Excelsior Springs, MO Outdoor Activities

Witness high-flying college teams making it rain from three-point range while defending shots with their armbrellas. Established in 1937, the inaugural NAIA Tournament has called Kansas City home for 74 years. Featuring 32 teams pivoting and sprinting atop a lustrous hardwood battlefield, it has grown to be known as the longest-running collegiate national championship tournament in the country, not counting the infamous Skull and Bones Underground Cavern Games that took George Washington's real teeth. This year’s tourney will feature several trophy-hungry NAIA teams, such as potential participants Martin Methodist College, Texas Wesleyan University, and NAIA top-ranked Mountain State. Behold a flurry of high-flying buzzer beaters and frustrating defensive schemes at the Kansas City tradition that has featured such big names as John Wooden, Dennis Rodman, and Terry Porter.

Prompted by the nod of the lifeguard’s head, the intrepid swimmer takes a deep breath, closes his eyes, and bravely flings his body into the dark confines of the Barracuda Blast. The slide’s gushing flume speeds its intrepid passenger down covered loops and twists until it spits him out unceremoniously into the warm waters of the pool below.

Boasting a host of aquatic activities, along with nearly 1,000 feet of water slides including the fearsome Barracuda, CoCo Key unleashes the inner merpeople of guests of all ages. Stationed along the pool and at each attraction, licensed lifeguards keep their eagle eyes peeled to ensure the safety of their guests as they play water basketball or engage in leisurely floats down Adventure River. Nearby, a zero-depth-entry kiddie pool serves as a merrymaking haven for children or recently unbottled miniature ships less than 48 inches tall, and a sun-drenched outdoor tanning deck enables visitors to bask in skin-browning rays. To prevent growling stomachs from interrupting watery romps, crews of chefs bustle about CoCo Key’s dining facilities, whipping up culinary sustenance for hungry swimmers.

The Junior League of Kansas City has donated more than $14 million and 2.2 million hours of time since its founding in 1914. Spearheading these efforts are the nonprofit organization’s now 1,400 female members, all of whom are committed to their volunteer work and to encouraging others to donate their time as well. Their sheer numbers allow the ladies to form 700-on-700 pickup basketball games and to spread out across the community to get a pulse on current issues in need of attention—currently, children’s nutrition and fitness. To help support their efforts, these stalwart altruists host fundraisers throughout the year, most notably their annual Holiday Mart event, which raised more than $660,000 in 2011.

Both awarded a Four Star rating by Golf Digest, the Outlaw and Posse courses at Paradise Pointe Golf Complex hug the jagged waterline of Smithville Lake, jutting out onto peninsulas to incorporate picturesque coves. Sculpted into the landscape in 1982, the original Posse course leads golfers over rolling bluegrass fairways that present multiple opportunities for golfers to appreciate the lake's grandeur and make bets with willing waterfowl. The Outlaw course, characterized by zoysia fairways, large greens, and ample opportunities to bask in the maritime surroundings, was added 12 years later. Wind makes for a formidable foe on both courses, placing a premium on proper club selection and choice of ball flight.

Posse Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course
• Total length of 6,768 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 71.8 from the back tees
• Course slopes of 125 from the back tees

Outlaw Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course
• Total length of 7,016 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 74.3 from the back tees
• Course slope of 138 from the back tees

Eight outdoor tennis courts, five indoor tennis courts, and an eight-lane competition-size outdoor pool are some of the figures that contribute to the expansive facility of Clayview Country Club, the staff of which oversees programs and classes for all members of the family. Within the fitness center, Nautilus machines line up with free weights, treadmills, and ellipticals—all within eyesight of flat-screen televisions—that members use to crush calories on their own or under the guise of a personal trainer. At the outdoor pool, swimmers jump from 1- and 3-meter boards into the diving well or groove to DJ-spun tunes at one of three holiday swim parties. Before departing, they take advantage of locker rooms with showers and stop by the pro shop to re-string racquets or polish their dorsal fins.

The newly renovated Arrowhead Stadium might initially impress visitors with its upgraded sound and scoreboard systems, expanded concourses, and 360-degree video-ribbon board. But during the Chiefs 5K Run, its most salient feature is the 50-yard line, which doubles as the race’s finish line. Sponsored by the Kansas City Chiefs, the race’s after-party also brims with football-inspired touches. The team mascot, KC Wolf, makes a guest appearance, and locker-room tours put fans in the spot where many a pre-game pep talk has taken place, along with the private changing room where the football puts on its laces.