Enjoy one last hurrah at these local attractions before the first school bell rings. To make these memories even sweeter, KC Parent has partnered with each attraction and is giving away tickets and passes so you can enjoy the fun all month long—check it out on our Giveaway page and at the bottom of this article!
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Leland Gebhardt Photography
S: Spend a Day at Crown Center
Crown Center, Kansas City’s downtown shopping center, is home to many great shops and attractions, including The Coterie children’s theater, Kaleidoscope, a free art experience for children, and the free Hallmark Visitors Center. Family favorite attractions Sea Life and Legoland Discovery Center are must-visits when in the district. At Sea Life, enjoy touch pools, an aquarium tunnel and more than 5,000 aquatic animals from waters ranging from the Missouri River to the ocean. At Legoland, enjoy two themed rides, play with the world’s biggest box of Lego bricks, catch a 4D Lego film and explore a miniature Kansas City built with Lego bricks.
O: Outdoor Adventure
Powell Gardens offers beautiful gardens, kid-friendly play areas and the summer favorite, a water fountain kids can use to cool off on a hot day. Fortopia, the newest permanent outdoor exhibit, is a collection of whimsical play forts in which children can frolic in a giant beehive, pirate ship, play house and other creative forts.
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A: Animal Adventures
The newest attraction at the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium is the world-class Sobela Aquarium with thousands of oceanic animals. Also be sure to ride the African Sky Safari, a ski-lift-style ride above Africa offering great views of the animals. The Elephant Expedition, camel feeding station, Discovery Barn, Australia exhibit, Helzberg Penguin Plaza, train, carousel and Polar Bear Passage are just a few of our other favorite attractions at the zoo.
K: Kid Play
Wonderscope Children’s Museum of Kansas City offers pretend play in the pint-sized grocery store and farmers market and inspires imaginative play on a train car, riverboat and covered wagon in the transportation exhibit. A high-energy, interactive exhibit pays homage to local teams, and the water play, Wonder Climber, Tot Spot and other exhibits bring hours of fun. Each charming section celebrates Kansas City’s past and present.
U: Up in the Tower
National WWI Museum and Memorial tells the story of the Great War through interactive displays, thought-provoking films and eyewitness testimonies. With family guides and hands-on exhibits, the museum is an educational attraction for all ages. The museum takes a full afternoon to explore and offers a cafe for a snack break, as well as trips to the top of the tower via an elevator ride followed by climbing several dozen stairs for a great view and photos.
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Kacy Meinecke
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P: Pickleball and Food
Head to Chicken N Pickle (locations in North KC and Overland Park) for a day of pickleball, delicious food, yard games and family fun. The entertaining eatery offers both indoor and outdoor pickleball courts as well as yard games, shuffleboard and a full menu of delicious American fare.
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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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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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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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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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Powell Gardens
Powell Gardens is a not-for-profit botanical garden located just east of Kansas City, Missouri. Our mission: to be an experience that embraces the Midwest’s spirit of place and inspires an appreciation for the importance of plants in our lives.
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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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The Regnier Family Wonderscope Museum of Kansas City
Wonderscope is the region's only non-profit children's museum that focuses on STEAM -- Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math for children under age 8.
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National WWI Museum and Memorial
The National WWI Museum and Memorial is America’s leading institution dedicated to remembering, interpreting and understanding the Great War and its enduring impact on the global community. Named one of the top 25 museums in the United Sta...
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Chicken N Pickle: Overland Park
An indoor/outdoor entertainment complex including a casual, chef-driven restaurant and sports bar that boasts pickleball courts, a variety of yard games and enough space to kick back and relax with your favorite peeps.
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Chicken N Pickle: Kansas City
Our unique, indoor/outdoor entertainment complex includes a casual, chef-driven restaurant and sports bar that boasts pickleball courts, a variety of yard games and enough space to kick back and relax with your favorite peeps.
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Missouri Town Living History Museum
Experience the sights, sounds, and smells of a small Missouri town on the eve of the Civil War. Missouri Town is a living history museum with more than 25 buildings dating from 1822 – 1860 spread across nearly 30 picturesque acres.
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Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm
Visit the only working stagecoach stop open to the public on the Santa Fe Trail. Relive the adventures of early stagecoach passengers. Tour the home, blacksmith shop and farm. Mahaffie offers many events throughout the year, including hands-on pro...
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Harry S. Truman Presidential Library
One of 15 presidential libraries, visitors are able to experience engaging exhibits and programs, the library aspires to reach a broad and diverse audience in a continuous effort to keep President Truman’s life and legacy alive.
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Kansas City Monarchs at Legends Field
We are creating a year-round sports and entertainment destination, to include: 50 home Monarchs games Over 100 concerts, festivals and community events Renovated stadium with new and exciting offerings
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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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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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Courtesy Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum
Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum
Journey through Amelia Earhart’s adventurous life as a trailblazing aviator who defied the odds to pursue her dreams!
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Johnson Farms Plants & Pumpkins
Johnson Farms is a real farm in the country, but very close to your home. You pay one admission and only pay extra for anything you harvest, snack on, or seasonal items in the retail store.
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S: Step Back in Time
Jackson County Parks + Rec operates two engaging living history museums. Fort Osage, in Sibley, Missouri, was built in 1808 as the first U.S. outpost in the Louisiana Purchase. Osage Indian history and early military history are depicted through exhibits and living history programs. Missouri Town Living History Museum offers more than 25 buildings dating from 1822 to 1860 across 30 acres of land. Visitors can see what life was like on the frontier, and children love visiting the sheep, oxen, chickens, pigs, mules and farm cats. Both sites offer special events throughout the year.
Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop & Farm in Olathe brings 1850s farming to life with tours and programs all year, including stagecoach rides, family programs and a working blacksmith shop. Children love learning about open-hearth cooking, meeting the animals on the farm face-to-face and experiencing hands-on history with interpreters.
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David Tjiptogarsono
U: U.S. President from Missouri
The Truman Presidential Library and Museum in Independence captures the story of Harry S. Truman and his presidency. Visitors read, listen, watch, look and relive through film and interactive displays of some key moments in American history. Films are shown throughout the museum previewing the various exhibits and setting the stage for the stories they tell.
M: Monarchs Baseball
Catch a baseball game with the Kansas City Monarchs at Legends Field in Kansas City, Kansas. The team offers great promotions all season, including Disney Night on Aug. 24. Children love the Variety KC baseball-themed playground that’s accessible to children of all abilities. Check their schedule for family fun games and promotions all summer long.
M: Mini Golf
Art Course, a mini golf experience in the Nelson-Atkins’ Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park, is designed by artists to celebrate some of the most beloved pieces in the museum’s collection. This nine-hole course is the cherry on top of your visit to the world-class art museum where admission is always free. Ask for a scavenger hunt or family guide at the information desk to enhance your visit.
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E: Experiment with Fun
Science City at Union Station offers hands-on exhibits exploring the human brain, water, outer space, dinosaurs, energy, optical illusions, transportation and more. This is a favorite place to spend a day. Cap your visit to the museum with a show at Gottlieb Planetarium. Live presenters take guests on an engaging journey as they learn about the night sky.
The centerpiece of the new Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum in Atchison, Kansas, is "Muriel" — the world’s last remaining Lockheed Electra 10-E aircraft. Named after Earhart's younger sister, Muriel is identical to the plane Earhart flew on her final.
R: Ride a VR Plane Like Amelia’s
Take a day trip to Atchison, Kansas, and visit the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum. The centerpiece of the museum is the Muriel—the world’s last remaining Lockheed Electra 10-E aircraft—that was named for Earhart’s younger sister and is identical to the plane Earhart piloted on her final flight. Surrounding Muriel are 14 interactive STEM and history storytelling exhibit areas that take visitors through Earhart’s extraordinary life. The interactive exhibits teach more about Earhart and the science of flight. One of the museum’s highlights is the VR experience where visitors can attempt to replicate the end of her first transatlantic flight.
Bonus: More Family Fun as Autumn Approaches
Johnson Farms Plants & Pumpkins will open soon for apple picking followed by pumpkin season! This family-owned business invites visitors to enjoy the fun of a farm. With a petting zoo, jumping pillows, tractor rides, barn games, a corn maze, a beautiful sunflower field, and u-pick veggies, apples and pumpkins, Johnson Farms offers a perfect family day in the country. Follow JohnsonFarms.net for season announcements.
These ideas are just the tip of the iceberg! Visit KCParent.com/summer for even more ideas.
Kristina Light writes about family fun in Kansas City all year long on KCParent.com.