Great Mall of the Great Plains

The Great Mall of the Great Plains is one of the “forgotten” attractions in KC. It was created in hopes of becoming a shopping destination for southern Johnson County/Gardner areas. However, it never took off and many of the store fronts are empty. There are some shops and a 16 screen Dickinson movie theater. However, this tragedy for shoppers is a parent’s goldmine! It is, basically, an empty mall where your children can play in the activity areas, use their imagination to make up games to play on the crazy patterned carpet, or roam the halls.

Overall we like the Great Mall because:

• Great free place to run out energy on rainy, cold, or hot Kansas days. You could easily spend a few hours playing in the open areas, eating lunch and maybe find a few shopping bargains.
• Ages
  All Ages
• Cost
  FREE to get in the mall. Shopping and extra kids activities are extra of course!
• Hours
  Monday – Saturday 10 am to 9pm
  Sunday 12pm to 6pm

Play Area Tips:
A great place for little ones is the Tree Play area. The signage states that the area is for kids under 48 inches tall. However, there is little to no enforcement of this rule. So, if your child is a bit taller and will play well with the smaller children – he/she would still enjoy this area. It is located in the middle of the food court. It is an almost enclosed area with soft floors, small slides, tunnels, and benches for the parents. The slides do not have stairs, so it is difficult for small children or new walkers to climb on the bigger pieces of equipment. The bathrooms are conveniently located in this same area.

Food Court (close to the play area but limited choices!)
There are few options for food in the food court. There are three restaurants:

• Grill Point
• New York Deli
• Original Pizza

For snacking:

• Wetzel Pretzel
• Cookie House
• Topsy’s is around the corner

Sack Lunch Option:
Another option that we suggest is bringing a sack lunch and having an indoor picnic.

Other Play Areas:
The mall also has another play area which looks like a train or enclosed ramp. The signage states it is for kids under 42 inches. However, like the tree area, these rules are rarely enforced. Kids can spend hours running up and down the various ramps. It does not have stairs, but does have handrails and padding – which makes it perfect for beginning walkers and for older kids who love to run! It is surrounded by benches and seating areas for parents.
Popular Parent Shops:
While most store fronts are empty, some are occupied. Near the ramp/train play area, there is a

• Carter’s
• Shop Baby Kisses, a girl boutique. If you are searching for bows or tu-tus – this is the place to go.
• Bath and Body outlet. Seriously great prices and deals on lotions, soaps, etc.
• Famous Footwear
• Book Warehouse – good if you find the right book, but doesn’t exactly stock bestsellers!

Mall Condition and Quality:
This is a mall which is not generating much revenue. So some things are a bit run down. It is fairly clean, but you will feel the need to use copious amounts of hand sanitizer. The “repairs” to the benches have a bit to be desired. Instead of properly fixing any rips or tears, they have simply laid another piece of vinyl over the hole. Some are secured with duct tape, others are not. The same goes for the wild patterned carpet. No effort to match the zig zags or bright colors. But a carpeted mall means that if a running toddler trips, it’s just carpet!

Walking the loop:
There are also various seating arrangements or “rest areas” throughout the mall’s hallways. These are also great places for kids to climb and run.
This mall is a perfect place rainy, snowy or hot days. Also a great place for moms with “new” babies looking to get back in shape – you can walk up and down the halls for hours. Your baby will be mesmerized by the wild paint colors and crazy patterns on the carpet.   Sometimes we prefer to “do the loop”. Since the entire Mall is on only one floor, there’s no elevators for those of us with strollers. Oak Park mall, the upscale rival, requires much weaving back and forth because it is not flat and can be a hassle — but the Great Mall offers a nice wide “track” perfect for you to burn off those extra calories while you look at the storefronts of shops that you sometimes wonder how they stay in business even with the obviously low rent!

Extra pay-for-play businesses:
There are also many pay-for-play businesses in the Great Mall which cater to various ages.

These include:

• Zonkers
• Monkey Business
• Cosmic Golf
• and a few others that come and go.

There are also a few small museums in the mall. These include:

• The Fire Fighters
• Model Train

Tips:

• Bring sippy cups and snacks
• You can bring in your own food
• Bring hand sanitizer – or just buy it at Bath and Body for cheap!
• Bring a stroller – it is a large building — plus your stroller can hold all your jackets and snacks too.

Overall, the Great Mall of the Great Plains is a great place to let the kids burn some energy, or to work off a few pounds yourself as you do the loop. The stores are interesting enough that it gives you something to look at as you walk around, and enough conversation starters for you and your kids. On a day that you want to get out and not spend a lot of money, this might be the perfect rainy-day getaway in all of Kansas City.