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City in Missouri, United States
Photo: Jesper Rautell Balle, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Kansas City is a major Midwestern metropolitan area that spreads across the border of Missouri and Kansas. It is a city that tends to hide itself from tourists. Reputed to have more boulevards than Paris and more fountains than any other city in the world except for Rome, it can be a beautiful city, too. It is unique in that it is split down the middle by the state line of Kansas and Missouri.
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
Downtown Kansas City houses many beautiful art deco buildings as well as examples of mid-century design and modern glass towers.
New development showcasing restaurants and rowdy bars/clubs. Also see the historic Main Street Theater (now Alamo Drafthouse Cinema) which used to be the Flagship theater for AMC who has its HQ in Kansas City. The theater is said to be one of the most advanced theaters in the country complete with vibrating seats.
Offers shopping, dining, concerts, events and a farmers' market.
A 41,500-square-foot facility that is connected to the Sprint Center in downtown Kansas City in the Power and Light district. The facility features lots of interactive basketball exhibits and about 1/3 of the College Basketball Experience is occupied by the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.
A museum devoted to the history of the Negro Leagues, an African-American baseball league that was very popular prior to the racial integration of Major League Baseball. Lots of memorabilia from teams, stadiums, and noted players.
Has a visitor center, theatres, restaurants, shops, the Amtrak station and the following attractions. Also, the nation's second largest train station with ceiling over 100 ft tall.
America's leading institution dedicated to remembering, interpreting and understanding the Great War and its enduring impact on the global community.
Home of Hallmark Cards and the Hallmark Visitors Center and Museum.
Come nose-to-nose with sharks and prepare for astonishingly close views of everything from humble starfish and seahorses to graceful rays. In Crown Center.
A museum about the Federal Reserve System and the U.S. financial system, run by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. Photo ID must be shown.
Also has the Kansas City Sculpture Park. Art collection housed in a beautiful 1930s building and a new, critically acclaimed modern wing by Steven Holl. Free.
Just off the UMKC campus, 3-min drive from the plaza.
Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and visible from the Plaza.
A tree-lined boulevard just south of the Country Club Plaza that takes you past stately homes. The houses are home of some of Kansas City's elite including the family that owns Russel Stover's Candies and the Applebee's family among others. The historic houses were built in many different styles, inspired by European architecture.
Swope Park Zoo
Parking is free.
Roller coasters and water slides north of the river. Open during the summer and weekends in the fall.
Hotel with indoor water park.
Small Lego-themed space in Crown Center. Targeted at small children, adults are not allowed without a child.
National Football League (NFL). A founding member of the upstart American Football League (AFL) in 1960, they moved from Dallas to Kansas City when the Cowboys were put there by the NFL. They lost the first ever Super Bowl to the Green Bay Packers and won the last AFL championship and ensuing Super Bowl in the 1969 season. They failed to return to the big game again until the 2019 season when they won their second Super Bowl Championship 50 years after their last on February 2, 2020. After failing to get to the big game in the 2021-2022, the Chiefs again won the Super Bowl in 2023, and again in 2024, making them a dynasty.
Kansas City's Major League Baseball (MLB) team plays in Kauffman Stadium, one of the few remaining examples of 1960s-era modernist stadiums in baseball and still one of the best examples of modernist stadium design, with a fountain beyond the right field wall that sends jets of water high into the air. The team has had a notable turnaround; after going nearly 30 years without a playoff appearance, the Royals staged a stunning World Series run in 2014 and returned to win the championship in 2015, much to the joy of their fans.
Major League Soccer (MLS).
The region's representative in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)—which, while not a "major league" in the traditional sense, is the top level of the women's sport in the US, and along with basketball's WNBA is one of the country's two biggest women's leagues. The Current began play in 2021, effectively replacing a former KC team that had folded in 2017. The Current's new stadium, which opened for the 2024 NWSL season, claims to be the first in the world to be built specifically for a women's professional sports team.
2,200 slot and video poker machines and 60 table games. Live poker room is among the largest in the area. Also has its own microbrewery in Amerisports. You can purchase their beer throughout the casino floor as well.
The Big 12 Conference, one of the so-called "Power Four" conferences in college football but also with a rich tradition in both men's and women's basketball, holds its annual conference tournaments in KCMO every March. The winner of each tournament earns the conference's automatic berth in the NCAA Division I tournament. The men have played at the area's main indoor arena, T-Mobile Center (see "Music" listing for location), every year but one since 2008. The women have usually played elsewhere, but from 2021–2023 played at the older and smaller Municipal Auditorium, and moved to T-Mobile Center in 2024.
formerly Isle of Capri Kansas City
Named after the famed Negro Leagues team, the Monarchs play in the American Association, a "partner league" of Major League Baseball—meaning that though outside the MLB-run minor leagues, it is loosely affiliated.
Women's flat-track roller derby. Four local teams compete March through August.
Reserve team of Sporting Kansas City, playing in the third-tier MLS Next Pro.
NCAA Division I sports teams of the University of Missouri–Kansas City, playing in 16 sports (with no football) in the Summit League, mainly featuring regional teams.
gallery crawl between Downtown and Crown Center
7PM-9PM on the first Friday of each month. This area has been called the SoHo of the Midwest by the New York Times. Many art galleries are open late on these Fridays, attracting a growing crowd of art enthusiasts. You can walk between galleries, or hop the free trolley. Summer months are typically the most busy and entertaining. Entry to most galleries is free. Some charge for refreshments.
Largest such event in the world.
The Blue Room has nightly musicians.
The Majestic has nightly musicians.
An open-air amphitheater (concert venue) located in Bonner Springs, Kansas. It has undergone numerous name changes, opening in 1984 as Sandstone Amphitheater. Many of the locals still refer to it as "Sandstone".
Concerts and Broadway plays.
Concerts and events, including the Big 12 men's basketball tournament.
Broadway theatre.
Broadway theatre.
Broadway Theatre.
It has pictures on the wall of presidents and other famous people who have visited. The sandwich consists of a large pile of brisket and two pieces of butternut bread. One sandwich could feed three people. Ask for sauce for take-outs. Bryant's signature sauce is a vinegar based sauce with slight lower neutral overtones. There are alternative, sweeter versions of the sauce available. There is a security guard in the parking lot at night.
B.B.'s Lawnside BBQ is in an old roadhouse in south Kansas City, and serves Kansas City-style barbecue. All the ribs, sausage and meats are slow-smoked in a 60 year old pit with apple wood. This often includes Cajun/Creole staples such as Boudin Balls & Jambalaya. However, BB's is best known for live Blues, Zydeco, and other various types of live music six nights a week.
Jack Stack is considered to be the Kansas City area's "High Class" BBQ restaurant (although jeans & T-shirts are perfectly acceptable) Jack stack offers one of the largest varieties of meats in the metro area. Choices can vary from lamb ribs, to prime rib. Jack Stack's sauce is extremely similar to Gates sauce in that it is sweet, but slightly less tangy than Gate's version. Notable sides include their hickory pit beans and cheesy corn bake.
When you walk in, you will immediately hear: "Hi, may I help you?" So, if you're eating in, and you have absolutely no idea what to order, shout back "Beef and a half on bun", "Mixed Plate" (Mixed plate includes ribs, sliced ham & sliced turkey) or "Burnt End on Bun". Guy Fieri of the Food Network once declared the Burnt End On Bun to be his single most favorite meal in the country. Gates Sauce is sweet & tangy with very slight vinegar undertones.
Though not much to look at, don't let the barred door and admittedly intimidating surroundings scare you off; specialties here include sandwiches that feed two and thick cut fries.
In a gas station/liquor store in Kansas City, KS, Joe's Kansas City, formerly Oklahoma Joe's, has quickly established itself as the "Pulled Pork King" of the area. Pulled pork is the self proclaimed specialty, but just about all things swine are amazing. Walk around to the serving line and have some of the best ribs in KC. The Z-Man sandwich (Beef brisket and melted provolone topped with two onion rings) and the "Carolina Style" (served open-faced with cole slaw) are also favorites. Anthony Bourdain included Joe's Kansas City in his "13 Places To Eat Before You Die" list published in GQ magazine. Lines are punishingly long during lunch, but very well worth the wait. Call in and go to the front register for a take out order. They have 2 suburban locations in Johnson County, KS.
Small diner with low prices.
801 Steak & Chop House
A late 1920s New York City steak house interior with leather booths, cherry wood furnishings, wooden floors, granite counter tops and high ceilings. The chef creates a fresh sheet that highlights seasonal fresh soups and salads, oysters on the half shell, five species of fresh fish, live Maine lobsters and king crab legs. The bar opens daily at 4PM with happy hour from 4-6PM on M-F.
Classic steakhouse.
Austrian cuisine in the historic Crossroads district.
The quintessential Midwestern steakhouse. Known for the 25 oz. Playboy Strip that put this little place on the national map. USA Today declared Jess & Jim's one of the nation's top steakhouses and former US president Bill Clinton is known to stop in when he visits Kansas City.
Fried chicken.
Historic jazz and blues location.
Open-air live music and entertainment venue, open-container allowed. Surrounded by the Power & Light District's various bars and eateries.
Also known for the wide variety of music they bring to KC like country, blues, rockabilly. Roots, singer/songwriters and Zydeco. Free shuttle available.
Live jazz
Large, very popular bar with scantily-clad waitresses and tough guy bartenders. Frequented mostly by the post-college crowd.
Carmen's serves up tapas, pasta, and Latin- and Italian-style entrees, wine and cocktails in an intimate and friendly setting. Come in through the downstairs bar.
JJ's is a laid back, wine and martini type bar that generally caters to older patrons, but the drink selection is good and the bartenders friendly. The outdoor patio is heated so it can be enjoyed during most of the year.
O'Dowd's is a standard Irish Pub but features live music often and is one of the more upbeat places on the Plaza. Features an open air rooftop bar.
Eclectic beer selection and authentic Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches.
Board games with food and drink, bar area.
Regularly voted Kansas City's best burger, the Flea has a full food menu, but is really more about drinks and hanging out. Live music on Sundays, karaoke on Fridays and Saturdays, chess on Tuesdays, trivia on Wednesdays. Relaxed crowd, pool tables and pinball. 23 beers on tap.
Kansas City's only hostel. Dorm beds come with locker and USB port. One private room available. Free wireless internet.
Refurbished lobby, 184 rooms all with king or 2 queen size beds.
B and B.
Minimum age to check in is 21. On-site parking is $34 daily.
Minimum age to check in is 21. On-site parking is $34 daily.
Historic Courtyard Marriott Plaza
In the heart of the Plaza. The hotel has free Wi-Fi, complimentary parking, refrigerators and microwaves in every room and bar.
On-site self-parking is $30 per day.
Connected to the Crown Center office and shopping complex.
366 luxury-class rooms and suites.
22-floor hotel that connects to the historic Muehlebach Hotel. Most recognizable at night, when the front of the hotel shows a light display from dusk-11PM. Indoor rooftop pool available. On-site parking is $8 hourly and $35 daily.
Renewed through a $20-million restoration project, a boutique hotel. First opened in 1931, the hotel is on the National Registry of Historic Places, cited as a classic example of Art Deco architecture. Walnut paneling and marble floors.
An historic landmark in the Plaza, upscale boutique hotel with amenities for business, leisure and heritage travelers.
In Hallmark's Crown Center, an 85-acre complex of shops, restaurants and theaters.
The nation's first shopping center, designed for the automobile. It offers high-end shops and restaurants in a quaint European atmosphere. The architecture is modeled after Seville, Spain and includes a replica of the Giralda Tower.
Local non-chain shops and non-chain restaurants. Grocery stores, bar, sandwiches.
Roughly between State Line Rd. and Southwest Trafficway.
The area east of the Sprint HQ is home to a number of shopping complexes like Town Center Plaza, Leawood Park Place and One Nineteen. Park Place is a highly dense, mixed use suburban town center catering to local retailers.
Highly inspiring mix of shops ranging from apparel to home design. Shops are scattered throughout this gritty district of former warehouses and industrial spaces. The district is also one of the largest collections of art galleries and studios in the Midwest.
Legends Outlets Kansas City is a super-regional shopping mall located in the Village West development near Kansas City, Kansas.
By train
Amtrak serves KC via the cavernous Kansas City Union Station, at 30 West Pershing Road.
By car
Interstate 435 forms a ring around the city. Notably I-70 goes east to St. Louis and west to Denver. I-35 is a major corridor running northeast and southwest.
By bus
Street numbers
Addresses on east-west streets are numbered from Main Street in Kansas City, MO, and on north-south streets from St. John Ave. (or the Missouri River, in the River Market area).
Navigation landmarks
Places and notes
Bus service
The Metro bus is feasible within the urban core, where most of the tourist destinations are found.
By streetcar
A north-south streetcar service links Union Station with the popular River Market district. Free to ride, the streetcar is a convenient although quite slow way to cross the city centre.
By bike
By car
Most general issues surrounding driving are the same as in any large US city. However, there is one local law that can affect movement in certain congested areas such as downtown.
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Kansas City · International · MCI
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