Free (and Cheap) Winter Fun in Kansas City

Looking for KC family fun on the cheap?  We have great ideas for family fun on a shoestring budget in Kansas City:

• Experience a FREE Christmas event... we have your complete FREE KC Christmas guide.
• Visit the National Museum of Toys and Miniatures. Kids love to explore each room to discover toys their parents and grandparents enjoyed. Admission is just $5/ea.
• Create a masterpiece at Kaleidoscope, the FREE hands-on art center for kids.
• Walk the Country Club Plaza and admire the lights on display through mid-January.
• Ice Skate at Crown Center Ice Terrace on 2-for-1 Tuesday!
• Watch model trains at the FREE KC Rail Experience at Union Station.
• Photograph friends in front of one of Kansas City’s 200 fountains.
• Watch fish in the aquariums at Cabela’s (10300 Cabela Dr., KCKS, 913.328.0322) or Bass Pro (Olathe: 12051 Bass Pro Dr., 913.254.5200 and Independence: 18001 Bass Pro Dr., 816.795.4300). 
• Visit Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop (especially fun on snowy Saturdays when horse-drawn sleigh rides are offered for $3/ea - weather permitting)!
• Take a FREE tour of The Roasterie and learn about coffee.
• Ride the KC Streetcar and participate in our Streetcar Scavenger Hunt on KCParent.com.
• Appreciate art at FREE first Fridays in the Crossroads. 
• Tour the Truman home in Independence, admission is $5/ea. those 15 and under are free.
• Weather permitting - take the family sledding! Click here for a list of Sledding Hills in Kansas City! 
• Explore the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, admission is free. There is a nominal fee for parking.
• Share a Skyscraper at Winstead’s.
• Visit the animals inside at the FREE Lakeside Nature Center.
• Enjoy a movie at the Union Station Extreme Screen for $3-5.
• Step back in time at the Lanesfield School Historic Site. 
• Discover Kansas’ most famous residents through the artwork at Legends Outlets.
• Imagine and play at KidScape at the Johnson County Museum, admission is $3-5/ea.
• Marvel at modern art at the Nerman Museum, where admission is free.
• Visit the Lee’s Summit Railroad Museum and explore Downtown Lee’s Summit.
• Swim at the indoor pool at Blue Valley Rec's Aquatics Center where open swim is $5/person.
• Go Roller Skating (most local rinks offer a discounted family night).
• Take a tour of the Kansas City, MO, City Hall and go to the roof for amazing views of downtown.
• Take a winter hike at Ernie Miller Nature Center.
• Visit the Native Hooved Animal Enclosure.
• Watch as marbles are made at Moon Marble.
• Visit the free National Archives of Kansas City and explore their free exhibits.
• Explore the Overland Park Arboretum on Tuesdays, when admission is free.
• Build a free project at Home Depot during a free workshop on select Saturdays.
• Create your own custom donut at Donutology in Westport.
• Discover a masterpiece at the free Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art.
• Ice Skate indoors at Silverstein Arena in Independence (admission varies from $5-7).
• Spend a Saturday in the West Bottoms is the perfect excursion to get creative juices flowing and exercise your decorating instincts. With antique shops, boutiques and retailers selling repurposed and refinished furniture and home décor, model trains and clothing, the shopping district has rightfully earned its place on the map for locals looking for that one-of-a-kind finishing touch for the perfect room, outfit or collection.
• Get free money at the Money Museum.
• Learn about nature at the Martha Lafite Thompson Nature Sanctuary.
• Friday Night Family Fun 6:30PM, Kansas City Library Plaza Branch 4801 Main St., KCMO. Every Friday the library hosts new events from film festivals to puppet shows and concerts! Follow their event calendar for weekly details!
• Explore the Central Branch of the Kansas City Library, because any library with a parking garage painted with classic books has to be cool.
• Tour the Harley-Davidson Factory, a favorite activity for ages 12 and up.
• Tour the FREE Hallmark Visitors Center.
• Take a free class at Burr Oak Woods Nature Center.
• Check out the views from the Town of Kansas Observation Deck (East end of Main Street, Kansas City, MO, from the end of Main Street follow the Riverfront Heritage Trail toward the Missouri River). The entire trail is 15 miles long, the observatory is less than a 5-minute walk from this starting point. This outlook is a great place to enjoy a view of the Missouri River, and you might even see some birds on the river.
• Eat out at a local restaurant using our Kids Eat Free Guide.
• And remember to search Free Events on our Kansas City calendar, where there are free (and cheap) things to enjoy every day.