By Kiran Ross and Kate McKinney of KCKidsFun.com

Seeing Santa in Kansas City

Santa Claus is one busy man! You and the kids have a narrow window of time in which to catch the jolly old guy – but, luckily, he’s making appearances all over the Kansas City metro this year.

To make things convenient for mom and dad, Kris Kringle seems to favor shopping malls for his visits. This year, he’ll appear at:

• Crown Center in Kansas City, Mo., featuring Santa’s Crayola Christmas Land and Santa’s Gingerbread Village
• Independence Center  in Independence, Mo

Over on the Kansas side of the state line, you’ll find Santa for photo ops at:

• Town Center Plaza in Leawood, Kan.
• Oak Park Mall in Overland Park, Kan.
• Legends at Village West in Kansas City, Kan.
• Great Mall of the Great Plains in Olathe, Kan.

Up north (but not as far north as the North Pole), hop in
line at:

• Zona Rosa
• Metro North Mall
   

If you prefer your Santa to be a bit outdoorsy, head out to Santa’s Wonderland at Bass Pro Shops  at the Olathe, Kan., and Independence, Mo., locations (Nov. and Dec.) or to Cabela’s in Kansas City, Kan.

Santa does take a periodic break from the shopping centers too. This year, he’ll make appearances at:

• Kansas City Southern Holiday Express, Union Station
• Santa & Me at Paradise Park, Lee’s Summit, Mo.
• Father Christmas, National Frontier Trails Museum, Independence, Mo.
• Holiday Fun with Santa, Powell Gardens, Kingsville, Mo.

And if Santa isn’t quite your thing, you might be interested in these instead:

• Fairy Princess at Kansas Museum
• Whoville Holidays at City Market

Happy Holidays from KCKidsFun!

About the Authors

Kiran Ross and Kate McKinney are two Kansas City metro-based businesswomen and mothers. Kate and Kiran operate KCKidsFun.com, an online resource that assists readers in finding activities and classes for children as well as family-friendly events in the Kansas City area.