This holiday season, consider a creative approach to gift-giving. Treat your family to a special memory and a gift they can enjoy all year long. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Crown Center
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Crown Center is Kansas City’s penultimate holiday tradition! From the 100-foot mayor’s Christmas Tree, to a special visit with Santa at the Gingerbread Village, to ice skating at the city’s original outdoor ice rink, activities and attractions abound for everyone. Complete your day with a visit to Legoland Discovery Center or Sea Life where Santa dives with the fish on select dates. Or, treat the family to A Charlie Brown Christmas at the Coterie.
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Surprise your family with a special gift to enjoy after the holidays by purchasing a membership to Legoland or Sea Life, or season tickets to the Coterie so you can enjoy the fun next year too.
Fat Brain Toys
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Fat Brain Toys, located in Overland Park, is special because they sell only creative, open-ended toys and games that are educational and fun. Many of the toys emphasize STEAM (science, tech, engineering, arts and mathematics). You’ll find many wonderful toys that your children will enjoy for years. For the holidays, treat your child to a special gift from Fat Brain and include a $25 gift card for a return shopping trip to add to the collection.
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In January take your child on a special date to choose spend the gift card on an add-on to a building, science or art kit.
Union Station
Roy Inman
Union Station at Christmas
Thousands crowded into Grand Hall at Union Station for the annual holiday lighting ceremony 112214.
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Union Station is decorated in holiday splendor all season long and is the place to celebrate with the family! A beloved holiday tradition is the Kansas City Southern Holiday Express (Dec. 18-22). Stroll through the decorated train and visit Santa Claus and his elves. Throughout the month, enjoy a ride on the Jones Store Train or treat the family to a classic holiday film on the Extreme Screen.
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Purchase a membership to Science City as the family holiday gift, then enjoy the museum all year long. The membership is even reciprocal with other museums across the nation.
Kansas City Zoo
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The Kansas City Zoo is one of our favorite year-round attractions. Over the holidays, the zoo is extra magical as Santa himself dives with the zoo’s penguins every weekend at 2:00. Capture the memory with a one-of-a-kind photo of Santa as penguins torpedo around him. Watch the penguin bubbles trail the man in the red suit and hear the children giggle.
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FOTZ memberships make a great holiday gift! Spend a day at the zoo celebrating the new gift, then visit all year long. NEW this year: Memberships are good 12 months from date of purchase.
Worlds of Fun
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Worlds of Fun’s newest festival is celebrating its third year in 2019. WinterFest is a magical celebration! The park is transformed into a winter wonderland with thousands of sparkling lights and decorations. The whole family will have a blast with fabulous family-friendly holiday shows, ice skating, cookie decorating, carriage rides and park rides. Kids love the meet-and-greets with holiday characters, including the Sugar Plum Fairy, Scrooge, Gingerbread Men and more.
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Arvin Gottlieb Planetarium at Union Station
Combining interactive astronomy education with spectacular public shows and night sky viewing opportunities, the Arvin Gottlieb Planetarium continues to be one of Kansas City's greatest connections to the night sky.
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Charleston's
8817 State Line Rd, Kansas City, MissouriCharleston’s of Kansas City is located on the south side of Ward Parkway Center just minutes from the Plaza. Our classic American fare menu includes specialties such as slow-roasted prime rib and renowned barbeque baby back ribs.
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J Robert Schraeder
Coterie Theatre
The Coterie Theatre, named "One of the Five Best Theaters for Young Audiences" in the U.S. by TIME magazine, provides unique theatre experiences for families and young audiences.
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Crown Center
2450 Grand Blvd, Kansas City, MissouriCrown Center is the place for pure entertainment. With exciting events and unique attractions. A center full of locally owned shops and restaurants. And two luxury hotels so you can stay at the center of it all.
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Crown Center Ice Terrace
Enjoy ice skating at Kansas City's original outdoor rink, open annually November-March.
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Culture House and Störling Dance Theater
At The Culture House Conservatory of the Arts in Olathe, KS, we are grateful for our ever-growing community of students, performers, and families as together, we continue to discover the power of creativity, imagination, and beautiful stories.
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Fat Brain Toys
Our retail store is the perfect place to "try before you buy". If you're looking for a different kind of toy store, we invite you to come on in and "play."
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Independence Center
18801 E 39th St, City of Independence, Missouri 64057Boasting more than one million square feet of retail space and 12 million annual visitors, Independence Center is one of the largest regional shopping centers serving the local community since opening in 1974.
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KC Repertory Theatre
Kansas City Repertory Theatre pursues theatrical excellence and advances the art form. KC Rep builds community by connecting people through productions and programming that educate, entertain, challenge and inspire including the annual production ...
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KC Symphony
Enjoy professional live classical symphony. The Symphony’s Family Series is especially popular with KC kids as it features fun holiday music and familiar favorites.
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Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium
Explore the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium, with nearly 10,000 animals on 202 acres, it's the most affordable family fun for kids of all ages! Travel all over the world without ever leaving Kansas City.
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LEGOLAND Discovery Center
Legoland Discovery Center Kansas City offers a fun, highly interactive and educational 2-to 3-hour indoor experience. Based on the ever-popular Lego® brick, Legoland Discovery Center provides a range of interactive play areas.
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Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens
Savor beautiful gardens including a Monet garden, a children’s garden and water gardens.
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Science City at Union Station
Kansas City’s Science Center, Science City at Union Station Kansas City, is a dynamic, hands-on science center featuring nearly 200 individual interactive exhibits and daily programming. Kids of all ages experience the amazing world of science fir...
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Sea Life Kansas City
This aquarium experience will get you up close and face-to-face with amazing underwater creatures such as sharks, octopus, our green sea turtle named Gertrude, stingrays, sea stars, seahorses, jellyfish and thousands of colorful fish! A favorite a...
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dszc Getty Images/iStockphoto
Union Station
A place for great adventure. Where Kansas City Connects. All of these phrases – and more – are regularly used to describe Union Station. Visitors of all ages, from all places and for all reasons tie Union Station to special and magical moments.
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Worlds of Fun
Kansas City’s amusement park with 235 acres of family rides, thrill rides, and waterslides, including seven world-class rollercoasters and admission Oceans of Fun, the city’s first waterpark.
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A season pass is the perfect family holiday gift! You can enjoy WinterFest now and revisit the park throughout the 2020 season.
Overland Park Arboretum
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The first two weekends in December, the Overland Park Arboretum hosts its 20th annual Luminary Walk. Thousands of candles light the mile-long walkways, music plays and decorations create a magical holiday ambiance. Family favorites include the train garden and the gnome and fairy village. Visits with Santa, horse-drawn wagon rides and hot cider around the campfire make warm holiday memories.
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Purchase a membership to the arboretum as a holiday gift for the entire family to enjoy. The arboretum hosts educational programs and special events all year long.
Dinner and a Show
Cory Weaver
KC Rep's A Christmas Carol
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Kansas City offers many magical holiday shows to enjoy, including Kansas City Repertory Theatre’s A Christmas Carol, Kansas City Symphony’s Christmas Festival, KC Ballet’s Nutcracker, the Culture House’s Best Christmas Pageant Ever and The Holly and The Ivy, and Carlsen Center’s Winterlude, Bandstand and other live shows. Dine at a local restaurant and enjoy a show. One of our favorite places to dine out is Charleston’s on Ward Parkway, where they serve excellent prime rib, grilled pork chops and salads.
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Consider season tickets to the theater as a holiday gift for the family or for your spouse to set an ongoing date night.
Independence Center
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Independence Center is the perfect place to do your holiday shopping. Spend a day shopping with each child one and one and let each select gifts to give. For a gift to enjoy year-round, take your children to Build-A-Bear, where they can create their own cuddly pal. In addition to shopping, bring the kids to visit Santa through thru Dec. 24. For more fun with a hilarious twist make plans to attend Holiday Hi-Jinx Photos on select dates.
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Consider a gift certificate with the promise of a one-on-one shopping and dining outing, or head back to Build-A-Bear to choose a new outfit for a Christmas gift.
Kristina Light is a longtime fan of memberships as gifts. Her family gets a lot of mileage out of their season passes both locally and on trips. Learn about her TOP PICK Memberships here.