1. Mahaffie Farmstead-
Hours: Memorial Day-Labor Day- Wednesday/Saturday 10am-4pm and Sunday 12pm-4pm
Admission: $6 for adults and $4 for children ages 5-11
Mahaffie Farmstead is a new adventure for us this year. This year we want to make it to at least two of the special summer programs they offer. I've shared their list of summer programs here for your convenience.
Day Out with Frank and Ella- Wednesday & Thursday in June and July 9am to 4pm.
Each week your child can enjoy a different theme with activities, crafts and a stagecoach ride. Admission costs $5/child and accompanying adults are free. Adults do have to pay $2/person if they opt to take the stagecoach ride. Parking is available in the parking lot of the Heritage Center, be sure to pick up a map there while paying admission. Families are encouraged to bring a sack lunch to enjoy on the grounds. Registration is encouraged for groups of 10 or more. To register, call 913.971.5111
- 6/4 and 6/5: Kansas Cowboys
- 6/11 and 6/12: Horse Power
- 6/18 and 6/19: Civil War
- 6/25 and 6/26: Hit the Trails!
- 7/09 and 7/10: Civil War
- 7/16 and 7/17: wonders of Victorian Science or Kansas Wheat Harvest (depends on wheat crops)
- 7/23 and 7/24: Wonders of Victorian Science or Kansas Wheat Harvest(depends on wheat crops)
- 7/30 and 7/31: County Fair
- No sessions July 2nd or 3rd (Independence Day)
Families enjoy FREE admission(with a small fee for some special activities) and a different theme of history each week with lots of hands on activities. Stagecoach rides are $2/person ages 3 and up.
- June 5th: Kansas Cowboys
- June 12th: Horse Power
- June 19th: Border War
- June 25th- Hit the Trail!
- July 3rd- Celebrate Olathe! (Grand opening of the Olathe Community Center, 19th Century Independence Day and 19th Century Fireworks)
- July 10th: Civil War
- July 17th: Wonders of Victorian Science or Kansas Wheat Harvest(depends on wheat crop)
- July 24th: Wonders of Victorian Science or Kansas Wheat Harvest(depends on wheat crop)
- July 31st: County Fair
Friday July 4th 10am to 4pm
Enjoy 1860s living history activities such as cookstove and blacksmith demonstrations, take a stagecoach ride and listen to a reading of the Declaration of Independence at noon. Regular site admission applies. $6/adults. $4/children 5-11 years old. Olathe residents receive $1 off of admission prices.
Hours: Trails are open daily from dawn til dusk. The Nature Center is open Monday-Saturday 9am-5pm and closed on Sunday during June, July and August.
Admission: FREE
We love hiking here together as a family! With beautiful trails, engaging story-times for little ones every other Wednesday morning and the new Friday Family Nights Series at the outdoor amphitheater in June and July this is a great, inexpensive option for getting into nature this summer. Don't forget to bring the camera for cute photo ops! Check out their calendar here to see what's coming up.
3. Summer movies-
One of our favorite ways to enjoy summer is to take in new movies together. I'm sure we'll pop into the local theater for a show or two but we LOVE going to the drive-in during summer months. This is easily my favorite thing about the season! I look forward to the drive in each year. :) Most of our local drive-ins are good about trying to show new family friendly releases first and wrapping up with an adult blockbuster while our kids crash in the car. We only go when they have a child friendly show but we usually get to attend 3-5 times a season. I recommend the Mid-Way Drive-In and Boulevard Drive-In
This summer the Dickinson Theatres are offering a pretty good selection of movies as part of their Summer Vacation Movie Series as well. We are especially excited to see the Wizard of Oz on the big screen. You can't beat the $2 ticket price and $4.50 snack box on a hot summer day! You can check out the movie lineup here.
4. Theatre in the Park-
Hours: Box Office opens at 6:15pm, Gates open at 6:30pm, Curtain at 8:30pm.
Admission: $8 for adults, $6 for children ages 4-10. Reserved chairs should be booked online in advance and cost $20 per chair.
I can't wait to take the family to Threatre in the Park this summer. There is something wonderful about sitting out under the stars watching a great performance. I love taking a blanket to snuggle up on but they also provide a section with chairs if that's more your thing. If you're going with children, please remember to take along some pre-show entertainment while waiting for the show to start. Our kids love coloring books and play dough especially. Theatre in the Park has a great summer season that you can see here.
5. Deanna Rose/Firefly Forest-
Hours: Open daily from 9am-5pm.
Admission: Monday-Thursday FREE, Friday-Sun and Holidays $2/person, 2 and under are FREE.
Deanna Rose is a great place to spend a summer morning in and of itself. My girls are big fans of the mining area and pony rides. I love the playground and animals. When we go next time we're VERY excited to check out Firefly Forest while we're there. Firefly Forest isn't part of Deanna Rose but we've heard that gnome homes are popping up on the trail directly behind their facility. From what I understand, you park at Deanna Rose and head South on Switzer(west on the trail) until you come to a gnome home about 10 minutes down the trail. If you backtrack and head east on the trail, going under the street, you'll find the Firefly Forest sign after about a five minute walk and there are more homes as you continue on the trail. The idea of fairy and gnome homes fascinates my girls, we can't wait to check out their cute homes and then make some of our own!
6. The Library- Our oldest is a big-time reader. She's always in the middle of several good books at once. We plan on making lots of visits to our local library to find new books to devour together. Luckily for us, our library offers a great summer reading program to participate in. To encourage even more summer reading at home we put together a special challenge for her. You can download her Summer Reading Bucket List here.
7. Fruit Picking-
*Call to to arrange a u-pick appointment at Gieringers!
We've visited orchards in the past for apples and peaches but this year we'd like to pick our own berries at Gieringers Orchard in Edgerton. According to their website strawberries should be ready in late May, blackberries in July, and peaches in July/August. With prices between $2-$4 per lb. it makes for a fantastic family outing and an opportunity to experience how different plants grow.
8.Brumble's Forest-
Brumble's Forest is a really fun playground at Meadowmere Park. Located in Grandview Missouri, it's a bit of a drive for us but it makes for a wonderful day trip. We try to explore at least one new park together each summer. Huge playground, sand area, tons of swings and slides, beautiful trails and an amazing woodland design- Brumble's Forest is a must-see metro park.
9.Powell Gardens/ Overland Park Arboretum-
Powell Gardens Hours: Daily 9am-6pm
Powell Gardens Admission: $10 for adults, $9 for seniors, $4 for children ages 5-12, 4 and under FREE
Overland Park Arboretum Hours: Daily 8am-7:30pm
Overland Park Arboretum Admission: $3 for adults, $1 for children ages 6-12, 5 and under are FREE
We visit the Overland Park Arboretum frequently but this year we hope to get to the areas we haven't seen and we want to make the trip out to Powell Gardens as well. So many of our best days are spent lazily exploring the lovely gardens together!
10. Bowling-
We registered our kids on www.kidsbowlfree.com so they can enjoy two free games of bowling at our local bowling alley EVERY DAY this summer. We only have to pay shoe rental and they can beat the heat while having fun whenever they want. What a great deal! Check it out to find cooperating bowling alleys in your area.
11. Loose Park Sprayground-
Hours: Daily 11am-7pm CLOSED WEDNESDAYS FOR CLEANING.
Admission: FREE
Loose Park is a fun family outing with lots to see and do- flower gardens, playgrounds, ponds, and our family favorite- the sprayground! You can't beat free water fun in a gorgous park on a hot day.
12. Kaleidoscope-
Hours: check the website for varying hours over the summer months.
Admission: tickets for each session are FREE on a first come first served basis.
Kaleidoscope is a Hallmark art center for kids at Crown Center in Kansas City. If you haven't been here before, please go check it out. It's so fun! They offer all kinds of engaging art experiences for children to create to their hearts content. Pick up a free ticket to a 40 minute art session for your family and explore the different stations. Make glow in the dark art and create a puzzle of your own. Take all of your artwork home with you at the end of your session. I wish the sessions were a bit longer but we always have a lot of fun creating together when we visit. If you go, be sure to check out the Crayola Store and the free themed play exhibit at Crown Center as well to round out your trip. Crown Center is also home to Legoland Discovery Center, Sealife Aquarium and Coterie Theatre. There are so many fun things to see and do!
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