All About KC is the newest feature on KCParent.com. You ask and we answer your questions about Kansas City! From Family Fun in KC, to Date Night ideas, to the Best Places to take out-of-town guests, to inside tips on local attractions and restaurants, we have the answers! Submit a question for All About KC here. Each week, a new column is featured in our eNewsletter!
This Week’s Questions:
- Q: I’m looking for affordable outings two boys (4 & 8 ) will love!
- Q.Why is it named KANSAS City when it’s in Missouri?
- Q. Where can my children take art classes?
Q: What are some cheap, fun activities to do with my boys, ages 4 & 8, to do on the weekend? We are trying to plan a fun weekend while dad and big sis are out of town. Looking for activities and cool restaurants. ~ Misty
A: Misty, I’m going to take a wild guess and say that one or both of your boys is a fan of Dinosaurs or Trains. We feature articles on “Kids’ Favorites in KC” and these are some of our most popular themes (if you have another theme you’d like to see, let us know)! The Guides include activities, restaurants, and parks and best of all… many of the ideas are FREE!
Also, we recently wrote a feature on Father/Son Outings, but let’s face it… the same ideas are terrific for Mothers and Sons too! You can read the article for Great Outings with your Son in Kansas City here.
Three more great ideas:
- Visit the Trail Ridge Cinema at 75th Nieman where movies are always $2.50! (Call 913.596.8435 for show times.)
- Visit a Pirate Themed Park! Two local parks Boys love:
- Olathe’s Frontier Park (15501 Indian Pkwy) is the home a Pirate Ship Playscape. This park is guaranteed to capture the imagination of your Little Buccaneers!
- Shawnee’s Listowel Park (71st and Quivira).This park is known as “Pirate’s Park” among neighborhood kids. The playground is set up in a Pirate Ship with a Captain’s wheel, flag and sails.
- Go to a Festival. This weekend, Santa-Cali-Gon is one of the best Labor Day events in Kansas City and the boys would love riding rides! Click here for a complete guide to Fall Festivals in September.
Q:Why did they call it KANSAS City if downtown is actually in Missouri? ~ Michelle
A. As a Missouri native who must frequently explain that I don’t live in Kansas, I often wish they didn’t name it Kansas City! All kidding aside, most people don’t realize this, but Kansas City, Missouri, was officially named before Kansas became a state and it wasn’t named “for the neighboring state” but rather for the people who lived here first. This is the timeline:
- On June 3, 1850 Jackson County incorporated the Town of Kansas.
- On March 28, 1853 Missouri incorporated the city and it became the City of Kansas, or Kansas City, Missouri.
- On January 29, 1861, eleven years after the Town of Kansas (Missouri) was incorporated as Kansas City, the territory of Kansas (the borders of which were drawn after the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854) became the 34th State.
Some background: Historians have maps from early explorers labeling the area as Kansas, and also labeling the Kansas River with many variations on spelling. So, where did the word Kansas come from and why do we share it on both sides of the State Line? To put it simply, Kansas was named for the Kansa Native American Tribe who originally lived in the area. The word is from the Sioux and it means “People of the South Wind.” So, long story short, the area was populated by the Kansa Tribe, and thus the rivers, towns, territories, and state were named for them. For more terrific information, the National Archives of Kansas City (400 W. Pershing, KCMO) currently displays a wonderful exhibit on the Kansas-Nebraska Act that you can see for FREE! 816.268.8000
Q: Sports are galore but where can kid take after school art classes? ~ Tricia
A: Most of the Parks and Rec Departments for the area municipalities offer great affordable art classes for kids. You can also find Terrific Art Programs at these Facilities:
- Trilogy Cultural Arts Center (12480 S. Black Bob, Olathe, KS). 913.254.4444
- The Culture House (14808 W. 117th St., Olathe, KS). 913.393.3141
- The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (4525 Oak, KCMO). 816.751.1ART
- The Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art at the Johnson County Community College (12345 College Blvd, OPKS). 913.469.3000
- Kansas City Clay Guild offers classes in Pottery and Ceramics. (200 W. 74th St., KCMO) 816.36.1373
Do you have a question for All About KC? Submit it here. Each week, a new column is featured in our eNewsletter!
Read past All About Kansas City Columns.