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Kansas City/ Musings

Kansas City Holiday Festivities

December 13, 2021
kansas city holidays christmas events

Jingle bells, ho ho ho, and all that jazz … it’s time to get your holiday spirit on! We might not be at the North Pole, but if you’re in the Kansas City area, there are plenty of festivities to revel in the most wonderful time of year (no matter what winter holiday, if any, you celebrate). From shopping to lights to decor galore, check out these must-see holiday gems to make the season bright (and perhaps enjoy a holiday drink while you’re at it).

Merry Market

Ordering gifts at the click of a button may be fast and easy, but nothing beats the magic of an outdoor holiday market. While I may not be able to jet off to Germany or Switzerland to check off my holiday bucket list item at a true Christkindlmarkt, the Merry Market promises to be equally festive (minus the Alps, unfortunately). Over 90 local artisans and makers from the beloved Strawberry Swing indie craft fair are setting up shop in River Market’s City Market area every weekend between Thanksgiving and Christmas in an open-air European-style market. Whatever craft suits your fancy, you’re likely to find it here—ceramics, printing, painting, photography, candles, sweet treats, jewelry, clothing, and more. To set the festive mood as you peruse, there will also be musical performances by Culture House and the Kansas City Women’s Chorus, plus drinks to sip and street food to munch. Amazon who?

Union Station’s Holiday Reflections

Kansas City’s elegant 1914 train station manages to be atmospheric in pretty much any situation, and that’s especially true around the holidays. In addition to wreaths, lights, and baubles galore, the station also sets up a display in its Grand Plaza, a walk-through extravaganza of decorated trees, giant ornaments, and beloved holiday characters. The Holiday Reflections display also includes Rudy’s Wonderland, complete with a mini train for kids to ride. My favorite part, however, is the model train village. Even if you’re not a train nerd, it’s undeniably enchanting watching little model trains rumble through charming old-time villages and snowy mountains, past tiny ice skating rinks and iconic KC landmarks (and even around a few incongruous gems like a giant Hello Kitty). The display is open every day, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and it’s well worth the $5 ticket ($8 on weekends).

holidays christmas union station kansas city

holidays christmas union station kansas city

union station kansas city christmas

Crown Center

Not to brag, but Kansas City’s Crown Center has a taller Christmas tree than the Rockefeller Center (as far as I know, however, we do not have a hitchhiking owl). This year’s Mayor’s Christmas Tree is 100 feet tall and, of course, covered in glittering lights and ornaments. Once you’ve gotten your fill of the tree, warm up inside Crown Center, listen to live holiday choirs, and take a look at the equally festive decor inside the shopping center (including the EBT Laughing Santa, a nostalgic and vaguely creepy mechanical Santa that graced the window of the Emery, Bird, Thayer department store in the early 1900s and now counts down the days until Christmas).

The Ice Terrace

Ice skating on a quaint pond amidst glittering snow always seemed like a magical experience to me—though if you’ve ever skated on an actual pond, you know it’s not as smooth as movies would have you believe. Call me wimpy, but I’ll take a Zamboni-perfected rink any day. Luckily, Crown Center’s Ice Terrace is just as magical. With a view of the sparkling Mayor’s Christmas tree and Crown Center decorations and holiday tunes playing in the background, this outdoor rink offers a perfect dose of seasonal festivity. Tickets are $8, plus $4 for skate rental, and you can even grab a cup of hot cocoa to sip in between skating sessions.

crown center christmas kansas city

Let There Be Light(s)!

What’s the holiday season without magical displays of twinkling holiday lights? While there are beautiful displays all around the KC area, here are a few of my favorite to get into the holiday spirit.

Plaza lights — The thousands of lights bedecking the Country Club Plaza are practically a Kansas City institution by now—and well worth the hype. While the Plaza can get a bit crazy around the holidays, it’s also undeniably festive, and the lights lining every building in the Spanish-style district are beautiful. (Hint: If you want a stellar view, take a ride on the InterContinental Hotel’s glass elevator.)

68th–70th Street & Ward Parkway — The historic gingerbread-esque houses off Ward Parkway look even more charming decked out in holiday lights. The houses along 68th, 69th, and 70th Streets in particular get into the spirit with coordinated displays of draped string lights and wrapped tree trunks. (68th–70th Street & Ward Parkway, Kansas City, MO)

97th and Lee Boulevard — Though this display is only two houses, it’s still worth a drive past. The two homes on opposite sides of Lee Boulevard boast impressive (and slightly dizzying) coordinated light shows that play in sync with a local radio station. (97th Street & Lee Boulevard, Leawood, KS)

Christmas Place — In case it isn’t obvious, the residents of this close-knit neighborhood are big on the holidays. Since 1994, all twenty-three houses have banded together to festoon the area in holiday decorations. (131st Place & Antioch Road, Overland Park, KS)

Candy Cane Lane — Since 1958, the residents of this cul-de-sac off 79th Street have thrown themselves into the holiday season with gusto. Now dubbed Candy Cane Lane, the street features houses decked out in lights and decorations, complete with a candy cane (or several) in front of each house. (7900 Outlook Lane, Prairie Village, KS)

Sar-Ko Aglow — Strings of jewel-toned lights turn the trees and pond of the fifty-acre Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park in Lenexa into a winter wonderland. Take a walk through the park’s many trails to enjoy a bit of peaceful holiday ambience. (Lackman Road & W. 87th Street Parkway, Lenexa, KS)

Festival of Lights – Bundle up and take in a winter wonderland of botanically inspired light displays as you wander the paths of Powell Gardens. The gardens are beautiful in any case, and the illumination of the Festival of Lights only adds to the magic. You can even sip on a spiked (or nonalcoholic) hot chocolate or cider as you meander. Tickets are $13.

Winter Magic – If you’re looking for a truly over-the-top explosion of holiday lights, take a drive through Swope Park’s Winter Magic display. With lighted tunnels, animated displays, and a candy blacklight area (don’t ask me what that is), it’s a trippy holiday extravaganza. Tickets are $21–27 per car.

Kansas City/ Musings

Autumn Bucket List

September 22, 2021
autumn bucket list kansas city fall

It still feels like summer in Kansas City, but it’s officially fall, and I’m in full autumn mode (admittedly, I’m pretty much always in autumn mode, but now I can really go unapologetically fall-crazy). Mid-September to November for me is all about burying myself in anything and everything that conjures up that aura of crisp, misty days; brilliant fiery colors; earthy charm; and of course, all the spookiness. Even if it’s not exactly crisp outside yet, I’ll be channeling that October spirit — bring on the autumn bucket list.

 

Explore the fall colors

The stunning reds, yellows, and oranges of fall might be my favorite part of the season. While KC isn’t exactly known for its fall colors, there are a number of spots where the season shows off its hues in spectacular fashion. I’m going to do a full post about finding the best fall foliage around KC, so stay tuned!

 

Cook something pumpkin

What screams autumn more than pumpkins? There are an embarrassing number of pumpkin-related recipes saved on my Pinterest — here are a few I’m eyeing for this season (sorrynotsorry, no PSLs here):

 

Enjoy ye olde English autumn at the Renaissance Festival

Weekends through October 17, Bonner Springs, KS

Huzzah! It’s time for pirates, princesses, mead, jousting, and even a touch of magic. Every fall a Renaissance village comes to life in Bonner Springs, Kansas. And yes, I realize that I’m a history nerd, but honestly, there’s a little something for everyone. Food, artisans selling everything from jewelry to beauty products to real swords, costumed performers, music, games, and yes, a jousting tournament. The village looks like it was transplanted from medieval England, and it’s honestly worth a visit simply to see the colorful characters wandering around. You might even run into the queen and her retinue meandering about.

 

Peruse the Plaza Art Fair

September 24-26, Kansas City, MO

The Plaza Art Fair is essentially a KC institution by now (this is its 90th year!). Every September, artists take over the Country Club Plaza, displaying every type of art you can imagine — painting, sculpture, pottery, illustration, mixed media, jewelry, photography, and more. There’s a taste of everything, from traditional landscape paintings to funky found object sculpture to tongue-in-cheek graphic art. Even if you (like me), can’t afford to buy fine art, it’s worth it to peruse the beautiful array of works, and there’s always a fun crowd, plus live music and food vendors from Plaza restaurants.

fall apples kansas city applefest autumn bucket list

Celebrate Weston Applefest

October 2-3, Weston, MO

I just got a flashback from one of my favorite childhood movies, Prancer: “We got apples. We’ll eat applesauce and apple cider and apple pie, stewed apples and baked apples and dried apples. And apple butter.” While I can’t promise Weston Applefest has all of those applecentric delights, it does offer a quintessential fall fest, with artisan vendors, live music, a parade, and food (including, obviously, lots of apples) along historic Weston Main Street. With its storied old buildings and kitschy little shops, Weston alone oozes fall charm. The town dates all the way back to 1837 and is nestled along the Missouri River, and there’s plenty to explore as you munch your apples.

 

Visit Louisburg Cider Mill

Apple cider donuts. Need I say more? We visit Louisburg Cider Mill every year to pick out pumpkins (usually the lazy way, from the already-picked selection, but you can also venture into the pumpkin patch to pick your own). From a charming general store with tasty local goods to a corn maze to scrumptious homemade cider and donuts, everything about Louisburg screams “fall.” You can even watch the apples going through the cider press (it’s oddly mesmerizing watching hundreds of apples tumble about).

 

Carve pumpkins

Halloween without jack-o-lanterns is just wrong. And to anyone who dare suggest carving pumpkins is only for kids: I’m sorry your life is so bereft of joy. (Kidding, but seriously, you’re never too old for jack-o-lanterns.) Though I don’t exactly have the patience for extremely intricate designs, I love an excuse to fall down a rabbit hole of fun designs on Pinterest (one year I did Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter). I usually pick out pumpkins at Louisburg, but you can also find them at most grocery stores, and then I put on a spooky movie to set the mood while carving my jack-o-lantern masterpiece.

halloween haunted kansas city autumn bucket list

Venture to a (real) haunted house

It’s that time of year again: everything is getting a bit darker, a bit colder, a bit more mysterious and uncertain, and the boundary between the living and the dead is a little hazy. Or at least, it’s the perfect time for a haunted house. I don’t mean a sensationalist horror house where people lunge out at you from the shadows. I mean a real haunted house, in the spirit of gothic horror tales. Old mansions and buildings with bizarre or tragic backstories and an eerie aura that makes you think that — just maybe — some of their residents have never quite moved on. These places probably won’t make your heart pound, but they are likely to make your spine tingle and your imagination run wild.

 

For my ghostly adventures, I’m heading to Vaile Mansion, an opulent Gothic-style 31-room mansion in Independence, Missouri. Built in 1881, the mansion has witnessed a family scandal, a tragic death, and a period as a sanitarium. Ghost tours take place throughout October. Let the chills commence…

 

A few honorable mentions near the KC area: Pythian Castle, an imposing fortress built as an orphanage in 1913 by the fraternal order the Knights of Pythias (does that sound sketchy to anyone else?) with later incarnations as a hospital for WWII veterans, a prison for German and Italian POWs, a social services agency, and a private home. Plenty of scope for ghostly goings-on there. Belvoir Winery in Liberty, MO, which was constructed from 1900 to 1923 by the fraternal organization — and self-proclaimed secret society — the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (don’t ask me how they came up with that name) and served as a residence for the elderly, indigent, and orphans; a hospital; and a school. It now hosts events, including murder mystery dinners and paranormal investigations. And Majors House, a KCMO homestead built in 1856 by entrepreneur Alexander Majors and now apparently home to the ghosts of a restless blacksmith and a caretaker who refuses to leave.

 

Visit a historic cemetery

Gothic spookiness doesn’t get much better than a historic graveyard. Is it a little odd that I love wandering around cemeteries and looking at old gravestones? Maybe, but in this instance it fits the Halloween spirit. One of my favorites is Union Cemetery, a beautiful hilly, tree-filled space built in 1857 and housing many famous Kansas Citians. Laurel Hill Cemetery in Weston (established circa 1840) is also gorgeous, and I might have to check out Elmwood Cemetery (est. 1872) in Northeast Kansas City as well. To really amp up the creepy vibes, the Coterie Theatre is performing live renditions of Edgar Allen Poe‘s The Pit and the Pendulum and The Tomb of Ligeia Thursday/Friday/Saturday nights amid the tombstones of Union Cemetery.

 

Ghost story galore!

To fully set the Halloween atmosphere, I like to go all-out on ghostly tales in October. Disclaimer: horror and gore is not my thing. As with haunted houses, the October/Halloween mood for me is all about spookiness, gothic horror, and eerie mystery. In other words, no slasher flicks or exorcisms (instead, think Dracula and haunted castles). As usual, I went a little overboard in investigating ideas here, so I’m writing a separate post in a couple of weeks with all the books, movies, and podcasts to fill your spooky gothic October.

autumn kansas city bucket list

Image credits: Evgenia Silaeva (pumpkins), Alina Osadchenko (haunted house), Marina Ermakova (Halloween icons), Anna Kuzmina (tombstone), Daria Ustiugova (apples)