Baby's First Summer: Kansas City Style
Make your baby’s first summer extra sweet with fun-filled memories of enjoying the best summer has to offer.
B Build a sand castle at a local swim beach. These local lakes offer great swim beaches for the whole family to enjoy: Blue Springs Lake (Jackson County, MO, 816.503.4870, www.JacksonGov.org, keyword: beaches). Longview Lake (Jackson County, MO, 816.503.4870, www.JacksonGov.org, keyword: beaches). Shawnee Mission Park Beach (Johnson County, KS, 913.312.8847, www.JCPRD.com/Parks_Facilities/Shawnee_Mission.cfm). Kill Creek Park Beach (Johnson County, KS, 913.312.8847, www.JCPRD.com/Parks_Facilities/Kill_Creek.cfm). Smithville Lake Beach (Clay County, MO, 816.407.3400, www.SmithvilleMO.org). Watkins Woolen Mill State Park Lake (Clay County, MO, 816.580.3387, www.MOStateParks.com).
A Admire animals at the Kansas City Zoo (6800 Zoo Dr., Kansas City, MO, 816.285.3689, www.KansasCityZoo.org). The Kansas City Zoo is home to two polar bears, a terrific new penguin exhibit, sea lions, indoor exhibits in the Tropics and Discovery Barn and fantastic Australia and Africa exhibits. Train rides, carousel, Sky Safari, trams and boat rides make the day. Tip: Pack your own picnic when you head to the zoo.
B Bounce and play. Head to Little Monkey Bizness (12219 Shawnee Mission Pkwy., Shawnee, KS, 913.631.7000, www.MonkeyBizness.com), an indoor play facility with soft play, tunnels and Little Tykes toys for little ones, and a great art room to make art projects. Tip: Save on admission with our coupon.
Y Yell for the Kansas City Royals. When children attend their first Kansas City Royals game (www.KCRoyals.com), you may take them to guest services where they are awarded a first game certificate for the scrapbook.
S Splash at a sprayground. Kansas City is home to many wonderful spraygrounds—water playgrounds where tots can play and splash on a hot summer’s day. Check out our online guide to “Kansas City's Spraygrounds” to find one near you. Our top pick is John Anderson Park (4701 E. 135th St., Grandview, MO), with a great nautical theme and adjacent dry playground.
F Feed the fish at Longview Lake Marina (9898 Longview Rd., Kansas City, MO. Summer hours: 7:00 a.m.-7:30 p.m., seven days a week, weather permitting). Take your little one on the dock in his favorite life jacket, then head to the marina’s shop (located on the dock), where you may purchase fish food for 50 cents to $2.50 per bag.
I Imagine and play at Wonderscope Children’s Museum (5700 King St., Shawnee, KS, 913.287.8888, www.Wonderscope.org), where all the exhibits are designed with the youngest children in mind. Toddlers love to play in the water exhibit, race balls in the ball room and create artwork in the art room. Special programs and concerts are offered throughout the year.
R Read books. Every local library offers terrific free summer reading programs where children earn prizes for listening (infants and toddlers) and reading (older children) books. Visit your local branch for complete details.
S Stop and smell the roses at Loose Park (51st & Wornall, Kansas City, MO). Perhaps the most beautiful park in Kansas City, Loose Park is home to an amazing rose garden, fountains, ponds and trails for beautiful photo ops, plus a playground and sprayground for fun.
T Taste new foods at the farmers market. Farmers markets are a summer delight with fresh seasonal produce and tasty treats for sale. Many vendors offer samples so you can try it before you buy it. Read our guide to “Kansas City Farmers Markets.”
S Swing and slide at the park. Here are three of our favorites: Penguin Park (N. Vivion Rd. & N. Norton Ave., Kansas City, MO) features gigantic friendly animals as the centerpieces of the park. Antioch Park (6501 Antioch Rd., Merriam, KS) is a 44-acre park with several great play areas, including Old Dodge Town, a Wild West village. Brumble’s Forest at Meadowmere Park (13610 Byars Rd., Grandview, MO) is one of the most creative playgrounds in the area.
U Use your imagination at KidScape at the Johnson County Museum (6305 Lackman Rd., Shawnee, KS, 913.715.25550). This free exhibit is a favorite play area for little ones, with a suburban streetscape, role-playing at a tot-sized bookstore, park, city hall, hospital, fashion boutique, farm and theater.
M Meet animals on a nature walk at one of Kansas City’s local nature centers. Lakeside Nature Center (4701 E. Gregory Blvd., Kansas City, MO) is home to falcons, owls, eagles, toads, frogs, fish and insects. Burr Oak Woods Nature Center (1401 NW Park Rd., Blue Springs, MO) features fish tanks, turtles, bird watching, a giant indoor nature play area, walking trails and an outdoor discovery center. Ernie Miller Nature Center (909 Kansas Hwy. 7, Olathe, KS) has paved trails through the woods; this a great place for a stroller walk.
M Make believe at Paradise Park (1021 NE Colbern Rd., Lee’s Summit, MO, 816.246.5224, Paradise-Park.com) and enjoy their Children’s EduTainment Center with many areas for imaginative play. Little ones can play pretend in the child-size village with a grocery store, pizzeria, bank and home. The infant play area features soft toys, the water play area is a favorite, and the ball pit and tunnels are sanitized often, making this a top pick for little ones.
E Enjoy the flowers at Kauffman Memorial Gardens (4800 Rockhill Rd., Kansas City, MO). This free garden is the perfect size for a toddler outing.
R Ride a pony at Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead (13800 Switzer, Overland Park, KS, 913.897.2360.). Admission is free Mon.-Thu., and just $2/ea. Fri.-Sun. This destination is a summer must-see, with a dairy barn, petting zoo, pony rides, tiny tractor rides and playgrounds. A day of fun is guaranteed.
Kristina Light’s family makes it a summer tradition to build sandcastles at the lake.