Celebrate Fall Colors in KC
Autumn leaves crackle. Vibrant colors glow. Laughing children race to select pumpkins, and crisp air calls for snuggling with a favorite blanket. Celebrate the season with your little one with favorite fall traditions inspired by autumn colors.
Barn Red
A favorite autumn day trip is a visit to the Louisburg Cider Mill (14730 Hwy. 68, Louisburg, KS, 913.837.5202). The classic red cider mill barn is a perfect backdrop for fall photos, and the entire outing is a memorable fall tradition. The delicious aroma of freshly made cider greets you from your first step onto the property. Visitors watch fresh cider made from scratch at the cider mill daily, viewing the apples being washed, pressed and processed, and finally bottled and made available for purchase. Inside the gift shop, visitors can see fresh apple cider donuts being made—be sure to enjoy a warm one before you leave! The mill is also home to one of our favorite pumpkin patches and play areas for little ones. Use our KC Pumpkin Patch Guide for the full scoop!
Tip: Visit Cedar Cove Feline Sanctuary nearby in Louisburg to see big cats!
Pumpkin Orange
Pumpkin patches are fall amusement parks offering fun-filled attractions for the entire family! With pumpkin cannons, pony rides, pumpkin-chomping dinosaurs, creative play areas, jumping pillows, corn cribs, train rides, corn mazes, zip lines, forts, petting zoos, tipis, inflatables and, of course, hayrides to pick the perfect pumpkin, a visit to the local pumpkin patch is a fall bucket list must! Carolyn’s Country Cousins (17607 NE 52nd St., Liberty, MO), one of the region’s largest patches, offers a wide variety of play areas and live entertainment, including an inflatable jack-o’-lantern bouncer where kids can enjoy jumping and playing. Johnson Farms Plants and Pumpkins: (17701 S. State Rte. D, Belton, MO). Johnson Farms is one of our favorite local pumpkin patches. They offer many terrific play areas for little ones, along with a petting zoo and u-pick vegetable patch. In addition to their family-friendly fall attractions, they have a beautiful sunflower field with a variety of colors! Use our KC coupons to save during your visits. To choose the perfect patch, use our KC Pumpkin Patch Guide!
Tip: You’ll find coupons and more pumpkin ideas on KCParent.com.
Apple Green and Candy Apple Red
Weston Orchard & Vineyard (18545 Co. Rd. H, Weston, MO) is one of the region’s most beautiful places to enjoy apple picking. A hayride carries visitors to the orchard and pumpkin patch. The orchard features 7,000 trees on 15 acres with 12 varieties of apples, including Gala, Jonathan, Honeycrisp, Fuji, Jonagold, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Empire, Evercrisp, Pink Lady, Granny Smith and Rome Beauty. The dwarf trees make picking easy for all ages. In addition to apple picking, families enjoy play areas, apple cannons, fun photo ops and delicious goodies!
Tip: Many great places to pick apples are within an hour’s drive of Kansas City. Schweizer is the largest orchard and one of the prettiest, but there are many others as well. Discover them all in our KC Apple Picking Guide.
Maple Brown, Deep Red and Burnt Orange
Colorful autumn leaves captivate young children. You’ll find many scenic trails to enjoy across the metro, from paved (perfect for strollers) to woodchip to simple clearings in the woods. A terrific resource is the book Hiking Kansas City by William Eddy and Richard Ballentine. Eddy and Ballentine provide detailed descriptions of each trail, maps and photos. Some of our autumn favorites for great colors and family photos in every quadrant: South—Overland Park Arboretum; Central—Longview Lake Trails; West—Shawnee Mission Park; East—Burr Oak Woods Nature Center; and North—Parkville Nature Sanctuary.
Tip: Don’t forget the classic autumn rituals of jumping in piles of leaves and making crayon rubbings to decorate the fridge!
Golden Hay
The Kansas City Zoo (6800 Zoo Dr., Kansas City, MO) is decorated every October with fun and spooky (not too scary for the little ones) decorations, including decorated hay bales and straw stalks. Hoots and Howls at the Zoo is a favorite October event with fun activities and entertainment, including hayrides, pedal tractors, a hay bale maze and costumed characters. You even can watch the animals participate in the fun by smashing pumpkins! In late October, attend Boo at the Zoo, offering entertainment and activities, including pedal tractor rides, spooky crafts and hayrides. Little ones can trick or treat at stations located throughout the zoo.
Tip: You may bring your own picnic and water bottles to the zoo.
Roasted Marshmallow Cream
S’mores are an autumn delicacy loved by campers and neighbors over a nice warm fire. Hot marshmallows can be sticky (and dangerous if too hot) for little ones. However, your tots can still share a s’mores treat with you at a local restaurant. Our fall favorites include s’mores cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory (Two local locations: TheCheesecakeFactory.com). Among their parade of tasty cheesecakes, the Toasted Marshmallow S'mores Galore is a decadent treat. The Hershey's cheesecake topped with chocolate ganache, toasted house-made marshmallow and graham crackers is a first-rate dessert. And try a s’mores concrete at Sheridan’s Frozen Custard (Locations: SheridansFrozenCustard.com). This sweet spot serves the best frozen concretes in town, and the s’mores concrete is a top pick! Chocolate, marshmallows and graham crackers blended with your choice of vanilla or chocolate frozen custard make a perfect treat.
Tip: Sheridan’s at Crown Center is our favorite after a day playing at Kaleidoscope, visiting Union Station, Legoland or Sea Life.
Autumn is Kristina Light’s favorite season for family fun! She can be found playing in the leaves with her girls, decorating pumpkins, enjoying cider donuts and celebrating at local festivals all season long!