KC Winter Weather Survival Quiz

Winter in Kansas City—you either love it or you hate it, but if you live here, you’ve got to survive it. So, take our quiz and plan the perfect calendar of winter fun to suit your own winter weather personality!

Your motto when it comes to snow is ____.

a) The deeper the better. Snow Creek Ski Resort in Weston, MO (816.640.2200), is the closest attraction to enjoy skiing, snowboarding and snow tubing. They offer lessons for beginners and trails at varying difficulties. Perhaps the most daring experience at Snow Creek is tubing at Tornado Alley. Slide down a 700-foot-long slope and then jump onto a special conveyor carpet "twister" for a ride back up! They provide the tubes, and no experience or special equipment is needed.

b) It makes me feel like a kid again. Take the family on an epic sledding adventure at one of Kansas City’s best sled hills. Here are our readers’ top picks!

c) It’s okay as long as it is beautiful. Brave the cold and enjoy a horse-drawn sleigh ride (offered only on snowy weekends) at Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop (1200 Kansas City Rd., Olathe). Mahaffie is one of our favorite historic sites in the metro, with wonderful interpretive programs throughout the year. On snowy winter weekends, you may ride in an authentic 19th-century horse-drawn sleigh. Be sure to call ahead at 913.971.5111 to verify (this is a weather dependent activity).

d) Snow—I consider it to be a four letter word and I hate it! Your favorite snow is melted snow, and by that we mean water. Reminisce about summer at one of the best indoor pools in Kansas City.

The temperatures are dropping and you say:

a) Ahhhh! There’s nothing quite as nice as a brisk winter’s day. Take the Polar Plunge, a dive into one of Kansas City's lakes on a freezing cold winter day! Both Missouri (Jan. 30 at Longview Lake locally) and Kansas (Jan. 30 at Shawnee Mission Lake locally) host events to benefit the Special Olympics. Walk, run or crawl into frigid winter waters. Participants must be at least 10 years old and raise $75 by event day. Register for the Polar Plunge online. Missouri:  SOMo.org/PolarPlunge; Kansas: PlungeKS.org

b) I love to enjoy the cold weather, but let’s keep it sensible, okay?  Often considered a summer outing, the Kansas City Zoo is, in fact, open year round. Enjoy indoor exhibits visiting our favorite chill-loving friends: the polar bear and penguins. Featuring a dozen Humboldt penguins and nearly 40 cold water penguins, the Helzberg Penguin Plaza at the Kansas City Zoo is a state-of-the-art exhibit with a 100,000-gallon cool pool for cold water penguins and a 25,000-gallon warm wet area laced with sand for warm water penguins.  Berlin, Kansas City’s resident polar bear, is another winter favorite. Tip: The zoo even offers public overnights with the penguins or polar bear for an unforgettable adventure.

c) Winter is meant for cuddling up with a good book. The Woodneath Library of the Mid-Continent Public Library System (8900 N. Flintlock Rd., Kansas City, MO, 816.883.4900) is one of the newest and yet “oldest” libraries in the metro. This library is built incorporating a 30-acre antebellum farm, 1855 Elbridge-Arnold home and a 21st-century library. The Woodneath Children’s Literacy Center is state-of-the-art with skill-building computers and special interactive early literacy story times in the Story Time Barn. One of the most unique features is the Espresso Book Machine that prints, binds and trims a paperback book in minutes. You may purchase and print a book of your choice from a catalog of more than 3 million titles or bring your book for self-publishing.

d) I’m counting down the days ’til summer. Spend the day at CoCo Key Kansas City (9103 E. 39th St., Kansas City, MO, 816.737.0200). Experience an indoor beach vacation. The Shark Slam, Barracuda Blast and Pelican Plunge are three thrilling 40-foot body and raft water slides that both kids and adults enjoy. The youngest visitors play at Parrot’s Perch, a multi-level interactive play island with four slides, water cannons and a huge bucket that dumps hundreds of gallons of water every few minutes.

When asked, “Do you wanna build snowman?” you answer ___.

a) Heck yeah! If you’re waiting for that perfect snowy day to build Frosty or Olaf, add to your adventure with a visit to Kids Lab at the Liberty Mid-Continent Public Library (MyMCPL.org/events) at 4:00 on Jan. 28. There, kids learn about the different kinds of winter weather and create their own snowflakes!

b) Sounds fun, if we don’t freeze our fingers in the process. Spend the day at Paint, Glaze & Fire (12683 Metcalf, Overland Park, 913.661.2529) or Ceramics Café (9425 Mission Rd., Leawood, 913.383.0222). Both are paint-your-own-pottery studios where you select a piece (many snowmen in the collections) to paint and make into your own ceramic masterpieces. Or visit Kaleidoscope (2500 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO, 816.274.8301), a free and magical art center for kids with seasonal projects, including snowmen, to inspire budding artists.

c) I’d rather watch you play in the snow. Head to the Excelsior Springs Mid-Continent Public Library (MyMCPL.org/events) at 6:00 on Jan. 21 for a free showing of Snow Buddies! This family favorite is the perfect cuddle-up-and-enjoy movie on a winter’s night.

d) No, and stop asking! Okay, so you’ve had enough of snowmen, snowflakes and anything winter white, but those creative juices are still yearning for a little fun. Go to Thirsty Palette (11958 Roe Ave., Overland Park, KS, 913.669.0501, ThirstyPalette.com), where you can paint a masterpiece.

Your buddies invite you to take a spin on the ice and you reply:

a) Of course! It’s a winter tradition! Take a spin on the ice at one of the local outdoor rinks, the Ice at Park Place in Leawood and the Crown Center Ice Terrace in Kansas City, MO.

b) I’d prefer it without the cold winter air. Head to an indoor rink at the KC Ice Center in Shawnee or Centerpoint Community Ice in Independence.

c) Ice skate? Are you kidding me? I’m not going to risk it, but I’d like to watch. Cheer for the metro’s ice hockey team at a Missouri Maverick’s game.

d) Ice and winter and cold—three of my least favorite things! Lace up the old roller skates and enjoy a family night at a local rink. 

Kristina Light loves winter: snow, snowmen, sledding, cuddling up with a fire...but the Polar Plunge is definitely a step too far! She does, however, LOVE to camp out with the penguins at the Kansas City Zoo.