He&rsquo;s making a list, he&rsquo;s checking it twice...</p><p>Santa Claus? No, the person in the office stuck with the unenviable task of finding a holiday party venue that is fun, affordable and still available. </p><p>Party planners, take heart. Kansas City is chock-full of creative venues that can take the ho-hum out of holiday parties. </p><p>Why not celebrate next to a steamboat that was recovered from the Missouri River? Or shoot a few baskets to burn off calories after dinner? How about viewing the city&rsquo;s Christmas lights from high atop the nation&rsquo;s only World War I museum?</p><p>&ldquo;There are lots of really cool, fun places to have events in Kansas City,&rdquo; said John Short, a partner at EventPros in Kansas City. &ldquo;Sometimes it actually can be a little less expensive to go to an off-premises location rather than a hotel. Some locations are able to work with you in ways that hotels can&rsquo;t.&rdquo;</p><p>Bill Hartnett, vice president of party planner Harvest Productions in Kansas City, agreed.</p><p>&ldquo;There is always Union Station, which is great as far as ambience and decor,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But there also are a lot of smaller spaces popping up. For example, some photographers are taking their studios and turning them into event spaces.&rdquo;</p><p>The good news for party planners this year is that many places that typically are booked well before Halloween may have prime dates available because of the slow economy. Which means out-of-the-ordinary venues can still be found throughout the city. Here are just a sample:</p><p><strong><span class="subhead">River Market, downtown</span></strong></p><p>The possibilities begin where the city began, near the Missouri River. The Steamboat Arabia Museum in the River Market has been attracting visitors since the Hawley family recovered the boat from a cornfield and began displaying long-lost artifacts.</p><p>&ldquo;Our entire collection is lost on the Steamboat Arabia when it sank in 1856,&rdquo; said Conor Carey, office manager and event coordinator. &ldquo;On board were 200 tons of cargo on its way to general stores in Iowa and Nebraska.&rdquo;</p><p>The museum is available for parties from 6 to 10 p.m. seven days a week. The atrium can seat 70 guests, but it can accommodate as many as 120 people with additional seating. The rental fee of $1,500 includes an hourlong museum tour. Guests can select from a list of approved caterers or suggest one of their own.</p><p>One of downtown&rsquo;s newest attractions also is one of the most popular for events. The interactive College Basketball Experience adjacent to the Sprint Center books events as far as two years in advance, although as of early November several dates remained open for holiday parties this year.</p><p>&ldquo;We have had pretty good success, with more than 200 private events in the two years that we have been open,&rdquo; said Jenny Jones, manager of sales, marketing and events.</p><p>Guests can dribble, shoot free throws or even play a little one-on-one. The average rental fee, which is around $2,300, includes the entire building. </p><p>&ldquo;A good-sized party would be from 150 to 250 people, although we have had parties from 25 up to 1,200 people,&rdquo; she said. </p><p>Guests must use approved caterers, Jones said. The facility also provides security for all events. </p><p>&ldquo;We have both black-tie dinners and casual receptions,&rdquo; Jones said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s popular to have wear-your-jersey events, where guests wear their favorite college or NBA team jersey.&rdquo;</p><p>Groups looking for a less-strenuous venue may want to check out the museums at 18th and Vine streets.