25 offbeat ways to paint the town. Couple up and explore KC with your sweetheart.
Adventure Lovers
1. Ziplining
Soar through the trees with your sweetheart at Zip KC. An exhilarating date for thrill seekers, the 143-acre ziplining park features a 65-foot tower and nine lines, some reaching speeds up to 50mph.
Or, pair up with your partner in a challenge of balance and bravery at Go Ape Treetop Adventure. The course features zip lines, rope ladders and plenty of other thrilling obstacles reaching heights of 40-50 feet. Perfect for the bold couple unafraid to put their courage to the test.
2. AIRO Helicopter Tour
Take your relationship to new heights with a breathtaking helicopter ride over Kansas City. Soar above iconic landmarks by day, or opt for an evening flight across the sparkling skyline.
3. Treeclimbing Kansas City
Go out on a limb for love at Treeclimbing Kansas City. Complete with harnesses and other safety equipment, this group leads adventurers of all skill levels on two-hour climbs at various Kansas City parks.
4. Escape artistry and game rooms
Team up with other couples to test your wits and patience at Breakout KC, escape from an evil mastermind’s manor at The Basement or make your way through more than 35 fast-paced game rooms at BRKTHROUGH. And try The Escape Game, open now on the Country Club Plaza.
5. Haunted House Capital of the World
Hold hands and brave the Haunted House Capital of the World. Have a scary good time and see how KC earned its spooky nickname in the West Bottoms area, home to The Edge of Hell (KC’s oldest haunted house) and The Beast, America’s largest.
6. Spicin Foods
Spice things up with a visit to Spicin Foods, a hot sauce and salsa production facility that offers product samples (and water and popcorn, for after those especially spicy flavors).
7. Blade & Timber
For the truly adventurous, head down to the Power & Light District, where you’ll find Blade & Timber, an urban axe throwing experience that will truly test your marksmanship skills.
Table for Two
8. KC Barbecue Tours
Couples that eat ’cue together, stay together. Who needs a limo when you have a KC Barbecue Tours bus? This guided excursion leads you on a four-hour journey to four deliciously different barbecue joints you’re both sure to love.
9. Spoil your dinner
Spoil your dinner and start with an epic date dessert. Feed your sweetheart’s sweet tooth with artisan chocolates from Christopher Elbow, where each delicious morsel doubles as a work of art, the Chocolate Matterhorn at André’s Confiserie Suisse and pie flights at The Upper Crust.
10. Bo Lings
The literal translation of Dim Sum is “the point of the heart.” Enjoy the popular Cantonese tradition with your significant other at Bo Lings, where a parade of push carts present delicacies such as crispy shrimp, roast pork, sticky rice and dumplings.
11. The Culinary Center of Kansas City
Enjoy a relaxed, interactive evening out with a cooking class at The Culinary Center of Kansas City. Located in bustling Downtown Overland Park, spend your evening with your special someone as you simmer, sauté and savor cuisine of all kinds.
12. Extra Virgin
Voted KC’s best restaurant for first dates and a labor of love for James Beard winner Michael Smith, Extra Virgin touts a sexy, adventurous menu sure to keep you two talking. Dine outside your comfort zone with delicious yet exotic eats like crispy pig ear salad, duck tongue tacos and sea urchin pasta.
Love of the Game
13. Up-Down
Game on. From Pac-Man to Punch-Out, Up-Down raises the bar with more than 50 arcade games from yesteryear plus skee-ball, Nintendo and Sega console games. The extensive craft beer menu includes a long list of Kansas and Missouri brews.
14. Topgolf
Give Topgolf a shot. Not your mom and dad’s driving range. Part hangout and part high-tech golf experience, a new kind of golf experience where compete play in point and target-based games. The new year-round crowd pleaser in Overland Park includes 102 climate-controlled hitting bays, games, restaurants and a rooftop beer garden perfect for a nightcap.
15. Char Bar
After you fill up on the competition barbecue at Char Bar, step into the backyard and start a friendly competition of your own. The Westport restaurant’s large assortment of lawn games includes croquet, bocce and sand bags—or just relax and curl up by the fire pits.
“Made” for Two
16. The Roasterie
Go behind the scenes of Kansas City’s hometown bean. The Roasterie’s daily tours cover the basics of the cupping, roasting and blending process. Afterwards, enjoy a cup together in the factory’s café.
17. Belger Arts Center
Harking back to the famous scene from “Ghost,” Belger Arts Center offers Friday Date Night events once a month where couples can learn to throw on the potter’s wheel.
18. Day Trip to Weston
Wine-hop through Weston, MO, a beautiful historic town just 30 minutes from Downtown KC.
Creative Couples
19. Oil on Linen
Art abounds at Oil on Linen, the resident restaurant at Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. Dine amid colorful paintings before or after touring the exquisite collection of modern works.
20. LEGOLAND Discovery Center
For the young (sweethearts) at heart, let loose at LEGOLAND Discovery Center’s “No Kids Allowed” Nights. On the second Thursday of every month, adults 18 years and older are invited Crown Center to build, ride and kid around.
21. Green Lady Lounge
Quickly making a name for itself, Green Lady Lounge is one of most recent additions to Kansas City’s legendary jazz lineup. Perfect for pairs, “The Lady” serves up live jazz seven nights a week and a romantic ambiance.
Natural Attraction
22. Loose Park
Walk, bike or picnic as a pair through Kansas City’s beautifully manicured Loose Park. A popular spot for proposals and weddings, the centerpiece of the 75-acre park is the Laura Conyers Smith Municipal Rose Garden, which features 3,000 roses of 150 varieties.
23. Country Club Plaza
Eat your heart out, Prince Charming. Take in the architecture, fountains, sights and sounds of the gorgeous 15-block Country Club Plaza with a romantic horse-drawn carriage ride or a gondola float on the adjacent Brush Creek.
24. Old Red Bridge
Celebrate your commitment by “locking your love” at the Old Red Bridge in Minor Park. Dedicated by President Truman, the pedestrian bridge mimics the famous Paris tradition where couples scribe their initials or love messages on a padlock.
25. The City Market
Ride the KC Streetcar north towards the River Market neighborhood, where you’ll find The City Market, home diverse dining options and the region’s largest farmers market—perfect for finding flowers, produce and more.
