Worlds of Fun All American BBQ & Brew Festival

This post is sponsored by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company in conjunction with Blog Meets Brand, and I have been compensated for my participation. All opinions are my own. Fill up on loads of food and fun at Worlds of Fun All American BBQ & Brew Festival!

This last weekend my little family made a trip down to Kansas City to attend the Worlds of Fun All American BBQ & Brew Festival. We’ve lived in Omaha for 3 years now and this was our first time to KC as a family even though it’s only about 3 hours away. It was actually our first trip together that wasn’t to just visit extended family.

Just as holidays are more magical through the eyes of a child, so is a trip to a new place. My 2 year old was on could nine starting with her first step out of the car in front of our adorable cottage at the Worlds of Fun Village. Carly started calling it “our home” and when we entered our neighborhood driving home she started crying “Nooo! I wanna go home! New home!” Seriously, such a cute and cozy place to lodge with the fam. Plus, two words– Animal Towels!Natalie just barely started crawling not even a week ago so she had an exceptionally fun time exploring the cottage and deck.

We got up early the next morning because… we have kids! After getting ready (which takes awhile with a baby and a toddler) we headed to the theme park as soon as it opened. It’s been 12 years since I’ve been to Worlds of Fun (Yay middle school band trips!) but it was still just as fun. Though we did stick to riding the kiddie rides with Carly rather than the stomach dropping thrill rides.

We discovered rediscovered that Carly is a bit of a whimp.  The first ride she went on was the carousel with Nick and she was clinging on for dear life the whole time.

On our way to Planet Snoopy (the kiddie ride area) we saw the Viking Voyager (Nick’s favorite kind of ride) so he took her on that. She liked the ride… until the the last drop when she became completely terrified. (see pic below!)We decided to ease her back into trusting us and liking the rides with some very non-threatening ones like Snoopy’s Junction (train) and Peanuts Road Rally. Nick had to hop in the back because his legs were too long for the front seat. Ha! It go Carly was back to her happy self.

I was so pleasantly surprised at how many rides (about 20) they had that Carly could go on since she is not even 3 yet. Five of the rides are new to the park this year!

We were even lucky enough to see Snoopy and Charlie Brown on our way out! Carly, with a big grin on her face, walked right up to Snoopy and gave him a hug. So cute! She melts my heart every day!!!

For lunch we got to enjoy some AMAZING barbecue at the All American BBQ & Brew Festival. Tents were set up for each brewery from KC and other surrounding areas with a delicious sampling of barbecue made by the executive chef at Worlds of Fun. We didn’t sample any of the beer because my husband and I don’t drink but we definitely enjoyed our fair share of barbecue!

First up on the menu, Chicken & Waffles! …or rather, chicken in waffle cones. I love the chef’s take on the classic “chicken & waffles”. Waffle cones filled with bbq back beans, smoked bbq chicken, and topped with coleslaw and barbecue sauce. Different, but so yummy and fun to eat… like ice cream!

Next up were these amazing smoked ribs. Aren’t they stunning?! These were my husband’s favorite. Almost as good as mine.

The Smoked BBQ Pork Sandwiches were definitely my favorite. So much flavor in the meat and I love the crisp coleslaw on top (like these sliders!).

If you thought that was enough to make us full, you are right… but we kept eating! …smoked chicken legs and shrimp. We were so stuffed!

They even had dessert– Bananas Fosters. Warm sauteed bananas over a ladyfinger cookie, topped with caramel sauce, and garnished with whipped cream and a cherry on top! I forgot to grab a fork so I ate this bad boy with my fingers making a mess and it was so worth it!Aren’t these posters fun?! These KC natives love their hometown BBQ and now I love it too!
We had such a great time at Worlds of Fun All American BBQ and Brew Festival! If you can’t make it to the BBQ & Brew Festival occurring over the next couple weekends, check out the many other future events going on at Worlds of Fun like the Food & Wine Festival and Coaster Campout.