15 Adventurous Pursuits in Kansas City

For the Thrill of It

By Lysa Allman-Baldwin

There’s an old blues song called, “The Thrill is Gone.” It’s about a relationship that started out hot, but has cooled quite a bit. But in Kansas City, our thrills—from coasters to haunted houses, unusual culinary dishes to paintball—are sure to keep you exhilarated year round.


A World of Fun

The Prowler at Worlds of Fun

Hair-raising excitement for the entire family is what you’ll find at Worlds of Fun. The 235-acre park features more than 100 rides and attractions and a wide array of what they call “aggressive thrill rides” sure to raise your heartbeat more than just a notch.

Achieve the sensation of hang gliding on the RipCord, punctuated by a 190-foot tethered free-fall between 60 to 80 miles per hour. And there’s the ThunderHawk, rising 60 feet high before its gondola inverts riders, rotating them in a circular motion backwards and forwards. The Mamba, one of the tallest, longest and fastest roller coasters in the world, offers a heart-palpating 200-foot climb before plunging at 75 miles per hour toward Earth.

Get Your Motor Runnin’

Sports-Kansas-Sppedway-Article-Hero

Have a need for speed? Then KC’s got some high-speed, gas powered experiences for you. Located at Kansas Speedway, the Richard Petty Driving Experience offers the adrenaline pumping thrill of NASCAR with you in the driver seat.

With 600 horsepower under the hood, choose from the Rookie Experience with eight face-paced laps; the Kings Experience for 18 unforgettable spins; the Experience of a Lifetime, allowing you to hightail it over two dozen times; or the Racing experience, 50 intense laps that’ll leave you breathless. If you’d rather not drive, ride shotgun with one of their trained professional at 165 miles per hour!

For a more mild-mannered but no less titillating driving experience, Sadlers Indoor Racing just might be the driving ticket (pardon the pun). Featuring high-performance go-karts imported from Germany, the Sadlers experience was inspired by European go-kart tracks. Different featured courses of the day include an Oval, European-Style Road Race, and Grand Prix, allowing drivers to reach speeds up to 45 miles per hour while competing for the checkered flag.

A Different Kind of Painting Party

Tired of big brother or sister picking on you? Is your mother-in-law getting on your last nerve? Then bring them to Jaeger’s Subsurface Paintball for some good-natured family fun.

Billed as “the world’s first and only underground paintball arena catering to all skill levels of the game,” Jaegers—set in the hillside of one of Kansas City’s oldest limestone mines—features five underground recreation fields plus a two-man speedball field. Armed with compressed air guns, paintballs and safety gear (and trained referees!), You’ll find ample barricades to hide from the enemy as you creep around, duck and shoot family and friends ‘til your heart’s content. Jaeger’s also offers four outdoor fields from spring until fall.

Fright Nights

Edge of Hell in Kansas City's West Bottoms

Claustrophobics and crybabies are invited to The Beast and The Edge of Hell, where dragging you out of your comfort zone is of the utmost priority. Scaring thousands of fans during the Halloween season, they have been ranked among the 10 scariest haunted attractions in the nation.

The Beast, one of America’s largest Haunted Houses, takes fright fans through a series of blood-curdling scenes, including an abandonment issue-evoking quarter-acre werewolf forest where you roam about in complete darkness while werewolves hunt you like prey.

Situated in a converted five-story warehouse, the Edge of Hell utilizes the newest state-of-the-art technology to create life-like scare tactics, such as giant anaconda eyes and a lunging vampire, coupled with a cast of 45 menacing live performers. When you’ve had enough, the only exit is via a steep, four-story vertical slide landing you right into the arms of the Devil himself.

The Macabre Cinema Haunted House, staged as a 1930s haunted movie theater is also part of the frightening experience here. Let the nightmares begin!

Go Climb a Tree!

And that’s exactly what you’ll do at Tree Climbing KC. Designed to offer a different kind of thrill while fostering good ethical treatment of our environment, Tree Climbing KC offers spectacular bird’s eye views of the Kansas City area and beyond.

Here, adventurers of all physical abilities and backgrounds wear a rope and harness while learning to maneuver a series of knots to rise above the earth and break free of the bounds of gravity to swing or lounge amidst beautiful treetop canopies.

Zip It!

Located just a stone’ s throw away from the Legends Outlets Kansas City and Kansas Speedway in Bonner Springs, Zip KC is a 143-acre park featuring several different zipline tour options.  The Hike and Zip encompasses a half mile of hiking in between three challenging and fun ziplines. On the Tower Tour, climb a 65-foot tower then soar about a quarter mile across five different zip lines from tower to tower. Or, indulge yourself in an exhilarating Hike and Zip/Tower Tour combo.

Gastronomic Thrills

Back in the 1970s, kids sometimes called school cafeteria food “mystery meat,” meaning they had no idea what was in it. In Kansas City we call them extreme culinary adventures, designed for those who enjoy a few unexpected yet wonderfully delicious surprises on their plate.

At Grinders and Grinders West in the Crossroads District, their claim to fame includes their chicken wings which come in half, full and “Big Ass” sizes served with your choice of Wimpy, Molten or "Death Sauce." Of the latter the folks at Grinders say, “This sauce is so HOT! It will blow your mind and burn off a few taste buds.”

And last but not least, after eating at Extra Virgin, any purity you previously claimed could go right out the window. Among the unusual yet scrumptious specialties at this Spanish tapas-inspired restaurant created by nationally renowned and James Beard Award-winning chef Michael Smith, are the sea urchin pasta, duck tongue tacos, crispy pig ear salad and beef heart tartare. (Try bringing one of those to your next potluck gathering!)

So, if you haven’t caught on by now, KC’s got a little bit of everything for the not so faint at heart.

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