✕
☰

Kansas City's Thanksgiving Fun Guide

2016 Edition

by

Celebrate Thanksgiving across Kansas City with these special themed events just for kids! Thanksgiving-themed storytelling events, craft projects, 5ks, and EVEN Turkey Bowling on ice.... enjoy Thanksgiving with your family with these fun ideas.

Note: We make every effort to ensure the accuracy of this information. However, you should always verify dates, times, location and other information, especially with the possibility of weather impacts. Please submit corrections and additions to this guide to kristina@kcparent.com.

Creative Storytime Ceramic Cafe, 9425 Mission Road, Leawood, KS. Do you have a pre-schooler that just LOVES TO PAINT? Ceramic Cafe offers a fun story and paint time every Tuesday and Friday. We read a book, then the kids get to paint a ceramic item that goes along with the story* and finish with a snack. What a deal and a fun way to share a creative activity with a little one.  We start at 11 on Tuesdays, 10:30 on Fridays. No reservations needed unless you want to come with a bunch of moms and their kiddos.  $10 per child. Thanksgiving events include: 11/8 & 11/11 - Story: A Turkey for Thanksgiving by Eve Bunting. Project: Plate with Turkey Handprint. 11/15 & 11/18 - Story: Happy Thanksgiving, Biscuit! By Alyssa Satin Capucilli. Project: Plate with Turkey Handprint. 11/22 (Not guaranteed for Thanksgiving pick-up) Story: Happy Thanksgiving, Biscuit! By Alyssa Satin Capucilli. Project: Plate with Turkey Handprint.

Home Sweet Home Storytime Mid-Continent Public Libraries. Free. There's no place like home, and Thanksgiving is the perfect time to explore the family tree. Join storyteller Jo Ho as she celebrates family with tales of sensational siblings, rousing relatives, and perky parents. Registration is required.

Storyteller Jo Ho presents Thanksgiving Tales Nov. 16 at Mill Creek Activity Center, 6518 Vista Drive, Shawnee. 3-5 with adult. 10:00 am to 11:00 am. $2 per person, museum members free. 9137152575. We'll sail through the alphabet with the Pilgrims as they sail the Atlantic, learn how to plant Corn, and then Give thanks with their new Friends. It's a Dinner of Oysters and Duck, without the Turkey, but plenty of A-Z fun facts and First Thanksgiving tales in this Lincoln-declared Holiday. This entertaining story hour is just $2 per person, and museum members are free. Pre-registration is required by contacting the museum at (913) 715-2575.

Animal Tales Storytime - Turkey Time Nov. 16 at Ernie Miller Nature Center, 909 N. K-7 Highway, Olathe. 2-6 with adult. 10:30 am to 11:00 am. $2 per person including adults. 9137647759. Gobble, gobble! Thanksgiving is almost here!  Join us for this listen and learn activity for children ages two to six as we learn all about turkeys. The 30-minute program features stories, songs and a visit from a special animal friend. All children must be accompanied by an adult.  The cost of the program to be paid at the site is $2 per person including adults. Pre-registration is not required. For more information call (913) 764-7759.

Thank Goodness for Thanksgiving Mid-Continent Public Libraries. Free. Capture the spirit of Thanksgiving with family stories of turkey and pie and all things edible. Registration is required.

Time to Talk Turkey Nov. 19 at Burr Oak Woods Nature Center, 1401 NW Park Rd, Blue Springs. 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm. No registration required. (all ages) Learn how to talk turkey just in time for the holiday season. Impress your relatives at the dinner table with all the fun facts you will learn about wild Missouri turkeys.

Turkey Bowling Nov. 19 at Line Creek Community Center and Ice Arena, 5940 NW Waukomis Drive, Kansas City. 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. $6 for admission, skate rental is an additional $2. 816-513-0760. Turkey Bowling at Line Creek Community Center and Ice Arena! Knock down as many pins as possible with a frozen turkey. Skate and bowl: turkey bowling will take place during public skating time. Free admission with non-perishable food donation.

Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Paint Party Nov. 22 at A Touch of Fun Art Studio, 11712 W. 95 St, OPKS. 3:30 pm. $15/ea. 913.609.5057. Come paint a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving painting. While we make are Masterpiece we will snack on fresh popcorn and root beer floats. We will trace out the painting for our little artists.

Turkey Buster 2016 Nov. 23 from 9am-1pm at Southeast Community Center in Swope Park. Burn some calories before Thanksgiving.  Four free back-to-back classes and free childcare. Take all four classes and get a free T-shirt!

Thanksgiving Day 5K Nov. 24 at 9am at Sprint Campus OPKS. Join other families as they participate in the Thanksgiving Day 5K Run & Family Stroll. The Roasterie is back with their coffee and hot chocolate to keep you warm. Each participant will receive a fun Thanksgiving themed long-sleeved shirt. The top overall male and female finishers will receive an iPad Mini 2 tablet with three months of free Sprint service compliments of Sprint. Stop at the one-of-a-kind Krispy Kreme Doughnut Aid Station. Kids can watch the holiday classic A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving before/after the race. Fun Run for Kids shortly after the 5K.

2016 Hyde Park Pilgrim Run 5K Nov. 24 at Hyde Park, 3801 Gillham Road, Kansas City. $30.00. 8167536719. Jump start your Thanksgiving morning with a fun 5K walk or run through historic Hyde Park in midtown Kansas City. Now in its sixth year, Pilgrim Run has quickly become a great tradition for runners and families alike. Proceeds from this event benefit the community programs of the Pilgrim Center. Learn more at www.pilgrimrun.org.

87th Annual KCP&L Plaza Lighting Ceremony Nov. 24 at Country Club Plaza, 47th & Wyandotte, Kansas City. 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Main Stage at Nichols Road & Pennsylvania, by Brio Tuscan Grille. The KCP&L Plaza Lights shine daily from 5pm to 3am, Thanksgiving through Sunday, January 15, 2017.

3-DAY THANKSGIVING SALE at Children's Orchard Nov. 25-27 at Children's Orchard, 11933 S Strang Line Rd., Olathe. Save 25% off ALL resale clothing, toys, and equipment. Shop early to gobble up this deal!

Holiday Luminary Walk Nov. 25-26 (and first two weekends of December) at Overland Park Arboretum, 8909 W 179th St, Overland Park, KS. All ages. 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm. $8/ea. 913-685-3604. Stroll down candlelit trails through the gardens and woods at the 17th annual Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens' Holiday Luminary Walk. This major fundraiser features a mile of candles, holiday lights, live entertainment, Santa Claus, horse-drawn wagon rides, hot cider around a campfire and mystical Gnome and Fairy Villages. Volunteers and staff members transform the Arboretum into a wonderland of candles and lights, music and holiday fun. Children will be thrilled to see Santa's Woodland Depot in the Train Garden and chat with him nightly from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Admission is $8 per person; children 5 and younger are free. Advance tickets can be purchased at www.opabg.org, at the Arboretum Admission Kiosk, or may be purchased at the gate the night of the event. 

Meet President Truman during Thanksgiving Nov. 25 & 26 at Harry S. Truman Library and Museum, 500 W. US Hwy. 24. , Independence. Mr. Truman, as portrayed by re-enactor Niel Johnson, will be on hand from 10:30 - 2:00 pm to greet visitors.

Discover more Kansas City holiday events and Christmas events on our Calendar!

Back to topbutton