Theme & Amusement Parks in Gardner

For more than 50 years, Cool Crest's owners have enchanted visitors with the fun park's abundance of family-friendly attractions. Flanked by emerald gardens, four 18-hole miniature golf courses lead participants to a bonus 19th hole, which rewards successful shots with a free game. Helpful staff enables drivers to hug the racetrack's corners while strapped into an open-wheel go-kart or, when in season, smack homers from batting cages hurling slow, medium, or fast pitches. Inside, a climbing playland and 7,000-square-foot arcade entertain guests throughout the year. To encourage kids to work as hard as they play, Cool Crest's staff rewards students brandishing recent report cards with up to 20 tokens, depending on their number of A's, B's, or the results from their PhD peer review. In between exhaustive sessions of play, a snack bar staff reenergizes guests with a slice or treat at Frankie's Pizzeria.

Zonkers enchants youngsters and guardians alike with its gargantuan indoor amusement park and arcade. Rides abound, including the Python Pit roller coaster and the Banana Squadron—a fleet of small, controllable planes in the shape of bananas, just like Pan Am’s aircraft in the 1970s. The bustling activity center makes a fun destination for field trips and birthday parties.

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.

Recreational splashers and serious swimmers can find aquatic common ground at Bay Water Park, owned by the City of Kansas City Parks and Recreation. A six-lane lap pool facilitates low-impact workouts and a water playground and family slide let kids splash to their hearts' content. Guests can grab a tube or absurdly large piece of penne pasta and ride down two different tube slides or twist and twirl along the swirl-bowl ride.

The cardio-centric River Walking program takes advantage of the gentle tide of the park's lazy river, as participants stroll leisurely to sharpen balance and become strong enough to water ski without a boat. Both kids and adults can also take swim lessons at the park, while programs such as the Water Safety Awareness Clinic teach proper use of life jackets, rescue equipment, and general water safety.

Under the oppressive heat of the Missouri sun, rafts and their passengers float atop the languid current of Coyote Creek as it traces a 900-foot perimeter around Adventure Oasis Water Park's flooded playscape. The sprawling park offers a respite from the summer swelter with water activities and attractions for guests of all ages, highlighted by three towering slides, including the Sidewinder—a 308-foot raft slide—and the Scorpion, a tube slide that emulates passage through a cosmic wormhole or gigantic piece of penne pasta with a 197-foot plunge. The chutes bottom out in a placid pool, where guests can catch their breath or scale Cactus Climb, a climbing wall that hangs over the water. As grownups relax in a deck dotted with striped parasols, younger guests can run amok at Halfpint Paradise, a smaller playground stationed in a shallow pool.

A 25-yard lap pool with multiple lanes awaits more serious swimmers at Roadrunner Pass, which also boasts a diving board for those looking to perfect their swan-dive form or execute the world's first pool cannonball that actually explodes. In addition to free-range fun, Adventure Oasis's friendly waters host swim lessons and aquatic exercise programs.

When her laser makes a successful hit, the speakers in her vest fire with computer-voiced congratulations, while at the other end, her opponent's vest vibrates to ensure he knows he was tagged. Those are just two of the engrossing features of Jaegerz Laser Tag’s Lasertron equipment that help players get into the game. Opponents open fire on one another with a single pop or even a rapid burst of laser fire as they take cover behind black-lit obstacles. Players can find plenty of places to duck and run in the 6,000 square foot arena’s fog-filled room while strobe lights work to disorient players. Guests can also arrange to have birthday parties and fundraising events held at the facility.