Best of April in Kansas City

April Showers bring May flowers... we hope! This April enjoy the grand opening of favorite attractions and exhibits, delightful shows, and spring festivals.

Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead opening for the Season!

• When, Where, What: The Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead (13800 Switzer, Overland Park, KS). 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!

Worlds of Fun open for the Season!

• When, Where, What: Worlds of Fun is open for the Season Apr. 11!
• Why We LOVE It: Worlds of Fun is a roller coaster enthusiast’s dream park! 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.

Octonauts at Sea Life

• Details: arriving Apr. 3 at Sea Life Kansas City
• Why We Love It: Sound the Octo-Alert! Experience the world's first Octonauts Zone at SEA LIFE Kansas City Aquarium. EXPLORE a mysterious cave with Captain Barnacles, help Kwazii RESCUE a runaway crab while searching for hidden treasure and help Peso PROTECT coral reef creatures. The new Octonauts Zone features: Explore the amazing world of the Octonauts. Completely new aquatic animals in dynamic themed displays. 3D digital talking Octonauts crew members. 3 Gups including the opportunity to step on-board the Gup-E. A fun game with Peso. And exclusive, brand new Octonauts animations

Fairy Tale Village

• Details: thru May 3, 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! Children's tales come to life as you walk into a world of make-believe to interact with characters from favorite stories and rhymes. Visit the Snow Queen in her Ice Palace. Experience the giant adventures of "Jack and the Beanstalk." Sit in Cinderella's magic carriage or stroll with "Little Red Riding Hood" through the woods to Grandmother's house. The interactive exhibit includes a reading area where parents can share their favorite stories with their kids.

Charlotte's Web

• When, Where, What: thru Apr. 11 at Theatre for Young America.
• Why We LOVE It: We grew up reading Charlotte's Web and we are delighted to share it with our children. Theatre for Young America has been delighting generations of Kansas City kids with their creative adaptations of favorite tales and we're sure to love this classic story of the friendship of the most unlikely pair - Wilbur, the loveable pig, and Charlotte, the courageous and stupendous spider!

The Three Bears

• Details: thru April 18 at Paul Mesner Puppets  Momix . 
• Why We Love It: Paul Mesner has a special way of retelling favorite tales with an unexpected twist. This March, the story of The 3 Bears is told like you've never heard it before. What’s a polar bear doing in Mexico? Well he’s on vacation of course and making friends. Our youngest bear goes looking for a climate change and boy does he find it, he finds out lots of other stuff too, and makes a friend along the way. Papa bear is an avid fisherman, did he really catch a golden haired seal? Or is that a navy seal? Is he telling the truth or is this another big fish story? Momma bear has so looked forward to some solitude, imagine her surprise when the door rings and who she finds there.

Plaza Easter Bunnies

• Details: thru April 12, a Kansas City tradition returns as the Country Club Plaza is decorated for Easter with spring animals. Visit the Plaza on Easter Sunday for great brunches, live music from noon – 3pm in Mermaid & Penguin Courtyards, and see the Plaza Easter Bunnies and Wonderland Animals.
• Why We LOVE It:  The popular Plaza tradition brings colorful, larger-than-life bunnies and other springtime animals to the Plaza’s courtyards and street corners this spring. Mermaid and Pomona Courtyards, on the west side of Eddie Bauer, are home to a lively collection of animals for children to play on, while the Easter bunnies line the Plaza’s sidewalks. Bess, Nicholas, Peter and all the Plaza Easter bunnies and Wonderland animals will ring in springtime on the Plaza until April 12. Make it a family tradition to take the kids for family photos.
• Tip: Discover more Easter fun on our calendar!

The Cat in the Hat

• When, Where, What: The Cat in the Hat at The Coterie  thru May 17.
• Why We LOVE It: We love Dr. Seuss and we're excited about this show. Featuring Sally and her brother, their pet Fish, Thing 1 and Thing 2, and all of the favorite moments from the classic Dr. Seuss tale. Zany fun and adventures abound! With the trickiest of tricks and craziest of ideas, the Cat is certainly fun to play with. And he turns a rainy afternoon into an amazing adventure. But what will mom find when she gets home...?

Shows at The Culture House

• Details: The Culture House presents SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS April 16th-18th (Indian Creek Community Church) and CHARLOTTE'S WEB April 23rd-25th (Emmanuel Baptist Church).
• Why We LOVE It:  Two beloved stories brought to life on stage by The Culture House. The Culture House presents family-friendly shows with talented students in the cast. These are two must-see productions.

Flights of Fancy

• Details:  MCC-Longview Flights of Fancy Kite Festival April 18 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!

Peter & the Wolf

• Details: Miller Marley Youth Ballet presents Peter and the Wolf Ballet a musical tale for children... plus age appropriate ballets. Shows at 2 & 7pm on Apr 18 & 19

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• Why We Love It: Peter and the Wolf is a classic, having inspired generations to fall in love with music and adventure. The ballet is a favorite for audiences of all generations and Miller-Marley's production is performed with the entire family in mind.

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!