12 New Attractions in KC 2012
We believe Kansas City is the BEST place to raise children in the United States... and it's about to be even better! Discover 12 New Attractions coming to Kansas City in 2012, making our city more exciting, more educational, and a LOT more fun for families!
Sea Life Kansas City.
We may be landlocked in the Midwest, but this spring, thanks to the opening of the much-anticipated Sea Life Aquarium, your family can be transported into an amazing underwater world with up-close views of more than 5,000 sea creatures! Come nose to nose with sharks in the walk-through underwater tunnel, experience the touch pool where you can hold a crab or touch a starfish, participate in educational demonstrations, watch animal feedings and explore this state-of-the-art home for many of the ocean’s most majestic creatures! www.Facebook.com/SeaLifeKansasCity
LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre, Kansas City.
LEGO®, one of the most popular children’s toys for generations, is making a new home in Kansas City with the opening of the LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre in Crown Center. Begin your journey on a ride into the unknown on laser chariots. Play with the world’s biggest box of LEGOS®. Watch a film in the LEGO® Studios 4D cinema and explore a miniature Kansas City that highlights 10 of our most popular local attractions in LEGO® MINILAND®. Your imagination will run wild in this new family favorite! www.LEGOLandDiscoveryCenter.com
Tiger Jungle at the Kansas City Zoo.
The Kansas City Zoo’s Sumatran tigers are familiar residents of the urban zoo, but this year, the beloved big cats are moving to a new home! The zoo’s all-new tiger habitat, to be opened spring 2012, will be nearly four times larger than the old exhibit and will feature climbing rocks, lush hillside and waterfalls. The natural setting provides an ideal home for the tigers and a more enjoyable and educational experience for families. www.KansasCityZoo.org
Starlight Children’s Theatre.
If your family has yet to enjoy the new Kauffman Performing Arts Center, the brand new Starlight Children’s Series will be the perfect opportunity! Starlight Theatre and Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts have partnered together to announce the Starlight Children's Theatre, debuting two feature shows in 2012: Disney's Aladdin (Feb. 3-5) and Narnia, the Musical (April 6-8). Your family will delight in the elaborately staged professional productions with amazing special effects and show-stopping songs. www.KCStarlight.com
The 2012 All-Star Game at The K.
On July 10, Kansas City will welcome major league athletes from across the country as the 83rd Major League Baseball All-Star Game is played at Kauffman Stadium! This will be Kansas City’s third time to host the game. Previous games in KC were in 1973, the grand-opening year of Kauffman Stadium, and in 1960 at Municipal Stadium. We may be biased, but we’re sure out-of-town baseball fans will be impressed by our updated stadium—one of the most beautiful in the country—with its signature fountains, world-class barbecue and the Little K, where children enjoy attractions between innings. www.KCRoyals.com
Train Garden at the Overland Park Arboretum.
The Overland Park Arboretum is a favorite attraction for local families, and now the appeal is growing with the inauguration of the train garden! In 2011, an authentic, refurbished caboose became the centerpiece of the new garden. In 2012, more of the train garden is coming to life! A child-size ticket booth, a train-themed retaining wall and memorial railroad tie walkway are just part of the unique landscaping. The most exciting feature is the observation deck attached to the caboose to provide a bird’s-eye view of the G-scale tracks and trains, including a water feature, bridges and tunnels. The garden is a work in progress with many fun features coming! www.OPKansas.org
Animal Tales & Trails at Crown Center (Feb. 4-April 29).
Children will love playing and learning in Crown Center’s newest FREE interactive exhibit. Whether exploring a polar bear cave, ice fishing, sliding down a penguin iceberg slide or jumping with a kangaroo on a trampoline, children will find this captivating exhibit the perfect place to play during the cabin fever of winter and rainy days of spring. www.CrownCenter.com
Fairy Houses & Forts: An Enchanting Garden Adventure at Powell Gardens.
Children love whimsical places in nature where they can explore, dream and create. This year, Powell Gardens’ summer exhibit (May 19 – Oct. 7) features large-scale fairy houses and forts. The exhibit also includes miniature fairy houses, all created with natural materials to inspire artistic creativity in visitors. www.PowellGardens.org
Decorative Arts at the World's Fair at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Decorative Arts at the World’s Fair at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
The World’s Fair Exhibit (April 14-Aug. 19) will feature nearly 200 objects representing scientific and artistic ingenuity from every world’s fair from 1851 to 1939. “We associate world’s fairs with fun, and also signature architecture like the Eiffel Tower and the Crystal Palace,” says Julián Zugazagoitia, director and CEO of the Nelson-Atkins. “But the importance of world’s fairs was reflected in the objects that continue to inspire elegance and creativity. Now, for the first time ever, those objects have been brought together for this major exhibition.” www.Nelson-Atkins.org
National Geographic LIVE
National Geographic LIVE at the Kauffman Center.
Do you dream of adventure, exploration and innovation? The National Geographic speakers, all acclaimed photographers, scientists, historians and explorers, present a wide range of topics. Meet an underwater explorer, world-class wildlife photographers and a primatologist who share their experiences alongside award-winning photographs that deliver a spectacular visual impact. www.KauffmanCenter.org
Google Fiber
Google Fiber KCMO and KCKS.
In 2012, Google is launching an experiment with the goal of providing a faster, better Internet for everyone, and Kansas City has been chosen as an ideal location for the test! Google Fiber Networks plan to deliver Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today, more than 1 gigabit per second, fiber-to-the-home connections in Kansas City! This is music to our ears because….
All New KCParent.com!
New and Improved www.KCParent.com!
Technology changes and grows almost as rapidly as children! In our ongoing effort to meet the needs and desires of KC parents in an ever-changing world of technology, 2012 will mark the introduction of many exciting changes on www.KCParent.com. Our site will integrate more effectively with social media, mobile devices and interactive content. Watch as the magic is unveiled all year long! www.KCParent.com
Kristina Light isn’t sure who is more excited about LEGO® coming to KC… her children or her husband. And who is more excited about the aquarium… her children or herself? The whole family is looking forward to 2012 in KC!