Holiday Reflections at Union Station

We had tickets for Holday Reflections 12pm but got to Union Station early. My 6 year old son is Autistic so this is a big outing for him. We looked around and then because he was starting to get upset, asked if we could get in a bit earlier. They said 11:45am so we waited. When we came back to the gate he said we had to wait. Same guy, and he could see my son starting to lose it. If your children's have any disabilities, Union Station will not accommodate, even if it's a couple minutes early. We left. It sucked. We won't be doing it again.

So many photo opportunities. We went early on a Sunday and it was enjoyable. If we had gone any later, I think the crowds would have gotten to me. It helped that everyone was in such a jolly mood. Speaking of jolly, the Santa walking around was the best one I think I've ever seen. He just looks like an old world santa -- perfect!

I was super excited to go to Holiday Reflections this year because I heard that they had new exhibits and light fixtures. Unfortunately, that was not the case. While the lights are stunning and the musical deer/penguins are comical, I'm not sure it's worth $10 per person. I would recommend this event for families with children, but it wasn't worth it for my friends and I in our 20s.Nevertheless, the train exhibit and the Legoland fixtures are always absolutely incredible!

I love Union Station as one of my favorite overall buildings in this fine city. I love it around the holidays (or in this case, I'll say holiday$), and I love the energy throughout. That being said, we were pretty unimpressed with Holiday Reflections this year. It used to be a pretty casual thing that you could stroll into when you need that injection of holiday spirit, and now it's a bit more complicated to coordinate, and a bit underwhelming to experience. You have to make a reservation and pay some money to get in (~$30 for us) for something that used to be free. You also have to spend $5 per person to ride the train inside of it, and even more to do their virtual reality thing. It's not expensive and I do like supporting Union Station, but it also adds a feeling of being nickel & dimed. As someone astutely pointed out it's also sponsored by a large bank, but the sponsor couldn't keep it free?If you're not super into Instagram, you can easily skip this tbh. It's basically just a series of lines waiting for photo ops. We were through it all within about 5-10 minutes and were looking at each other like, "What do we do now?" I think the best option around the holidays next year is to skip Holiday Reflections, and instead snag a brunch reservation at Pierpont's and take in the essence of the holidays (and the beautiful tree near the entry!) in the open portion of Union Station.

Experience the miracle of Christmas - people paying to see Christmas lighting at Union Station when it used to be free. But really, the miracle of Christmas is alive and well-- people paying to look at lights in the middle of the day -- BOK Financial couldn't afford to keep it free or put curtains up to block sunlight from streaming in. Save your money and go to Christmas in the park.

My friends and I went on the Saturday before Christmas and the Union Station was poppin poppin ! I am so glad we made reservations because the line to enter was long and would have taken me out, okay! I honestly did not know what holiday reflections was lol But it is just different photo opportunities that are so cute! I loved the vibe and the different set ups. I just love KC! Everyone was so willing to help out and take group pictures for different groups so no one would be left out of the picture with their family. I also appreciated all the hand sanitizer stations all around. The funny part is there was a proposal almost every 15 mins while we were there, which was super cute to watch!

Union Station always knows how to do it up for the holidays. This is a must-see if you are a local or have relatives and friends from out of town. The photo opportunities here are endless and you will probably recognize someone you know who has a holiday shot from here. Except to see someone you know, an engagement proposal, local community, and well known as this is a hot spot during the holidays.

Absolutely stunning, I highly recommend it!I came here with my friend the other day and was completely left speechless. The area has been decorated so well, and has many interactive spots for pictures. At the back of the area, there were winter style toy railroads set up that were absolutely beautiful.This is a Christmas event you don't want to miss!

Very cute but definitely where you would take kids. I think they would enjoy it a lot more. Plenty of photo ops everywhere. Can get crowded. At the back they have a whole miniature train exhibition. That seemed to take up most of the time but was just alright. Ended up spending about 30-40 minutes there so it's a good use of time.

All the decor was Christmas themed and looked fine. There was not a single mention of the word Christmas at a Christmas exhibit. Americans are tired of the "happy holidays" political correctness. Merry Christmas!