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Must See in KC in 2023

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This new year is going to be great in Kansas City with a brand-new state-of-the-art aquarium, a reimagined Zambezi Zinger bringing back fond summer memories, celebrations and commemorations at local museums and libraries, new exhibits and a new stage show with a local focus.

Kansas City Zoo

The Kansas City Zoo just keeps getting better, and 2023 promises to be a truly magnificent year for one of the best family-friendly attractions in KC. Since the 1950s, the sea lions have been a highlight of visits to the zoo. Their exhibit reopens spring 2023 with a new and improved habitat and venue dubbed Sea Lion Splash, featuring increased seating capacity, improved ADA accessibility and additional indoor space for the California sea lions. Then, September 2023 brings the biggest new attraction to the zoo in years! The brand-new 650,000-gallon aquarium will feature six zones with 34 exhibits that will tell the story of how ocean currents connect animals across the globe. Approximately 8,000 animals will populate the aquarium, including sea turtles, sea otters, multiple species of sharks and octopuses. More info at KansasCityZoo.org/aquarium/site-plan

Worlds of Fun

Worlds of Fun is celebrating its 50th anniversary in style. The theme park will commemorate five decades of fun and launch new experiences for fans to enjoy in 2023. The year’s highlight will be the return of the brand-new, reimagined Zambezi Zinger, a thrilling new coaster in the heart of the African Serengeti. For fans, this ride will be reminiscent of the original ride. The new coaster will be built on a hybrid structure of galvanized steel and wood. The original Zinger was one of the park’s most popular rides—and one of only three coasters—when Worlds of Fun opened in 1973. The park will also offer new entertainment, including “50 Nights of Fire,” an amazing spectacle that will make you want to party nonstop. The evening stage show will feature some of the greatest Top 40 hits from 1973 to 2023, along with a finale filled with pyrotechnics. The around-the-world flavor of the park will be amplified with the new “passport to adventure” focus on theming, storylines and entertainment that invite guests on an immersive journey as they explore the various countries, continents and lands. WorldsOfFun.com

David Tjiptogarsono

Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum

The United States boasts 15 presidential libraries, and we are fortunate that one is right in our own backyard and another is nearby. The Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum in Independence and the Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum, and Boyhood Home in Abilene, KS, are both great destinations for history buffs. Closer to home, the Truman library reopened in 2021 after a fantastic transformation and renovation of a new museum entrance and permanent exhibition in celebration of the 75th anniversary of Truman’s ascension to the presidency. The museum exhibits reveal the story of Truman and his presidency as visitors read, listen, watch, look and relive through film and interactive displays some key moments in American history. In 2023, the museum will be commemorating the 75th anniversary of a huge civil rights milestone, as well as Truman’s "Whistle Stop" campaign. The museum is home to exhibits documenting these important moments in American history. TrumanLibrary.gov

Kansas City Museum

In 2021, the Kansas City Museum reopened at Corinthian Hall with four floors of spectacular local exhibits. The museum offers free admission and tells the story of Kansas City. The museum pays homage to the legacy of the Long family, telling the story Robert Alexander Long, a wealthy lumber baron and developer, who built the four-story mansion in 1907. Following Long’s death in 1934, Corinthian Hall remained empty until 1939 when the Long family donated it to the Kansas City Museum Association. The museum exhibits take visitors on a journey telling the history of Kansas City, beginning with the Lewis and Clark Expedition and continuing through the modern era. For 2023, the museum is excited to announce the Café at 3218 and Elixir, the soda fountain, will be open for daily food and beverage service. If you grew up visiting the Kansas City Museum, as I did, sweet treats from the soda fountain were highly anticipated with each visit. KansasCityMuseum.org

Mid-Continent Public Library

Mid-Continent Public Libraries just keep getting better! This year, the system is especially proud of two locations. Green Hills Library Center is special because it’s one of the “destination branches,” meaning it offers more than traditional library services. It is home to the future Culinary Center, specifically. Other destination branches include Woodneath Library Center, home to the Story Center program, and Colbern Road Library Center, home to the Square One Small Business Services team. In addition to the coming Culinary Center, the 35,000-square-foot Green Hills Library Center also offers a community program room, dedicated children and teen areas, story time room, outdoor seating area, coffee shop (opening in the coming months) and meeting and collaboration rooms. The Culinary Center, opening in 2023 or 2024, will feature a teaching kitchen space, as well as incubator kitchens for local food-based businesses. In addition, the North Oak Branch is receiving a complete upgrade. MyMCPL.org

Johnson County Public Library

This year, the Johnson County Libraries are introducing new and improved story times. Help your child discover the joys of reading and develop early literacy skills! Johnson County Library offers story time varieties carefully planned based on a child’s age group and developmental abilities. Space is limited! Pick up a free ticket at the Questions Desk when you arrive. Check for individual story time listings by library location at JoCoLibrary.org/events. If you are looking for great story time opportunities at home or on the road, they’ve now made it easy to enjoy story time anywhere, anytime! Recordings of favorite songs, rhymes, fingerplays and more are available at TinyURL.com/StorytimeOnDemand.

EVEN MORE NEW in 2023:

Coterie Theatre’s Only One Day a Year This National Endowment for the Arts award-winning play intertwines present day with the final segregated days of Fairyland amusement park. Two stories are told in tandem: In the early 1960s in Kansas City, Rose James uses smarts and determination to try to defeat the racial segregation policy that allowed Black visitors to enter Fairyland Park only one day each year. Years later, Rose’s granddaughter, Ella, uses her talent and grandmother’s spirit to shine a light on an injustice at her school. TheCoterie.org

Johnson County Museum’s Exhibit “Away from Home” This new exhibit will tell the story of American Indian boarding schools. And in May, a new train exhibit will engage visitors. JohnsonCountyMuseum.org

Powell Gardens’ “Fortopia” Exhibit PowellGardens.org. From May 25 to Sept. 4, Powell Gardens features “Fortopia 2023,” an exhibit included with general admission. Boasting new forts for the year, this playful outdoor exhibition features one-of-a-kind outdoor structures. PowellGardens.org

Kristina Light’s first roller coaster ever was the Zambezi Zinger, and she can’t wait to ride it again … for the first time!

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