Traveling through Kansas via I-70 with kids and pets advice?

Hey everyone. We are moving from Detroit to Las Vegas and will be traveling through the state of Kansas on the way there. We%26#39;ll have a u-haul, plus my husband is towing his truck and I%26#39;ll be following in my Saturn. We have 2 kids (6 and 18 months) as well as 2 dogs and 2 cats (if I don%26#39;t fly the cats out first)

Anyway---we are trying to find a place to stop for the night in Kansas. We are driving via I-70, our most recent stop will have been an over night stay in Kansas City.

Any suggestions on what city to stop in? I%26#39;d like something fun to keep the kids busy. Playground, waterpark, Lake, River? etc.... My son is a dinosaur nazzi, so any museums his father or I can take him to would be a great bonus (and probably help out what he thinks will be a long boring ride)

Also any suggestions on anything from pet friendly hotels to places to eat, or even other places to visit in other states on the way to Vegas (I think we are going thorugh Colorado and Utah)

Thanks in advance. Just trying to plan this trip out with some fun things to do and see. We won%26#39;t be able to travel across country for a long long time, so we want to see things worth seeing.

Traveling through Kansas via I-70 with kids and pets advice?

Well the one thing you didn%26#39;t provide is how many hours you plan to drive that day, because you can make Kansas City to Denver easy in a day...hate to have you overlook our state but really no reason to plan a night stay if you can make it on to Colorado.

That said and if you want to spend the night, here%26#39;s our official State of Kansas Travel and Tourism web site; http://www.travelks.com

Traveling through Kansas via I-70 with kids and pets advice?

Well we obviously cannot travel long with 2 kids, 2 dogs and 2 cats. So somewhere between 4 and 6 hours from Kansas City.

Sternberg Museum of Natural History in Hays is next to I-70 in Hays. Your son will love the dinos! www.kansastravel.org/sternbergmuseum.htm

This list has some other spots he would like: http://www.kansastravel.org/chalkkansas.html Though they have just the fossils, not the recreated dinosaurs, the Fick Museum and University of Kansas Natural History Museum are both close to I-70.

I think it would be worth drving the 12 miles or so south to Castle Rock Badlands.

I would second the Sternberg Museum in Hays also if you are interested in old churches there is the Cathedral of the Plains at Victoria,KS. just west of Russell on I-70. www.stfidelischurch.com.

If that is about the amount of traveling time, I do agree with the others suggestions. Hope you enjoy your trip!