How to: enjoy (enhance) your summer break

By: Kelley Kates

Posted: 4/27/09

Ah, summer's creeping up on us again and some of you may be trying to decide what to do with yourself over break.

Work, play, what to do?

I have a suggestion, a few actually.

For starters, if you have to take summer classes, do so sparingly. If you don't have to take classes, don't.

Remember you're going full-blast all school year. The summer is time to take a bit of a break and enjoy yourself.

I suggest working to pay your bills and to have some play money.

But don't make working your goal for the summer.

First of all, if you have money to travel, then by all means do so. If not, I say use Kansas City or the state of Missouri as your playground.

There's plenty to do here during the summer months.

In the summertime, there are numerous festivals around here. You have the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia, Rockfest, which is always a crazy good time, and Schwagstock, where you can camp, canoe, join in drum circles at bonfires (among other things) and listen to Grateful Dead tributes for two days in Salem, Mo.

Other concerts this summer include Nine Inch Nails, Ben Folds Five, No Doubt, Kid Rock with Lynard Skynard and many more.

If you are into theater, Starlight has a whole line-up of great shows for the season including "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," "Chicago" and "Mamma Mia!."

For the sports inclined, the Royals games are going to be a great place to hang out.

The new K has lots of party pads in the outfield along with some awesome new seating, which students can sit in for only $7 on College nights (Wednesdays). They even have a happy hour.

In June, the Royals take on the Cardinals for the I-70 series.

Don't forget about Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun either. I bartended at the Oceans of Fun adult pool and, let me tell you, that's a good time waiting to happen. Just beware: the effects of alcohol intensify in the hot sun.

The go-karts and batting cages at Cool Crest are awesome too. It's a great way to relieve some stress and feel like a kid again. Who doesn't like that?

One of my personal favorites during break is chilling at area lakes.

You have a choice of Smithville Lake, Longview Lake and Blue Springs and Jacomo lakes.

It's a nice way to get outdoors and enjoy the sun.

There's so much to do at our local lakes.

You can go to one of the beaches to catch some rays and have a picnic or a barbecue at one of the many shelters or picnic areas by the lake.

You can do some fishing, boating, skiing, race wave runners or simply go hang out with some friends and toss the football around.

Most of the lakes also offer camping sites that are always cool places to spend a night away.

If you want to get away from the city and not spend a lot of money, going away to the Ozarks, state parks, or one of our many rivers can be a really inexpensive, yet fun, vacation.

Everyone knows about the Lake of the Ozarks.

It can be a wild party or a nice, relaxing trip. Water sports and trails for ATVs are abundant - so are clubs and thrill rides.

Ha Ha Tonka State Park, located in the Ozarks, is excellent for camping, fishing, hiking and catching amazing views atop the Ozark cliffs.

It also has a natural spring, caves and sinkholes. The park is a geological wonderland.

Also great for enjoying a beautiful natural environment is Johnson's Shut Ins State Park, which is scheduled for reopening this year.

One of the best things you can do for your summer is get together with 20 of your closest friends and plan a canoe trip. Believe me, you won't regret it.

Several of Missouri's rivers offer different options to help you enjoy your trip.

For example, you can choose from canoeing or rafting, cabin rentals or crazy camp grounds. One of the best places I can recommend to you is Huzzah Valley on the Meramec River near Rolla, Mo.

They have three rivers to choose from for canoeing, and a campground called the Zoo.

Nobody will be telling you to quiet down here. Of course, they also have a family campground.

All of these things are good ways to have a great time over your summer break, but after all that excitement, you should give back too.

Get out there and do something good for someone else.

Let's get outside more, run around like we did as kids.

Loosen up and have a good time this summer. There will be plenty of time for seriousness when the school year rolls back around in the fall.

kkates@unews.com