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KC's Memorial Day Weekend Guide

2021 Edition

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Kick off summer fun with these great ideas for Memorial Day Weekend! Honor those who sacrificed for our freedom at the National WWI Memorial and Museum. Celebrate summer with the family at Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun. Pick strawberries at Fun Farm. Visit Koalas at the Kansas City Zoo. Take in a Kansas City Ballet Performance at Powell Gardens. Watch Hot Air Balloons GLOW... and more!

Honor Memorial Day at  National World War I Museum and Memorial

As America’s Congressionally-designated World War I museum and memorial, the National WWI Museum and Memorial honors and recognizes the men and women who sacrificed their lives while serving their country in conjunction with Memorial Day. Admission to the Museum and Memorial is free for veterans and active duty military personnel, while general admission for the public is half-price all weekend (Friday-Monday, May 28-31). The Museum and Memorial offers a wide variety of events during the weekend for people of all ages, including a free public ceremony at 10 a.m. on Memorial Day with a keynote address from Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Eric Jacobson. Currently a command surgeon and assistant chief of staff, Lt. Col. Dr. Jacobson was formerly a battalion surgeon with multiple overseas deployments and was former director of medical operations at the Javits New York Medical Station, the temporary response to New York City’s COVID-19 Pandemic. Full details of Memorial Day at National WWI Museum and Memorial here.

Also, the National WWI Museum and Memorial will reopen Liberty Memorial Tower on Wednesday, May 26 and the Edward Jones Research Center on Monday, May 31 after more than a year of being closed due to the global health crisis. The Museum and Memorial closed to the public on March 16, 2020 for 11 weeks and, while many of its operations reopened on June 2, 2020, the Tower and Research Center have remained closed.

The 217-foot-tall Liberty Memorial Tower will reopen on Wednesday, May 26 and remain open from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., seven days a week. Tickets can be purchased online or on-site, and visitors have the option of purchasing discounted combo tickets that include Museum and Memorial admission. Due to the popularity of the Tower, guests should plan to visit the Tower early in their visit to the Museum and Memorial. There will be modified elevator protocols in light of COVID-19.

The Edward Jones Research Center will reopen on Memorial Day, Monday, May 31. Ongoing hours will be Tuesday – Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Researchers are able to access the Museum and Memorial’s 330,000 archival documents and three-dimensional objects as well as its more than 10,000 library titles for free.

Visit Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun 

Enjoy admission to both parks for the price of one. Worlds of Fun, Kansas City’s amusement park with 235 acres of family rides, thrill rides, and waterslides, including seven world-class rollercoasters, is open for the summer! Oceans of Fun is opening for the season Memorial Day Weekend! With waves of fun from mild to wild, Oceans of Fun offers AMAZING for everyone in the family. Extreme water slides appeal to thrill seekers and kiddos love our pint-sized slides, geysers, and foundations at Crocodile Isle. Float along on our Caribbean Cooler lazy river and catch some waves at fan favorite, Surf City Wave Pool. NEW for 2021 is Riptide Raceway, the world’s longest mat racing waterslide. From five stories high, racers will speed down 486 feet in enclosed, winding tubes and around a 360-degree loop before an epic, splashdown finish.

See Koalas at the Kansas City Zoo

Koalas are back in Kansas City! Two adorable marsupials are calling the Kansas City Zoo home after traveling from the San Diego Zoo. Thackory, 10 and Chuckels (sic) 7, both males, will be spending this summer here. They are on loan to us through the San Diego Koala Conservation and Education Program. While they can’t be permanent residents of Kansas City, they will call the Zoo home through November. In addition to the Koalas, visit the world-class Elephant Expedition. Our zoo is more than 1,700 animals on 202 acres. Take a spin on our Endangered Species Carousel, ride the train, then continue your journey on the tram to our award-winning Africa exhibit. Fly overhead to get a birds’­eye view of giraffes, hippos, zebras and more on our Sky Safari, landing at “one of America’s best chimpanzee exhibits” as proclaimed by renowned primatologist Jane Goodall. Visit Polar Bear Passage, Helzberg Penguin Plaza, the Discovery Barn, and Stingray Bay. Stroll down Tiger Trail and get nose to nose with primates, orangutans, tigers and more. Take a walkabout through a mob of kangaroos. Let your cubs run loose in the Tropics then catch the Sea Lion Splash and Wings of Wonder shows. Summer in Kansas City is not complete without a visit to the zoo!

Kansas City's Hot Air Balloon Glow

Kick-off your summer with the first-ever Hot Air Balloon Glow on the North and Southeast Lawns of the National WWI Museum and Memorial on May 30. Balloons—also called dirigibles or airships—were primarily used in WWI to collect reconnaissance miles above the front lines. A century later, the Museum and Memorial invite the public to observe the magnificence of hot air balloons during an evening “balloon glow.” Hot air balloons will be grounded, and propane burners will be periodically lit to keep the balloons inflated. Beginning at 6 p.m. the public is encouraged to gather safely on the 47 acres with friends and family to listen to live music, grab a bite to eat from a local food truck, and picnic. The Great Air Balloon Glow will begin around 8:30 p.m. and last for 90 minutes. FREE to the public.

Enjoy Strawberry Picking

Head to a local strawberry patch where you can enjoy picking fresh fruit from the farm. Fun Farm in Kearney is our favorite local patch with miniature horses, goats, turkeys, sheep, pigs, an INCREDIBLE treehouse playground, delicious strawberry donuts, jumping pillows, and fun for the WHOLE family. You'll find the scoop on local patches in our Strawberry Picking Guide.

Pirate Adventures at Sea Life and Legoland

Guests can sail into LEGOLAND® Discovery Center and SEA LIFE Kansas City for all new Pirates events thru June 30! The limited-time experiences, open now through the end of June, allows guests to tackle new pirate challenges, discover what it’s like to be a pirate, and much more!  LEGOLAND Discovery Center’s ‘Pirates Ahoy!’ invites families to join the pirate crew and take the ultimate pirate challenge through scavenger hunts, creating your own LEGO® pirate ship, pirate dance parties,  making their own action-packed LEGO® pirate movie, and more!  SEA LIFE’s Pirate Party transforms guests into a pirate with themed names, an area to create a pirate crab, tie a knot strong enough to hold a ship in place, and explore the seas where pirates roamed. Both events are included with admission.  The attractions and the events will continue to take extra precautions for health and safety including implementing enhanced physical distancing measures, limited capacities, and stringent cleaning protocols following the guidance of local and national health officials. 

Photo courtesy of Crown Center

Under the Sea Exhibit at Crown Center

Opening Memorial Day Weekend, running May 29 - September 6, 2021, Under the Sea Exhibit Crown Center Showplace, Level 1, Crown Center Shops. Plunge into a fun, creative environment in this free exhibit that will delight kids who love to explore the deep blue sea. Discover buried treasure in a sunken pirate ship, ride a dolphin and seahorses, paddle your way to the mermaid's house, explore in the submarine, and many more aquatic adventures. It's fathoms of fun, and it's totally free!  While visiting Under the Sea Adventure you are expected to read and abide by all posted signs and cooperate with the exhibit staff.  Please observe social distancing while waiting in line, outside, and inside the exhibit.  Masks must be worn at all times per the Mayor’s 14th Amended Order currently in effect. Entry may be limited so as not to exceed capacity and to allow for distancing.

Art Course at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

Challenge the family to a round of miniature golf at Art Course at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art’s lawn is a favorite place to play in Kansas City. The sprawling lawn is perfect for picnics and photo ops, and exploration of the Glass Labyrinth, and beckons visitor’s to explore the free art gallery. Try the popular art-themed miniature golf course nestled into the trees on the south lawn.  Each of the nine holes features a work of art inside the museum, and this year, Art Course will introduce a new hole based on a favorite piece, Radcliffe Bailey’s Mound Magician in the museum’s contemporary galleries. The hole, designed by artist Sierra Swift and fabricated by Dimensional Innovations, pays tribute to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and the 100th anniversary of the Kansas City Monarchs.

Experience the  Kansas City Ballet at Powell Gardens

On Saturday, May 29, you're invited to watch the Kansas City Ballet perform at Powell Gardens. Performances at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., Noon, 1 p.m., and 2 p.m. Included with admission | Admission is free for members. Join Kansas City Ballet’s Second Company as they dance a spirited spring medley at Powell Gardens. To welcome the new season, dancers will perform “Mobile” and the pas de deux from “Star Silk”. These movements explore balance, strength and coordination. The natural backdrop of Powell Gardens highlights the shapes and forms joyfully presented live by Kansas City Ballet. Performances are 10 minutes long and will occur every hour on the hour between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Performances are included in general admission. 

How to Snag a Sea Monster: A Terrifically Tall Tale

How to Snag a Sea Monster: A Terrifically Tall Tale is a live puppet show and collaboration with Mesner Puppet Theater. The Coterie's stage and setting combined with the masterful puppetry of the Mesner team works beautifully to bring Osborne's tale to life. The show is offered thru May 30. Read our full review.

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