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Make Plans for an Adventure

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This summer, treat your family to an adventure! These great adventures are right in our own backyard where you can soar to new heights, plunge to new depths and travel at incredible speeds as your family creates some wild and unforgettable memories.

Hot Air Balloon Rides

If you’re looking for a thrill that is safe, serene and peaceful (yes, peaceful), then hot air ballooning is the adventure for you. Passengers float above rooftops as they enjoy a breathtaking view. Old World Balloonery (913.338.2628) and Adventure Sports (1.800.335.9257) offer rides for passengers ages 10 and up, and KC Balloon (913.649.2359) requires a minimum age of 12.

Zip Line, Rappel, and Ropes Challenge Courses

At TimberRidge Adventure Center in Olathe, groups can experience an eagle’s eye view of nature through challenge courses at the center's certified ropes course, 200-ft. zip line and the Eagle’s Nest 40-ft. climbing tower with two different sides for climbing, a dangle-duo and vertical play pen, and rappelling. At TimberRidge, you may also enjoy hiking, fishing, archery, canoeing and paddleboating. This is a great adventure for scout groups, families and even businesses. Call 913.856.8849 for information.

 

Water Slides

CoCo Key Water Resort (816.737.0200) is open year-round with both indoor and outdoor water park attractions. The Shark Slam, Barracuda Blast & Pelican Plunge are three 40-ft. thrilling body and raft water slides for adventure seekers! Guests must be 48" tall to ride down tube slides and 42" tall to ride down the body slide. At Parrot's Perch, they also offer slides for those at least 36” tall so little ones can begin to enjoy the fun!

Super Splash USA (816.356.5300), an outdoor water park, offers one of the newest and most exciting waterslides in America, the Rocky Mountain Avalanche, a 35-foot tower, three-person tube ride! Best of all, there are no height or weight restrictions for this adventure. The Missouri Fury and Jackson Hole, both for guests 48” or taller, also offer big thrills. The waterslides are just the beginning for fun seekers at this family-friendly water park.

Other great local water parks with thrill rides and slides include Oceans of Fun in KCMO (816.454.4545), Schlitterbahn in KCKS (913.334.5200), Black Bob Bay in Olathe (913. 971.6263), Summit Waves in Lee’s Summit (816. 969.1545), Adventure Oasis in Independence (816. 325.7946) and Great Wolf Lodge in KCKS (913. 943.9653).

Sailing and Scuba Diving

Have you ever dreamed of setting sail on the high seas? We may not have high seas in Kansas City, but we do have big lakes! Learn to sail at Lake Jacomo in Missouri with the Jacomo Sailing Club (816.678.7761) or on Lake Perry in Kansas with Clifton's Columbus School of Sail (913.220.5177). Lessons are offered for beginning sailors and can quickly become a family sport. Or, become a spectator of the sport and watch sailboat races every Sunday afternoon at 1:30 from May to October on Lake Jacomo, where boats sail from both Sailboat Cove on the east side and the marina on the west side.

We may live more than 1,000 miles from the nearest ocean, but scuba diving adventures are much closer than you may think. The Adventure Sports (913.962-2323), the KC Dive Shop (913.677.3483), Midwest Aquatics (913.402.0403) and the Frogman Dive Center (816.200.2881) offer scuba diving sessions and lessons for youngsters. They also offer excursions, including adventures at the Bonne Terre Mines and Missouri, Kansas and Arkansas lakes. For the truly adventurous, you can even embark on a Caribbean trip as well.

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