Wild Winter: Do You Dare?

December 30, 2014 3:10 p.m.

This winter we dare you to get off the couch and trade the movies and popcorn for a bona fide family adventure making memories, experiencing new thrills and trying new things—making this January the best yet.

A Polar Experience

We Dare Ya: Often considered a summer outing, the Kansas City Zoo is, in fact, open year round and can be especially fun in the winter. Enjoy indoor exhibits visiting our favorite chill-loving friends: the polar bears and penguins. Featuring a dozen Humboldt penguins and nearly 40 cold water penguins, the new 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. With fantastic views, accurate penguin habitats, accessibility for all visitors and educational displays feeding our curiosity about the Antarctic animals, the exhibit is a must-see. Nikita and Berlin, Kansas City’s resident polar bears, are much loved and also especially enjoy the winter.

Double Dog Dare Ya: Spend the night at the zoo, where they offer one-of-a-kind adventures during Polar Bear PJ Parties and Penguin Pole-ooza Overnights ($40/person. 10 percent off FOTZ discount). Make reservations for an overnight the kids will never forget! Guests bring their own air mattresses and slumber bags and spend the night at the zoo, sleeping in the penguin facility. Don’t worry, the penguins are in their own climate-controlled exhibit, and human guests get to enjoy a comfortable temperature in the main atrium. Or choose the polar bear exhibit sleepover. Zookeepers lead the overnight with science experiments, animal encounters (with many animals from the zoo), a behind-the-scenes night hike and tour of the facilities and a continental breakfast in the morning.

Wet & Wild

We Dare Ya: Spend the day at CoCo Key Kansas City at Holiday Inn Kansas City - SE (9103 E. 39th St., Kansas City, MO, 877.425.2746). Experience an indoor beach vacation for thrill seekers at CoCo Key, known for fantastic 40-foot thrill slides. The Shark Slam, Barracuda Blast and Pelican Plunge are three 40-foot thrilling body and raft water slides 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. These are just a few of the water adventures you’ll love at CoCo Key. The indoor water park offers a great variety of attractions for all ages, and it is great for a day trip or overnight guests.

Super Double Dog Dare Ya: Are you ready for the challenge of a lifetime? Take the Polar Plunge, a dive into one of Kansas City's lakes on a freezing cold winter day! Both Missouri and Kansas host Polar Plunge events throughout the winter to benefit the Special Olympics. Show your bravery and support local Special Olympics athletes by walking, running or crawling into frigid winter waters. All proceeds support local Special Olympics athletes. 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.

Snow & Ice

We Dare Ya: Brave the cold and enjoy a horse-drawn sleigh ride (offered only on snowy weekends) at Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop (1200 Kansas City Rd., Olathe, KS). Mahaffie is one of our favorite historic sites in the metro, with wonderful interpretive programs throughout the year. But we hold an extra special fondness for the beloved centuries-old winter tradition of horse-drawn sleigh rides. On snowy winter weekends, you may ride in an authentic 19^th-century horse-drawn sleigh. Be certain to call ahead at 913.971.5111 to verify (this is a weather dependent activity).

Double Dog Dare Ya: 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.

The Need for Speed

We Dare Ya: For the youngest thrill seekers, Zonkers Indoor Amusement Park at the Great Mall (913.393.3535) features a snake roller coaster, carousel, train, kiddie rides and arcades. This is a great place to burn off energy and whet kids’ appetites for thrill rides.

Double Dog Dare Ya: There are several great places to ride go-karts in Kansas City, but our top pick for racing enthusiasts is Sadler's Indoor Racing in Olathe, with European inspired tracks. The high performance go-karts are imported from Germany and reach speeds up to 45mph. See KCParent.com/Going-Places to discover additional venues for go-kart racing.

Who’s Afraid of Heights

We Dare Ya: Head to Science City, where this winter you can get up close and personal with Xtreme Bugs. Then explore a variety of hands-on exhibits, including the most daring of all: the Sky Bike. The bicycle is suspended 30 feet above ground on a high wire, and visitors are challenged to ride across, testing the laws of physics and enjoying a view of Science City below—if they are brave enough to look down.

We Double Dog Dare Ya: Climb to new heights at The Cave Bouldering Gym, an indoor rock climbing gym located 10 stories underground with 3,800 square feet of terrain set with more than 80 boulder problems for experienced climbers and beginners alike. Or visit Ibex Climbing Gym (ClimbIbex.com), with more than 8,000 square feet of overhanging, vertical and slab terrain for new and advanced climbers.

Bonus Attraction: Paradise Park

Paradise Park is one of our favorite family-friendly venues. With bumper cars, go-karts, rock wall, foam factory, outdoor maze, mini golf, arcades, and a Children's EduTainment Center for little ones with a water table, ball pit, and more - there truly is something for everyone! The dare? The entire family will enjoy the Foam Factory where you can challenge the family to foam warfare... fire foam balls through air-powered cannons, geysers, and blasters. The rock wall, bumper cars, go-karts, and maze add to the adventure. And, little ones have a blast in the ball pit.

Kristina Light loves snowy adventures and looks forward to winter fun with her four girls every year.