Best of KC 2026: Whimsical use of free will at the zoo
Image courtesy of Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium
Earlier this month, we published The Pitch’s annual Best of Kansas City issue. You can take a peek at the results of the readers’ poll here. The issue also included a list, compiled and written by our editorial staff, of some local people, places, and things that we think make 2026 KC life feel like a winner. We’ll be publishing these online throughout June and July.
Wide open greenery.
I’m talking both Missouri’s rapidly expanding marijuana industry and the 116-year-old Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium.
Nestled in Swope Park, the zoo offers over 202 acres full of family-friendly, AZA-accredited environmental education. Everybody loves a zoo: kids, retirees, and especially your local stoner.
Some people need the excuse of “family or friends” to enjoy the whimsy of otters and elephants. Thanks to a groundbreaking technology called “getting zooted off of 10mg edibles,” you no longer have to hire children to accompany you to the zoo.
Think about it: Dippin’ Dots, a ski lift, and staring at a sassy gibbon. What an afternoon. Hit up one of the dispensaries listed in the CBD/THC/Hemp section of the Best of KC results, grab a gummy, and make sure you pack sunscreen.
Legally, we’re recommending using a rideshare service or a designated driver, though.
Oh, and good thing the zoo added “& Aquarium” to its name in 2023. The cliché of getting high at an aquarium is still, in fact, very fun. For some, it’s a safe way to connect with a world they’ll never see in nature. For others, a place to cry over the success story of the rehabilitated sea turtle, Tortellini.
