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Kansas City Adventure Guide

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Have you ever wanted to experience an unforgettable adventure? This summer, thrill as you soar to new heights, plunge to new depths and travel at incredible speeds? Next time you start to say, “I always wanted to try…,” go ahead and try it! Then enjoy reliving the memories only an adventure can provide.

Have you ever wanted to ...?

Go on an African Safari

Enjoy a breathtaking view of the Kansas City Zoo’s African exhibit, ranked as the top African zoo exhibit in the nation. The African Sky Safari gives visitors a bird's eye view of majestic animals as they roam wide open plains. Ride above the treetops and take in giraffes, zebras, antelope, cheetahs, rhinos, birds and more. 

Get a Bird’s-Eye View of the City

The Liberty Memorial Tower looms 217 feet in the sky and 268 feet above the North Lawn and provides a spectacular view overlooking downtown Kansas City. You can take a trip to the top with a ride in an elevator, followed by 45 steps to the observation deck. When you visit the National WWI Museum and Memorial, a visit to the top is included with admission to the museum. Within the museum walls below lies one of the best historical sites in the Midwest. With tremendous state-of-the-art exhibits telling the story of World War I and, more importantly, the soldiers and civilians of the era—their sacrifices, their journeys—this is one of Kansas City’s most important attractions. The museum provides a free family gallery guidebook, including a map of the galleries, games, puzzles, question-and-answer sections for various exhibits and a scavenger hunt to complete throughout the galleries.

Kristina Light, KCParent.com

Defy Gravity

Take the Sky Bike challenge at Science City at Union Station. Visitors are invited to pedal a bicycle suspended on a high wire 30 feet above the ground. The experiment both thrills and educates. You’ll experience firsthand the relationship between counterweights and balance as your center of gravity keeps you safe riding across the high wire. This attraction is included with admission to Science City, where many fun-filled adventures await.

Paddle the Mighty MO

Kansas City Kayak & Canoe offers float trips to paddle local Kansas City waters in a kayak or canoe. Floating down the Missouri River is a one-of-a-kind experience, and KCKC makes it simple, providing all the equipment and a variety of float trips for a few hours or a day.

Ride in a Race Car

The Richard Petty Driving Experience (800.237.3889) at Kansas Speedway (913.328.3300) lets fans ride shotgun at speeds of up to 165 mph or get behind the wheel and drive a 600-horsepower NASCAR race car for eight to 18 laps. Even teens can get in on the action! Youths ages 14 to 19 have the opportunity to receive a complimentary three-lap high speed ride-along when accompanied by an adult.

Take a 200-Foot Plunge

Kansas City’s own Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun (816.454.4545) are two theme parks enjoyed for the price of one ticket. 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. At Oceans of Fun, enjoy a huge water park with waterslides, rapids, an 800-foot rapids river and a wave pool.  This summer, the record-breaking Riptide Raceway debuts at Oceans of Fun. Thrill seekers race down the five-story-high four side-by-side tunnels atop a soft foam mat. Riders in each lane will race more than 486 feet to be the first to reach the finish line as they make an exhilarating journey down a winding hillside, around a tight 360-degree loop and through a rapid final descent before splashdown. 

Zip Line Over a Mile at Up to 50 mph

Near the Kansas City Zoo, Go Ape offers treetop and private group adventures. The 2- to 3-hour obstacle course includes 40 crossings that feature rope bridges, five zip lines, Tarzan swings and net bridges. This is a fully immersive experience combining obstacles and zip lines for the adventure enthusiast.

Climb the Wall

Choose one of these rock wall climbing adventures: APEX Climbing Gym, home to a 7,000-square-foot climbing wall with slabs, overhangs, arches and corners, is challenging. The truly daring tackle the challenge of the Warped Wall and Ninja Warrior-inspired obstacles. RoKC is an indoor rock climbing gym 10 stories underground in downtown Kansas City. With 3,800 square feet of terrain, the gym features boulder obstacles and challenges for every level of climber. IBEX Gym offers a 33-foot-tall wall with a variety of challenges for climbers. 

Play with Glass

You know our local paint-your-own pottery shops as a fun family outing where you make your own masterpieces, but did you know that our local shops also offer glass fusing workshops? Ceramic Cafe offers glass fusing during walk-in studio hours or special classes. Glass fusing involves layering multiple pieces of colored glass to create a design. The pieces are fired in a kiln producing beautiful tiles, bowls, jewelry and other works of art. 

Solve a Mystery

Tick Tock Escape Games hosts groups to take on the escape room challenge. For the uninitiated, escape rooms are an interactive game where teams of friends are locked into a small room for an hour while they solve puzzles and clues to escape the room. The rooms typically include props and a series of puzzles, each unlocking the next until you escape in an hour or less. The adventure often features unlocking doors, turning dials, moving objects and deciphering clues in your race against the clock. If time runs out, the staff releases your team and takes a photo wishing you the best next time.

Kansas City mom and KC Parent digital media manager Kristina Light enjoys adventures with her family.

For even MORE great ideas for adventures, pick up the latest copy of KC Going Places.

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