The Wild, Wild West

Yee Haw! If you're looking for a rip roarin' good time with old-fashioned fun, then look no further! This is your guide to Wild, Wild West fun:

The American Royal: Kansas City’s Signature Western Event

The American Royal is part of the fabric of Kansas City. With horse shows as early as 1905, the rodeo in 1949, the World Series of Barbecue® that’s grown yearly since the 1980 inaugural event and, of course, the parade, the Royal is a KC signature! The American Royal experience celebrates Kansas City's legacy.  Make plans to celebrate the Royal with the entire family at these must-see events:

• The American Royal Parade, Sept. 28 at 9:45. With nearly 4,000 people marching in the parade, including active duty military, veterans from every conflict, 2,000 Boy Scouts, combines and tractors, 4H and FFA youngsters, some of Kansas City's best marching bands and drill teams, saddle clubs, vintage cars, civic groups and decked-out parade floats, this is an annual family favorite. Route: the parade will again travel north up Grand Boulevard from Pershing to Truman Road.
• The American Royal World Series of Barbecue®, Sept. 28-Oct. 6. The best day to bring the kids is Saturday, Oct. 5, when they can enjoy the Royal Kids Korral and petting zoo. Enjoy mutton bustin’, calf roping, a mechanical bull, petting zoo, pony rides, inflatables and more. The event features barbecue tasting and contests, cooking demonstrations, live music and tours of the American Royal.
• The American Royal Pro Rodeo, Sept. 27 & 28. Watch bull riding, barrel racing, saddle bronc, steer wrestling and more. Before the rodeo, families can enjoy live music, shopping and kids’ activities. Live music featuring favorite country music entertainers continues the fun after the rodeo.

Wild, Wild West Heritage & Fun

Kansas City’s western heritage is rich, and the story unfolds at local landmarks.

• The James Gang. Visitors learn the history of the infamous outlaw at the Jesse James Bank Museum (103 N. Water, Liberty, MO, 816.781.4458. Admission charged). Located on the historic square in Liberty is the site of America's very first daylight bank robbery.  On Feb. 13, 1866, a group of horsemen rode into town and robbed the local bank of $60,000 in cash (equivalent to $6 million today). The burglars were never caught.  While Jesse James was not one of the burglars, his brother Frank was a participant, and it is believed that Jesse was the mastermind. On a tour of the bank, built in 1858, you'll see the restored site as it was in 1866 with period furnishings and the original vault. A guide tells the tale of the robbery. The museum also offers a gift shop with books, toys and souvenirs.  The Jesse James Farm and Museum (21216 James Farm Rd., Kearney, MO, 816.736.8500. Admission charged.) offers visitors a tour of the birthplace of outlaw Jesse James. Learn about the James Gang and the border warfare between Missouri and Kansas.
• Wild West Days. Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm (1200 Kansas City Rd., Olathe, KS, 913.971.5111) is one of our favorite historic sites to visit any time. Telling the story of westward expansion through the eyes of the Mahaffie family and the last remaining stagecoach stop open to the public on the Santa Fe Trail, the site hosts Wild West Days every autumn. This year’s event will be Sept. 28-29, and visitors will enjoy hands-on activities and live performances, including the Whip Crackin' Dare Devils, Wicked Liars, the Santa Fe Desperadoes and Gunsmoke and Petticoats.  Tickets are $5 for ages 5 and up, or 5 tickets for $20. Some activities may require an extra fee.
• An Old Dodge Town Adventure for Little Ones. “Yippee ki yay yay” with your buckaroos at Antioch Park (6501 Antioch Rd., Merriam, KS). The favorite feature at the 44-acre park is Old Dodge Town, a Wild West village featuring nearly a dozen small buildings from a general store to a sheriff's office perfect for imaginative play or hide and seek.

Horsin’ Around

America’s love affair with horses is celebrated at these attractions where you can tour stables, enjoy a trail ride or watch an unforgettable dinner show!

• The Budweiser Clydesdales are world famous for their commercials and public appearances, and now visitors can meet them up close and personal. Warm Springs Ranch (25270 Missouri 98,  Boonville, MO, 888.972.5933 pictured left), located approximately halfway between Kansas City and St. Louis, offers tours of the 300-acre Clydesdale breeding facility. On a tour, visitors are given the opportunity to pet and pose with beautiful Clydesdales, tour the veterinary center, stables and pasture and watch as staff members care for, bathe and feed horses.
• Misty River Equestrian Center (21400 Eureka Rd., Independence, MO, 816.220.2332) offers horseback riding lessons, trail rides, stables and facilities for special events. “Children learn a sense of accomplishment and pride in goals reached as they progress to become accomplished riders and knowledgeable horse people,” Misty River’s Cindy Strahm says. “They also learn to respect their horses and learn consideration for the care and well-being of the horse.  All of these and more constitute valuable life lessons that can be of great benefit not only to children of all ages, but adults as well.”
• The Dixie Stampede (Shows in Branson, MO, and Pigeon Forge, TN) is a dinner show unlike any other! The event includes horse acts, comedy, music and a menagerie of animals from ostriches to pot belly pigs. Everyone is served a full meal with one fun catch: the entire meal is "finger food."
• If you enjoy tractor-pulled hayrides and some beautiful pumpkins, then Faulkner's Ranch (10600 Raytown Rd.,  Kansas City, MO, 816.761.1234) is the place for you! We've long been fans of Faulkner's for their hospitality as a party venue, but pumpkin season is special in its own right. Faulkner's Ranch brings a Western style to the whole fall experience with cowboys, rope tricks, Conestogas, pony rides and country music. Make a visit a family autumn tradition during their pumpkin season from mid-September through October.

Real-Life Rides

• Stagecoach rides at Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop.
• Tractor-pulled hayride (weekends mid-Sept. thru Oct.) at Paradise Park.
• Pumpkin season wagon rides (typically mid-Sept. thru Oct.) at Carolyn's Country Cousins Pumpkin Patch, Johnson Farms Pumpkin Patch or Faulkner’s Ranch.
• Wagon rides and pony rides at Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead.
• Horse-drawn wagon rides with Pioneer Trails Adventures, on the Square in Independence, MO, featuring historic interpretation. Learn about the town where three trails began, two Civil War battles were fought and, of course, Harry Truman made his home. Or ride a mule-drawn covered wagon to see Independence as a pioneer would.
• Trail Rides with Misty River Equestrian Center (21400 Eureka Rd., Independence, MO, 816.220.2332), Saddle Creek Stables (5915 Norfleet, Kansas City, MO, 816.803.7406), Lone Wolf Ranch (22801 State Line Rd., Cleveland, MO, 816.618.ROPE (7673)), Wild Rose Equine Center (17105 Old Pike Rd., Dearborn, MO, 816.450.8636) or Heartland Center (6965 NW 45 Hwy., Kansas City, MO, 816.891.1078).
• Fall hayrides at Shawnee Mission Park (see www.JCPRD.com for reservations and information).

Kristina Light looks forward to the American Royal Parade and World Series of Barbecue, cowboy fun at Faulkner’s and tours of Kansas City’s historic sites every year.