Enjoy Kansas City’s Fall-Themed Favorites
Apples, pumpkins, hayrides and fall foliage are just a few fragrant, festive traditions that add to Kansas City’s autumn makeover. Enjoy some of them with your family.
Apples
Autumn and apples—the two go hand in hand. Enjoy the best apple themed fun in KC with these ideas.
- Treat the kids to giant caramel apples from Sweet Caroline's (913.495.9993), one of the most decadent shops in the metro. With large delicious apples, Sweet Caroline's serves up many flavors and combinations of coatings that are almost too pretty to eat!
- Watch the making of cider and donuts. Nothing says autumn quite like a nice glass of apple cider or a warm cider donut! You can observe the process at the Louisburg Cider Mill (913.837.5202). Visitors watch as apples are washed and made into cider, and the delicious drink is bottled. Then some of the cider is used to make Louisburg’s famous apple cider donuts. The mill’s pumpkin patch, corn maze and country store are also visitor favorites.
- Enjoy fall fun in the Northland. Go apple picking in Missouri at Schweizer Orchards in St. Joseph or Alldredge Orchards in Platte City. These local u-pick orchards offer more than a dozen varieties of apples. Round out the day with a visit to the Patee House Museum, the Pony Express Museum or the Jesse James Home. For more local apple orchards, read our KC Apple Picking Guide on KCParent.com.
- Eat Levee High Apple Pie. If you’re traveling through Missouri, one of the state’s landmark restaurants is the Blue Owl in Kimmswick (TheBlueOwl.com), famous for their home cooking and Levee High Apple Pie. The pie, made famous as one of Oprah’s favorite things, is made with 18 Golden Delicious apples piled 9 inches high and weighs in at a whopping 10 pounds! Can’t make it to Kimmswick? No worries. You can order the pie online at TheBlueOwl.com.
Pumpkins
October is pumpkin season in Kansas City, and our local attractions know how to make pumpkin season great.
- Pick the perfect pumpkin at the perfect patch. Kansas City’s pumpkin patches are all one-of-a-kind, each with a unique theme and special attractions. Giant jumping pillows, petting zoos, pumpkin chomping dinosaurs, tractor rides, pumpkin cannons and corn mazes are just a few of the fun attractions designed with the entire family in mind. Visit our KC Pumpkin Patch Guide on KCParent.com for tips for each local patch.
- Enjoy a pumpkin pie concrete at Sheridan’s (SheridansFrozenCustard.com). Leave it to Sheridan’s to take a slice of pumpkin pie, blend it into their yummy custard and serve up a holiday treat that’s hard to resist! Search “Pumpkin Treats” on KCParent.com for more delicious seasonal favorites.
- Bake a delicious pumpkin (or apple) pie from scratch with the kids. Or buy a scrumptious made-from-scratch pie at Upper Crust Bakery (913.642.2999). The flaky crust and delicious fillings make these pies a standout among KC area bakeries and our top pick for a fall dessert!
Fall Foliage and the Great Outdoors
Autumn is especially beautiful in the Midwest, and these are some of our favorite ways to enjoy fall’s splendor.
- Go camping! Missouri and Kansas state parks are especially beautiful in the fall when the autumn leaves start to change. Camp at Lake of the Ozarks State Park, then enjoy nearby castle ruins at Ha Ha Tonka. Or plan ahead and make reservations for a family campout at Watkin’s Mill State Park, Weston Bend State Park, Smithville Lake, Lake Jacomo or Longview Lake campgrounds in Missouri, or Lake Perry or El Dorado State Park in Kansas. Find tips for the best campout when you search “Family Camping” on KCParent.com.
- Visit Trail Tales at Powell Gardens (PowellGardens.org). Embark on a journey through the Gardens with Trail Tales, a literacy-in-nature project. Follow the children’s story Cricket in the Thicket through the Heartland Harvest and Children’s gardens, and enjoy interactive children’s activities that bring the poems to life. You may enjoy the exhibit through Oct. 21.
- Go chasin’ waterfalls. Pack a picnic and explore Waterfall Park (816.325.7375). The 18-acre park, near Bass Pro Shops, is nestled in a wooded area overlooking a lake and waterfalls and features a fantastic playground, small rock wall, small lake, walking trails, picnic tables and the scenic backdrop of a waterfall. After playing at the park, treat the family to some miniature golf at Cool Crest ( 816.358.0088). Discover more Midwest waterfalls with our guide on KCParent.com.
- Go on a driving tour to enjoy Missouri’s most vibrant fall leaves—and don’t forget the camera! Visit MDC.mo.gov/discover-nature for a leaf map recommending the best places for the best views.
- Visit the Native Hoofed Animal Enclosure (816.229.8980) at Fleming Park, where you can watch white-tailed deer, elk and bison eat and play. Then enjoy a walk or hike on one of the many trails in Fleming Park with beautiful woods and views of Lake Jacomo.
- Visit The Scout at Penn Valley Park. Kansas City’s most iconic piece of art, The Scout ironically wasn’t even supposed to be here. The statue of a Sioux scout atop his trusty steed was passing through as part of a temporary exhibition in 1922. Local residents fell in love, and they raised $15,000 to claim him for keeps. A visit to see The Scout provides the added bonus of a fabulous view, made even more spectacular by native foliage.
Kristina Light loves autumn most of all and enjoys apple cider donuts, fall festivals and visits to local pumpkin patches with her daughters.