KCKidsFun

He sees you when you’re sleeping. He knows when you’re awake. He knows when you’ve been bad or good…well, you know the drill. For those of us using Santa as a bribe/threat/gentle reminder for good behavior this month, we’ve put together a list of local Kansas City appearances the jolly old elf will be making.

I think you’ll be able to find Santa in just about every corner of the Kansas City metro this year. And I’m sure we’ve missed a few – so feel free to leave the spots we’ve missed in the comments below!

Month-long Appearances

• Crown Center – Santa’s Crayola Christmas Land and Santa’s Gingerbread Village – thru December 31

• Town Center Plaza (Leawood, KS) – thru December 23

• Oak Park Mall (Overland Park, KS) – thru December 24

• Zona Rosa (Northland) – thru December 24

• Independence Center (Independence, MO) – thru December 23

• Metro North Mall (Northland) – thru December 24

• Legends at Village West (Kansas City, KS) – thru December 24

• Great Mall of the Great Plains (Olathe, KS) – thru December 24

• Santa’s Wonderland at Bass Pro Shops (Olathe, KS and Independence, MO) – thru December 24

• Cabela’s (Kansas City, KS) – December 12 & 13, December 19 & 20

Shorter Appearances

December 4

• Holiday Lights & Festive Sights, Mission KS – 6:15pm to 8:30pm – tree lighting, Santa, Dino O’Dell live and musical fireworks!
• Santa and Carolers – downtown Lee’s Summit – 6pm to 8pm
• KCMO Parks & Rec presents Santa’s Wonderland – Gillham Park, 6pm to 8pm

December 5

• A Visit from St. Nicholas, Shoal Creek Living History Museum, Kansas City north – a 19th Century Christmas experience! Take a horse drawn sleigh ride and meet St. Nicholas
• JCPRD’s Breakfast with Santa – 9am to 11am – Roeland Park Community Center – breakfast, games, crafts and SANTA!
• Holiday in the Tropics – meet Tropical Santa and Mrs. Claus at the Kansas City Zoo! – 10am to 2pm
• Santa & Me at Paradise Park, Lee’s Summit – 10am to 2pm
• Holiday Readings (by Madeline & Mrs. Claus), Letters to Santa and holiday crafts – Union Station, KCMO – 10am to 12pm
• Fairy Princess at Kansas City Museum, 10am to 4pm
• KCMO Parks & Rec presents Santa’s Wonderland – Penguin Park, 4pm to 6pm
• Santa Train, Belton, Grandview & Kansas City Railroad (Belton, MO) – 10am – Santa, cookies & hot chocolate on the train!
• Father Christmas and Christmases Past with Laura Ingalls Wilder, National Frontier Trails Museum, Independence, MO
• Holiday Fun with Santa, Powell Gardens, Kingsville, MO – 9am to 12pm (breakfast until 10:30am)
• Santa’s Express at the Agricultural Hall of Fame, Bonner Springs, KS
• Christmas on the Farm, Watkins Woolen Mill State Historic Site, Lawson, MO – 2pm to 7pm – caroling, treats, arts & crafts and Father Christmas – FREE!
• Lawrence (KS) Old-Fashioned Christmas Parade – 11am – horse-drawn carriages, wagons & coaches and SANTA!
• Whoville Holidays at City Market (KCMO) – 10am to 2pm – activities, projects, canned food drive, Cindy Lou Who look-a-like contest, photos with the Grinch! (Okay, so this one isn’t exactly Santa…)
• Santa and Carolers – downtown Lee’s Summit – 3pm to 5pm

December 6

• Holiday in the Tropics – meet Tropical Santa and Mrs. Claus at the Kansas City Zoo! – 10am to 2pm
• Santa’s Express at the Agricultural Hall of Fame, Bonner Springs, KS
• KCMO Parks & Rec presents Santa’s Wonderland – Barry Road Park, 4pm to 6pm

December 11

• KCMO Parks & Rec presents Santa’s Wonderland – The Parade, 6pm to 8pm

December 12

• Santa & Me at Paradise Park, Lee’s Summit – 10am to 2pm
• Fairy Princess at Kansas City Museum, 10am to 4pm
• Father Christmas and Lewis & Clark Celebrate Christmas, National Frontier Trails Museum, Independence, MO
• Holiday Fun with Santa, Powell Gardens, Kingsville, MO – 9am to 12pm (breakfast until 10:30am)
• Winter Festival, Whole Foods Market, 119th Street location, OPKS – 11am to 2pm – horse drawn hayrides, kids’ shopping & wrapping and lunch with Santa at 11 or 12 (lunch: $5/person – call 913-663-2951 to register for lunch)
• KCMO Parks & Rec presents Santa’s Wonderland – Swope Park (shelter 2), 4pm to 6pm
• Santa’s Express at the Agricultural Hall of Fame, Bonner Springs, KS
• Whoville Holidays at City Market (KCMO) – 10am to 2pm – activities, projects, canned food drive, Cindy Lou Who look-a-like contest, photos with the Grinch!

December 13

• Santa’s Express at the Agricultural Hall of Fame, Bonner Springs, KS
• KCMO Parks & Rec presents Santa’s Wonderland – Longview Tract, 4pm to 6pm

December 15

• Macy’s Santa National Tour, Summit Fair, Lee’s Summit, MO – 5:30pm to 6:30pm

December 19

• Kansas City Southern Holiday Express, Union Station – 9:30am to 5:30pm – an amazing Santa visit via train! FREE
• Fairy Princess at Kansas City Museum, 10am to 4pm
• Santa & Me at Paradise Park, Lee’s Summit – 10am to 2pm
• Father Christmas, National Frontier Trails Museum, Independence, MO
• Holiday Fun with Santa, Powell Gardens, Kingsville, MO – 9am to 12pm (breakfast until 10:30am)
• Lunch with Santa, Gladstone (MO) Hy-Vee, 7117 N. Prospect, 816-452-6500 – 12pm to 2pm – lunch, picture with Santa, treat bag & craft – $10/must RSVP and pay by 12/15 (was sold out last year!)
• Whoville Holidays at City Market (KCMO) – 10am to 2pm – activities, projects, canned food drive, Cindy Lou Who look-a-like contest, photos with the Grinch!

December 20

• Kansas City Southern Holiday Express, Union Station – 9:30am to 5:30pm – an amazing Santa visit via train! FREE

For many, many Kansas City-area families, this weekend is summer’s last hurrah.  What will you be doing this weekend – other than scrambling to get ready for school on Monday?!

Here’s our list of great weekend family-friendly fun in Kansas City -

Friday, August 14, 2009

• Festival of Butterflies, Powell Gardens, Kingsville, MO – this weekend
• Friday Night Films at Reading Reptile, Brookside, KCMO – 7pm – FREE – this week: The Little Prince
• Free Friday Night Flicks – Crown Center (KCMO) – bring your blankets and chairs – movie at dusk – this week: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl – FREE!
• Summer Movie Nights at Briarcliff Village (Kansas City North) – outdoors, 7pm, bring blankets and chairs! – this week: Ghostbusters II – FREE!
• Missouri State Fair, Sedalia, MO – thru August 23 – carnival, entertainment, circus, exhibits – FREE admission for kids under 12
• Benefit Concert for Autism Speaks with Jim “Mr. Stinky Feet” Cosgrove – Shawnee Civic Center – events begin at 5:30pm
• Leavenworth County Fair, Tonganoxie, KS – August 11 thru August 15
• Family Night Out at Martha Lafite Thompson Nature Sanctuary (Liberty, MO) – camping and breakfast the next morning with hiking, owl prowling and astronomy in between
• G.I. Joe Convention 2009 – Hyatt Regency Crown Center – August 13 thru August 16
• 8th Annual BBQ & Fly-In on the River – Municipal Airport, Excelsior Springs, MO – August 14 & 15 – BBQ, live music, fireworks, kids’ games and more!
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid Ice Cream Truck Tour – Kansas City Public Library, Waldo Branch – 11am to 1pm – FREE!

Saturday, August 15, 2009

• Barbie, LaMar’s Donuts with the Lemurs and Cheetah Run at the Kansas City Zoo – visit the zoo website for times and details!
• Funky Mama LIVE! at the Johnson County Museum’s Pop N Play (Shawnee, KS) – 1pm – $2 per child, no pre-registration req’d
• Carving a Canoe – Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center (KCMO) – 10am to 3pm - FREE!
• Festival of Butterflies, Powell Gardens, Kingsville, MO – this weekend
• Sprint Family Fun Days in the Power & Light District, KCMO – 12pm to 4pm – games, crafts, activities and Radio Disney! August’s theme is “Imagination Station.” Come sing along with Mr. Stinky Feet as he takes the stage and leads your kids on an imagination exploration. - FREE!
• Live at the Legends (KCK) – live music for mom & dad; Wonderscope Kids’ Zone for the little ones! – 5pm to 8pm – FREE!
• Missouri State Fair, Sedalia, MO – thru August 23 – carnival, entertainment, circus, exhibits – FREE admission for kids under 12
• Free Movie in the Park – Colman Park, Raytown, MO – movie begins at dusk – Bolt – FREE!
• Saturday Dive-In Movies at the Westin Crown Center (KCMO) – movie begins at sundown; food/drink available for poolside service - this week’s flick: Journey to the Center of the Earth (open to registered hotel guests only)
  
• Leavenworth County Fair, Tonganoxie, KS – August 11 thru August 15
• Jim Cosgrove & the Hiccups live at LifeBridge Church’s Saturday in the Park at Knights of Columbus Park, Shawnee Mission Parkway & Midland Dr., Shawnee, KS – 6pm to 8:30pm (Mr. Stinky Feet performs at 7pm) – games, activities, food, entertainment – FREE!
• 8th Annual BBQ & Fly-In on the River – Municipal Airport, Excelsior Springs, MO – August 14 & 15 – BBQ, live music, fireworks, kids’ games and more!
• G.I. Joe Convention 2009 – Hyatt Regency Crown Center – August 13 thru August 16

Sunday, August 16, 2009

• Festival of Butterflies, Powell Gardens, Kingsville, MO – this weekend
• Missouri State Fair, Sedalia, MO – thru August 23 – carnival, entertainment, circus, exhibits – FREE admission for kids under 12
• Batman at the Kansas City Zoo – visit the zoo website for details!
• G.I. Joe Convention 2009 – Hyatt Regency Crown Center – August 13 thru August 16

If you know of something else going on this weekend in the Kansas City metro area that would be great for kids and families, please let us know in the Comments below!! Thanks and have a great, relaxing weekend – see you at school on Monday!!

(The photo is of my youngest two at the old schoolhouse at Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead in Overland Park.)

Looking for something new to do with the kids around Kansas City?

Be one of the first to check out the new Schlitterbahn Vacation Village Waterpark in Kansas City, KS!

After months of construction and anticipation, the park opens for a sneak peek beginning Thursday, July 16. Construction is still on-going so the sneak peek offers limited attraction availability (but they’ve discounted admission prices).

Discounted admission is $19.99 (kids 2 & under are free). Regular admission will eventually be $32.99 for ages 12 and older and $24.99 for kids 3 to 11 and seniors (55 and older).

Once construction is complete, the first phase of the new Schlitterbahn Waterpark will have 13 signature attractions with more than 24 slides and chutes. The park is located just off of I-435 and I-70 near the Kansas Speedway and The Legends shopping district.

For now though, the sneak peek attractions include:

• Bahnzai Pipeline – Climb to the top of a 42-foot-tall tower and take an open-air tube ride down a twisted pipeline.

• Black Knight – Plunge in a tube down a dark and warped fully-enclosed coiled slide.

• Henry’s Hideout Hot Tub Bar – Unwind in a giant hot tub that incorporates a swim-up refreshment bar and in-water seating that creates the perfect place to take a break from all the action.

• Kinderhaven Kids’ Area – Splash and play in an area designed especially for families with smaller children. This shallow water playground includes ten mini-slides and is separated from the rest of the “big kid” activities by being conveniently located in the center of the park surrounded by shaded seating and open-sun lounging areas. Kinderhaven lets both kids and parents have fun together as they explore the Wyandotte Express choo choo train, a friendly frog, a mammoth turtle and a giant fountain.

• Torrent Beach – Whether guests just want to catch some rays, cool off in the surf, or embark on a journey through the canyon of the Torrent River, Torrent Beach is the perfect spot to enjoy a great day.

• Torrent Cove – Relax on an island surrounded by the Torrent River and Torrent Beach.

• Torrent River – Float the world’s longest tidal wave river which combines a continuous, endless float with ocean-sized waves creating an ever changing experience. Guests enter this attraction without waiting in line!

• Wolfpack - Take a tube and surge through an extra-wide pipeline of wild water. This oversized slide provides an experience that is different every time you ride!

Additional 2009 opening schedule and ticketing information will be announced soon. New retail, lodging and other entertainment elements will be introduced during further phases through 2011.

If you head out there with the kids, stop back by here and let us know how it was!!

*photo courtesy of Galveston.com (Galveston is home to another Schlitterbahn waterpark)