33 Fun Field Trips & Things to Do: Plan Group Activities in KC
Whether you’re a PTA member, an educator looking for fun field trip ideas, or a parent searching for educational activities for kids, you’re in the right place.
We’ve gathered fun field trip ideas and educational things to do with kids in and around Kansas City. So, start planning your field trip now!
Easily plan your field trip or group activities with this guide. Find field trip ideas, educational events, and options that will come to your group’s location—we’ve done the searching for you!
Also, find the Best Museums in Kansas City for more educational activities, or check out the After School Activities Guide! If you’re looking for Fall Fun, pick apples at a local apple orchard. If you have younger children, check out the Preschools Guide!
What are Good Field Trip Ideas, Group Activities, and Educational Things to Do in and Around Kansas City?
Kansas and Missouri Field Trips and Group Activities:
Kansas City Invention Convention
The Kansas City Invention Convention (KCIC), the region’s top invention competition, is open to Kansas City metro students in grades 5 through 12.
At KCIC, STEM meets invention and entrepreneurship. Students practice creative problem-solving to help invent our future, while educators are provided with a FREE project-based curriculum to inspire the innovators of tomorrow.
Educators can sign up today at KCInvent.org or email [email protected]
Learning2Fly
Mission, KS
The habits of health are the focus of this field trip. Children will participate in aerial fitness & aerial yoga, an art project, the 7 Habits of Health, and hammocks!
If you are an educator, teacher, or administrator and would like to tour their aerial fitness studio to see what they offer, call 913-262-2600 or email [email protected].
TasteBuds Kitchen
Leawood, KS
Learn to cook at TasteBud’s Kitchen! Their mission is to be the top culinary entertainment experience for kids, families, and adults by engaging budding chefs in the kitchen.
Any age can participate, with many kids-only classes available! Children as young as 2 can participate in parent-child programming.
Explore camps, classes, programs, parties, & other special events. If you have a scout group or homeschool group, organize a special event for them to learn culinary skills! They make the kitchen exciting, and we create it all from scratch—from pasta to sushi and everyone’s favorite cupcakes!
CW Parker Carousel Museum
Leavenworth, KS
Open February through December, the C.W. Parker Carousel Museum celebrates all that is beautiful and good about carousels. Come explore restored carousels, carousel horses, and historically registered carousels.
All visitors and field trips are also invited to ride a 109-year-old carousel!
The C.W. Parker Carousel Museum is located in Leavenworth, KS, and is one of several museums sponsored by the Leavenworth Historical Museum Association. The Carousel Museum is a non-profit organization that operates through community donations and volunteer efforts. While you’re there, learn about entrepreneur Fred Harvey and his significant impact on business in Kansas. Grab your class and come visit the Carousel Museum today!
Ernie Miller Nature Center
Olathe, KS
Ernie Miller Nature Center provides an opportunity for learning, understanding, and admiring nature’s ever-changing ways during educational field trips & group events.
The center offers a wide variety of educational opportunities, including cultural, historical, and environmental programs. Explore activities for all ages—perfect for classes, scout groups and troops, homeschool groups, and any group in between!
Midwest Trust Center Arts Ed
Overland Park, KS
Catch a theater performance at the Midwest Trust Center and learn about the arts! The shows are affordable and fun for students of all ages. Family shows are also offered in the evening for scout groups, team activities, or a fun family night.
There are performances from Messner Puppet Theatre, as well as concerts and other performances. You can find the upcoming school events here.
Daytime performances begin at 10:00 a.m. or 1:00 p.m. and cost $6 per person or $5 for school groups.
Lanesfield Historic Site
Edgerton, KS
The Lanesfield Historic Site offers the Farm Family Program for preschoolers to 3rd grade or the Living History Program for 4th and 5th graders.
Come experience the history of Kansas with your class or group and be taken back in time! You can complete registration forms online for Lanesfield or the Arts & Heritage Center, or contact the Museum’s Education Department at 913-715-2570 or by email.
Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop & Farm
Olathe, KS
Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop allows students to discover history where it happened. During the field trip, kids participate in activities with animals, wagons, and the stagecoach!
School field trip programs are two hours long and are offered Tuesday through Friday in morning and afternoon sessions. You can also choose multiple programs to create a full-day field trip. Times are also flexible to accommodate bus and pick-up schedules.
- Half-day program: minimum of 20 students for $6 per student.
- Full-day program: minimum 20 students for $10 per student.
- $1 reduced admission per student for Title 1 schools
TimberRidge Adventure Center
Olathe, KS
TimberRidge Adventure Center (TRAC), offers a wide range of opportunities for families, friends, class field trips, and work groups. Activities will challenge students, teach better communication, solve problems, and work together. Team building activities are for everyone from Boy Scouts to executive boards. So, experience fun and excitement in a non-competitive, safe and supportive atmosphere.
The challenge course features 28 low activities, a zip line (300 ft.), a climbing tower & 3 high climbing ropes activities. These allow participants to problem-solve & explore communication in high-intensity environments. You can also participate in other activities like fishing, canoes, paddle boats, archery & hiking!
Nerman Museum
Overland Park, KS
3D art hunt & Saturday programs are just a few of the unique features at the Nerman Museum. The interactive art program is FREE, so be sure to check out this educational thing to do, no matter your group size!
You will explore how art connects with different mediums including literature, math & science.
Paint Glaze & Fire
Overland Park, KS
Get creative for your next group outing or activity!
Paint, Glaze, & Fire is a great option for scout groups, girls’ night, team parties, and other group activities. They provide all the supplies, you just bring the creativity. Choose from a wide variety of projects to accommodate many group activity budgets!
This is the perfect option for creativity, fun, and savings. They have project options to fit every budget, so call 913-661-2529 today with questions or to schedule. Walk-in options are also available.
KC Watersports
Paola, KS
KC Watersports is the best wakeboarding destination in the Midwest. For beginners, they offer day camps and lessons to perfect your skills. Experts won’t find a more challenging set of rails, ramps, and sliders anywhere in the region.
For the family and groups, they have a shaded beach, where you can relax and watch the kids ride or play. Their Surf Shop is well stocked with the best gear in the industry, with rental equipment available. All skill levels are encouraged, so plan your visit to KCW with your group and enjoy some active fun in the sun!
Ceramic Café
Leawood, KS
Ceramic Cafe is a paint-your-own-pottery and glass fusing studio serving the Kansas City area. The helpful staff at Ceramic Cafe will guide your group through the creative process using ceramic techniques and supplies to create artistic masterpieces.
If you’re looking for a place to host your next group outing or class field trip, Ceramic Cafe is the place for you. They also donate to charitable groups and can help your school or organization with a fundraising project.
Come to paint your pottery piece or create a beautiful work of glass in their vibrant Leawood, Kansas studio. The process to paint, glaze, and fire your masterpiece takes about a week.
Johnson County Museum
Kids in Kindergarten & older can attend historically rich programs from the Johnson County Museums – learning about their own city! There are multiple programs available for children:
- Community Helpers
- History Detectives
- Community Planners Challenge
School of Economics
Blue Springs, MO, and Kansas City, MO
Students engage through real-world learning to promote lifelong financial capabilities. SOE helps students to understand and apply basic marketplace concepts and skills and exposes them to business-related careers. While at SOE, students learn experientially about:
- Having jobs and managing their earned money
- Working as a business team
- Producing and selling merchandise (supply and demand)
Anita B Gorman Conservation Discovery Center
Kansas City, MO
The Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center is a unique, hands-on, urban conservation education center. Located in the heart of KC, it is near a large portion of schools.
The Discovery Center offers free educational field trips that follow curriculum standards for your school. Educational programs provide a variety of hands-on learning experiences and workshops for your class or group, including a butterfly garden, bird feeding garden, and Grow Native demonstrations including prairie wildflowers, wetland, water garden, and manicured upland and lowland forests.
Additionally, families and groups are welcome to attend any of the demonstrations, activities, and self-guided hikes available at the center. There are also tours of the building and grounds showing environmentally friendly ways to build an urban environment in harmony with nature.
The Discovery Center also has a 0.25 mile disabled-accessible sidewalk that takes visitors through the Grow Native Gardens on the site.
Kansas City Young Audiences
Kansas City, MO
Almost 200 artists work with KCYA to bring educational arts programs to schools, community centers, hospitals & libraries throughout the KC metro.
You can find many different activities including live performances, art workshops, after-school programs & artist residencies for every age range. These programs are available for nearly all arts, as well as many academic subjects.
KCYA’s School and Community Programs reinforce core curriculums for your grade level & promote art in children. Come get creative while practicing problem-solving skills at their educational art programs!
Kemper Outdoor Education Center
Blue Springs, MO
The Kemper Outdoor Education Center staff offers guided interpretive programs for classroom field trips, youth groups, and organizations. In April, May, and September, the X-Stream Green field trip program offers multi-station outdoor education for 1st to 6th-grade classrooms. The interpretive staff conducts programs on Snakes, Bats, Skins and Skulls, Butterflies, Birds and Binoculars, Fishing, Recycling, Nature Hikes, and much more.
Inside the Nature Center, you’ll find rock and fossil exhibits, a natural resource library, and mounted examples of native wildlife. The grounds feature nature trails, butterfly and water gardens, wildlife viewing areas, an arboretum, a shelter house, a large pond, and a day camp site. The Outdoor Classroom offers a valuable resource for hands-on environmental education. Hikers on the Habitat Trail can explore a variety of ecology: wetland, prairie, woodland, and cactus glade. Self-guided tours are free of charge.
Missouri Town 1855
Lee’s Summit, MO
See what a progressive farming community, spread across some 30 sloping acres, looked like in the mid-1800s.
Missouri Town 1855 is composed of more than 25 buildings dating from 1820 – 1860. This living history museum uses original structures, furnishings, and equipment. Also depicting the 19th Century lifestyles are interpreters in period attire, authentic field and garden crops, and rare livestock breeds.
Explore an authentic Missouri town during your next field trip or event for an excursion your group will never forget. Visit professional living history interpreters on this self-guided tour.
Burr Oak Woods
Blue Springs, MO
Discover the beauty of nature with the Missouri Department of Conservation at Burr Oak Woods Nature Center in Blue Springs. The nature center offers free programs and activities for classes, troops, field trips, and groups throughout the fall and winter. The center also hosts activities, classes, and events for families and individuals.
Families and groups are also welcome to visit the center to explore the nature center’s open savannas, prairies, and woodland areas during visiting hours. For more information, visit the Missouri Department of Conservation’s website and be sure to check out their “Nature & You” newsletter to stay up to date on nature programs and events happening in the Kansas City, Missouri region.
Lecompton Historical Society
Lecompton, MO
Lecompton Historical Society would like to extend an open invitation for you to take a step back in time, to look at the rich heritage that led to the formation of their town and the State of Kansas.
Come explore the Lecompton Territorial Museum for your next field trip or group event and learn about Kansas history up through today! Lecompton was founded in 1854 and in 1855, the town became the permanent and only official capital of the Kansas Territory.
During the group activity, you will participate in a “Bleeding Kansas” play, set in the 1850s. So, you will be right in the middle of the action!
College Basketball Experience
Kansas City, MO
Come discover and play while learning! Kids can explore college basketball in interactive experiences in downtown Kansas City.
Kids can shoot hoops, try to beat the clock, and even be a sportscaster! But it’s not just fun, learn about the history, and walk through the Gallery of Honor and Mentor’s Circle. They also offer group discounts for your class or group.
Sunset Trails Stables
Lee’s Summit, MO
Sunset Trails Stables offers field trip opportunities for a number of organizations including daycare facilities, elementary and home schools, Girl Scouts & Boy Scouts, church youth groups, and many others.
Field trips are available all days of the week, rain or shine, and include two hours of instruction from our staff. You can also eat lunch at the picnic area before or after the field trip. Visitors are encouraged to bring lunch and/or snacks.
The cost is $10 per person for two-hour field trips that include horseback riding. If they do not include horseback riding is $7 per person. Prices are for children and adults regardless of age. All field trip participants are required to have a release form signed by their parent or guardian prior to the day of the field trip. Release forms can be picked up at the Sunset Trails Stables office or printed online. Riding helmets will be provided. Closed-toed shoes are required.
Carolyn’s Pumpkin Patch
Liberty, MO
Carolyn’s Pumpkin Patch is Kansas City’s Original Pumpkin Patch and a “must-visit” fall destination! With easy access from all parts of the Kansas City area, Carolyn’s is just 2 miles south of Liberty, Missouri. The farm offers the freedom of a self-guided tour around the Pumpkin Patch to allow educators the opportunity to work within their school or group’s curriculum.
School tours include…
* A special book reading featuring the “Spookley the Square Pumpkin” series
* Wagon rides through acres of our pumpkin fields
* Pie pumpkin picking
Students will also enjoy a tractor-drawn wagon ride, a pie pumpkin, a honey stick, and Carolyn’s award-winning coloring book (available in 8 languages). Also offered at the Patch are Uncle Earl’s Educational Mining Camp & School Tours, options for homeschool groups and families, as well as activities for special needs children. Visit Carolyn’s Pumpkin Patch online for further details about all of their offerings during pumpkin season.
Fort Osage
Sibly, MO
Journey back to a time when Missouri was “out West” in the wilderness, and experience the lives of the men and women who pioneered the American frontier. Authentically dressed characters provide living-history insights into the daily life of both the military and civilian populations during the tour.
Built in 1808 under the direction of William Clark, co-leader of the Lewis and Clark expedition, the Fort served a dual role. It was both a military garrison and trade center. Overlooking the Missouri River, this historic site has been reconstructed to portray Fort Osage as it was in 1812. Your group will be transported in time to experience true frontier life.
Wayside Waifs
Kansas City, MO
If your group loves animals, plan a field trip at Wayside Waifs!
Their “No More Bullying!” anti-bullying programs focus on preventing violence against animals and people. Visit them online to learn more about the violence prevention program & how to book your group.
Kaleidoscope
Your class will get creative when they visit Kaleidoscope. This local fave is free and full of endless creativity.
Kauffman Center
The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts has a variety of educational experiences. Tickets are only $2. Contact [email protected] for more details.
Urban Air Adventure Park
With two locations, Lenexa and Overland Park, Urban Air Adventure Park is a great field trip option for your class. There are warrior courses, zip lining, trampolines, and more.
Sky Zone
Lee’s Summit and Kansas City
Sky Zone is a must for field trips. They have two locations across the metro and your class will definitely enjoy features like their SkySlam, Ultimate Dodgeball, SkyJoust, Ninja Warrior Course, and more.
YaYa’s Alpaca Farm
YaYa’s Alpaca Farm is another metro favorite. They offer tours all year round for large and small groups. This is a great option for animal lovers and a unique field trip experience.
Science City
Kansas City
Science City at Union Station is THE best place to get hands-on science. Your class can explore the world around them including the way we move, think, and more. Science City is a must-visit for your class.
Other Fun Online Resources & Activities:
You can also check out the Field Trip Guide Book to read online!
- The Best Subscription Boxes for Kids – cooking, art, science, sports & more.
- Best Homeschool Programs & Curriculum (most online)
- Free Disney Imagineering Course for Kids – Build your own theme park!
- Companies providing free subscriptions to their educational programs!
- Library programs for families – all free!
- Free Educational Websites for Kids to practice STEM concepts. You can find educational companies here too.
- Our favorite museums in KC
We’re so grateful to live in a city with so many incredible resources, activities, & opportunities for your young learners, troops, and field trip groups.
We invite you to use this guide full of field trip ideas as you plan your school year and SHARE, SHARE, SHARE with teachers, troop leaders, after-school programs, and any parent planning educational and fun activities to do in Kansas City for their kids!
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From our family to yours, iFamilyKC.
