This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #RoadTripOil #CollectiveBias

I cannot even handle the fact that we’re over halfway through summer. I mean, I looked at the calendar, and we have like… 3 weeks left of the pool being open for the year. As much as I’m looking forward to my fall favorites returning in just a few short weeks, I also know that I want to squeeze out every last drop of summer I can. It’s about this time of year every year that I itch to take a little road trip, a short end-of-summer vacation, a last hurrah before the fall returns and we remember that school is just around the corner… and when you’re from the Kansas City area, you’re incredibly blessed with tons of nearby places that are really awesome to visit, without having to go too horribly far for a last-minute road trip. That means it’s not too late to visit them now… just hop in the car and enjoy!

Kansas City, distance from Kansas City… uh… 0 miles.

So this may be cheating, but if I’m going to go on a road trip someplace at the end of summer, one of my favorite places to go is literally right here. It isn’t unusual for Zack and I to book a hotel room in the heart of the city for a weekend and take some time just enjoying the awesome city we’re from. Whether it’s taking a weekend off to hit up Legoland, SeaLife Aquarium, and Union Station, or whether we’re going on a food tour of the Roasterie, the Cider Mill in Louisburg, and Shatto Dairy Farm, just a short distance away in Osborn, there’s always something to do in Kansas City.

The great thing about Kansas City is that you can explore it to death and not have explored everything. If you’re on the Missouri side, take a trip over to the Kansas side. Walk through the Plaza, shop at Legends, and catch a Sporting KC game. If you’re from the Kansas side, head over to Missouri and check out Crown Center or the Comets! There’s something to do on either side of the river, and you don’t have to travel very far to have a great time. For me, just snagging a hotel room can make staying home in the city feel like a vacation away.

(For more on Kansas City travel, check out my Staycation in Kansas City posts part 1, 2, and 3, my info on new exhibits at Science City, and my post on things to do in the Fall in Kansas City).

Hutchinson, KS, about 230 miles from Kansas City.

Hutch really isn’t far away, and there’s so many amazing things to do there. One of my most memorable vacations as a little girl was a trip that my mom and I took to Hutchinson. I still think about it all the time and remember how much fun we had exploring the Cosmosphere, a space-themed museum that even has an actual Apollo capsule! Imagine my surprise when the Exotic Animal B&B we stayed at when I was young was still open for business! It’s on my list of places I definitely want to take my kiddo pretty soon!

Springfield, MO, about 170 miles from Kansas City.

When you think of vacation in Missouri, most often, you’re going to think of Branson, but guess what? When you go to Branson, you may be missing out on some hidden gems along the way! First, on your way to either Branson or Springfield from KC, you can stop in Osceola for some amazing cheese (yum! who doesn’t love free samples). Once you’re in Springfield, you can check out Fantastic Caverns– which, by the way, was originally discovered by women… how cool is that?! You can also visit the Discovery Center of Springfield, which is one of our favorite places to check out when we’re in the Springfield area. It’s got tons of great hands-on activities for any young science lover. We spend hours there! If you’re a Union Station member, it’s reciprocal, so you’ll even get into the Discovery Center free with your Union Station membership!

While in Springfield, don’t forget to also stop by Hurts Donuts (seriously only a block or two from the discovery center) and the Wonders of Wildlife museum! It’s amazing how many great, kid-friendly and even adult-friendly things there are to do in Springfield, making it a ton of fun to explore if you feel like you’ve exhausted everything there is to do in Branson, or if you just want to shake up your summer routine!

For more information on Springfield, MO travel, check out my post about the Discovery Center here.

Branson, MO. about 230 miles away.

Come on, when talking up Springfield, you didn’t think I’d actually leave Branson, which is kind of the Vegas of the Midwest, off of the list, did you? You’re talking great shows, amusement parks, bumper boats, caves, and all kinds of amazing things… when I’m in Branson, I most love to visit Sight and Sound Theatre, the Dixie Stampede, and of course, Six. Also in Branson, you never want to miss a trip to Silver Dollar City, which is pretty much the best amusement park in the midwest (just don’t tell Worlds of Fun, okay?). But probably my hands-down favorite thing to do in Branson is to Ride the Ducks! An amphibious vehicle, riding the Ducks gives you an awesome land-and-water tour that kids love! (Just be prepared for the very loud quacker they’ll take home with them).

Before I take any road trip, though, whether it’s right here in my own city or 250 miles away, I always want to make sure my car is in great shape for the journey ahead of me. That’s why before I travel, I make sure to get an oil change if my car is due for one, and to make sure I can get in and out pretty quickly, I visit the Walmart Automotive Care Center nearest me.

The associates at my local Automotive Care Center mentioned to me that, since my car had just passed 75,000 miles, it was time for me to make the switch to Pennzoil® High Mileage Vehicle® oil, just to make sure my engine is being taken care of at it’s best. See, Pennzoil® High Mileage Vehicle® oil is awesome at cleaning out the sludge that lesser oils leave behind, and it reduces leaks and oil consumption in a high-mileage vehicle like mine. That’s a really, really good thing, because I don’t plan to part with my beloved high-mileage car anytime soon– it’s my baby!

Getting my oil changed at a Walmart Automotive Care Center is really easy, too, because they take care of everything– they even give you a little barcode that you can scan at price scanners throughout the store so you can keep tabs on how much time you have left to shop and stock up on those road trip essentials before your car is ready!

Plus, I love saving money, and the high-mileage oil I need is on a Rollback until September 28, meaning an oil change that usually costs $39.88 will only cost you $35.88, giving you a little extra cash to put towards those road trip must-haves.

Knowing my car is good for several thousand more miles before it needs it’s next oil change just tells me that I can visit the cities on this list before the end of summer without having to worry about my oil– it’s all set to go for the rest of summer and the travels that summers’ end will take me on.

Honestly, you could even hit up each of these cities I talked about, one weekend at a time, before summer is over if you wanted to, but no amount of trips will ever make you run out of great things to do in and around the Kansas City area. From Omaha to Oklahoma City, Branson to Hutch, Lawrence to Manhattan, there are a million great places to drive from Kansas City.

That means you’ve got a whole lot of road ahead of you for an awesome end of summer spent with family!

Let me know in the comments below– what do you absolutely have to do to prepare for a road trip? Don’t forget to also find the Automotive Care Center nearest to you, and check out more info about Pennzoil! It’s one less thing to worry about this summer for sure!