Our local attractions just keep getting better. This spring and summer, we’re excited to announce the latest and greatest at Kansas City’s favorite sites.
Kansas City T-Bones: 15th Anniversary
The T-Bones (TBonesBaseball.com) are celebrating their 15th Anniversary as Kansas City’s Independent Professional Baseball team playing at Community America Ballpark. T-Bones games are fun for the entire family with fantastic theme nights and specials all season long. On Mondays, kids eat free at the stadium. Saturday night games end with fireworks. 15th Anniversary Fridays will feature the Falcon Skydiving Team and theme nights throughout the season. Friday fun includes: May 19: t-shirt giveaway, June 9: Superhero Night, June 23: 80s Night, July 7: Pirates and Princesses night, July 21: Midget Wrestling Championship, July 28: Christmas in July, Aug. 11: Back-to- School Night, Aug. 18: Harry Potter Night and Sept. 1: Pink in the Park Night.
Johnson County Museum
The Johnson County Museum has a new home (8788 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park, KS, www.jocogov.org/dept/museum) and it opens to the public this spring! The exhibits at the museum tell the story of how Johnson County became one of the nation's leading suburban counties. The interactive exploration area for young children, KidScape, is bigger and better than ever, with all new hands-on fun in store. In addition, the museum continues to tell the story of Johnson County’s history and heritage through exhibits and programs. The facility also hosts black box theater productions for Johnson County Theatre in the Park, dance classes, art classes and much more!
Worlds of Fun: New Attractions
Worlds of Fun (WorldsOfFun.com) is introducing two new unique and thrilling rides in 2017, as well as a completely redesigned front gate and new events. The rides are Mustang Runner, featuring three arms with seven gondolas per arm turning one way while the base of the ride spins the other way, and Falcon’s Flight, “a hair-raising thrill at nearly 100 feet above the ground.” This ride spins and rises simultaneously while carrying 50 riders at once. This year, the park will add a new family tradition of WinterFest, a holiday festival with light displays and entertainment, transforming the park into a winter wonderland during the holiday season. It’s the perfect time to buy a season pass and enjoy the fun all year long.
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art: Bloch Galleries
photo credit Joshua Ferdinand
In 2015, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (Nelson-Atkins.org) proudly welcomed to their collections 29 masterworks by the leading Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artists of the 19th century. Among the artists are Pierre Bonnard, Eugène Boudin, Gustave Caillebotte, Paul Cézanne, Edgar Degas, Paul Gauguin, Édouard Manet, Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot, Camille Pissarro, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Georges Seurat, Paul Signac, Alfred Sisley and Vincent van Gogh. This spring, the collection moved to a new home at the Bloch Galleries, where visitors may enjoy the masterpieces.
Kansas City Zoo’s Billy Goats Gruff Yard
The Kansas City Zoo (KansasCityZoo.org) has introduced amazing improvements every year for the past several years, including Polar Bear Passage, Tiger Trail, Orangutan Canopy, the Tropics, the Helzberg Penguin Plaza, the African Sky Safari and more. The latest addition is one of the most playful and interactive. This spring, the zoo opened the brand new Billy Goats Gruff Yard. More than 20 goats inhabit this interactive, goat-friendly playground.
Crown Center: Thomas & Friends: Explore the Rails
Crown Center’s (CrownCenter.com) newest FREE hands-on exhibit for children, Thomas & Friends: Explore the Rails, is on display May 27-Sept. 10. Children will embark on fun learning adventures with Thomas the Tank Engine, helping him be a "really useful engine." Explore the sights and sounds of the Island of Sodor: Visit Knapford Station and the Sodor Steamworks, climb inside Thomas' cab, fix Percy's wobble wheels, pull levers for train noises and race trains along a giant track. On your visit to Crown Center, be sure to check out Sea Life, Legoland, Kaleidoscope and the Coterie.
Powell Gardens: Gardens of Myth
Powell Gardens (PowellGardens.org), our beautiful botanical gardens, welcomes a new exhibit this summer. Gardens of Myth opens Memorial Day Weekend and will be on exhibit through Oct. 22. See goblins, fairies, trolls and other mythical creatures displayed in a collection of incredibly realistic, hand-made sculptures. The exhibit depicts creatures of myth from around the world. They range in size from tiny fairies to an incredible 25-foot dragon.
Overland Park Arboretum: Enchanted Forest
The 300-acre Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens (www.opkansas.org/things-to-see-and-do/arboretum-and-botanical-gardens) welcomes their Enchanted Forest exhibit May 29-Sept. 4, 2017. Discover the mystical domains of gnomes, fairies, trolls, elves, sprites and other garden creatures along a trail in the woodland gardens. Throughout the summer, the arboretum will host special events in conjunction with the exhibit, including fairy tale story times, build-a-gnome-home classes and a Faery Faire with live entertainment, costumed characters and more.