30 Ways to Make the Summer MORE Fun in KC

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Summer... ice cream, hot dogs, fireworks, lemonade stands, picnics at the park, the summer classics are the stuff of childhood memories. This summer, raise the fun factor enjoying those special memories with an added touch. 

  • Tour Shatto Dairy Farm for FREE and learn about dairy cows, how milk is processed, how ice cream is made and taste their delicious milk... added Fun Factor: treat the kids to some of Shatto's signature ice cream and ice cream sammiches while you're there!
  • Take the kids to the Kansas City Zoo.... added Fun Factor: make reservations for an OVERNIGHT at the Kansas City Zoo! Sleeping with the penguins, polar bears, or lions in Africa adds an unforgettable cool factor!
  • Watch a FREE Summer Movie at Legends Shopping Outlet... added Fun Factor: after the film enjoy lunch at one of the many restaurants, walk the Yellow Brick Road in the center of the outlets, then head over to Cabela's to enjoy watching fish in the giant aquarium.
  • Buy groceries at Trader Joe's in Leawood and purchase a few treats you've never tried before... added Fun Factor: after shopping, head over to Glace Artisan Ice Cream (in the same shopping center) where you can sample before you buy your new favorite exotic flavors!
  • Visit the National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial... added Fun Factor: grab a free Family Guide at the entrance with a scavenger hunt for the kids, end your trip with photos at the top of the tower - remember silly face photos for the scrapbook!
  • Explore the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art... added Fun Factor: explore the new Glass Labyrinth in Sculpture Park and print our Nelson-Atkins scavenger hunt for more fun.
  • Spend the day at the park... added Fun Factor: make it a sprayground (a free outdoor spraypark where kids can splash and cool off on a hot day)!
  • Read with the local summer reading programs... added Fun Factor: throw in a bonus trip to one of the coolest libraries in town, the Central Library of the KC Public Library system where you walk through the pages of a giant book to enter the kids section, play life-sized chess on the roof, and park in a bookcase decorated parking garage. Plus, mom can grab a latte at the cafe!
  • Teach the kids the value of money this summer with opportunities to earn cash working around the house, doing yard work for neighbors, and selling lemonade.... added Fun Factor: take a free trip to the Money Museum where they'll learn even more about money and leave with a bag of shredded cash!
  • Treat the kids to ice cream this summer... added Fun Factor: enjoy it aboard the Belton, Grandview, & KC Railroad where they offer Ice Cream Special train rides every Friday night at 7pm for $10.50 (June - August).
  • Spend a Saturday shopping in the West Bottoms, or the River Market, or a First Friday in the Crossroads... added Fun Factor: buy a hot dog, walking taco, snow cone, or sandwich from a KC Food Truck!
  • Make Friday Night a Pizza Night... added Fun Factor: choose d'Bronx where kids are given kid-dough (pizza dough) to play with while they wait, or enjoy a Magician while you dine (see our Magical Meals guide for a schedule of magician appearances at local pizza shops).
  • Picnic at the park... added Fun Factor: make it Loose Park where you can enjoy an exquisite rose garden, super fun splash park, beautiful pond and trails, and fantastic playground.
  • Take photos at the Kauffman Memorial Gardens.... added Fun Factor: make another stop at Winstead's on the Plaza and order a Skyscraper (a GIANT ice cream soda meant for sharing with 2-6 people), the waiters and waitresses deliver the treat to your table with a jingle and a tambourine.... delicious & entertaining!
  • Spend a day enjoying the Country Club Plaza, take photos, window shop... added Fun Factor: enjoy a $1 show at the Cinemark movie theater, then split a chocolate bag, a chocolate sack filled with white chocolate mousse, fresh berries, and whipped cream, on the patio at McCormick & Schmick's, sample cheese at Better Cheddar, pop into Helzberg for a free I Am Loved Pin, and test toys at Zoom.
  • Celebrate the season at a local summer festival.... added Fun Factor: make it a point to try something new - a new food, listen to a new band, try a new ride, be adventurous!
  • Head to Kaleidoscope for a free family session making fabulous art projects in a child's dream world... added Fun Factor: then head across the street to Crown Center to explore Super Kids Save the World, a free hands-on exhibit for kids.
  • Enjoy stargazing... added Fun Factor: head to Powell Observatory in Louisburg, home to a 30-inch telescope, one of the largest available for public viewing in the United States, for a Saturday night star party.
  • Shop at a local Farmers Market... added Fun Factor: let the kids choose a new food to try! You'll find everything from goat's milk cheeses, to emu meat, to buffalo, and a wide variety of fruits and veggies making a delicious way to sample new flavors and support local businesses.
  • Spend the day at Worlds of Fun & Oceans of Fun (both parks for one ticket)... added Fun Factor: plan to visit when you can enjoy Dinos after Dark 9PM - 11PM Saturdays, June 28 - August 2, 2014. Cost: $5 plus tax - we loan you the flashlight and you keep the club! (Dinosaurs Alive! is free to Gold and Platinum Passholders during the day. Dinos After Dark is not included.). Gather around the campfire as Archeologist Dr. Harold Primm tells tall tales of prehistoric cavemen and dinosaurs. Walk amongst over 35 life size animatronic dinosaurs covering 2 acres with only a flashlight. Plus, we’ll arm you with your very own caveman bat. The dark changes everything. It’s fun in the dark!
  • Visit a local lake... added Fun Factor: feed fish at Longview Lake, rent a pedal boat or go fishing!
  • Cool off at Schlitterbahn added Fun Factor: save moolah on concessions and pack your own picnic with favorite snacks and lunches for the whole fam!
  • Play Pirates, make a treasure map and a pirate hat... added Fun Factor: visit one of three local Pirate Ship Parks for more adventure. Frontier Park  at 15501 W Indian Creek Parkway Olathe, KS. Listowel Park at 71st and Quivira Shawnee, KS. Williams-Gates Park at 401 Howard Lee's Summit, MO. 
  • Play with animals at Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead... added Fun Factor: splurge for a pony ride, fishing, or feeding baby goats.
  • Take the kids berry picking at  a local berry patch... added Fun Factor: freeze some of your berries whole and enjoy as a frozen snack throughout the summer.