Family Guide To Activities Around Kansas City All Year

Guide to Family-Friendly Activities Around Kansas City All Year

Looking for Family-Friendly Activities in Kansas City? You’ve come to the right place. Our amazing city has so much to offer to families in search of entertainment and enrichment! From LEGOLand to Deanna Rose Farmstead and everything in between, these hotspots around town have a little something for everyone in your crew!

Playtime is so important for a child’s development, and new scenery makes it even more fun and memorable – for the parents, too!

Year-Round Indoor Family-Friendly Activities

Whether you’re escaping the weather, or just looking for something different, these indoor activities are sure to delight you and your family!

  • LEGOLand: Explore a hands-on play area stretching 30,000 square feet, LEGO-themed rides, a 4-D cinema, and more! This place is so kid-focused, adults aren’t allowed admission unless they bring a child with them! How about that!
  • SEA LIFE Kansas City: Right next door to LEGOLand is an underwater oasis! Enjoy an interactive adventure featuring over 5,000 creatures, just waiting for you and your little ones.

Note – LEGOLand and SEA LIFE offer combo tickets to help you stretch your dollar and maximize your fun!

  • Union Station:
    • Science City: “Experience the amazing world of science first-hand”. Explore the entire venue or pick and choose exhibits based on the age(s) of your child(ren)! They have spaces categorized by age groups: 0-6, 6-12, and 12+.
    • Planetarium: “Combining interactive astronomy education, spectacular public shows, and telescope viewing opportunities, the Arvin Gottlieb Planetarium is Kansas City’s greatest connection to the night sky and beyond.”
    • Extreme Screen Theatre: Let the magic come alive on this massive 80 feet by 53 feet screen! See the latest blockbuster, a classic or seasonal film, or an educational film – all are available, depending on the day and time.
  • Wonderscope Children’s Museum has several exciting, hands-on educational exhibits that are sure to delight the whole family. From learning about early modes of transportation, to “shopping” in a kid-sized grocery store, climbing a KC-themed play tower, and much more – your crew will have a blast in this adventure-packed venue!
  • KidScape at the Johnson County Arts and Heritage Center: a fully-immersive, interactive history experience where kids time travel to different periods and communities from the region’s past. Work on the farm, perform at the theater or the puppet show, teach in the school, deliver the mail, care for patients at the hospital, or fry up some burgers at the diner. There are 3,500 square feet of fun to explore and learn while having fun!
  • Inspired Play Cafe and Rough & Bumble Play Cafe provide an open space where parents can enjoy impromptu playdates with other families, or work while being able to see their children play and socialize with other kids. Grab something to eat, meet a friend, or just get out of the house and play in a new space!
  • Great Wolf Lodge: Go for just the day or enjoy a Saturday staycation in one of their premium-themed suits! GWL has many additional activities and events and they’re sorted according to your children’s ages. In the dead of winter, an 84-degree water park sounds pretty nice.
  • Money Museum: Take a look inside the Federal Reserve Bank and explore the region’s largest cash vault, as well as interactive exhibits.
  • iFly KC: Simulate a free-falling flight in a safe and fun environment. Looking to host a birthday party? They do that, too!
  • Negro Leagues Baseball Museum: Let the history come alive through interactive themed galleries, historic timelines, artifacts and more.
  • American Jazz Museum: Feel the rhythm and embrace the vibes! Learn about jazz through interactive exhibits and films in the Historic 18th & Vine Jazz District.
  • Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art: Facilitate meaningful discussions and embrace creativity, all at no cost to you! That’s right, it’s free! Check out the current exhibitions and opportunities for kids.
  • Nelson-Atkins Museum: Explore your artistic side, then travel to 15th-century Italy for a picturesque lunch at Rozzelle Court Restaurant, located within the museum.
  • Fritz’s Railroad Restaurant: Watch your kids’ faces light up as a miniature train delivers their meal!  “You may come for the novelty of the train, but you’ll come back for the food.”
  • Your local library: Visit the library nearest you and check out their calendar of events.  

Year-Round Outdoor Family-Friendly Activities

  • Get in touch with nature at YaYa’s Alpaca Farm.
  • Explore your wild side at the Kansas City Zoo. Here are some helpful hints for parents of toddlers.
  • Attend a sporting event! Kansas City is home to the Royals, Chiefs, Sporting KC, and the Monarchs, to name a few.
  • Experience the booming voices and stage lights under the stars at Theatre in the Park!
  • Zip through the air with Zip KC.
  • Travel along scenic trails and learn through hands-on exhibits at one of Missouri’s largest wildlife rehabilitation facilities, Lakeside Nature Center.
  • Time travel to the mid-1800s and experience prairie life in Olathe’s Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop & Farm.
  • Experience thrills and excitement at Worlds of Fun, the Midwest’s largest amusement park (reopening in 2022).
  • Wonderscope’s NatureScape: “Venture outdoors into a half-acre of active exhibits that echo the greater Kansas City region’s diverse environments: urban, suburban, rural, natural, and agricultural. Make your way through a little maze and explore a fully-accessible treehouse.”
  • Swope Park has a little something for everyone. With more than 1,800 acres, your family can hit the trails, play disc golf, swim, play on the playgrounds, reserve a shelter and have a party, have an impromptu picnic, or check out the soccer fields, tennis courts, golf courses, and more!
  • Visit historic Weston, MO for farm-fresh food, quaint shops, and more. Take a day trip or make it a weekend getaway!
  • Take a stroll through the beautiful paths at the Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens.

Spring and Summer: Outdoor Family-Friendly Activities

When the frost melts and the flowers start blooming, check out these fun-filled playdate-ready activities!

  • Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead: “Visit more than 250 animals and birds, learn about growing flowers and vegetables, experience a Kanza Indian encampment or a one-room schoolhouse, and take a stroll through main street to the fishing pond.”
  • Get wet and wild at Oceans of Fun, the biggest water park in Missouri! Then dry off next door on the rollercoasters at Worlds of Fun (included in the price of your admission)!
  • See above for other great ideas in the two lists for “year-round” activities.

Fall: Outdoor Family-Friendly Activities

  • Travel through your taste buds, watch live dance performances, and go home with authentic souvenirs from more than 60 countries at the annual Ethnic Enrichment Festival. It’s held in Swope Park every year during the third weekend of August.
  • Experience the magic of the Kansas City Renaissance Festival, “located 15 minutes and 500 years west of downtown Kansas City”. Please note some activities and shows are better suited for older children and/or adults only. Be sure to plan your visit accordingly. It’s only open from September through mid-October, so mark your calendar!
  • Sip some hot cider, pick out the perfect pumpkin, take a wagon ride, and more at one of Kansas City’s many pumpkin patches!
  • Go apple picking and then try out some mouth-watering apple recipes – just in time for the holidays!
  • See above for other great ideas in the two lists for “year-round” activities.

Winter: Outdoor Family-Friendly Activities

“Oh, the weather outside is frightful…” – but that doesn’t mean your activities can’t be delightful! We’re just getting started. Check out some ideas below!

  • Ice skating isn’t just for rom coms, it’s for families, too! There are many places to go, but many Kansas Citians prefer the long-standing tradition of Crown Center’s Ice Terrace. All ages and levels are welcome, and they offer skating lessons, too!
  • Holiday lights are one of the most magical parts of the season – transforming ordinary trees and buildings into a bright array of illumination and wonder. Driving through your neighborhood is fun, but when you’re ready for more, check out these other opportunities:
    • The Overland Park Arboretum’s annual Holiday Walk
    • Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park in Lenexa: Sar-Ka Aglow
    • Holiday Reflections Walk Thru Village Exhibit, both at Union Station
    • Winter Magic KC – featuring the longest light tunnel in the Midwest!
    • Holiday Lights on Farmstead Lane
    • Holiday Reflections in Union Station – Walk Thru Village Exhibit: Take a family photo amidst gorgeous decorations, give your kids the thrill of a mini train ride, meet Santa, and more!
  • Sledding – oh what fun! Bundle up and hit the slopes!
  • Look for seasonal events, such as the Penguin March at the KC Zoo.
  • Meet Santa!
  • See above for other great ideas in the two lists for “year-round” activities.

Did We Miss Something?

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