had some cute unique items. read more

Museums have always fascinated me. This was a spur of the moment decision to visit. There was a $5/adult admission fee and you get a wristband to wear. The actual museum is downstairs via elevator or stairs. I'm one of those people who always walk to the left of where I am so I walked backward for a few minutes before realizing it was chronological to the right. This isn't clear but not exactly rocket science. It was around 2pm on a weekday so mostly empty. They offer tours but I'm not sure if you pay for them or how often they're offered. The room that celebrates the 50th anniversary is really cool. It has the traditional and modern gifts for wedding anniversaries. Definitely recommend. read more

Johnson County Museum - Museums Near Me - Overland Park, Kansas

There was a lot of bad press when Johnson County bought this abandoned ice skating rink and bowling alley. The refurbishment is done and the ribbon is cut and it is a spectacular space! It truly is a multi-purpose facility with a museum of Johnson County's history, growth and future. It also showcases multiple area artists throughout the lobby with large open spaces with areas to relax. There is also a dance space, meeting rooms, class rooms, and an events space, where a performance of Grease was taking place while I visited. OP and JOCO you did great! read more

Johnson County Museum - Museums Near Me - Overland Park, Kansas

See all

What an interesting and curious addition to our city. Visited this museum to see the Redlining exhibit which was an incredibly eye-opening and enlightening experience. The museum curator of interpretation gave us a guided tour which made the experience even better. I agree with Liz B's review if you're interested in mid-century this is the place to visit, but also if you're interested in learning more about the history of KC this is the place to go. read more

This is a great little museum, it's wonderful looking at the history of kansas. i really like walking through the 1950's house they have set up, staged perfectly. But the best part is the play area! my daughter loves it so much that every time we drive past my daughter keeps saying museum and wants to go play. so we can go for 1-2 hrs just to break up the weekend and let her burn off some energy. if you plan to go frequently i would suggest getting the pass for $50 per year read more

JoCo has done am AMAZING job on their new museum and arts center. I always enjoyed their old location, but this new one is so much better. If you have a love of mid century/1950s/Atomic Age you need to make the trip to set this place. The museum focuses on Johnson County in the 50s. They are the home of the 1950s All-Electric house. It's fully restored and you'll instantly fall in love with it. Make sure you check out the process they went through to move the house across KC to its new home! They also have a wonderful play area for kids called "Kidscape". Very interactive. It's one giant room so your kids can enjoy themselves without you feeling like you are going to lose track of them. I would say it's better for younger kids. Maybe 10 and under. I can't wait to see what else they do now that they have all this space. We'll definitely be back. read more

See all

This place is filled with great nostalgia from the history of the area. Well preserved specimens of everything from matchbook covers to an entire house. Yep, there is an entire house where the ice skating rink at the old King Louie used to be. I expected to enjoy my visit but I ended up loving my visit. It's worth a repeat trip for sure. And the price is right. read more

Johnson County Museum - Museums Near Me - Overland Park, Kansas

See all

What a great museum right here in the suburbs! We loved it! Our little had so much fun in wonderscape. He ran around and around trying all the different rooms. The house was really neat to see. With the aqua colored toilet paper to match the bathroom is hilarious! I especially loved the history part of the museum. But then I love history. Probably the funniest part was watching our 4 year old master the rotary telephone! The icing on the cake was meeting the artist of all the awesome art hanging inside the lobby area. We just happened to be leaving as he was walking in and got to have a long conversation. What a amazing man! Ezekiel Crozier. Creator, artist and wounded war veteran making phenomenal art on display at the JoCo Museum. If you can't make it to see them you can follow his fb Page Handy-Cappin LLC. read more

See all

Cool new museum! If you are interested in the history of Johnson County, and especially Metcalf South area, this is a fun venture. It's reasonably priced and doesn't take too long to get around in it, but for me that remembers a lot of these places that were here when we moved here, super fun. read more

Whether you have lived in Johnson County your entire life or are just visiting, there are few places locally where you can better spend a couple of hours free time. While I will say upfront I am a history/museum fan, JoCo did it right with this place. It's focus is the topic of suburbia in general, described by the history, development and growth of Johnson County, Kansas itself. From the original Native Americans who lived here, to the settlers/ homesteaders, all the way through its current position as one of the most vibrant sections of the Kansas City Metropolitan area, it's all here...... described brilliantly via historical documents, photographs, video and sound clips, and physical exhibits. In addition to the museum itself, the Arts & Heritage Center overall includes meeting spaces (even serving as an election polling place), a children's play/learning center, a black-box theatre, historical seminars, and rotating displays of work produced by local artists. This is a world-class community asset that shows that sometimes government CAN get it right! read more

This was a great museum to kill a few hours on a snowy day. So nice to see that the electric house found a great home! Even learned quite a bit about JoCo history I had never heard before. The models built by Brad Moore we fabulous! Real trip back to my childhood! Well worth the affordable $5 entry!!! Well done!! read more

really nice, a great place to bring kids and it is great they did something with the building