First time visitors to Kansas City are amazed at the diverse
attractions they find in this Midwestern treasure. Skyscrapers, fountains,
swinging jazz, fantastic food, fascinating museums and some of
the best shopping anywhere are all part of Kansas City's allure.
Kansas City is known as the "Heart of America," centrally
located within 250 miles of both the geographic and population
centers of the nation. The maximum distance from Kansas City to
anywhere in the continental US is approximately 1,900
miles, or half the distance from coast to coast. And once you
arrive in Kansas City, there are over 19,000 hotel and motel
rooms throughout the area that provide a wide range of
accommodations to suit any taste and budget.
Though famous for steaks and barbecue, the city offers an
incredible variety of cuisine. Visitors are delighted by the
abundance of excellent restaurants of every ethnic origin. And
with over 60 barbecue restaurants to its credit, the city is the
nation's barbecue headquarters!
Kansas City welcomes visitors with water spectaculars
located throughout the metropolitan area. What started
with simple drinking troughs for animals in the late
1800s, has erupted into magnificent symphonies of
water, light and sculpture. From big to small, powerful to
whimsical, each fountain has a character all its own,
adding to the beauty of the Kansas City area.
Today,
Kansas City is said to be the home of more fountains
than any city in the world except Rome, Italy.
Many of Kansas City's most famous fountains are found
in the Country Club Plaza area. The Plaza's streets are
adorned with artwork from throughout the world, and its
fountains are some of the most popular in the city for
visitors and photographers.
Say "Taste of Kansas City" and most folks think steaks and barbecue. But to
get the full flavor of the area's ethnic and historical heritage, the City Market is a
must-see on any itinerary.
Tucked inside a larger area known as the River
Market, the City Market is an expansive
outdoor marketplace located north of
Downtown at Fifth & Walnut, just off the banks
of the Missouri river. Organically grown
peaches picked fresh the night before, colorful
works by "undiscovered" artists, unique ethnic
cuisine, swinging nightclubs, a museum with
treasure from a sunken steamboat - they're all
part of the City Market's year-round,
day-or-night appeal.
The crack of a bat and the smooth melodies of a tenor sax bring back
memories of what was once the heart of Kansas City culture. Known throughout
the world as trademarks of Kansas City, Negro Leagues Baseball and jazz music
have been rekindled into brilliant reality with a massive revitalization of Kansas
City's historic 18th & Vine district.
The Museums at 18th & Vine celebrate their grand opening on September
5, 1997 in the area where baseball, jazz, and good times reigned as part of Kansas
City's cultural life. The City of Kansas City, Missouri launched a $24 million
project to pay tribute to the historical development of jazz and Negro Leagues
Baseball. With the opening of the museums, Kansas Citians and visitors have the
opportunity to get a first hand look at some of the greatest legends of jazz and
baseball such as Charlie Parker, Count Basie, Lester Young, George and Julia
Lee, Satchel Paige, James "Cool Papa" Bell, and Josh Gibson. This "who's who" of
early jazz and baseball legends is highlighted in brilliant sight and sound with a
dynamic look at Kansas City history.
The Jazz Museum is the first museum in the
country devoted exclusively to this art form.
Kansas City's jazz legacy was nurtured in the
1920s and 1930s in the area around 18th & Vine. During the Depression, Kansas City
prospered in many ways, and its reputation as
being a "wide open" city attracted musicians who
honed their craft in the dozens of clubs in the area.
The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is the centerpiece of historical renaissance of Negro Leagues
Baseball throughout the nation. The exhibit covers the entire history of the Negro
Leagues from their beginning after the Civil War through their end in the 1960s. It
looks at the contributions the leagues made to the history of athletics, as well as
their contributions to the Civil Rights movement.
Other attractions include the Harry S. Truman Library - highlighted by a
replica of the Oval Office; Swope Park, the country's second largest urban park,
houses the Starlight Theatre, the New
Kansas City Zoo, two golf courses and a
braille trail; Worlds of Fun - a popular regional amusement park,
containing more than 140 rides, shows and attractions;
Oceans of Fun - aquatic amusement park adjacent to
Worlds of Fun featuring three dozen family recreational water related activities;
the Kansas City Royals baseball club and Kansas City Chiefs football team; Riverboat casinos;
and Country Club Plaza - the oldest shopping center in the country which attracts 10 million
tourists each year.
Did you know?
Kansas City is the home of Hallmark Cards, Sprint, Russell Stover Candies, and H&R Block.
Kansas City Inventions include Teflon, Eskimo Pie, Rival crock pot, the
melt in-your-mouth-not-in-your-hands
M&M candy coating, the jazz jam session, the
swing sound in jazz music, the McDonald's Happy
Meal, and the multi-screen theater concept.
Famous citizens include Harry S. Truman (politician), Charlie Parker (jazz musician), Tom Pendergast (politician), Ed
Asner (actor), Jean Harlow (actress),
Ginger Rogers (actress), Satchel Paige
(baseball player), Walt Disney
(writer/producer/director) and Mickey
Mouse (born in Kansas City under Walt
Disney's hand),
George Brett (baseball player) and Melissa
Ethridge (vocalist from Leavenworth, KS)
