Best of April in Kansas City

April means Spring in Kansas City! It's time to enjoy Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead, Powell Gardens, the Kansas City Zoo and other outdoor attractions. Also, treat the kids to wonderful family friendly productions, amazing exhibits, and family fun! 

Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead opening for the Season!

• When, Where, What: The Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead (13800 Switzer, Overland Park, KS) is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., April 1 to Oct. 31. Admission - $2/person (under age 2 free) Fri.-Sun. & holidays: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Mon.-Thu.: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visitors enjoy Free Admission Mon.-Thu.: 2 p.m. to close. 913.897.2360
• Why We LOVE It: The first sign of spring in Kansas City: the opening day at Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead. This is one of our family's FAVORITE outings in Kansas City! The children love feeding goats, watching horses, turkeys, prairie dogs, bison, and chickens. My girls LOVE taking pony rides, but they also offer wagon rides, mining, and fishing. Explore the Dairy Barn, pond, petting zoo, one-room country schoolhouse and the Indian Encampment. The children's butterfly garden is a great place to play or take a photo. Nothing says spring quite like a day at the farm!

Where the Wild Things Are

• Details: thru May 7 at The Coterie.
• Why We LOVE It:  This acclaimed adaptation of Sendak’s beloved classic is an intimate guided interactive play experience. The audience helps transform Max’s bedroom into a forest, then become Max’s benevolent monster friends, and are encouraged to “let the Wild Rumpus begin!” After Max is ultimately crowned ruler, the audience also helps bring him safely home.
• Bonus: Read our Review of Where the Wild Things Are.

Healthy Yards Expo

• Details: The Seventh Annual Johnson County Healthy Yards Expo on Saturday, April 2, aims to help you make greener choices for your yards and homes. This free event will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Shawnee Civic Center, located at 13817 Johnson Drive in Shawnee.
• Why We Love It: The expo focuses on Kansas Healthy Yards and Communities (KHYC), a program developed by Kansas State University Research and Extension. KHYC helps homeowners make wise choices on environmentally conscious lawn and garden care techniques. Johnson County K-State Research and Extension is teaming with Johnson County Stormwater Management and the cities of Lenexa, Olathe, Overland Park and Shawnee to present the event.

Out of the Blue: Spring Butterfly Exhibit

• Details: thru April 3 at Powell Gardens. Admission is $10/adults, $9/seniors, $4/children ages 5-12 and free for Friends of Powell Gardens.
• Why We Love It: Magnificent Blue Morpho butterflies and Paper Kite butterflies will flutter about Powell Gardens' conservatory this March! Experience the conservatory as a tropical rainforest during the spring butterfly exhibit featuring these gorgeous tropical butterflies. Timed to coincide with spring breaks across the area, the exhibit also will include hands-on learning about rainforest and butterfly conservation both locally and around the world. Best known for their sparkling iridescent blue wings and flashy flight patterns, the Blue Morphos come from El Bosque Nuevo, a Costa Rican butterfly farm that uses 100 percent of its proceeds for reforestation, rainforest conservation and research. The rainforest theme in the conservatory lends itself to a full display of tropical plants in Powell Gardens’ collection—which includes orchids, epiphytes and more.

Worlds of Fun open for the Season with FIVE NEW Family Rides!

• When, Where, What: Worlds of Fun is open for the Season Apr. 16!
• Why We LOVE It: Worlds of Fun is a roller coaster enthusiast’s dream park! Families can glide, fly and launch into 2016 at Worlds of Fun with the addition of five new family rides coming to Planet Snoopy next season: Woodstock Gliders – Young guests control their own flight with moveable wings. Beagle Brigade Airfield – Get your aviators glasses ready for a high-flying adventure with Snoopy. (formerly titled Flying Ace). Snoopy Space Buggies – Defy gravity and bounce to the moon and back. Linus Launcher – Experience the sensation of weightlessness through flight with feet dangling. Snoopy Junction – All aboard! Snoopy the conductor leads kids on a railroad adventure. And, it’s home to seven world-class roller coasters, including one of the tallest, longest and fastest roller coasters in the world, the Mamba, with a first drop of 205 feet! The Patriot is a giant inverted coaster that carries the daring through four inversions at a top speed of 65 mph. The extremely daring can pay an extra fee to experience the Ripcord, a Sky Coaster attraction that sends riders in a free-fall pendulum motion from 180 feet in the air at speeds of up to 80 mph.

​JCCC Performing Arts Center April Performances

• Details: Pablo Ziegler and the Quartet for New Tango Saturday, April 2, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood – Live! Wednesday, April 6, Jonah Bokaer Wednesday-Friday, April 6-8, An Evening with Josh Turner Saturday, April 23, and Kansas Cowboy Jubilee and Hot Club of Cowtown Saturday, April 30 with Johnson County Performing Arts Series.
• Why We Love It: JCCC brings a variety of shows to the stage year-round. This month, take in one of these great productions. Kids will especially enjoy Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood – Live! Using imagination, creativity and music, Daniel and his friends learn the key social skills necessary for school and life in this interactive musical adventure. These stories are grounded in Fred Rogers’ landmark social-emotional curriculum.

Culture House April Performances

• Details: Seussical  Apr. 7-9, Thoroughly Modern Millie Apr. 21-23, Storling Dance Theater's Spring Concert Apr. 29-May 1 presented by The Culture House.
• Seussical: Now one of the most performed shows in America, Seussical is a fantastical, magical, musical extravaganza! Tony winners Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Lucky Stiff, My Favorite Year, Once On This Island and Ragtime) have lovingly brought to life all of our favorite Dr. Seuss characters, including Horton the Elephant, The Cat in the Hat, Gertrude McFuzz, lazy Mayzie, and a little boy with a big imagination--Jojo. The colorful characters transport us from the Jungle of Nool to the Circus McGurkus to the invisible world of the Whos. 
• ​Thoroughly Modern Millie: The winner of six Tony Awards including Best Musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie was the 2002 season's most awarded new show on Broadway! Based on the 1967 Academy Award-winning film, Thoroughly Modern Millie takes you back to the height of the Jazz Age in New York City, when "moderns" including a flapper named Millie Dillmount were bobbing their hair, raising their hemlines, entering the workforce, and rewriting the rules of love. This high-spirited musical romp is a delightful valentine to the long-standing spirit of New York City and the people who seek to discover themselves there.
• Störling Dance Theater's Spring Concert: Spring Dance Recital.

Fountain Day

• Details: Apr. 12 Fountain Day
• Why We LOVE It: The second Tuesday in April marks the day when Kansas City, Missouri’s 48 public fountains spring back to life!   Please join the Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners for the official start of 2016 fountain season in the City of Fountains.Following the ceremony, stick around for lunch as a number of food trucks will be on-site to kick-off a new fundraiser for our city’s fountains – the Feast of Fountains.

Flights of Fancy

• Details:  MCC-Longview Flights of Fancy Kite Festival April 16 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m at MCC-Longview 500 SW Longview Rd. Lee's Summit, Mo.
• Why We LOVE It:  Every year, we pack a picnic, our favorite kites, and the camera for a day of fun on the lawn of Metropolitan Community College - Longview for the Flights of Fancy Festival. This free festival is open to the public and it is absolutely wonderful. Kite enthusiasts gather every year to fly their favorite kites. You'll see gigantic kites, stunt kites, Chinese kites, and fun kites... last year we loved Snoopy and his dog house. They even have a giant kite kids can climb through and the kites do a candy drop over the field. The festival is a wonderful way to enjoy Spring and it's such a relaxed, beautiful nice family tradition... we never miss it! 
• Bonus: Read our Tips for Flights of Fancy before you go!

Alice in Wonderland

• Details: Miller Marley Youth Ballet presents Alice in Wonderland. Shows at 2 & 7pm on Apr 16 & 17.

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• Why We Love It: The work is based on Lewis Carroll's well-known children's story Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The ballet is a favorite for audiences of all generations and Miller-Marley's production is performed with the entire family in mind.

Access Art

• Details: Access Art Saturday, April 16 at 9:00 AM Woodneath Library Center 8900 NE Flintlock Rd.  Kansas City, MO.
• Why We Love It: Access Art is an all-day, all-ages event providing opportunities to create original works of art. Presented in partnership with the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and the Kansas City Art Institute, this event will feature free workshops in drawing, painting, poetry writing, illustration, paper craft, digital graphic arts, and family art activities.

Chalk Walk

• Details: Chalk Walk in North KC Apr. 23 & 24 from 9am-5pm each day at The Fountain at Concourse Park at St. John Ave. & Benton Blvd. in KC, MO.
• Why We Love It: This FREE, family-friendly event in the tradition of European 16th Century street painting transforms the dull, grey concrete of the sidewalks and surface of the Concourse Park Fountain into colorful, pastel canvases.

FREE Animal Tales & Trails at Crown Center

• Details: Animals Tales & Trails from thru May 1, Crown Center. Open during Crown Center shopping hours. FREE. 816.274.8444
• Why We Love It: This FREE hands-on exhibit is a great place for indoor play on a cold winter's day! Enter an interactive habitat where children learn about the most interesting creatures. Join the polar bear in his cave, slide down the penguin iceberg slide, jump with the kangaroo on a small trampoline, and much more. A reading area will feature many animal storybooks.

Special Events at the Kansas City Zoo

• When, Where, What: The Kansas City Zoo is open year-round. (6800 Zoo Dr., KCMO. 816.513.5800 www.KansasCityZoo.org).
• Why We LOVE It: The popularity of penguins in Kansas City has exploded with the opening of the state-of-the-art Helzberg Penguin Plaza at the Kansas City Zoo! The Kansas City Zoo is one of our favorite year-round attractions, and with the Penguin Exhibit, Polar Bear Passage, Tropics and Discovery Barn all near the entrance and all with indoor exhibits, a cool weather outing to the zoo is more fun than ever! Then, on warmer days check out the kangaroos in Australia and the elephants, zebra, and giraffes in Africa.
• Tip: Mark your calendar for these fun events at the Zoo: April 2: KC Royals Day at the Zoo with appearance from Sluggerrr. April 7: Family Science Night — Energizing Energy. April 9 & 10: Party for the Planet with appearance from Curious George and Zootastik Learning Fest. April 16: Sustainable Seafood Soiree *registration required. April 16 & 17: Scout Weekend. April 23 & 24: Kalijon’s Birthday Party. April 23 & 24: Species Spotlight — Hogs. April 24: Autism Awareness Day at the Zoo. April 30 & May 1:  Teacher Appreciation Weekend. And more on the Zoo Calendar!

​DaVinci:The Exhibition at Union Station

• When, Where, What: DaVinci: The Exhibition at Union Station.
• Why We LOVE It: We love this educational, interactive, and inspiring exhibit at Union Station. "Experience one of history’s greatest thinkers. Da Vinci The Exhibition is a hands-on exploration of his life, creativity and complexity. Sixty five of his most important inventions are recreated in full scale. More than 20 fine art studies and dozens of stunning displays are presented in spectacular detail.  An audio tour will be your personal guide. Filling over ten thousand square feet, examine his sketches and his paintings. The machines he invented on paper are brought to life and invite your personal interaction. A tank, submarine, helicopter and dozens more.  Experience what Da Vinci himself first conceived over 500 years ago . . . a truly unique journey back in time. For the artist in you, explore the mastery behind such works as “Mona Lisa,” “The Last Supper,” “Portrait of a Young Man,” and more. See life through the eyes of Da Vinci. Be inspired by his lifetime of achievements. Explore his genius.  Experience his creations."

Sign up for Summer Camp

• When, Where, What: It is time to sign up for Summer Camp! The KC Parent Camp Guide is your resource for camps.
• Why We LOVE It: The best Summer Camps fill fast, so now is the time to enroll your child. We have you guide to the best camps in the area. Whatever the age, interest, or skill your child hopes to explore, the KC Parent Camp Guide has something for everyone!

Shop at Kansas City's Farmers' Markets!

• When, Where, What: Kansas City's Farmers' Markets start opening ALL Month long! With over 30 markets to choose from, ranging from small to large all across the metro, there is something for the locavore in all of us. Check out our Guide to Kansas City Farmers' Markets and read great tips for buying local farm fresh produce and discover a Farmers' Market near you.
• Why We LOVE It: We're fortunate to have so many terrific Farmers' Markets in Kansas City to choose from. If you want to eat organic, fresh, locally grown produce, or you are looking for plants for your own garden, or local honey, Amish baked goods, or even live animals... Kansas City's Farmers' Markets have it all! Several even boast live music and entertainment. This is an excellent family outing on a Spring Saturday... you have fun and finish a chore all at once!