40 Ideas for Free Fun in Kansas City
Kansas City offers fabulous fun for FREE all summer long!
- Attend a free family fun night on Thursdays in June and July at Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop.
- Play at one of the best parks in Kansas City.
- Ride the KC Streetcar and participate in our Streetcar Scavenger Hunt on KCParent.com.
- Take a tour of the Roasterie and learn about coffee.
- Go fishing.
- Splash and play at a Kansas City area sprayground.
- Stroll through Kauffman Memorial Gardens.
- Participate in a summer reading program.
- Visit a new library.
- Play at Crown Center’s free Thomas the Train exhibit.
- Create a masterpiece at Kaleidoscope.
- Play “I Spy” at Lakeside Nature Center.
- Marvel at modern art at the Nerman Museum, where admission is free.
- Pack a picnic and explore one of the city’s best picnic spots.
- Visit bison and elk at the Native Hooved Animal Enclosure.
- Watch as marbles are made at Moon Marble.
- Stop and smell the roses at Loose Park.
- Spend a first Friday in the Crossroads.
- Take a tour of the Kansas City, MO, City Hall.
- Hike at Ernie Miller Nature Center.
- Build a free project at Home Depot on select Saturdays.
- Watch model trains at the KC Rail Experience at Union Station.
- Photograph friends in front of one of Kansas City’s 200 fountains.
- Get free money at the Money Museum.
- Attend a Kansas City area summer festival.
- Hike Monkey Mountain and other great trails.
- Bring binoculars for bird watching at Burroughs Audubon Nature Center.
- Visit the Lee’s Summit Railroad Museum and explore Downtown Lee’s Summit.
- Learn about the Santa Fe Trail at Cave Springs Nature Center.
- Tour the Harley-Davidson Factory, a favorite activity for ages 12 and up.
- Discover the waterfall at Parkville Nature Sanctuary.
- Bike Trolley Trail.
- Attend a free summer concert.
- Sample a homemade potato chip at Price Chopper at 151st & Metcalf.
- Take a free class at Burr Oak Woods Nature Center.
- Stroll near a Kansas City area waterfall.
- Enjoy hands-on exhibits at Prairie Park Nature Center.
- Discover Kansas’ most famous residents through the artwork at Legends Outlets.
- Learn about nature at the Anita Gorman Discovery Center.
- Imagine you’re in the Wild West at Antioch Park.
BONUS: 20 more Cheap Ideas
- Ride the KC Northern Railroad, just 75 cents on Saturdays and Sundays.
- Step back in time at Shawnee Town 1929.
- Explore the National Museum of Toys and Miniatures.
- Learn about gardening at the Beanstalk Children’s Garden.
- Tour the Truman Home in Independence, where admission is $5 and children 15 and under are free.
- Visit the Overland Park Arboretum (note: Admission is free on Tuesdays).
- Sign up for free bowling with KidsBowlFree.com or free roller skating at KidsSkateFree.com. Shoe and/or skate rental fees still apply.
- Explore the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Admission is free; parking is $8/car.
- Imagine and play at the all-new KidScape at the Johnson County Museum.
- Really hot outside? Treat the kids to a snow cone at Tropical Sno or Kona Ice food trucks at local attractions.
- Participate in a stargazing event on Saturdays at Powell Observatory and look at the night sky through the largest telescope in the region.
- Learn about the night sky at a show at the Gottlieb Planetarium at Union Station.
- Root for the Kansas City T-Bones, where tickets are under $10 for bleacher or grass seating.
- Pick berries at a local u-pick farm (you set your budget, but you’ll likely spend at least $10), all found on KCParent.com’s Berry Picking Guide.
- Learn about Kansas City’s baseball heritage at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
- Enjoy a little “winter in the summer” with indoor ice skating at Centerpoint Community Ice.
- Visit the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and learn about the 33rd president of the United States.
- Rent a pedal boat at Shawnee Mission Park.
- Admission to the Kansas City Zoo is less than $10 for Jackson and Clay County residents, and FOTZ members enjoy unlimited admission all year long.
- Visit the National World War I Museum and Memorial on Wednesdays when admission is discounted.