Things to Do in Gladstone

Amid 20 acres of pastures and trails, the three barns and century-old home of Linden Hill Stables perch in the shade of mature trees, granting an idyllic setting for horse-riding lessons, birthday parties, and children's day camps. Property owner Lisa Hillmer tends to the horses each day, calling upon a lifetime of experience in training and showing American saddlebred horses. Through individually tailored riding lessons, Lisa helps students achieve personal goals, such as riding comfortably for enjoyment or participating in competitions. Her helpful staff also assists in boarding horses and monitoring kids at day camp. Students are required to wear long pants and closed-toe shoes while atop one of Linden Hills' well-trained steeds, their own horse, or a 1,000-pound housecat.

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.

Named Best Place for a Kid’s Birthday Party by the Pitch, and recently moved into a new and larger location in Tiffany Springs, Bounce House Moonwalks turns kids loose upon giant inflatables, interactive video games, a toddler area with a tiny roller coaster, and concessions. Parents can spend time using the free WiFi or hop around with their kids in the 24-foot-diameter spaceship that boasts air-filled aliens and a cockpit where kids can pretend they’re in space outrunning other inflatables. After zipping around the imagined universe, sock-clad tots clamber over, under, and through the plush tubes and barriers of the 72-foot obstacle course before cascading down its slide. Over at the Xbox 360 Kinect system, kids play interactive video games in which they use their bodies as controllers. Bounce House Moonwalks also allows families to leave the facility at any point and return within the same day for no additional charge.

Whether picked up or delivered to the party's front door, bounce houses and 24-foot-long obstacle courses inflate quickly with a simple plug into a standard outlet. Affordable Inflatables of Kansas City's bright, colorful party pleasers let kids and gate-crashing squirrels tire themselves out throughout hours of safe, gravity-defying fun. In addition to its inflatable rentals, the company also stocks popcorn, cotton-candy, and snow-cone machines to gild fetes with a festive patina.