Downtown Renaissance Adds to Appeal of Kansas City
Kansas City, Mo., has long been known for its blues, barbecue and fountains. Now the city has a new story to tell — a downtown renaissance.
The rebirth of downtown Kansas City got a boost in 2008 with the opening of the Power & Light District, a lively eight block entertainment hot spot with music venues, trendy restaurants and shopping. One block features eateries and nightclubs surrounding a covered outdoor courtyard that serves as a venue for free summer concerts.
The 18,500-seat Sprint Center, on the edge of the District, will offer concerts this summer featuring Tim McGraw, Josh Groban and Katy Perry, among others, as well as sporting events. Connected to the Sprint Center, the College Basketball Experience offers high-energy exhibits where guests can test their hoops skills.
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art expanded in 2007 with the addition of the innovative Bloch Building, which added the equivalent of a 67-story building lying on its side, expanding the museum by 71 percent. The Bloch houses contemporary and African art as well as rotating exhibits of photography.
MORE TO SEE
One mile south of the downtown area, Crown Center offers a hotel, shopping, dining and entertainment. Hallmark Visitors Center tells the 101-year history of the company started by Nebraska native Joyce C. Hall, who began selling cards out of a shoebox in 1910 at the YMCA.
On Hallmark's free tour, visitors can interact with artists, watch the printing of cards, create their own bow or enjoy a virtual visit with popular Hallmark characters such as Maxine, hoops and yoyo.
Near Crown Center, the National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial is dedicated to interpreting the history of and the artifacts associated with what once was called "the war to end all wars." The thought-provoking films and displays help visitors understand the complex set of world circumstances that led to the war.
Across the street from the memorial, Union Station is home to a science museum, theaters and restaurants. Half of all GIs deployed in World War II traveled under the former train station's great clock. The station will host "Diana, A Celebration," an exhibit focusing on the princess's humanitarian work, until June 12.
Kauffman Stadium, where the Kansas City Royals play, was remodeled in 2009 with wider concourses, a 9,500-seat open air pavilion, a new Fan Walk, a sport-bar restaurant and a Royals Hall of Fame.
OLD FAVORITES
From the roaring '20s to the early '40s, jazz reigned in Kansas City. During Prohibition, the city's wide-open image attracted musicians from all over the country. The tradition continued, and live jazz can be found in more than 20 area nightclubs. The American Jazz Museum chronicles the contributions of jazz to the American experience. Its Blue Room offers live jazz four nights a week.
Another popular tradition, Kansas City-style barbecue, also started in the '20s when Henry Perry moved inside a streetcar barn and started barbecuing in an outdoor pit. Today more than 100 area barbecue restaurants serve ribs, pork, ham, mutton, sausage and fish. Locals all have faves, with Gates Bar-B-Q, Arthur Bryant's and Oklahoma Joe's the most popular.
The third tradition began in the late 1800s when the first fountains were built by the Humane Society as water troughs for horses. Now the city is home to 200 dazzling fountains.
BAG A BARGAIN
The first stop for many shoppers is Country Club Plaza, built in 1922 as the nation's first shopping district designed for the automobile. The 14-block district with mosaics, statues and sparkling fountains contains more than 180 shops, boutiques and restaurants.
On the Kansas side, the beautiful Legends Outlets Kansas City is not your typical outlet center. It features more than 100 tenants, including the city's first Adidas store, BCBG MaxAzria Factory Store, ULTRA Diamonds and Cavender's western wear. T-Rex Cafe, where dinosaurs come to life, makes a great lunch stop if there are children in your party.
Other possibilities include Town Center Plaza in Leawood, Kan., an upscale open-air center with the ambiance of a European village, and Zona Rosa, a retail center in Kansas City, Mo., with outdoor shopping and dining in a town-like atmosphere.
HARRY'S HAUNTS
Independence, Mo., hometown of President Harry S. Truman, is home to one of the best presidential museums in the country. Highlights include a film tracing Truman's life, a replica of the Oval Office with Truman's "The Buck Stops Here" sign on the desk and a video dealing with tough decisions he faced and asking visitors to vote on what they would have decided.
Tours of the Truman Home, where the president and Bess Truman lived (when not in Washington, DC) from their marriage in 1919 until their deaths are offered by National Park Service rangers. The unpretentious home remains as it was in 1972 when the 33rd president died, down to the coat, hat and cane left hanging behind the door.
Visitors can head for the nearby Clinton's Soda Fountain where Truman got his first job sweeping floors and dusting displays and sit at the old-fashioned soda counter to order a hand-dipped chocolate malt.
Both first-time and returning visitors to Kansas City will find an energetic place that preserves its rich history and adds dynamic new attractions to enhance the experience.