Union Station in Kansas City, MO transforms into an indoor holiday wonderland during its annual Holiday Reflections Walk-Thru event. This is a magical indoor holiday experience for locals and travelers alike. 

For more than 100 years, Union Station Kansas City has featured a decorated 40-foot tree, Kansas City’s largest and most photographed indoor holiday tree. In 1999, Union Station expanded the holiday festivities into the Holiday Reflections walk-thru at Union Station, which gets bigger and better every year.

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Walking to Union Station from Westin Crown Center

It blows our minds that we were spending a night in Kansas City to break up our drive from Minnesota to Wichita, KS, and did not know about the Holiday Reflections at Union Station! 

We booked a room at the Westin Crown Center in Kansas City, MO. The location couldn’t have been more perfect. Walk down the indoor hallway, and you’re in Crown Center. 

We walked by customer service, where a friendly, outgoing lady asked if she could help us find anything. We replied no, and we got to talking. 

She told us we must go to Union Station Kansas City, which is attached to our hotel by Link, an indoor skyway. 

We stumbled upon Holiday Reflections at Union Station by chance, and it became a highlight of our one night in Kansas City. A big thank you goes out to the lady at the information desk at Crown Plaza. 

Related: Read about festive things couples can do in Wichita.

Holiday Reflections Walk-Through Village at Kansas City Union Station 

We first noticed the infamous 40-foot Christmas tree, filled with ornaments, tinsel, and more than 25,000 lights, greeting guests. It’s a beauty, Clark. 

Indeed, the tree is stunning. Its warm glow, reflected on the shiny marble in Union Station’s lobby, sets the tone for a cozy and inviting experience.  

Add the smell of Parisi Coffee to the air and the hustle and bustle of a train station, and we immediately felt transported to almost another time. 

Family Friendly Holiday Reflections Display

This Holiday Reflections Display is geared for the whole family to enjoy, but you don’t have to have kids or bring kids to enjoy it. It’s just the two of us, and we enjoyed the time we spent at the Holiday Reflections Walk-Thru.

Holiday Reflections Walk-Thru Village Highlights

The Holiday Reflections walk-thru holiday village is set inside the massive Grand Plaza. It’s so beautiful, and seeing the room transformed into the Holiday Reflections Walk-Thru experience is truly remarkable.

Hundreds if not thousands of village houses must be set in this scene below. You walk through the display to get to the Model Train Display room, which you can read more about later in this post.

Plan to make multiple laps around the room. There is so much to take in from floor to ceiling.

The room is filled with twinkling Christmas tree lights, ornaments, dozens of trees, singing plush animals, a village of houses, a 4-D virtual reality sleigh ride, and a mini holiday express train ride for kids (additional $5 to ride).

Here are some of the features of the display:

• A life-sized horse-drawn carriage
• A magical mirror
• Massive ice throne
• Land of whimsy display
• Union Station vintage sleigh
• A Santa’s Favorite illuminated marquee 
• Singing reindeer and penguins
• Santa visits
• Animated shop windows
• A choreographed Christmas fountain surrounded by twinkling lights on tall Christmas trees

We especially loved the benches in front of this choreographed Christmas fountain set to Christmas music. The twinkly mat also blinked, and we enjoyed watching the dancing water fountain.

The Model Train Gallery is Included: A Bonus Experience

Your ticket to the Holiday Reflections Walk-Thru also includes access to the Model Train Gallery in the same room as the Holiday Reflections Walk-Thru Village. 

If you love model cars, and even if you don’t, you’ll be amazed to see what 10,000 square feet of model trains look like. 

More than 250,000 people visit the Model Train Gallery annually. The display is designed, built, and run entirely by volunteers. This display is open year-round to visitors and costs $5 per person to see the Model Train Gallery. 

Going into this display, we knew nothing about model trains, but we saw signs explaining that eight different train scales, ranging from Z-gauge to the largest G-gauge, were on display, all running simultaneously.

More than 80 trains run daily in this display, which has many layers and details. We did a quick walk-through, but we suggest planning some extra time if you want to take in this attraction as well.

Explore More Union Station Christmas Events

For additional fees, you can partake in even more festive holiday Union Station Christmas events, including holiday exhibits such as Stars of Faith at the Planetarium, a holiday magic laser light show at Science City, holiday movies, and a pageant at the live theater. Visitors could easily plan to make a weekend to take in all the festive events.

Explore More at Union Station

During this visit to the Holiday Reflections Walk-Thru Village at Union Station, we learned what a year-round destination Union Station is.

In addition to being an Amtrak stop, it features exhibits created by the Smithsonian and National Geographic. There are also restaurants and shopping.

Other attractions include Science City, a Planetarium, a movie theatre, and a live theatre. If we revisit, we’ll stay at the Westin Crown Plaza again, as the Link is perfect for walking indoors from the Westin to Union Station. 

The Tinsel and Tinis event for adults looks fun for an adults-only experience. 

However, ample parking is available to guests at Union Station; guests are not required to stay at Westin Crown Center. Click here for parking details at Union Station Kansas City. 

Remember, this is indoors, so no jackets are required!

What to Know Before You Go

• Check out the Holiday Reflection At Union Station website to plan your visit. 
• 30 W Pershing Road, Kansas City, MO
• Open from November 22 to January 1, Holiday Reflections is a limited-time event you won’t want to miss.
• Times: 10 am – 8 pm daily
• Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve 10 am-2 pm and closed Christmas Day
• Cost $10. You can book your tickets online. We purchased them the evening of our visit. 
• Plan to spend 1-2 hours here enjoying yourself.
• All the proceeds from this display go towards preserving the historic Union Station. 

Pin For Trip Planning To Holiday Reflections at Union Station Kansas City

Plan your visit to Union Station this holiday season to make unforgettable memories.