When the summer heat gets to be too much, take the family out for an evening (when it’s a few degrees cooler) and enjoy some of Kansas City’s best family-friendly attractions.
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is open until 9:00 on Thursdays and Fridays, and admission is FREE! This is one destination where you will discover something new with each visit. Families enjoy the FUN Spot, located in Bloch Lobby, where visitors with children learn what activities are available for them that day to maximize their fun. Tip: Use our “Nelson Scavenger Hunt” to add to your fun.
Starlight Theatre offers a sensational line up of Broadway shows and concerts. 2016 season: The Bridges of Madison County June 14 - June 19, Bullets Over Broadway June 28 - July 3, Disney's Beauty and the Beast July 13 - July 19, If/Then July 26 - July 31, A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder August 9 - August 14, and The Rat Pack is Back September 9 - 11.
Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop offers FREE family nights every Thursday through July, 6:00-8:00. On family nights, the site comes to life with free activities (for example, butter churning, planting seeds, pioneer games, tours of the home) and activities with a small fee ($3 stagecoach rides, working in the blacksmith shop and grinding corn range from $1-3/ea.). Enjoy a new theme each week.
Taps At The Tower begins at 8:45 every evening between June 19 - June 25 at National World War I Museum and Memorial. Bring a picnic, furry friends, and families to the campus before and after the brief and moving ceremony.
Worlds of Fun / Oceans of Fun are open late all summer long (hours vary) and admission is cheaper after 4pm! Ride seven world-class roller coaster, enjoy thrill rides, check out Planet Snoopy's five new rides, watch live shows, and swim at Oceans of Fun - all for the price of one ticket.
Schlitterbahn Waterpark is cheaper after 3pm (hours vary). Ride the rapids through roaring rivers, test your surfing skills on Boogie Bahn, ride a water coaster, and let little ones play on a pirate ship. Parking is free and picnics are welcome (no glass or alcohol).
Visit Sea Life Kansas City or LEGOLAND Discovery Center (Sun-Thurs 10am-5pm, Fri & Sat 10am-6pm *Attraction remains open 2 hours after last admission. So, if you arrive by 5pm on Sun-Thurs you can stay until 7pm, or if you arrive by 6pm on Fri/Sat you may stay until 8pm). We've found the attractions are not as popular in the evening as it is during the day, which means a smaller crowd so we can enjoy even more. Plus, this summer you can explore the NEW Doodle Reef exhibit at Sea Life and The LEGO® Movie™ 4D A New Adventure at LEGOLAND!
The Kansas City Zoo offers family overnights! You can camp out with the elephants in Africa, sleep with penquins in the Helzberg Penquin Plaza, or snooze with a polar bear. The overnights include night hikes to areas typically only seen by zookeepers and special hands-on activities.
The City Market presents a new Wednesday Evening Market from 4 to 7 p.m. through September! Specialty farmers, local makers, cooking demonstrations -- all set to live acoustic music.
At 6:30pm on Friday nights, enjoy Family Fun at the Plaza Library where you can enjoy live musicians, puppet shows, magic, theater and fun for FREE. New programs offered each week.
Enjoy stargazing at Powell Observatory in Louisburg, when they offer public viewing parties on Saturday evenings through October for $5/ea. There you can view the night sky through the Ruisinger telescope, named after the ASKC member who designed it. This telescope has a 30" mirror capable of gathering over 11,900 times the light received by the human eye alone. Or, on a Friday night check out The Warkoczewski "Warko" Observatory (located on the roof of Royall Hall on UMKC campus). Warko is open on most clear Friday evenings through October starting at dusk for viewing of the moon, planets, bright star clusters and nebulae. The main telescope is a custom designed, 16” Newtonian reflector and is operated by the Astronomical Society of Kansas City for the university. Admission is free.
Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead is open until 5pm daily. Admission is FREE from 2-5pm Mon-Thursday ($2/person all other times and open 9am-5pm daily). The Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead features many wonderful attractions to help children learn about and appreciate animals, nature and the outdoors. Children love the dairy barn, fishing pond, petting zoo, goat feeding, chicken coop and miniature tractor rides.
Cool Crest is open until 11pm or midnight all summer. Cool Crest features four miniature golf courses with mechanical hazards, water traps and decorations ranging from the Statue of Liberty to windmills and dragons. The family fun center is also home to go-karts, arcades, a pizza parlor and a soft play area for young children.
Check out Kansas City's Coolest Districts on select weekends of the month with our KC Weekend Fun Guide. Kansas City’s arts, antiques and dining districts roll out the red carpet all month long with special hours, sales and events on weekends. These events occur monthly on the first, second, third or final “day” of the month.
Outdoor movies are offered for FREE all summer at local parks and attractions. Or, head to your nearest drive-in theater for a retro summer experience. Use our KC Summer Movie Guide for details.
Outdoor summer concerts are happening across the metro in the evenings! Enjoy free concerts in Overland Park, Olathe, Lee's Summit, Blue Springs, the Legends, Country Club Plaza, and more with our Summer Music Guide.
Riding carnival rides, listening to great music, and enjoying family fun at a Summer Festival is even better in the cooler evening hours! Use our KC Summer Festival Guide for a complete schedule of local fairs and festivals.