Things to Do in Kansas City

Captained by extensively experienced staffers, The Plaza Tennis Center invites racquets to swing in private and group lessons, tennis leagues, and tournaments. Private sessions for adults and children home in on individual skills customized around student goals and styles of play, while group classes pit pairs of friends and prefriends in calorie-burning drills emphasizing repetition and situational point play. Meanwhile, leagues pair similarly matched players in social beginner pairings, coed World Team Tennis formations, or Flex groups, which use the Tencap Tennis system to sort players by both skill level and the speed at which they knit a tennis net. The Plaza Tennis Center also hosts an array of tournaments on its 14 outdoor courts—each recently resurfaced, lighted, and tinted in U.S. Open colors—where players of all ages and levels of experience face off over the net.

Wonderscope’s interactive exhibits aim to instill a lifelong fascination with learning in kids aged 10 and younger through hands-on play that mixes education with fun. Elements of art, science, and literature are on display throughout as kids explore themed environments such as TinkerSpace, an otherworldly sanctuary for building structures and contraptions. Raceways explores elements of physics, such as motion and combing your hair like Einstein, whereas H2Oh! moisturizes young minds with interactive lessons on the properties of water. At Wonderscope's newest exhibit, _Ready Vet Go!, children can step into the roles of veterinarian, trainer, and pet owner as they learn the importance of animal ownership and care. Over at the Baby Nursery, kids can assume the role of doctor and learn how to take care of a newborn child.

Among the world's first underground paintball arenas, Jaegers Paintball Complex spans six subterranean fields, all housed within one of Kansas City's oldest limestone mines. Holding at 56 degrees year round, these cave-like playing fields give marksmen cover in the form of limestone columns, stacks of barrels, and upturned cable spools. When the weather warms, Jaegers' team ventures above ground to supervise four outdoor fields, where plywood structures and tree-cast shade present obstacles and cover for weekend games of hyperpipe, woodsball, and speedball. Back underground, experienced gunsmiths man a pro shop, where they dispense advice and repair gear. A refreshment area provides respite between games—players may bring their own food or order delivery from a nearby Pizza Hut. Further amenities include soda machines, WiFi, and free views of coffee-table books depicting historic paintball battles.

In 1988, potter Michael Smith invited a small group of peers to his home to share ideas and further explore the art of clay manipulation. After just a few meetings, the group quickly grew to include around 70 craftspeople, who started meeting at the Kansas City Art Institute instead of inside Smith's giant conch shell. These regular get-togethers laid the groundwork for the initial incarnation of KC Clay Guild, a place where artists could socialize, buy materials in bulk, and learn from one another.

Now, the volunteer-run co-op is even larger. It occupies its own facility and has vastly expanded the number of services it provides. Amidst the changes, KC Clay Guild has remained true to its initial goals, guided by a mission statement to support the clay community. Artists of all skill levels enroll in classes that cover an array of techniques, such as wheel throwing, hand building, and slip casting. Members take part in regular meetings, open-studio time, and monthly shows, and visiting artists stop by to lead workshops and repair their ceramic automobiles. The guild even offers a scholarship to high-school seniors and hosts birthday parties, team-building exercises, and family-fun nights for casual potters.

Your choice of Segway tours are:

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.