Olivia Bock updated this article on 6/2/25 to replace the concluded Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood® exhibit with Crown Center’s current summer exhibit.
Tip: You’ll find many of these free events on the calendar on KCParent.com
Play at Crown Center’s free Daniel Tiger Exhibit. (This exhibit concluded in 2024. For 2025, Crown Center is hosting the “Under the Sea” exhibit, running from May 24 through September 1.)
Attend a free outdoor concert.
Watch a free outdoor movie. (Crown Center Weekender movies pictured here.)
Attend a Kansas City area festival. (Old Shawnee Days pictured here.)
Play at one of the best parks (Strang Park pictured here) in Kansas City.
Visit Kaleidoscope, a free hands-on art center where children use their imaginations to make art with leftover materials from Hallmark’s manufacturing processes. Tip: Reservations required.
Ride the KC Streetcar and participate in our Streetcar Scavenger Hunt on KCParent.com.
In the summer, splash and play at a Kansas City area sprayground.
Tour the Truman Home in Independence and learn about President Truman and his wife, Bess.
Visit the Kansas City Museum, where admission is free.
Stroll through Kauffman Memorial Gardens.
Visit a new library (Johnson County Library – Lenexa pictured here). Kansas City is rich with exciting local libraries. Try one beyond your neighborhood location.
Play I Spy at Lakeside Nature Center.
Marvel at modern art at the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, where admission is free.
Visit bison and elk at the Native Hooved Animal Enclosure at Fleming Park.
Watch as marbles are made at Moon Marble.
Stop and smell the roses at Loose Park.
Spend First Fridays in the Crossroads.
Take a tour of the Kansas City, Missouri, City Hall and visit the roof.
Hike at Ernie Miller Nature Center.
Photograph friends in front of one of Kansas City’s 200 fountains.
Get free money at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s Money Museum.
Enjoy one of KC’s Best free hiking trails. (Kill Creek Observation Tower pictured here.)
Bring binoculars for bird watching at Burroughs Audubon Nature Center and Bird Sanctuary.
Watch a chocolate- or fudge-making demo at Chip’s Chocolate Factory.
Discover the waterfall at Parkville Nature Sanctuary.
Bike trolley trail.
Take a free class at Burr Oak Woods Nature Center.
Enjoy hands-on exhibits at Prairie Park Nature Center.
Discover Kansas’ most famous residents through the artwork at Legends Outlets Kansas City.
Learn about nature at the Anita B. Gorman Discovery Center.
Get a great view of the city at Rooftop Park on top of the building that houses Cosentino’s Market in the Power & Light District.
Visit the free National Archives at Kansas City and learn about local history through their exhibits.
Discover a masterpiece at the free Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art.
Hike the trails at the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Library ‘ F. L. Schlagle Branch and Environmental Learning Center.
Learn about your family history at Midwest Genealogy Center, part of the Mid-Continent library system.
Walk the trail around Lenexa’s legendary dam at Black Hoof Park.
Discover the natural bridge at Carl Chinnery Nature Trail.
And remember to search Free Events on our Kansas City calendar, where you’ll find free (and cheap) things to enjoy every day.