An Homage to Kansas City
Since Andrew and I are about to move away from Kansas City, I wanted to do a post highlighting this wonderful city. We moved to Kansas City straight out of college, so this city is full of a lot of adulting firsts for us. We’ve made a lot of really good friends here and for the past 7 years have been glad to call this city our home. KC will always hold a special spot in our hearts, so here’s a breakdown of some of our favorite, along with the more popular, attractions if you ever fancy a visit.
The entire time we’ve lived here, we have been located near the Country Club Plaza (more commonly referred to as just ‘the Plaza’) so I will start there. Even though it’s little more than a outdoor shopping mall, the Plaza is one of our favorite places to recommend to people when they visit. What makes the Plaza really cool is the architecture. All the buildings have a Spanish style theme, including the well disguised parking garages. In the winter (Thanksgiving through January) they have a magnificent light display known as the Plaza Lights, turning the area into a gingerbreadesque winter wonderland. Living so close, we find ourselves walking through the plaza multiple times a week. In late September there is also a massive art fair where they block off all the streets and artists from all over the country set up booths for people to peruse at their leisure. The plaza art fair is one of our favorite events so if you’re in the area be sure to check it out!
Walking through the Plaza, it’s also not hard to see why one of Kansas City’s nicknames is “the city of fountains” as there are several scattered around the Plaza, often spouting various colors to support local sports teams or various causes. At the far eastern edge of the Plaza is the most famous of these fountains, the former JC Nichols Fountain (the fountain is currently nameless, as it was recently voted to remove its name due to JC Nichols’ outspoken racism, but a new name has not yet been picked. If interested in learning a little more of the history, here is a KCUR article about JC Nichols’ legacy).
If you continue another 3/4 mile east of the plaza you come to the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. I’ve heard people refer to this museum as one of the best art museums in the country – and it’s free! You could spend all day trying to go through the entire museum if interested, but usually Andrew and I only tackle an area per trip. If you are interested in modern art, the Kemper museum (also free), about a block west of the Nelson, has a much more manageable size gallery with frequently rotated art that we’ve always enjoyed checking out.
Oh, and I should mention if interested in gardens, be sure to check out the Kauffman Gardens just a block south of the Nelson. (also free admission). And another great outdoor space is 1/2 mile south of the plaza, Loose Park. I would describe the park as a micro Central Park. Back when Andrew and I were running, this was one of our go to spots. Even though we no longer run, we do still enjoy going there for a stroll, and checking out the rose garden on nice days.
Just north of the Plaza is the Westport Neighborhood. This area has a lot of history and started out as a major trading outpost into what was then the Kansas Territory. The area’s history can be felt in its angled grid of streets and its brick structures. But now it is basically the local entertainment district, with mostly bars, but also a large assortment of local eateries. On weekends they will often shut the roads so people can easily go from bar to bar. (For Covid they have also shut down several of the streets allowing restaurants to spill outside to achieve proper social distancing – Due to it’s success I can see this turning into a more normal occurrence even after the pandemic). While Andrew and I aren’t much of bar crawlers (we’re too cheap for that), we definitely recommend taking advantage of the food in the area. You really can’t go wrong with any local restaurant in Westport, but some of our favorites are Beer Kitchen, Char Bar and Jerusalem Cafe. (Westport is also a great area for brunch – with or without the booze).
You could easily make a day of this whole area by starting with breakfast/brunch in Westport before making your way over to the Nelson Atkins for some art. (They also have a restaurant inside the museum if you need a recharge). After getting your fill of art make your way towards the plaza for a late lunch, a coffee, and shopping. Then end your day back in Westport for dinner and drinks! While technically you could do all that on foot (I have), I wouldn’t recommend it unless you like really like walking and the weather is amazing, so plan to bring your car/Uber.
As is the case with most cities, Kansas City has a thriving downtown. KC has a free streetcar that runs through downtown from Union Station at the South up to River market at the North. The goal is for the streetcar to eventually make it the additional 5 miles south to connect downtown with the Plaza, but politics and money seem to be in the way of that. At the far south end of the “downtown area” you will find Union Station, which is always worth a stop. It’s still a functioning train station, but now only a small fraction of the building is used for that, and the rest of the building is filled with various activities such as restaurants, an IMAX theater, a science museum, an escape room, rotating exhibits, and more. Admire the architecture, and the enormous atrium while you’re there. I always love checking out how they fill the space with Christmas decorations over the holidays. If you make your way to the very back of the large atrium, they have a diverse model train ‘museum’ (also free) set up that is well worth checking out. They also have a little free history museum in one of the balconies over the main lobby. Can you tell I like free activities?
Just South of Union Station is the World War 1 Museum and Memorial. The museum is really well done and you can learn a lot. But even if you don’t want to check out the museum, the view of the Kansas City skyline from the roof is not to be missed. And you can even pay to go to the top of the tower!
I should note that if you have young kids, the Crown Center, just west of Union Station, is great place to take them. This is where you’ll find LegoLand, and the Aquarium. In the winter they put up a large Christmas Tree and an ice skating rink as well. Crown Center is connected to Union Station with an elevated pedestrian tunnel. As childless adults though, we rarely explored that area.
From Union Station you can walk or hop on the free streetcar making your way north to the Crossroads District. This area, like many similar in other cities, used to be industrial but as production moved out of the city center the now disused buildings became cheap fodder for artists’ studios. The neighborhood has now become the de-facto arts district in the city. Every first Friday of the month there’s is a big event simply called “First Fridays”. Basically all the galleries in the area open up so you can wander around and appreciate the art. There is also often food and booze for your enjoyment. Even if you don’t make it on the first Friday of the month, this area can be a lot of fun to wander and admire all the graffitied buildings. (there’s even an alley referred to as Art Alley that is often getting a fresh coat of paint). Crossroads is also where you’ll find the bulk of the local breweries – I’d give you a favorite if I had one, but they’re all so great. (If you want to go on a bigger brewery tour –you’ll want to take Southwest Boulevard a little ways west of downtown just past I-35 over to Boulevard, the largest local brewery in Kansas City – and, back in 2018, I even designed the majority of the building housing the canning line, so that’s pretty cool).
Unfortunately gentrification in the Crossroads that makes it an accessible and fun place to hang out has also raised rents making it harder for starting artists to find space there. Because of this there is a shift happening towards the West Bottoms and other areas for new and emerging artists.
If interested in jazz (a staple of Kansas City) east of the Crossroads, just past the highway, you’ll find the historic 18th and Vine District. Here, there are several places where you can get a drink and listen to live music. You’ll also find the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum over there.
Further North of the Crossroads you’ll find yourself in the Power and Light District. This is another entertainment district. All the bars surround a large outdoor stage where you can find concerts and where they will often project sports events on large screens (if you’ve ever seen a crowd of KC fans cheering on TV this is probably where that shot was taken from.) This is also where the recently renamed T-Mobile Center (basketball/arena events) and Kauffman Center for Performing Arts are located. We enjoyed watching many performances from the Kauffman Center.
As you continue northward and make your way past the business district you’ll eventually hit the area just south of the river referred to as River Market. This area has also been a recent boon for developers. It’s a very trendy area with lots of fun local restaurants, and hip multi use apartments. Our all time favorite escape room, Breakout KC, can also be found here. On weekends there is a large farmer’s market (City Market) that is worth stopping by! When the weather’s nice consider taking the street car in, otherwise a large portion of your morning will be spent hunting for parking. Fun fact, this area is where the Town of Kansas originated (BEFORE the state of Kansas – hence the current name “Kansas City”)
As far as outdoor activities go there are several places for hiking, biking, and other fun. Within the city, Swope Park has several hiking trails. The 1800 acre green space also includes local sports fields, the zoo, and the Starlight Theater – an outdoor theater hosting concerts and stage musicals. Our favorite hiking spots however are all outside the urban core, with the easiest to access being Landhal Park. I should warn you though, you occasionally have to share those trails with mountain bikers since that’s who the area is mostly geared towards. If you like to pair hiking and wineries, then definitely check out Weston Bend State Park where you’ll find several wineries to stop by after a day of hiking. Knob Noster State Park is also a great hiking area about an hour drive away. Most of Missouri hiking is through forests, with occasional large rock features and meadows/prairies. The elevation gain is generally relatively low, so hiking here is pretty easy – but that just means you can stay out for longer! In Missouri, the best time to hike is in the fall and the two ends of winter. The summers get pretty hot and humid, and the spider webs are out in full swing beginning in the spring through the summer. Ticks are also a serious problem, especially in the spring/summer, so any hiking in the woods should always be followed by a thorough tick check.
Shawnee Mission Park is another large outdoor space in the area. It has a large lake surrounded by several paved trails that are great for a run or a stroll. And in the summer time you can swim or rent boats or paddleboards.
Like most Midwest cities, Kansas City is not known for being “bike friendly.” They’ve been adding bike lanes downtown in recent years, most drivers (ie most people) found cyclists to be a nuisance. That said we still mostly stuck to riding on the roads and mixing it up with the cars, but our favorite bike path is along the Blue River Trail. It connects to the more popular Indian Creek Trail near the state line on the Kansas side, but more popular equals more crowded so we tended to stay on the more secluded Missouri side of the trail while on our bikes.
Since this is a post about Kansas City, I suppose I have to mention the bar-b-que scene. You’ll get a different answer on where the best is depending on who you ask – but some of my favorites are Joe’s Kansas City BBQ (formally ‘Oklahoma Joes’) , Q-39, and Char Bar. Order the burnt ends and you won’t be sorry. (If you have a vegetarian in your group like I usually do, Joe’s or Char Bar are your best bets to keep everyone happy).
There is still so much more of Kansas City that we love and will miss, but I have to stop somewhere, so rather than ramble on I think I will end it there. We’re sad to be leaving our friends, but we’re also very excited to have a new city to explore and I’m sure we’ll be back for a visit.
Favorite Restaurants:
(so obviously they are all vegetarian friendly)
- Waldo Pizza (so many topping options!... and the best trivia on Tuesday nights)
- Mesob (Ethiopian/Caribbean – we've only ordered from the Ethiopian menu though)
- Jeruslem Cafe (Mediterranean)
- Chez Elle (crepes – savory or sweet)
- Lulu's Noodles (Thai eatery - and don't skip the veggie rangoons!)
- Sama Zama (Japanese – their ramen is the bomb)
- Char Bar (BBQ - awesome patio with outdoor games, so be sure to go on a nice day)
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