31 of the Best Date Ideas in Kansas City for 2024

No matter how long you’ve been dating it’s sometimes difficult to come up with exciting new ideas. Are you looking for date ideas in Kansas City that you haven’t tried before? Welcome to Peerspace! As experts in special memory-making, we’ve curated a list of some of the best date ideas Cowtown has to offer. From museums to barbecuing, there’s something to please everyone on this list!

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• Indoor Date Ideas in Kansas City
• Outdoor Date Ideas in Kansas City
• Tasty Date Ideas in Kansas City
• Creative Date Ideas in Kansas City
• Unique Date Ideas in Kansas City
• Budget Date Ideas in Kansas City

Indoor Date Ideas in Kansas City

1. Break Out of an Escape Room

Escape rooms are all the rage these days! You’ll have 30 to 90 minutes to solve riddles, find clues, and work your way out of a themed venue. From spooky to hilarious, Kansas City escape rooms are a great way to try something different indoors. Each one is like a live-action puzzle you have to solve. And one of our favorites is Breakout KC, with two locations, one in River Market and the other in Park Place!

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2. Visit the Museum at Prairiefire

Did you both bond over a love of natural history? Check out the Museum at Prairiefire for an educational date idea in Kansas City. The museum has regular activities and installations that aim to wow visitors while educating them. There are also Science Happy Hours, an augmented reality space, animal encounters, and more to explore!

3. Go Sightseeing

Play tourist in your hometown and check out all of the things that visitors come to see! A date is a chance to look at your surroundings with fresh eyes and try something new. Why not take a segway tour of downtown? The tour guides are so knowledgeable that even a lifelong local will learn something. You could also go shopping and have coffee in Westport or visit the National World War I Museum.

4. Play Games at an Arcade

Kansas City is known for its Midwestern humidity. Take a break indoors during your date and play games at an arcade! Video game arcades collect the best games of the past decades all in one place. Most venues offer unlimited gaming with your entry. You can add extra excitement by visiting an arcade bar like Up-Down on Southwest Blvd. Beer, pizza, and snacks go well with games and a fun date!

5. Make Dinner for Your Date

There are few things sexier than someone who knows their way around the kitchen! Show off your talents by making dinner for your boo. If your home kitchen isn’t so romantic, think about booking a rental space for the evening instead! Unlike Airbnb, Peerspace offers hourly rentals for venues where you’ll have a kitchen, living room, screening room, outdoor dining area, and other essentials! This spacious home in Overland Park, KS, is a great example! The well-lit dining room, modern kitchen, and in-ground pool are the perfect amenities for a vacation close to home.

Outdoor Date Ideas in Kansas City

6. Visit the Powell Gardens

The Powell Gardens are one of the most popular date ideas in Kansas City for an outdoor experience. Pricing depends on the events for the day, with free days scattered throughout the year. The grounds of the gardens offer endless possibilities for photography, education, and simply enjoying each other’s company in a beautiful space.

7. Plan a Picnic Lunch Together

Date ideas in Kansas City don’t have to be complicated. Why not have a picnic together at a local park? All you need are sandwiches, salad, snacks, drinks, and a blanket. Choose a shady spot with a skyline view in Swope Park. Or you can sit on the grassy lawn around the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art before or after your visit inside!

8. Go on a Bike Ride

Kansas City is a pretty bikeable city; it’s not on par with somewhere like Minneapolis. But there many neighborhoods offer bike lanes and pleasant rides through local parks. Enjoy the day pedaling through a new neighborhood with your boo. And if you don’t have a bike, you can easily rent one through a rideshare program like RideKC Bike. Their pedal-assist electric bikes ensure you won’t work up too much of a sweat going up any hills.

9. Race at a Go-Kart Track

Looking for a date idea that’s a bit more competitive? Check out go-kart racing! There are several indoor and outdoor tracks in the area where you can pretend to be Formula 1 drivers and do some laps together.

10. Add a Lock to the Old Red Bridge

For a truly romantic date, take a moment to ensure your love will last forever. All you need is to bring a lock to the Old Red Bridge in Minor Park. People have been coming here for decades to attach love locks to the bridge and throw away the key as a symbol of commitment! Even after you’ve found a place for your lock on the Old Red Bridge, the rest of the park offers beautiful places to walk, play tennis, or have a picnic lunch together.

Tasty Date Ideas in Kansas City

11. KCMO Barbecue Date

Kansas City is deservedly famous for having some of the best barbecue in the nation. The sauces, techniques, and selection are second to no other city. Which BBQ restaurant has the title of “the best BBQ in KCMO” is a pretty contentious debate. But we do know that few people complain after a visit to Slap’s BBQ. You’ll find brisket, burnt ends, and other classics on the menu with sides that come in serving sizes up to a gallon! 

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12. Enjoy High Tea Together

Teatime is a great alternative to the ever-present coffee shops, wine bars, and beer breweries. Kansas City has general, English, French, and Chinese tea parlors that offer a variety of loose and bagged blends. Two of the top tea parlors in the city are Emilie’s French Teas and Shang’s Tea House. Both are true tea parlors rather than coffee shops that just happen to carry tea on the side.

13. Visit a Michelin-Star Restaurant

You can enjoy a world-class dining experience right here in Kansas City, MO, that isn’t BBQ. The city is home to several Michelin-starred restaurants, which promise the best in freshness, artistry, and hospitality. Gram & Dun’s unconventional yet artistic American fare is some of the finest in the area! Be sure to dress your best as many Michelin-star restaurants have a strict dress code.

14. Take a Food Truck Tour

Food trucks have taken the city by storm. So why not make a date out of it and share some of your favorites? There are multiple spots where food trucks congregate for events and weekends; check out KC Street Food to find them. You can also add an element to your bicycle date by traveling around the city for tacos, beer, and other food truck favorites.

15. Cooking Classes

Shared educational experiences are some of the most rewarding date ideas in Kansas City. So why not book a cooking class together? The Culinary Center of Kansas City has classes on everything, including pizza making from scratch and preparing a sweet and sticky BBQ sauce. You can even have a chef come to your own private kitchen for a romantic cooking class date night. Venues which we at Peerspace have plenty of in the KCMO area!

Creative Date Ideas in Kansas City

16. Book Dance Classes

Get active on your next date night with dance lessons! Whether you’re both beginners or advanced dancers, you can always get a bit better on the dance floor. Dance lessons can be public, where you share the floor and the instructor with a large group. But what if you want some individualized attention from your instructor. In that case, you can book private lessons with a talented instructor in a dance studio, like this brick loft in downtown Kansas City.

17. Visit the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art

Enjoy the creativity of others with a visit to the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. It has a huge collection of art from around the world, including one of the nation’s best exhibits on Asian art. Exhibits are multidisciplinary and include photography, sculpture, paintings, calligraphy, and more! The museum also has free tickets available several times per year so if you can plan ahead, your date can be an even more budget-friendly one!

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18. Have a Staycation

A date night doesn’t have to be a whirlwind trip around the city. Staycations are typically held within a day’s drive of your home. That means you can still book a visit at a local hotel, resort, or vacation home without needing to drive or fly. A luxury staycation space will have all of the amenities you’d expect on a fancy trip, minus the plane ticket fees. Staycation homes in Kansas City include swimming pools, full kitchens, access to hiking trails, and more, depending on what you’re looking for! 

19. Catch a Show at Starlight Theatre

The Starlight Theatre is the best venue to enjoy Broadway shows, concerts, and theater performances. As the largest and oldest continually operating nonprofit performing arts center, the Starlight has immense local support. There’s space for thousands of guests behind its doors so why not support a local fixture while enjoying a wonderful performance?

20. Ticket to a Comedy Club

Kansas City has one of the Midwest’s best comedy scenes. The Bird Comedy Theater, Funny Bone Comedy Restaurant, and The Comedy Club all offer unique experiences as standalone comedy ventures or spaces with bars and restaurants included!

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Unique Date Ideas in Kansas City

21. Take the Dogs to Bar K

A dog park date sounds a little unusual but hear us out! What if your local dog park…Had a bar next to the play area? That’s what Bar K has to offer! The 2-acre dog park is fully staffed to ensure no mishaps happen during playtime. Meanwhile, you get to enjoy beer and snacks with each other and other dog owners. Bar K also has special events like Puppies’ Night Out and Specially-Abled Pets Day Meet-Ups for dogs that need a bit more care.

22. Get Tickets to a Candlelight Concert

Live music performances are a fun way to enjoy classic tunes or explore new genres. You can even appreciate music in a venue that’s decorated uniquely with a Candlelight Concert show. Performers play tributes to Coldplay, Queen, Taylor Swift, and other national favorites during the show. The performance venues themselves are softly lit with hundreds of glowing candles; it’s an experience that must be seen (and heard) to be believed!

23. Find a Smash Room

Work out some stress together and visit a smash or rage room! These rooms come with breakable electronics, plates, and furniture. The number of items and how much time you’ll get depends on the ticket you buy. You’ll also get some tools and protective gear so you don’t have to come prepared. Once inside you can smash things to your heart’s content. Check out Rage KC for a truly unique Kansas City date night idea; just be sure to book your slot well in advance because this place is understandably popular.

24. Visit the Beast Haunted House

Did you know that Kansas City has some of the best haunted houses in the nation. There are several multiple-floor haunted houses where you can creep through a spookily decorated space, looking out for ghouls waiting to leap out at you. Fall is Halloween season and that’s when Beast Haunted House is open for business. Beast Haunted House is a four-floor haunted house and consistently rated in the Top 5 and 10 haunted houses in the nation.

25. Take a Gondola Ride 

You don’t have to go to Venice or Las Vegas for a romantic gondola ride. Not when Ambiance on the Water offers romantic cruises from the Majestic Country Club Plaza River Walk. Enjoy dinner and wine in a Venetian gondola by yourselves or with friends and family. 

Budget Date Ideas in Kansas City

26. Explore Cave Springs Park

Looking for a free outdoor Kansas City date night idea? Check out Cave Springs Park, a National Historic Landmark with 4.5 miles of easy walking trails and plenty of shade. You can bring a picnic lunch here before you explore the trails, springs, and cave!

27. Visit a Cozy Coffee Shop

Coffee shop dates are a classic for good reasons. There will definitely be something on the menu for you both to enjoy. Plus each coffee shop has its own vibe, specialty drinks, and scenic neighborhood to explore. Have you been to City Market Coffee yet? They serve small batches from daily roasted coffee beans. City Market Coffee prides itself in serving ethically sourced coffee beans and has seating indoors and outdoors for a cozy coffee date.

28. Check Out the Federal Reserve Bank Money Museum

The Federal Reserve Bank Money Museum is another free attraction in Kansas City where you can lift a real gold bar, view President Harry S. Truman’s coin collection, and learn how the Federal Reserve Bank processes millions of dollars a day. As a free experience, you won’t find tour guides available but the Museum is easy to navigate! 

29. Shop at a Farmers’ Market

Farmers’ markets in Kansas City are a great place to pick up local produce, explore artisan crafts, and enjoy ice cream with your date. The Historic City Market is the largest farmers’ market in the region and is open from April to December. But there are over a dozen smaller markets, including the Brookside Farmers’ Market, which sells only plants and produce like meat and veggies.

30. Explore Spring, Summer, & Autumn Festivals 

Winter is a rough time of year to be outdoors in Kansas City. But once the weather starts to warm up you’ll find outdoor festivals happening all over the city. Check out VisitKC.com to keep track of the festivals happening around the region so you can plan for a fun date in advance!

31. Game Night at Home

Why leave your cozy home when you could have a game night instead? Dust off some classic board games or pick up a new card game and play some games with your date. Many of the latest card games, including Truth or Drink and We’re Not Really Strangers will enhance your relationship by inviting you both to answer questions that help your partner better understand your perspective.

Whether you two are into cards, comics, or concerts, Kansas City has some of the best amenities in the area. That means date nights should never be a dull affair. As people who love helping others create special memories, we at Peerspace hope you’ve come away with some fun date ideas in Kansas City. And in case you’d like to upgrade your date a few levels, think about booking a staycation home, private dance hall, or other space with us for your next date!

Find unique date ideas in Kansas City on Peerspace