Johnson Farms Plants & Pumpkins in Belton, Missouri, is a beautiful agritourism attraction where you can shop the beautiful nursery and pick apples in the late summer and veggies and pumpkins in the fall. Also in Belton, visitors love riding aboard the Belton, Grandview and Kansas City Railroad, an excursion train offering a 5-mile, 45-minute round trip ride aboard a 1920s-era passenger coach, open-air excursion car or 1950s diesel locomotive through Old Towne Belton on weekends. Throughout the summer, you can also select from theme rides including hot dog, ice cream and holiday specials. Enjoy lunch at one of the local cafes or restaurants in the historic district.

Enjoy fresh-made cider at Louisburg Cider Mill in the Kansas countryside. Visitors watch as cider is pressed and cider donuts are made. Cedar Cove in Louisburg is an animal refuge for endangered or rescued big cats including leopards, cougars, wolves, bobcats, a white tiger, black leopards and caracals. On Saturdays through October, visit Powell Observatory for a public stargazing session through one of the largest telescopes in the region. Every spring Miami County, Kansas, hosts a farm tour (May 11-12, 2024). Visitors are invited to tour 14 local farms and agricultural sites. Explore a pecan farm, bison ranch, alpaca farm, Hereford farm, goat farms, wineries and more.

The Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens is a 300-acre botanical garden offering a beautiful outdoor oasis in the southern part of Johnson County, Kansas. Explore the Children’s Garden’s whimsical trains, the grounds’ wooded paths and the beloved Monet Garden. This is one of the region’s most scenic and relaxing attractions. Enjoy special events including “Stems: A Garden Soiree” on June 22, “Terra Luna” on select September weekends and the annual Luminary Walk throughout the holidays. The gardens are always affordable, but admission is free on the first Tuesday of the month.

Enjoy both Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun in Kansas City, Missouri, for the price of one ticket. Worlds of Fun boasts eight world-class roller coasters, including the Zambezi Zinger, Patriot, Mamba and Timberwolf, classic carnival rides and water rides like Fury of the Nile and Viking Voyager. Kids love Planet Snoopy where they enjoy more than 20 family-friendly rides and attractions. In addition to great rides, visitors enjoy live shows and meet-and-greets with the Peanuts gang. Oceans of Fun offers fantastic attractions, including Aruba Tuba, Surf City Wave Pool, Buccaneer Bay, Coconut Cove and Splash Island, a 4,200-square-foot interactive water attraction.

The Kansas City Museum, offering free admission, features four floors of spectacular local exhibits. The museum pays homage to the legacy of the Long family, telling the story of Robert Alexander Long, a wealthy lumber baron and developer, who built the four story mansion in 1907. Following Long’s death in 1934, Corinthian Hall remained empty until 1939 when the Long family donated it to the Kansas City Museum Association. The museum exhibits take visitors on a journey telling the history of Kansas City, beginning with the Lewis and Clark Expedition and continuing Kansas City Museum through the modern era.

Historic Downtown Liberty, Missouri, is home to the Jesse James Bank Museum, the site of the first recorded daytime bank robbery. On the square, enjoy local cafes, boutiques and shops. Liberty also hosts First Thursdays, a chance to enjoy late-night shopping and themed events in the historic district. For entertainment, catch a live show at the Corbin Theatre, where you can enjoy musical theater, live music and stage shows. Throughout the year, catch a performance with the Liberty Symphony. For more fun, try axe throwing at WoodChux, perfect your golf swing at T-Shotz, play pickleball at Chicken N Pickle, or enjoy fun at PowerPlay where you can enjoy sand volleyball, arcades and more.

Head west to Legends Outlets in Kansas City, Kansas, for a day of shopping and local attractions. The shopping center features tributes to local celebrities with banners, statues and artwork. You even can walk the Yellow Brick Road, a tribute to Kansas’ literary fame in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Catch a movie at the theater or listen to a concert on The Lawn. Nearby, you can enjoy a soccer game at Sporting KC, a race at Kansas Speedway or a Monarchs baseball game at Legends field. Over the holidays, the baseball field is bedazzled in lights during Enchant Christmas, an epic holiday experience with a light maze, ice-skating trail and entertainment.

Have you ever wanted to swim with penguins? Pet a sloth? Hold a lemur? Believe it or not, there is a magical zoo right in the heart of Kansas (near Wichita) where you can do all that and more! Tanganyika Wildlife Park is a unique zoo-privately owned and small and intimate, but every exhibit is spacious, beautiful and immaculate and offers the most natural habitat possible for the animals. Visitors customize their park experience with the activities they book. You may elect to participate in all the “Wildly Different Experiences” or purchase the opportunities a la carte.

Head to Lawrence, Kansas, home to the University of Kansas and the famous Massachusetts Street, affectionately called Mass Street, where shoppers love to browse for antiques, clothes, toys, candles, books and European groceries. Children love Prairie Park Nature Center, home to reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals, as well as hands-on exhibits. The KU Natural History Museum is filled with fascinating exhibits and artifacts. The most famous feature of the museum is the extensive collection of fossils, including the mosasaur, the largest known lizard to have lived. Throughout the year, enjoy eclectic festivals, including Art Tougeau, food truck festivals, the Lawrence Busker Festival and an old-fashioned Christmas parade.