Winter Activities in Kansas City: The Best Features at Crown Center Plaza

Kansas City, Missouri is a unique Midwest city in that it has enough suburbs and rural areas to maintain some country charm, but still offers enough urban attractions to keep city lovers happy. Crown Center Plaza in downtown Kansas City offers shopping and entertainment options year-round, but available winter activities have an extra added oomph to put romance and fun into the coldest winter months.

First, there is the Crown Center Ice Terrace, Kansas City's only public outdoor ice skating rink that remains one of the most popular winter spots in town. The Crown Center Ice Terrace welcomes over 50,000 skaters each year, both locals and out-of-town tourists looking to strut their stuff on the ice while getting one of the best views of the Kansas City skyline around. Make sure you bundle up, though, as Midwest winters in Kansas City are notorious for being in the 70s one day and in single digits the next. Through January, Crown Center Ice Terrace hours are from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. In February and March, the Ice Terrace is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. (The rink closes March 18.) Regular admission is $6 or free for senior adults over age 60 and for children ages five and under. Skate rental at Crown Center is $2, unless you bring your own. For an especially fun evening, there are group rates for groups of 20 or more people Monday through Thursday. Call (816) 274-8411 for more information.

Other features at Kansas City's Crown Center include the mayor's 100 foot Christmas tree looming over Hallmark's Crown Center Square. The tree is in the center of a cluster of larger-than-life holiday decorations. Thousands gather at Crown Center each Thanksgiving to witness the lighting of the Plaza. If you weren't in Kansas City on Thanksgiving, you can still meander through the ice on the ground and take in the spectacular lights. While you're at it, take a carriage ride for an especially romantic way to take in the sights and sounds of the holiday season at Kansas City's largest tourist area, attracting more than five million unique visitors each year.

If the winter cold is too much to endure, Kansas City's Crown Center Plaza has over 50 shops and restaurants, a movie theater and two live theaters. Through Dec. 31, 2006, American Heartland Theater is featuring "Every Christmas Story Ever Told!" Adult tickets are around $29 and students get in for $25. Through the end of December, take the kids for a special winter treat at Santa's Crayola Christmas Land. While waiting to tell Santa all they want for Christmas, kids can play on super-sized Crayola products. Admission is free, and kids can get a picture snapped with Santa for a small fee. On weekdays through Dec. 22 you can hear various area school, church and community choirs entertain the masses as Kansas City's Crown Center with traditional holiday carols. Look for a brass quintet occasionally as well.

A final feature of the winter season in Kansas City is the only fountain that remains turned on during the holidays, the Northland Fountain in North Kansas City. The streaming water becomes a beautiful ice sculpture in the cold temperatures. If the winter winds start to bother, step inside one of Crown Center's upscale eateries for a true finale to your winter extravaganza.

Home to more fountains that any city on earth except Rome, Kansas City remains a popular tourist attraction in America's Heartland year-round, but visiting the Crown Center Plaza and other city attractions in the winter provides a unique experience for the whole family. If you're feeling impulsive, take the girlfriend on one of those carriage rides I mentioned around the city and pop the question. Two of my good friends became engaged this way, and it never fails to make a great engagement story. Take my suggestions and enjoy some of the many winter activities Kansas City's Crown Center has to offer this holiday season.