We have fine for several years in a row. The artists being booked has regressed but we always have…read morea blast. Their security is nice. The food vendors are as well! The whole camping/clamping situation is very unorganized. But we will be back.

The Country Stampede has been a summer event in Kansas for almost 20 years now. They have 4 days of…read moretop country music artists come in to perform each afternoon and evening. In 2013, the headliners were Little Big Town, Jason Aldean, Trace Adkins and Miranda Lambert. Over 160,000 people show up for the event. And, It's hot. If it rains, it gets muddy and stinky. But still, people come in droves. They camp there and they stay in the hotels in Manhattan, and they drive in from all over the US. This is the "biggest party on the plains". This was my first year to attend the Stampede. The staff and vendors were all wonderful. The Performers were all top notch, and even the people attending were fun to talk to. Lots of bare skin - as the temps were in the 90's and no shade - although as the sun set, it became comfortable and a beautiful evening to be out. Oh yeah, and it's LOUD. No joke - wear ear protection! At first pass, the tickets seem a bit steep, but after attending the event, I get it. There are all kinds of various packages you can purchase, but a basic 1-day event ticket is about $80. That's to see 4 - 5 different artists perform! Concert tickets generally run $80 a piece! Definitely a bargain. Plus, the 94.5 Country radio station in Topeka was practically handing them out this year - for a month before the event they gave them away on air, at remotes, and with online contests. Sure, you had to win them, but there were SO many opportunities to get your hands on some free tickets. Lastly, there are a bunch of freebie-giveaways from the vendors. (Rockstar was giving away free, full size beverages, for example.) There was also a bunch of expensive stuff to purchase. Tickets to use at the vendors were $5 for 8 tickets. 0.63 cents each. Prices were typical of a festival and so were the offerings. Corn Dogs to Ice Cream, Funnel Cakes and BBQ. Nothing healthy whatsoever - so don't go looking for it. ;) So, if you go, WEAR SUNBLOCK, take earplugs, and eat before you go. ;)

Glo Wild is great! We've gone the past two years and below are my takeaways:…read more 1. I think it's fun to make this part of your holiday tradition. The past two years we've gone around Thanksgiving and the Santa that works here is always 10/10, and it is a unique way to get your family into the holiday spirit. 2. I wish the member discount was a big more or you got more perks while at the event. It's still I think around $20 each to go even if you are member. I don't mind donating to the Zoo as I think it's a great local business and non profit, doing fantastic work, it just feels odd when you are already donating as a member to have such a hefty ticket price. 3. They improved it in 2025 and now offer hot cocoa for sale near Santa and you can even pay to spike it if you're an adult. I do think this could be a bit more magical, if they set up a more custom booth. For example, seeing how cheap the cocoa is kind of takes away from the vibes for me. I also think they could offer a souvenir mug each year like Christmas markets do to make it even more special. I think there is room for improvement here, but I'm glad they added this, as it was a fun and much needed element to tie it all together. 4. It's a fun walk, and the lights are always magical tl;dr: It's a fun event, worth the price overall. Kids and adults will enjoy it.

I felt like a true time traveler (Lantern Theme 2025-2026) after visiting the Glo Wild exhibition…read moreat the Kansas City Zoo. The management has done a terrific job showcasing this immersive lantern festival, making it one of the most awaited and popular activity in Kansas City. I visited the exhibition in the last week of December and was truly mesmerized by the glowing art. The mile or two long path took us through different timelines, showcasing Paris, the Wild West, American history, and then moving on to different types of animals, flowers, and fantasy highlights. There were a few cultural festivals captured as well, like Mardi Gras, followed by Ice Age animals and then sci-fi futuristic lanterns. My favorite sections were the Paris area, which featured a beautiful large Eiffel Tower lantern, Statue of Liberty lantern and also the Elvis Presley lantern - amazing. The cultural section truly had my heart. Something that really caught my eye was the Journey Entry lanterns placed at each area.. definitely fun and interesting to read. Few Tips: 1. The whole path took me around two hours to complete because I took my time to view each and every lantern. However, it could take as less as 60 Minutes. 2. It was very cold when I went, however, it wasn't windy, but I would still recommend 3 to 4 layers if warm clothing, if you're going after 8 PM in winter time (for any unexpected weather changes. 3. All the kids I saw were in their strollers and I definitely thought it was needed since it was very dark path apart from the lanterns. 4. Toilets along the path were a bit of a miss since there wasn't enough lighting around them!!! I used the main toilet near the zoo admissions area so please keep that in mind! It's great to know that this exhibition runs until April 2026. It's very family friendly, an amazing great date night option, or as a solo activity. Outside food and drinks are allowed - definitely a plus. One downside is that you won't get to see any animals, and when I visited, even the aquarium was closed. I would recommend checking the aquarium hours too before going. I also believe there is free hot chocolate on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, so don't miss that either ;)! Loved watching each and every lantern and had a fabulous time.

We came for the Tulip Festival today. The tulips were all toward the end of their lives…read moreunfortunately, which makes sense for the time of year, but they're still charging full price for tickets and cut flowers, which doesn't make sense. There's lots of stuff here for kids (carousel, trampoline blob, playground, petting zoo), and lots of food and drink stands that I unfortunately can't say anything about since we didn't check them out. It was also very muddy, but there's nothing that can be done about that really. Lots of cute spaces for photo ops! The petting zoo was my favorite part honestly.

We drove 30 minutes from KC for this pumpkin patch and we were very excited! This place took us by…read moresurprise on how much they had to offer. Admission was a little pricey but it felt worth it with everything they had. We went on a Saturday morning and it was packed. Our friends had to wait at least 1 hour for their food. They had plenty of photo ops which I took apart of. I will say, it was a group of 21+ so we were veryyyyy underwhelmed with the activities since most of them were kid focused. I did take advantage of the carousel and unashamedly got on there! It was a good time :) The farm was huge and I wished we had some kind of map that was either digital or on hand because a few time we could not find anything and I was SEARCHINGGGGGG for a couple things. Make sure to bring your own snacks, get there early and go before the pumpkins go bad.

Go to Atchinson, Kansas every July for a weekend long street fair, carnival rides, food, and fun…read more A birthday celebration commemorating one of Atchinson's famous daughters, Amelia Earhart. The fireworks on Saturday night are probably the best you will see in the plains states. The entire show is computer timed to fit exactly with music. The pyrotechnical expert is out of Wichita KS and he deserves kudos. We watched $65,000.00 worth of fireworks light up the sky for nearly 30 minutes. Prior to the fireworks we watched two daredevil pilots wow a large crowd that may have numbered 10 or 12 thousand. We will certainly go back.

When you think of fall in the midwest, this is the kind of place you want to spend a Saturday…read moreafternoon (provided it's actually nice weather and not that fake 88 degree fall weather). We had been going to another nearby orchard for apple picking, but the shine wore off that and Weston Red Barn Farm is our new pick. It's a great little escape from Kansas City that's under an hour drive from downtown itself. They have: -Tons of pumpkins -A maze -Goats, chickens, horses, pigs, and other animals -Cider slushies, candies, and fall goodies While we most recently visited on a Monday (kids were off school), the weekends are where it's at here. They have more food options, pony rides, and other fun stuff for the kids. It's understandably quieter during the week. Oh and let's not forget the overall setting: bucolic, relaxing, and pretty beautiful for Missouri countryside is I may say so myself. I totally see why people get married here.

I've been coming here for 4 years. The farm is great, they have a great variety of pumpkins, it…read moredoesn't cost anything to get in, and their apple cider slushees are very good! I have to give a lower rating this year because they don't have much on their website as far as Covid guidelines. I reached out to see if they'd allow visitors to walk to the pumpkin patch to avoid the crowded wagon and they said no. I also asked if the wagons would have distance between seats and they said no. I realize outside is a little safer but I don't want to be forced onto a wagon with strangers who may not be wearing masks. This review is more for people who are wondering about their guidelines and if it's safe. They do usually have pre-picked pumpkins for sale that you don't have to ride a wagon to get to which is nice but I think I'll have to find a pumpkin patch that has some actual guidelines for Covid this year.

Art deco splendor! A…read moreworking city building filled with reminders of the spring waters heydays here. Love the intact water bar which is now the welcome center. Lots of surrounding picture displays of the town's history and notable persons with connections to the general area. **No special water to drink or bathe here!

Unfortunately, the museum was closed for construction. They did let us look at some of the…read moreexhibits that were down the hall for storage. On the way, asked the facilities man where a good place to go for lunch would be. TR, recommended Rays Diner. In addition, he offered to show us the pools. He had stories about TJ's pool that had a wheel chair ramp for FDR. Thinking back to the 30's, this building was quite an architectural feat. He said the main pool,was already built when Eleanor Roosevelt's wanted the therapy pool for FDR, the engineers put it outside, then covered it with a porch. The pools,were flooded in 1993. I hope they get the funding to renovate. Very cool historic place with the nicest people. Thanks again Theodore Ray!