This time of year is a favorite time for reunions. Whether you’re hosting out-of-town family and friends or simply planning a group get-together to celebrate the season, we have ideas for a variety of ages and interests.
Make memories and enjoy a taste of Kansas City as you host an amazing reunion.
Friday Night Fun Night
If your family is creative …
Head to Ceramic Cafe, a locally owned paint-your-own pottery shop. They offer a wide selection of ceramics, from ornaments to mugs to figurines featuring favorite animals, characters and seasonal pieces. The shop also offers glass-fusing. Glass-fusing involves layering multiple pieces of colored glass to create a design. The pieces are fired in a kiln, producing beautiful tiles, bowls, jewelry and other works of art. The whole family can express their creativity at this hands-on art center.
If your family loves adventure …
Visit the Carl Chinnery Nature Trail at Unity Village. This 2.6-mile gravel trail leads to a Natural Bridge with a small waterfall. The site is a favorite for family photos. The trail also leads to Unity Lake and Little Cedar Creek. The kids love exploring the creek, and the scenic trail is a favorite for bird watching. Be aware that bikes are not permitted on this trail. If you want to thoroughly explore the trail and venture along some of the wooded paths as well as the gravel trail, plan to spend a few hours.
If your family loves holiday traditions …
Make some hot cocoa and warm cookies and bundle up for a light-seeing tour. Lights are on starting mid-November, and you’ll find a complete guide to local lighting ceremonies on KCParent.com. We love the whimsy of the Legends tree synchronized to carols, the 100-foot-tall Kansas City mayor’s tree, and the Magic Tree in Lee’s Summit near Christmas in the Park. Visit KCParent.com for a guide to the best Christmas lights in Kansas City.
Saturday in the City
If your family wants to experience a taste of Kansas City …
The Crown Center District is ideal for entertaining a variety of ages. If you have children in your group, book a session at Kaleidoscope (reservations will ensure they have space for your group). Then, enjoy a spin on the ice at the Crown Center Ice Terrace, or explore Sea Life Aquarium or Legoland. The day after Thanksgiving, the mayor’s tree is lit in a ceremony complete with music and fireworks. Once the decorations are ready, be sure to snap photos under the mayor’s tree and enjoy the outdoor playground. For lunch, children love Fritz’s, where trains deliver food to your table, but grown-ups may be partial to Unforked, where the delicious menu is prepared with locally grown ingredients. After lunch, walk the Link to Union Station. Catch a film on the Extreme Screen or explore Science City. During the holidays, Union Station is also beautifully decorated in holiday splendor. Then, drive home through the Country Club Plaza lights (lit beginning Thanksgiving evening) for a finale to the evening.
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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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Carl Chinnery Nature Trail at Unity Village
The nature trail covers 2.4 miles, and hiking is at your own risk. Deer, fox, raccoons, and snakes are commonly spotted on the trails. Please stick to the trails and bring your cell phone for emergencies.
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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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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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Kaleidoscope
At Kaleidoscope, children use their imaginations to make art with left-over materials from Hallmark’s manufacturing processes. Some materials are cut into shapes, while others are left just as Hallmark sends them.
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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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Legends Outlets Kansas City
Legends Outlets Kansas City is the only outlet shopping destination serving the greater metropolitan region.
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National Museum of Toys and Miniatures
The Museum offers a rich and immersive experience, making it an ideal destination for multigenerational families, adults, and children alike. As you wander through the exhibits, you’ll be transported to different eras, each filled with unique charm.
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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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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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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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If your family enjoys history …
Within the walls of the National World War I Museum and Memorial lies one of the best historic sites in the Midwest. Tremendous state-of-the-art exhibits tell the story of World War I and, more importantly, the soldiers and civilians of the era—their sacrifices, their journeys—and this is one of Kansas City’s most important attractions. Realizing that World War I is a complex era of history for anyone to grasp, especially the youngest visitors, the museum provides a free family gallery guide booklet for children. The guidebook includes a map of the galleries, games, puzzles, question and answer sections for various exhibits and a scavenger hunt to complete throughout the galleries. Hands-on exhibits engage throughout, including large-screen technology allowing visitors to design propaganda, explore World War I-era Kansas City and learn more about the period.
If your family loves the arts …
Spend a day enjoying the fine arts. Begin at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art where admission is free. Explore this world-class museum where you can enjoy everything from ancient to modern art. The museum is home to extensive Chinese and Japanese galleries, African and Indian art, American Impressionists, European classics, Native American Art and Modern Art.
Sunday
If your family enjoys reminiscing ...
Visit the National Museum of Toys and Miniatures, one of our favorite multigenerational outings. Childhood memories of playing with beloved toys, whether a favorite electric train set, a special dollhouse, a keepsake tea set or the greatest pinball game ever—are strong and sweet, and toys connect generations. There is no place better to reminisce and create family connections. Explore the largest collection of nostalgic toys, fine-scale miniatures and marbles in the Midwest. Our family took a trip to the museum with four generations. As we culled through room upon room, grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, parents and children shared their favorite memories playing with marbles, a prized Barbie doll or Raggedy Ann, ride-on pedal toys, paper dolls, Teddy bears and dollhouses. The children loved discovering surprises in every dollhouse and each room of the museum, and the adults loved watching their reactions and remembering their own childhoods.
If your family loves animals …
Explore the Kansas City Zoo. With more than 1,700 animals on 202 acres, it's the most affordable family fun for kids of all ages. Travel all over the world without ever leaving the Kansas City Zoo. Explore the new Elephant Expedition, where the zoo’s beloved pachyderms play in water and enjoy their new state-of-the-art habitat. Take a spin on our Endangered Species Carousel, ride the train, then continue your journey on the tram to our award-winning Africa exhibit. Fly overhead to get a bird’s eye view of giraffes, hippos, zebras and more on our Sky Safari, landing at “one of America’s best chimpanzee exhibits,” as proclaimed by renowned primatologist Jane Goodall. Visit Polar Bear Passage, Helzberg Penguin Plaza, the Discovery Barn and Stingray Bay. Stroll down Tiger Trail and get nose to nose with primates, orangutans, tigers and more. Take a walkabout through a mob of kangaroos. Let your cubs run loose in the Tropics then catch the Sea Lion Splash and Wings of Wonder shows.
These ideas are just the tip of the iceberg. You’ll find more inspiration in our Going Places guide which features hundreds of attractions sorted by category, budget and neighborhood. Our online calendar is another great tool for planners. And always remember to check our KC coupons for great savings.
Kristina Light loves sharing her city with others and will be sharing more holiday ideas on KCParent.com all season long.