KCKidsFun

It’s that time!  And we are ready for it…cooler weather (thumbs up for sweatshirt and shorts days!) and much lower humidity.  This weather ushers in the ever-popular Pumpkin Patch/Fruit Orchard season in and around Kansas City.

If I’ve overlooked your favorite pumpkin patch or orchard…please leave a comment and we’ll get it added.  Also – if you operate one of these businesses and would like to purchase a Sponsored Listing (affording you prime, top-of-list placement along with a graphic) please contact me at kiran@kckidsfun.com.  It’s just that easy!

Sponsored Listings

Faulkner’s Pumpkin Farm Faulkner’s Ranch huge Pumpkin Season Celebration Sept. 30th -Oct. 31st, 2011.  10am – 6pm daily.  Family Play Area admission just $7.00 per person plus tax.  Quality fall family fun, pumpkins galore and fall decor.  New group hayride package, birthday parties, and playdates. Click here for more details!  Sat. Oct. 1- Sun. Oct. 2 – Grandparents Weekend, Sun. Oct. 8 and Sun. Oct. 9 Faulkner’s Ranch Pony Show 1pm – 1:30pm, Sun. Oct. 9 Girl Scout Pumpkin Science Lab (reservation required), Sun. Oct 16th Jim “Mr. Stinky Feet” Cosgrove @1pm.  Every Monday in Oct: Fall Playdates 10:30am.  Appearing every Sat. and Sun. in Oct:
1pm – 5pm – Sheriff Terry and 11am – 1pm – Reggie Gray Magic

KC Pumpkin Patch (Gardner, KS) – TONS of fun things to do (and they have pumpkins!)  This place has so much to see and do–general admission gets you into the petting zoo, haunted barn, hay bale maze, zip line on weekends, and more! They will even host birthday parties and school field trips.

General Listings

Northland:

Alldredge Orchards (Platte City) – apples, pumpkins, playground and more!

Blue Valley Recreation: 19th Annual Family Fall Festival. Saturday 10/15, 1-4pm at the Rec Complex, 9701 W. 137th St., OPKS.  Ages 9 and under. Games, face painting, petting zoo, huge kites, horse-drawn hayrides, clowns, moonwalk, & refreshments! First 500 registered receive a pumpkin and a treat bucket. $5; non residents: $6. Register by calling 913.685.6000 or online.

Carolyn’s Country Cousins Pumpkin Patch & Corn Maze (Liberty, MO) – pumpkins, hayrides, train and many other activities

Looper Farms (Holt, MO – just north of Clay County on I-35) – u-pick pumpkin patch, hayrides, trainrides

Pumpkins, Etc. (Platte City, MO) – pumpkins, mums, haystacks and fall decor

Red Barn Farm (Weston, MO) – pumpkins, animals, hayrides and corn maze

Schweizer’s Orchard (St. Joseph, MO) – pick your own apples and pumpkins!

Vaughn Orchard, 816-386-2900 (Weston, MO) – pick your own apples and pumpkins

KCMO:

Faulkner’s Pumpkin Farm (Kansas City, MO – south of I-470) – a TON of family-friendly fun!

7th Annual Pumpkin Patch for DeLaSalle School – Oct. 1, 2011, 10am-2pm, Brookside Park (56th St at Brookside Blvd, KCMO)  features pumpkins, ponies, inflatables and music!  Admission is free with donation suggested  for pumpkins.

Cass County, MO (just south of KCMO):

The Berry Patch (just south of Leawood & Martin City) – UPick blackberries available until the first hard fall freeze.

Dunn’s Cider Mill (Belton, MO) – cider and donuts!

Johnson Farms (Belton, MO) – you pick pumpkins, playground, animals and more!

Pumpkins & Pines (Pleasant Hill, MO) – tons of varieties of pumpkins!

Shuck’s Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch (Pleasant Hill, MO) – HUGE cornfield maze, pumpkins and variety of activities

Johnson County, KS:

Wagon Wheel Orchard (Gardner, KS) – fall apples and pears… no peaches 2011.  But be sure to check the picking report!

Miami County, KS (just south of Johnson County, KS):

Louisburg Cider Mill and Country Store (Louisburg, KS) – cider, donuts and fun activities!

Louisburg Corn Maze (Louisburg, KS) – doesn’t appear to be open for fall 2011

Powell Pumpkin Patch (Louisburg, KS) – you pick pumpkins, playground, hayrides, corn maze

Douglas County, KS (just west of Johnson County, KS):

Pendleton’s Country Market (Lawrence, KS) – pick your own pumpkins and more

Schaakes Pumpkin Patch (Lawrence, KS) – you pick pumpkins, hayrides, mazes, animals

Eastern Jackson County, MO:

Sibley Orchards (Sibley, Jackson County, MO) – apples, pumpkins, hayrides & cider!

Wyandotte County, KS:

Kerby Farm Pumpkin Patch (Bonner Springs, KS) – pumpkins, corn maze, hayrides

Our friends over at VisitKC.com put together a terrific Google Map showing most of these locations:

View Fall Pumpkin Patches and Apple Orchards in a larger map

(And if you haven’t checked out VisitKC.com, what are you waiting for?! It’s a terrific resource for locals and visitors alike.)

* image of Jim Cosgrove courtesy of KC Pumpkin Patch

Readers–here it is–a listing of major KC-metro area pools, open to the public, and their locations! Pools will generally open for the season next Saturday, May 29, 2010–the start of Memorial Weekend. (That’s no guarantee that the water is warm!!!) They are listed by city to make it as easy as possible to navigate. Many of the pools offer swimming lessons, as well. I’ve included the link to each city’s aquatics website…simply click on the city and you’ll see the corresponding aquatics page. These city-specific pages offer detailed information on lessons, pool hours and daily/season fees, if applicable. PLEASE SEND ME AN EMAIL IF I’VE FORGOTTEN YOUR FAVORITE POOL! I can easily add it to the list. Happy Swimming! And above all, be safe!!

Overland Park, KS and Leawood, KS

• Bluejacket, 101st and Bond, 913.327.5671
• Marty, 74th and Conser, 913.327.5672
• Roe, 104th and Roe, 913.327.5673
• Stonegate, 97th and Antioch, 913.327.5674
• TRAC, 119th and Lowell, 913.327.5675
• Young’s, 77th and Antioch, 913.327.5676
• Leawood Aquatic Center, 10601 Lee Blvd., 913.327.3977

Olathe, KS and Prairie Village, KS

• Black Bob Pool, 14570 W. 151st St., 913.764.9720
• Mill Creek Pool, 320 E. Poplar, 913.829.9811
• Frontier Pool, 15909 W. 127th St., 913.829.9730
• Oregon Trail Pool, 1800 W. Dennis, 913.829.9815
• City of Prairie Village Pool, 7711 Delmar, 913.642.6010

Lee’s Summit, MO

• Legacy Park Community Center, 901 NE Bluestem Drive, 816.969.1550
• Summit Waves, NE corner of Hwys 50 and 291 South, 816.969.1515

Kansas City, MO

• Brush Creek community center, 3801 Emmanuel Cleaver II Blvd., 816.784.4000
• Budd Park, Budd Park Espl. & Denver Ave., 816.784.2600
• Grove Park, 3031 E. Truman, 816.231.9568
• Swope Park, Swope Park- 67th and Lewis, 816.513.8915
• Southeast Community Center, 4201 E. 63rd, 816.513.7500
• Arbor Villa, 66th Terrace and Main St.  - opens June 8, 2010
• Ashland, 23rd and Elmwood streets  - opens June 8
• Gillham, 41st and Gillham streets – opens June 8
• West Terrace, 16th and Jarboe streets  - opens June 8
• KCMO “Spraygrounds” - Douglas Park, 2632 Jarboe St. - Harmony Park, 10th Street and Agnes - Longview Park, 7101 Longview Road (Closed Mondays) - Loose Park, 52nd Terrace and Summit - Parade Park, The Paseo and Truman Road - Sunnyside Park, 8255 Summit (Closed Mondays)
• Golden Oaks Park sprayground, East of Antioch at approx. 47th Street in the Northland
• Garrison Community Center, 4th and Forest at Columbus Park

For hours and additional information on classes and parties, call 816.513.7500.

Shawnee, KS

• Splash Cove at Jim Allen Aquatic Center, 5800 King, 913.631.7177
• Thomas A. Saetaert Aquatic Center, 13805 Johnson Drive, 913.631.0054

Lenexa, KS

• Ad Astra Pool, 83rd and Maurer, 913.492.SWIM
• Flat Rock Creek Pool, 103rd and Hauser, 913.888.3202
• Indian Trails Aquatic Center, 87th and Greenway Lane, 913.888.4659

Independence, MO and Blue Springs, MO

• Adventure Oasis Water Park, 23rd Street just west of 291 Hwy., 816.325.7843
• Water playgrounds to cool off: 24 Hwy/N. Delaware and 24th & Hardy streets
• Blue Springs Centennial Pool Plex, 2401 W. Ashton Drive, 816.228.0188

Liberty, MO

• Liberty Community Center, 1600 S. Withers Rd.
• Spraygrounds at: Ruth Moore Park, 401 N. Morse and City Park, 970 S. Highway 291

Gladstone, MO

• Municipal Pool, Central Park, 69th & North Holmes, 816.436.2200

KCI Area/Platte County, MO

• Park Hill Aquatic Center, 8152 N. Congress Ave., 816.741.7963
• Springs Aquatic Center at Tiffany Hills Park, 9700 N. Congress, 816.880.0733
• Riverside Municipal Pool, 4498 NW High Drive, 816.741.3993

KC, KS

• Parkwood Pool, 950 Quindaro Blvd, 913.551.0402
• Spray Parks to cool off: Eisenhower Park, 2901 N. 72nd St., and Pierson Park, 1800 S. 55th St.

Also, if you’re looking for a break from the sun, don’t forget about the newly-opened ($750 million) Schlitterbahn Vacation Village in KCK, located near Village West,   and CoCoKey Resort, located in the Sheraton Kansas City Sports Complex!  The same holds true forGreat Wolf Lodge in KCK. When it’s just too hot outside, bring the waterpark IN!

*image courtesy of Pool & Spa Master

I love county fairs. I’m a suburban girl who always wanted to be a small town girl. The idea of hanging out on a sticky summer evening at the fair, seeing friends from school and their families, eating cotton candy and funnel cakes, spending all the money you could possibly squeeze out of your parents is pure Americana.

I’m not sure that my nostalgic memories of county fairs are completely accurate – but, at least in my recent experience, it’s pretty darn close. There’s not much left in the way of family fun that can be considered a throw-back to our childhoods and those of our parents. But county fairs were enjoyed by our parents and their parents before them.

And we here in the Kansas City area are heading into the thick of the county fair schedule.

On the south side of town, Paola, KS hosts the Miami County Fair, starting Wednesday, July 22 and running through Saturday, July 25. Highlights include a carnival, a rodeo and a demolition derby.

If north of the river is more your speed, check out the Platte County Fair in Platte City, MO. This one also runs July 22 through July 25 and features lots of live music, demolition derbies, 4-H exhibits, petting zoos, kids’ games, carnival rides and much, much more. With a traditional fair queen contest and little Missy/Master contests, this fair still has a real small/rural community feel. Love it.

The Wyandotte County Fair was canceled this year due to changes at The Woodlands and an inability to secure an alternate location. 4H events are still being held at another location but no entertainment or carnival this year!

But the fair goes on in Gardner, KS beginning on Monday, August 3, 2009. The Johnson County Fair runs from August 3rd through August 8th. Highlights include flat track racing, barrel racing, the rodeo, Family Fun Night, 4H exhibits, livestock auction, a carnival and a great parade! My kids adore this fair!

Lawrence, KS hosts the Douglas County Fair from August 5 through August 9. Petting zoo, pony rides, turtle races, pedal tractor pulls, livestock shows and a carnival are all sure to be hits with your kids.

If you really want to go big, head to Sedalia, MO for the Missouri State Fair, from August 13 through August 23. I can’t even begin to list the highlights of the state fair – but I’ll start with this: kids 12 & under get FREE admission every day!

And, to close out the county fair season, the Leavenworth County Fair hits Tonganoxie, KS from August 11 through August 15. A parade kicks off the week and is followed by fun times such as draft horse pulls, pedal tractor pulls, 4H exhibits and judging, carnival, turtle races, a mud run and a rodeo!

The Kansas City-area fairs and festivals don’t end once school begins either. Check out our full listing of 2009’s local fairs and festivals for lots more to do and see in August and September!