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A Kansas City Christmas Scavenger Hunt

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It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! This holiday season, create family memories with an all day (or all weekend if you choose to split the attractions into two days) holiday scavenger hunt!

Instructions:

Read the clue and try to determine where your destination will be. Visit the destination and take the assigned photo at the site. When you’ve collected all five photos, your hunt is complete! For more fun, ask friends to participate, too, and race to the finish! Or, invite out-of-town guests to join you on the hunt for a tour of the city and holiday fun.

 

Clue #1:

Can you imagine a tree without shimmering wrapped packages and special ornaments? Christmas without cards arriving in the mail? These are traditions celebrated around the world and they originated in Kansas City. In 1910, 18-year-old J.C. Hall came to Kansas City, selling postcards out of two shoeboxes (yes, that is the secret behind the name of the “Shoebox” card line). On your first stop, learn about the history of Hallmark firsthand!

 

Destination #1: Watch as cards are manufactured, enjoy the magic of Hall’s Christmas trees and watch as Hallmark products are made right before your eyes for FREE at the Hallmark Visitor’s Center (2450 Grand Blvd., KCMO, 816.274.3613). Tip: Park at Hall’s or at Crown Center where parking is free on weekends or for 3 hours with validation during the week.

 

Photo Op #1: Snap a photo of each member of your group making their own souvenir bow. If you have young children in your group, check the schedule at Kaleidoscope (next door) for a visit to the free hands-on art center where they may make holiday decorations and gifts (www.HallmarkKaleidoscope.com).

Clue #2:

Where can your family enjoy a whimsical playground made of super-sized Crayola® products, model trains traveling through a gingerbread village, visits with Santa, ice skating and more?

 

Destination #2: Christmas at Crown Center (2500 Grand Blvd., KCMO, www.CrownCenter.com) is a Kansas City Tradition. Choose one of these fun holiday sites for your photo op and family day (pick according to time, budget, ages and interests).

Photo Op #2: Take a photo of the entire family surrounded by your favorite Crown Center holiday scene as you make reindeer antlers with your hands.

Clue #3:

Kansas City Fudge was originally developed by the Chip’s team more than 27 years ago. With a vision for entertaining and educating, the shop was designed for live demonstrations, which are offered daily. No longer Kansas City Fudge, the new shop welcomes visitors with the delicious aroma of warm chocolate and a tasty sample. Fudge makers prepare handmade confections in copper kettles and form it on marble slabs during live demonstrations.

 

Destination #3: Visit Chip’s Chocolate Factory (2nd Floor - Crown Center, 2450 Grand Ave., Suite 239, KCMO, 816.421.0012, www.ChipsChocolateFactory.com).

 

Photo Opp #3: Take a photo of each member of your family savoring a sweet treat!

Clue #4:

Trains have become a beloved childhood symbol of the holidays, and you can see one of the largest model railroad displays in America with trains of all sizes running through scenes of a festive winter wonderland right in Kansas City. You will also learn about Kansas City’s holiday history with a special Holiday Memories exhibit.

 

Destination #4: Located in Union Station's Kansas City Power & Light Gallery (www.UnionStation.org) is the all-new Model Railroad Experience. This attraction is FREE to Union Station members or visitors with any Union Station attraction ticket. Or you may visit the exhibit with a suggested donation of $2/adult, $1/child or senior. BONUS: On Dec. 16-18, you can visit the Kansas City Southern Holiday Express, a full-size Christmas train decorated by Santa and his elves. Tip: You can walk The Link from Crown Center to Union Station to get to this attraction.

 

Photo Op #4: Take a photo of the family with your favorite holiday train at Union Station.

Clue #5:

Starting in September, workers begin installing thousands of lights. Then, in the middle of the night before Thanksgiving, they are secretly tested to ensure every bulb is bright, as Kansas City’s “Nighttime Fairyland,” as it was known in the 1930s, comes to life!

 

Kansas City’s landmark opened in 1923 is perhaps most famous for its Christmas lights. The tradition began on Christmas Day 1925, when Charles Pitrat, the maintenance supervisor for the Nichols Company, decorated the Mill Creek Building with a single strand of lights and a few small trees. Every year, Pitrat added to the display, and now the display boasts more than 80 miles of lights.

 

Destination #5: Take your family to Winstead’s (101 Brush Creek Blvd., KCMO) on the Country Club Plaza for a Skyscraper (giant 4-person ice cream soda) and a view of the lights. Then, walk, drive or enjoy a carriage ride through the Plaza for a great view of the lights.

 

Photo Op #5: You pick: Option 1 - Take a photo of a shared skyscraper at Winstead’s. Option 2 - Take a family photo with the lights as your backdrop from the roof of Hall’s (211 Nichols Rd.) (our favorite view of the lights).

Kristina Light loves to celebrate the holidays with her family in her hometown where Christmas isn’t complete without a shared skyscraper at Winstead’s on the Plaza.

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