61. Kansas City Star Press Pavilion Tour
City: Kansas City, MO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Description: You read it here first, folks. The Star boasts one of the most modern newspaper plants in the world—certainly the prettiest one. That’s it, the glowing green-glass rectangle just south of downtown. Two city blocks long with more than 420,000 square feet within four levels houses four 68-foot-tall Commander presses. These highly automated presses are fun to watch. For safety reasons, tourgoers must be at least eight years of age. There are other restrictions posted on the registration form available on the Web site. Note that there is considerable walking on the tour, but hey! To see how they print enough papers for one million readers a week, it’s worth it. The Star also has an impressive number of items available for sale, including books.
62. The Roasterie
City: Kansas City, MO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (816) 931-4000
Address: 1204 W. 27th St.
Description: Coffee is routine to most people; hit the button, wait for the hot brown liquid to appear. Slurp. Repeat. Well, we’re not most people and we appreciate the talent in buying the best beans, lovingly roasting them, and giving them fun names like Full Vengeance and Nitro. The Roasterie produces award-winning coffee that is available at most local supermarkets, many of our fine restaurants, and online. And now you can learn how to savor the aromas and nuances that put coffee in the same category as wine and chocolate during an interesting, educational tour. Tours are offered every Sat at 9 a.m. and reservations are a must. We’re betting they have coffee waiting.
City: Kansas City, MO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 10735 E. Missouri Hwy. 40
City: Kansas City, MO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 1501 Northeast MO 40
65. Incred-A-Bowl
City: Kansas City, MO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (913) 851-1700
Address: 8500 W. 151st St.
Description: This 65,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art center includes a 40-lane computerized bowling alley, an arcade filled with more than 100 of the latest interactive and virtual reality games, a three-story set of play tubes for the tykes, a new laser tag center, and a miniature golf course. Whew! The complex’s claim to fame, however, is Cosmic Bowling every Fri and Sat night until 1:30 a.m., with groovy black lights, fog, glow-in-the-dark balls and pins, and upbeat music. Incred-A-Bowl also has a pro shop, gift store, and snack bar. And they’ve hosted more than 6,500 birthday parties here. Activity options are endless, and they even provide a helper for the harried parents. Now if only those shoes weren’t so dorky.
City: Kansas City, MO
Category: Tours & Attractions
67. The Crayola Cafe
City: Kansas City, MO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (816) 398-4820
Address: 2450 Grand Ave.
Description: This colorful restaurant in the Crown Center Shops caters to kids with a tin of crayons and ready-to-color placemats at each seat. And you’d swear a five-year-old—and a picky eater at that—dreamed up the menu. It features s’ghetti and meatballs, grilled-cheese sandwiches, a peanut butter wrap, and mini corn dogs. The grown-up menu includes healthy salads and burgers with all the works.
68. T-Rex Cafe
City: Kansas City, MO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (913) 334-8888
Address: 1847 Village West Pkwy. (The Legends of
Description: Turn a corner at the shops in the Legends and—eeek! You’ve just come face-to-ugly-face with a life-size dinosaur! The first T-Rex Cafe in the country (there’s now one at Disney World) serves up fun, food, and even a little education for kids of all ages. Little ones can tear into mac ’n’ cheese or Dexter’s Dino Dogs (three mini hot dogs), while carnivorous adults will be sated by a rib eye steak or barbecue ribs.Before or after the meal, eager tykes can unearth the past in the interactive Paleo Zone. Excavate fossils in the Discovery Dig, explore the mine to find hidden treasures, or pan for precious stones in the Discovery Creek.
69. Crown Center Ice Terrace
City: Kansas City, MO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (816) 274-8411
Address: 2450 Grand Blvd.
Description: This is a scene worthy of Currier and Ives: couples, arm-in-arm, gliding across the ice to music, children in snowsuits making frantic arm circles to keep from falling . . . oops, too late. The setting for this living Christmas card is Crown Center, which appropriately enough is the Hallmark Cards headquarters. A free-form tent provides shelter so even during inclement weather the ice is perfect.The terrace is open seven days a week, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. from Nov through Mar. Fees are $6 per person and free for adults over 60 and children 4 and under; skate rental is $3.
70. The Ice At Park Place
City: Kansas City, MO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (913) 663-2070
Description: At this old fashioned, open-air town square in the heart of Leawood, kids and adults can skate before popping into a neighboring restaurant for hot chocolate (or something a little more bracing for the parents). When the ice melts, the same area is a prime picnic spot. Fees are $6; children four and under are free, and skate rental is $3.
71. Pepsi Ice Midwest Skating Rink And Fitness Center
City: Kansas City, MO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (913) 851-1600
Address: 12140 W. 135th St.
Description: This sparkling, sprawling center features three ice rinks used for hockey and ice-skating competitions and practice. In fact this facility is home to one of the country’s oldest ice-skating groups, the Silver Blades, and the only place in Kansas City to play adult hockey.The ice is available for free skating at various times during the week, usually from 10 a.m. to early afternoon on weekdays, and two sessions on Sat. Check the Web site or call for specific hours. Fees are $7.50 for adults, $5.50 for children under seven years of age, and $3.50 for skate rental. Lessons are also available, and the rink can be rented for birthday parties. The center also has a fitness center, game room, and deli.
City: Kansas City, MO
Category: Tours & Attractions
City: Kansas City, MO
Category: Tours & Attractions
City: Kansas City, MO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 4545 Worlds of Fun Ave.
City: Kansas City, MO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 30 W. Pershing Rd.