Spring Break Day Trips

by Abie Groes, Student Writer

Endless snow days have cut down spring break to just a threeday weekend. Three days is not nearly long enough for an extravagant trip, so here are just a few small trips you can take in and around Kansas City over your spring break weekend.

Powell Gardens, Kansas City’s botanical garden in Kingsville, is only 28 minutes away from Grain Valley. Powell Gardens is open 7 days a week from 10:00am to 4:00pm. There is plenty for the entire family to do, including touring the gardens and exhibits, hiking the Byron Shutz Nature Trail, and visiting the beautiful Marjorie Powell Allen Chapel.

After your tour, be sure to visit Cafe Thyme where they serve daily specials, homemade soups, and made to order wraps and salads. Tickets are $10 for adults, $4 for youth ages 5-12, and $9 for seniors. Parking is free, and tickets can be purchased in advance online at www.powellgardens.org.

Outdoor activities, including fishing, hiking, and camping, is another great option. Blue Springs Lake and Lake Jacomo are just 20 minutes away from Grain Valley and offer walking/biking trails, picnic areas, campgrounds, and plenty of room for boating and water sports.

Longview Lake, in south Kansas City, is just 35 minutes from Grain Valley, offers campgrounds, 14 picnic shelters, and the Fred Arbanas Golf Course. For more information on Lake Jacomo, Blue Springs Lake, and Longview Lake, visit www.makeyourdayhere.com.

If the weather forces you indoors, there are many local museums and art galleries to explore. The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art is a great place to spend the day. The “Napoleon: Power and Splendor Tour” exhibition is open through March 10th . A number of works on display have never been exhibited before in North America. Tickets for the Napoleon exhibit are $18/adults, $16/seniors, $10/ students with ID, and free for children under 12.

There is no admission fee to tour any of the other galleries at the Nelson- Atkins Museum. The Rozzelle Court Restaurant at the center of the museum is a great place to stop for lunch or dessert, and there are plenty of spots indoors and outdoors to snap photos. To purchase tickets and plan your trip, visit www.nelson-atkins.org.

Another great indoor activity would be to visit the World War I Museum, located approximately 30 minutes from Grain Valley near Crown Center and Union Station. The museum is open 10:00am – 5:00pm Tuesday-Sunday. There are several tour options, and detailed ticketing information can be found at www.theworldwar.org. Free parking is available on the south side of the museum. Like the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the World War I Museum offers a number of great places to snap photos, especially from the observation deck which offers an amazing view of Kansas City.

However short spring break may be, take some time to enjoy time off from school with friends and family.