Best of April

April means Spring in Kansas City! It's time to enjoy the arrival of Koalas at the Kansas City Zoo, beautiful blooms at Overland Park Arboretum and other outdoor attractions. Also, treat the kids to wonderful family-friendly productions, amazing exhibits, and family fun! Our top picks for April in Kansas City are here.

Note: We are looking forward to each event on this list. They are numbered to correspond with their position on the map, not in order of preference. We love them all.

• Koalas are HERE at Kansas City Zoo

  April means Koalas at the Kansas City Zoo! Koalas are back in Kansas City! Two adorable marsupials are calling the Zoo home through November. Two koalas traveled to Kansas City from the San Diego Zoo. Thackory, 10 and Chuckels (sic) 7, both males, will be spending this summer at the Kansas City Zoo. They spent the last 30 days getting accustomed to their summer abode and the new Zookeepers who will be taking great care of them. A Zookeeper from the San Diego Zoo also traveled to Kansas City to ease the transition. Koalas have a strict diet, eating only young eucalyptus leaves. Those leaves must be fresh, and since eucalyptus doesn’t grow in Kansas City, their diets must be flown in twice a week from Florida. Due to this fact koalas can’t spend their winters at the Kansas City Zoo. 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.  Plan your trip to visit them today!

• Shows at Midwest Trust Center

  Enjoy a performance through Midwest Trust Center. Upcoming shows include: 

  • ‘In the Workshop’ presented by Mesner Puppet Theater: September 1, 2020 - May 3, 2021 | 8, 12-minute episodes, one is to be released each month | VIRTUAL EVENT
  • ‘Be the Change’ with raptivist Joey FineRhyme: October 1, 2020 - May 1, 2021 | Virtual performance and Zoom session
  • ‘Layer the Walls’: January 1, 2021 - June 1, 2021 | VIRTUAL EVENT
  • Midwest Trust Center Series - Recital Series - Spring 2021Virtual Events: Noon CDT on Mondays and Tuesdays, March 1, 2021 - May 31, 2021 | VIRTUAL EVENTS
  • Flying Quetzal Marionette Workshop with StoneLion Puppet Theatre: March 9, 2021 - June 1, 2021 | Time Determined by Teachers/Groups/Parents
  • Midwest Trust Center Series - 'Homegrown Soul Revue': March 26, 2021 - April 11, 2021 | VIRTUAL EVENT
  • Midwest Trust Center Series -  Michael Pagán Big Band in Concert: April 12, 2021 - May 12, 2021 | VIRTUAL EVENT
  • 'El Tiburón' or 'The Shark'by Koki Sabatés: April 17, 2021 - June 1, 2021 | VIRTUAL EVENT

• "Step Right Up!" at Science City

  Science City is now home to a BRAND NEW carnival-themed exhibit, "Step Right Up!"

  "Step Right Up!" is the sixth exhibit produced at Science City through the Burns & McDonnell Battle of the Brains competition. The design was inspired by the 2019 Battle of the Brains grand prize-winning students from Tonganoxie Middle School whose idea was brought to life as an amazing new $1 million exhibit! Plan your visit to Science City now! Hours are Wednesday thru Sunday 9:30am-12:30pm and 2:00pm-5:00pm. With limited capacity, please purchase tickets online in advance in order to ensure admission. Masks are required for ages five plus.

• Spring at the Overland Park Arboretum

  The Overland Park Arboretum is one of the prettiest places to enjoy the beauty of spring in Kansas City. This month, mark your calendar for these events:

  • April 1: Discovery Kits - Every month the Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens welcomes you to visit us! Our Education Team has put together a monthly kit for your family to enjoy, learn and be creative.
  • April 3: Arbor Day Seedling Giveaway - The City of Overland Park and Legacy of Greenery Committee will be handing out free tree and shrub seedlings to Overland Park residents. Join us at any of the following locations: Thompson Park, 8045 Santa Fe Drive. Tomahawk Ridge Community Center, 11902 Lowell. Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens, 8909 W. 179th Street. The following seedlings will be available, limit three per family: Trees (Black Cherry, Chinkapin Oak, Persimmon, Black Hills Spruce, Oriental Arborvitae, Redbud), Shrubs (Buttonbush, Golden Currant, Witch Hazel, Common Lilac, Ninebark)
  • April 22: Wine Tasting -  These will be pleasant evenings each featuring different wines paired with light fare to complement. You might even learn a little about how wine is grown and blended. Reservations are required. Watch for announcements of wines to be featured at each tasting. $35.00/person includes admission to the Arboretum.
  • April 29 - May 2: Spring Plant Sale -  The annual Friends of the Arboretum plant sale is scheduled and is expected to include online ordering with curbside pickup. 

• Homeschool Month at National WWI Museum and Memorial

  April is Homeschool Month at National WWI Museum: Due to popular demand, Homeschool Month has been extended through April! Whether you are schooling at home, home-schooling or just looking for a reason to get out of the house with kids, the National WWI Museum and Memorial is here for you.

• Jumperoo at Urban Air

  Jumperoo Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at Urban Air: This event is perfect for ages 7 & under to have some safe-fun in the park! You can join us every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 9 am - 12 pm for some fun! $9.99 per child. Parents get in free. Memberships are not valid with this event. Only valid during the school year. Not valid during school breaks or holidays.

  About Urban Air: If you’re looking for the best year-round indoor amusements in Shawnee, Bonner Springs and Lenexa area, Urban Air Adventure Park is the perfect place! Along with regular weekly events, fitness classes, corporate events and special occasion rentals our facility caters to birthday parties for kids of all ages. If your group is up for a little sweat and a lot of bounce, Urban Air is the place for you. We’re not just a room full of trampolines or another neighborhood park. We’re bringing families and friends together for a hyped up, healthy dose of jumping, climbing, swinging, crawling, building, flying and dunking. Check out our attractions including our Kidzone and Urban Air Warrior Course to learn more about the generous helping of frenetic fun Urban Air brings to you. Open Jump is held daily and perfect for any age, fitness level or athletic ability. Walk-ins are welcome anytime, just show up and we will get you in!

• Sea Life Kansas City

  Visit Sea Life: This aquarium experience will get you up close and face-to-face with amazing underwater creatures such as sharks, octopus, green sea turtle named Gertrude, stingrays, sea stars, seahorses, jellyfish and thousands of colorful fish! A favorite attraction is the Interactive Rockpool Experience, where you are able to touch animals like sea stars and sea urchins with the help of a Sea Life Educator!  Tip: Purchase tickets online and save $5 with promo code: Parent20.

• LEGOLAND Discovery Center

  Visit Legoland Discovery Center Kansas City: This family-friendly attraction offers a fun, highly interactive and educational 2-to 3-hour indoor experience. Based on the ever-popular Lego® brick, Legoland Discovery Center provides a range of interactive play areas. Tip: Purchase tickets online and save $5 with promo code: Parent20.

• Spring at Mahaffie

  Enjoy hands-on history at Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop. This month they are offering the following special events: 

  • Apr. 3 - Easter 1860s Style: Discover how this religious festival became a celebration for everyone. Activities may include: Seeing and smelling a real hot cross bun baked on Mrs. Mahaffie's cookstove. Learning about Oschter Haws, the original Easter Bunny. Visiting the blacksmith. Visiting the Mahaffie House. Riding the stagecoach. Admission is $7/adult, $5/child aged 5-11, children 4 & under are free. Olathe residents receive $2 off admission.
  • Mahaffie Activities for Today's Students (M.A.T.S.): Each Monday, a FREE Nearpod lesson will be posted on Mahaffie.org. The following Wednesday, a field trip experience will be available on the historic site from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to correspond with the lesson. Parents/Home Educators are invited to bring their students to the farm to see history up close. This is a great experience for homeschoolers, virtual students, and hybrid students. Do the lessons ahead of your trip to the farm, or after - or not at all - whatever works best for you and your students! Admission is $5 per student ages 4 & up. One adult is admitted free with each student. Adults may take a stagecoach ride for $2 (stagecoach ride is included in the student admission). Mahaffie Members are admitted free! Picnic tables are available at the entrance to the historic site, as well as under the shelter on the northwest corner of the site. The dates listed below are for the live activities on the farm; Nearpod lessons will be released two days prior. Registration is not required - however, it helps us plan for staffing needs, so please register on Mahaffie.org if you know you're coming.
  • April 7: Easter on the Farm
  • April 14: International Plant Appreciation Day
  • April 21: Occupations
  • April 28: Sheep to Shawl

• Midwest Parent Educators Conference

  Apr. 9 & 10: The MPE conference is designed to provide information on homeschooling techniques and curriculum choices, besides offering refreshment and encouragement for homeschool families. Attendees include both experienced homeschoolers and those considering homeschooling.

• Johnson County Museum staff, 2020

  Kids' Day Out! at Johnson County Museum

  Kids' Day Out! Apr. 2 and 5-9: Come have fun when school is out! Discover history through hands-on activities and exploration of KidScape and museum exhibits, play games, and enjoy down time. We provide one snack. Bring a lunch, snack, and water bottle and dress for the weather - we will go outside if we can. We are open from 7:30 am-5:30 pm, but you may drop off and pick up at any time. 5 year old children must be currently attending kindergarten. Call to register (913) 831-3359. For program questions call the museum (913) 715-2570. *We require all participants to complete personal information forms for each child that we will keep for the school year. You will receive an email after registration with the form. 1 – 10 hr. session - $35 per participant

• Ceramic Café

  Toddler Thursdays: On Thursdays from 10-2, Toddlers (5 and under) get to paint one of our selected items for just $10.

  About Ceramica Cafe: Pottery painting and glass fusing. Walk-ins welcome. Great for birthdays and group events too. Products include bisque, stoneware, clay and glass fusion.

• Cedar Cove: Public Tours

  Public Tours of Cedar Cove on Saturdays & Sundays: Come meet feline friends! Experience Cedar Cove Feline Conservatory with an experienced guide. See these epic animals and learn about their characteristics and behaviors! Cedar Cove is a non-profit conservation and education center committed to the care and preservation of wildlife species and their habitats while educating the public on the importance of maintaining healthy ecosystems and the impending dangers of ecological collapse.

• Family Tree Nursery Overland Park

  Family Tree Nursery is your home for Spring Plating: Spring fever is happening! FTN is loaded with trees and shrubs that are beginning to burst with color! Save on annuals, perennials, shrubs, fresh veggies, herbs, and more!

• Tick Tock Escape Rooms

  Enjoy family time at Tick Tock Escape Games: Quality and creativity is what separates Tick Tock® from the crowd. They use sound, technology, and other special effects to bring your game to life in an immersive experience you won’t soon forget. The puzzles are well thought out and blend seamlessly into the games. Rooms are themed to transport you into another world. When you want the best experience for your groups' special event, Tick Tock is here, ready to serve. Tick Tock Escape Games is conveniently located one block east of College and Metcalf just west of the Overland Park Convention Center. 

• Backyard Specialists of KC

  March Madness Sale: Their March Madness on our Goalrilla Goals go until April 10th. 

  About Backyard Specialists: At Backyard Specialists we believe that outdoor recreation promotes a healthy lifestyle and strengthens families as they play together. That’s why we’re devoted to providing our customers with the products and services they need to enjoy the activities they love.

  We opened our first outdoor showplace in Wichita, Kansas in 2009. With great customer support we decided to take our products to a new market. We opened our second location in the Kansas City market in the spring of 2014.

  Our outdoor showplace in Wichita is off of K-96 and Rock Road, and our Kansas City showplace is located at I-35 and 119th in Olathe (Across the street from Bass Pro and Next to Mia's Bridal). When you visit our stores, you can see what your ultimate backyard can look like with our vast displays of play sets, basketball goals and courts, trampolines, lawn furniture and synthetic putting greens.

  In addition to recreational products we also have a professional staff to assure that each project is installed and assembled properly. We offer installation services on just about everything on the lot.

  Backyard Specialists services Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri. We have been known to travel far and wide just to install a swing set so our customers can enjoy the quality of our products.

  We invite you to Backyard Specialists to experience our amazing backyard for yourself. Play on our playsets, slam dunk on our basketball goals, hit a killer shot on our putting green, or jump sky high on our trampolines. The toughest part is leaving!

• Colonial Gardens

  Time for Spring Planting: Things are starting to bloom, including the nursery stock! Looking for a beautiful blooming tree or shrub? Spring is a great time to plant!

  About Colonial Gardens:  Colonial Gardens is a garden center and agritourism destination in Blue Springs, MO. We are shaping hearts and minds through food, flowers and trees. We provide nursery products, landscaping & hardscaping materials for every season of gardener! Whether you’re budding with newfound passion or have your roots well-established, you can find what you need at Colonial Gardens.

• Farmers' Market Season

  Kansas City is home to more than 30 farmers' markets. They range from small markets selling exclusively organic produce to the City Market with more than 140 local vendors. You can purchase fruits, vegetables, plants, herbs, homemade soaps, baked goods, and even live animals. If you are new to the world of the farmers market, this simple guide will get you started! Read KC's Guide to Farmers' Markets for a complete list.