Things to Do in Harrisonville

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.

Maya Zahira began studying natural therapeutic arts and belly dance in 1999, eventually creating a studio that she dedicated to alternative healing. Both folkloric and fusion belly-dancing classes welcome women of varying skill and fitness levels, promoting physical and mental well-being with empowering dance moves that teach students how to undulate as smoothly as a snake slithering across a waterbed that’s filled with pudding. Outside of the dance studio, Maya fosters a tension-free environment for visitors by offering aromatherapy, drum-therapy, and reiki sessions, which help encourage natural healing by redirecting roadblocked sources of inner energy.

Mother-daughter team Juli and Breanna, who just graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in metal smithing, share their love of artistic expression at Bee Creative Studio, where they invite guests to join them in painting pottery and fusing glass. Visitors browse the ranks of piggy banks, plates, and figurines of frogs and dragons before picking up paintbrushes or the end of their braids to dip in paint. Finished pieces stay at Bee Creative while the experts glaze and fire them, and their creators can pick them up in five to seven days.

Those who want to wear their art can paint designs that Bee Creative transfers onto T-shirts, baby’s onesies, or aprons for keeping clothes clean while cooking or performing mad, mad science. Or, guests can delve into the world of fused glass, layering colors for jewelry, plates, and sun catchers that the studio experts fire and ready for pickup in a week. In addition to its open studio hours, Bee Creative hosts parties for birthday celebrants and brides-to-be.

There is plenty to see, hear, and smell inside Ceramics & Coffee House @ Paint, Glaze & Fire. Here you’ll see rows of clay-colored mugs, vases, plates, pictures frames, and figurines next to bits of colored glass for fusion projects. Overhead a mosaic of tiles painted by customers creates a colorful ceiling, and up front an espresso bar grinds PT's coffee beans and steams milk for lattes.

Debbie, a Paint, Glaze & Fire co-owner, especially likes seeing dads painting pottery with their kids. Debbie says that while a father and his children might not talk too much while painting, they're still communicating and sharing a lot more than if they were silently sitting in a movie theatre. Plus, after painting, glass fusing, or canvas painting this family will have a something to show for it.

While fun for the whole family, Ceramics & Coffee House @ Paint, Glaze & Fire focuses on cultivating the creativity and curiosity of children. Kids' parties and summer camps actively engage youngsters, as do the bimonthly Paint Me a Story sessions, where a favorite children's book is paired with a pottery painting activity. With space to house 30 to 40 adult-size imaginations, the studio can also host corporate team-building events, girls' nights out, and other celebrations.

Tally Ho Equestrian Centre, a member of the United States Equestrian Federation, educates its students on the fundamentals of horsemanship and riding form. Head instructor Amara Packwood boasts two quarter-horse world championships and more than 12 years of showing, experience that she passes on to her pupils through lessons and camps. Riders enjoy use of the center’s extensive facilities, tearing across the 140’x170’ outdoor arena and 40-acre riding pasture or practicing for the Olympic pommel horse inside the 60’x170’ indoor arena.:m]]