Spring weather in the Midwest is unpredictable. Enjoy these favorite outings, whether the weather forecast is rain or shine.
Get the Wiggles Out
On a rainy day, visit an indoor playground during an open jump. Many indoor play places offer special jump times for infants, toddlers and preschoolers. Also, visit KCParent.com and click “Coupons” to save on admission. Urban Air Trampoline Park offers Jumperoo from 9:00 to noon on Tuesdays and Fridays for children ages 5 and younger.
On a sunny day, visit one of the best parks in Kansas City. Some of our favorites for little ones include Meadowmere Park with a fun forest-themed play area and soft play surfaces, Leawood City Park with a fully accessible playground for all ages and abilities and Penguin Park with giant penguins and elephants adorning the play area with equipment for all age groups.
Wild Animals
StoneLion Puppet Theatre
StoneLion Puppet Theatre
On a rainy day, check out Mid-Continent Public Libraries for free educational programs for all ages throughout the year. Some of the most popular events include the Kansas City Zoo’s Zoo to You programs where animals visit the zoo. They also offer petting zoo programs and animal-themed story times and puppet shows. Check the library’s event calendar for information and follow our Kansas City Calendar.
On a sunny day, ride the carousel and train at the Kansas City Zoo. The zoo is always a favorite destination, with the polar bear, penguins, elephants, kangaroos, sea lions and hundreds more animals to enjoy. Purchase a FOTZ pass to include rides and visit often—plus, zoo memberships are reciprocal with other zoos if your family travels. Tip: You may pack a picnic at the Kansas City Zoo.
Art Appreciation
On a rainy day, paint pottery. Ceramic Café offers story time and projects for little ones. Or walk in any time and paint something together. Let your little one get creative or design a handprint or footprint keepsake.
On a sunny day, spend some time at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. You can visit the museum any time and explore the galleries, then enjoy a picnic on the lawn and explore the exhibits outside at Sculpture Park. The info kiosk offers a family-friendly tour and ideas for little ones.
Native Nature
On a rainy day, you’ll be glad Kansas City is home to many wonderful nature centers, and they all offer story times and classes for all ages, including infants, toddlers and preschoolers. Burr Oak Woods (816.228.3766) is one of our favorite outings on a chilly afternoon. You’ll see a large aquarium of Missouri's freshwater fish, snakes, turtles, toads and more, and many great hands-on exhibits. Lakeside Nature Center (816.513.8960) is home to some of the best animal displays in the area, with falcons, owls, eagles, toads, frogs, fish, insects and wonderful exhibits on the animals in our city and in our homes.
A nice portrait of an American Bison also known as Buffalo
On a sunny day, visit the Native Hooved Animal Enclosure in Fleming Park. This 110-acre fenced enclosure is home to bison, elk and white-tailed deer.
On the Farm
KidScape at Johnson County Museum
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Burr Oak Woods Nature Center
One of the largest nature centers in the Metro, Burr Oak Woods features hands-on exhibits for children, an aquarium with Missouri fish, live animals and nature trails.
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Ceramic Café
Pottery painting and glass fusing. Walk-ins welcome. Great for birthdays and group events too.
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Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead
Visitors can see more than 250 animals and birds, learn about growing flowers and vegetables, or experience an Indian encampment, a one-room country schoolhouse and a turn-of-the-century main street.
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Family Tree Nursery Liberty
A beautiful, modern garden center in the heart of Shawnee! Since opening it’s doors as Family Tree Nursery in 1981, our Nieman location has grown a loyal customer base with great plants and top-notch customer service.
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Family Tree Nursery Overland Park
What sets Family Tree Nursery apart is our passion for plants. Our bedding plants look better because they’re grown better – we grow almost every bedding plant we sell at our own greenhouses.
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Family Tree Nursery Shawnee
A beautiful, modern garden center in the heart of Shawnee! Since opening it’s doors as Family Tree Nursery in 1981, our Nieman location has grown a loyal customer base with great plants and top-notch customer service.
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Johnson County Museum staff, 2020
Johnson County Museum
Featuring award-winning long-term and changing exhibitions as well as public and school education programs, the Museum is a great place to spend the day learning about our county’s history and having fun in our hands-on exhibit spaces.
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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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Lakeside Nature Center
Enjoy an incredible place to enjoy learning about local native wildlife, including birds of prey, snakes, amphibians, turtles, fish and invertebrates.
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Meadowbrook Park
Meadowbrook Park in Prairie Village affords 80 acres of green space and many new programming opportunities.
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Meadowmere Park
13610 Byars Rd, Grandview, MissouriMeadowmere Park serves as a central hub Grandview Parks & Recreation Department - long walking trails connect a whimsical playground and shaded benches with quick access to The View Community Center, Skate Park, Community Garden and amphitheatre.
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Native Hoofed Animal Enclosure at Fleming Park
This 110-acre fenced enclosure is home to bison, elk and white-tailed deer. Bring your family to stare a buffalo in the eye or enjoy watching a family of elk playing in a pasture.
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Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is Kansas City’s favorite free attraction, as voted by readers of KC Parent Magazine! Discover masterpieces in the galleries, spend quality time together at a festival or drop in for a weekend art activity. Classes...
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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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Prairie Park Nature Center
Prairie Park Nature Center is a 100 acre nature preserve and education facility featuring woodlands, wetlands and native prairie.
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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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Shawnee Mission Park
Shawnee Mission Park is the second largest park in the county and the most visited park in the entire state of Kansas.
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Urban Air Trampoline Park Lenexa
If you’re looking for the best year-round indoor amusements in Shawnee, Bonner Springs and Lenexa area, Urban Air Adventure Park is the perfect place!
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Urban Air Trampoline Park Overland Park
Urban Air Overland Park is an attractive solution to a common problem: needing one place to entertain kids of every age.
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On a rainy day, head inside to play pretend at KidScape at the Johnson County Museum. This whimsical destination is a hands-on, child-sized city. Children time travel to different periods and communities from the region’s past. They enjoy pretend play as they work on the farm, perform at the theater or the puppet show, teach in the school, deliver the mail, care for patients at the hospital and fry up some burgers at the diner. This exhibit is a favorite for early education.
SUSAN PFANNMULLER
On a sunny day, feed baby goats, ride a pedal tractor and learn how to milk a cow at Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead (913.897.2360). The farmstead is a top pick for local moms, who can take their tots to encounter goats, chickens, ponies, cows, bunnies, pigs, horses, bison, prairie dogs and more.
Growing the Garden
On a rainy day, visit your local nursery. Family Tree Nursery and Colonial Gardens, some of the largest nurseries in the area with wide selections to enjoy. Both offer beautiful seasonal displays and special events. At Colonial Gardens, they offer livestock farm tours, and Family Tree’s Café Equinox is a favorite place to relax.
On a sunny day, Overland Park Arboretum is a delightful place to spend a spring day. With blooming flowers to enjoy and the charming children’s garden, the whimsical train garden and the stunning Monet garden, as well as miles of trails to walk and explore—you and your little ones will have an enchanted visit
Learn New Things
Let's Play at Science City at Union Station
On a rainy day, head to Science City, Kansas City’s largest, most interactive science museum with something for visitors of all ages. Little ones especially love the experiential, hands-on exhibitions designed with them in mind. The “Let’s Play!” exhibit is designed especially for babies, crawlers, toddlers and their caregivers and features activities designed for developmental needs with multiple sensory and role-playing activities. “Creative Corner” is an exhibit where art meets science in a whole new way with cool interactive activities encouraging kids to explore, paint on glass and interact with sand and light tables to engage senses and stimulate minds.
On a sunny day, Prairie Park Nature Center (LawrenceKS.org) showcases reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals, as well as a hands-on center for preschoolers that features nature puppets, puzzles and activities.
Little Engineers
On a rainy day, Legoland Discovery Center Kansas City offers a fun, highly interactive and educational two- to three-hour indoor experience. Based on the ever-popular Lego brick, Legoland Discovery Center provides a range of interactive play areas. The Train Station Adventure is where children climb, slide, jump and roll around train obstacles. Families also enjoy the Kingdom Quest and Merlin’s Apprentice rides; Miniland, an interactive Lego replica of Kansas City’s most famous landmarks; and a variety of Lego play spaces.
On a sunny day, Shawnee Mission Park’s new inclusive playground offers some incredibly fun ways to explore. Climb in a giant spider web, enjoy adaptive swings, play on spinning spheres and buckets, explore musical instruments and practice swaying on a platform. This playground is wonderful for children of all ages and abilities and offers many fun elements to explore the basics of engineering.
Kristina Light believes in being prepared when it comes to fun with kids.