Kansas City Sights

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• Central Business District - Downtown Kansas City houses many beautiful art deco buildings as well as examples of mid-century design and modern glass towers.

• Power and Light District - New development showcasing restaurants and rowdy bars/clubs. Also see the historic Main Street Theater (now a 6-plex) which is now the Flagship theater for AMC who has their HQ in Kansas City. The theater is said to be one of the most advanced theaters in the country complete with vibrating seats.

• City Market - A neighborhood of lofts centered around a large farmer's market. Best to visit on a weekend morning

• American Jazz Museum, 1616 E 18th St, www.americanjazzmuseum.com. Tu-Sa 9AM–6PM, Su noon–6PM. Adult $6.
• Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, 1616 E 18th St, www.nlbm.com. Tu-Sa 9AM–6PM, Su noon–6PM. Adult $6.

Combination adult ticket for both museums $8, (save $4).

• Union Station, 30 W Pershing Rd, www.unionstation.org. 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 (31 m) tall.
  • Science City www.sciencecity.com, Gottleib Planetarium www.unionstation.org/connectionDetail.cfm?listingID=124 and KC Rail Experience www.unionstation.org/exhibitDetail.cfm?listingID=150. Ticket to all 3 is $8.95.
• National World War I Museum and Liberty Memorial, 100 W 26th St, www.libertymemorialmuseum.org. Tu–Su 10AM–5PM (4:15PM for the tower). The memorial is the world's first for WWI. Take an elevator to the observation deck at the top of the 200-ft (62 m) obelisk for spectacular views. $8 museum, $4 tower elevator, $10 both.
• Crown Center - Home of Hallmark Cards and the Hallmark Visitors Center and Museum.

• The Country Club Plaza - 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.
• Visitor Center, 4709 Central, +1 800-767-7700. M-Sa 10AM–6PM, Su noon-5PM.
• Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 4525 Oak St, www.nelson-atkins.org. Also has the Kansas City Sculpture Park. Tu–Th 10AM–4PM, F 10AM–9PM, Sa 10AM–5PM, Su noon–5PM. Art collection housed in a beautiful 1930s building and a new, critically acclaimed modern wing by Steven Holl. Free.
• Toy and Miniature Museum Just off the UMKC campus, 3-min drive from the plaza
• Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, 4420 Warwick Blvd, www.kemperart.org. Tu–Th 10AM–4PM, F Sa 10AM–9PM, Su 11AM–5PM. Free.
• Community Christian Church, 4601 Main St, www.community-christian.org. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and visible from the Plaza.

• First Fridays in the Crossroads Arts District, (gallery crawl between Downtown and Crown Center), www.crossroadscommunityassociation.org. 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.

• Swope Park Zoo

• Ward Parkway - 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.
• Harley-Davidson Final Assembly Plant, 11401 N Congress Ave (near the airport). Free tours (1 hr) M-F 8AM-1PM. No cameras allowed.