What is there to do in Kansas City?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I may be spending a couple weeks in Kansas City for business beginning October 4th-ish until the 28th. So I’m wondering what fantastic things (?) there are to do in the great state of Missouri.

Also, I’ve been in southern California for the past 3 months and I do not have a lot of warm-weather clothing. How cold does it get in KC in October? I’d rather not step off the plane and freeze my butt off, but I’m pretty sure that will happen anyway. I didn’t expect to be out on assignment for this long.

Thanks everybody.

-foxy

2

Well, I hear you can stand on the corner, 12th street and Vine, with your Kansas City baby and a bottle Kansas City wine.
I don’t know your preferences, but they got some crazy lil’ women there if you wanna get you one (cite)

3

There’s a place called Mimi’s Diner not to far east of the airport. I had the best desert I’ve ever had there. It was this hot fresh pecan pie drizzled in hot creamy caramel with ice cream on top. Everybody at the table was in love with it too.

4

The Plaza is an awesome outdoor mall thing. Awesome stores, some on the slightly higher end (Armani Exhange etc). They also have restaurants and stuff there. My friends and I drove up from St. Louis for a one night stay there, because hey, we’d never been! We found a restaraunt there, not sure what it was called, but it looked like a cool dive bar and they had AMAZING meatball subs.

Also, there is a place called Westport that has restaurants, coffee houses, bars, stores. It confused me because there is a Westport in STL too. But it was cool.

That’s all my friends and I got around to seeing, because we were there for not even 24 hours.

5

Forgot to answer another part of your question. Darn no edit button.

If KC is like STL (which I imagine it is similar) the weather is unpredictable. I am in Columbia now, halfway between STL and KC. Last week it was hot (upper 80s) this week for awhile it was cool (45 in the a.m. up to low 70s in the day and very windy) and now it’s warm again (low 80s sunny). The weather around here is always different. October is a little better, I’d say bring things you can layer - long sleeves, short sleeves, jackets, pants, etc. It shouldn’t get too cold before November, but you never know around here! It can rain one say, be warmish the next, and snow after that! It’s quite ridiculous actually. Bring the widest variety of clothes you can manage. Stuff for warmish days, stuff for cool, stuff for cold, rain gear, whatever you have.

6

I agree with myskepticsight on the weather, prepare for warm and cold, because we will swing from one to the other within a day or so.

As far as what to do in town: The plaza is a nice shopping destination, there are fancy restaurants there including Cheesecake Factory, PF Changs, McCormick and Schmicks, California Pizza Kitchen and so forth. There is a decent art museum – The Nelson Atkin’s museum. The Rennaisance Festival wraps up on the 15th of October (if you swing that way). There is an improv comedy shop that is usually funny: Comedy City (http://comedycity.cc) it can be a little hard to find. The steamboat Arabia museum is interesting, but it won’t knock your socks off.

Mostly we just get drunk and sit in the cornfields and shoot at freight trains hauling new cars.

Cheers,
-Y.

7

Just remember, Missouri loves company.

8

I lived in Kansas City (and environs) for the last 26 years, until about two months ago.

You will need a car to do most things. Period.

Kansas City, KS is tiny compared to Kansas City, MO. Everything I mention here is in MO.

You really want to try in the Country Club Plaza/Westport/Union Hill area if you want something to do every day. The Plaza is upscale shopping and dining. Westport is lower-scale funkier shopping, lots of live music and food. Union Hill is a pretty place to live.

Downtown (google the City Market or River Market) is nice, but can be expensive). It’s been revitalized in the last couple of years.

The Nelson-Atkins museum (on Oak near the Plaza) is great, don’t miss the shuttlecocks on the lawn. Across Oak from the Nelson is the Kemper Museum, which is often better than the Nelson, not as “museum-y”. They have revolving exhibits. Say hi to the security guard near the entrance to the restaurant, which is expensive, but beautiful.

If you like teenagers, hit a haunted house under the 12th St Bridge (yes, that’s the address). They’re in these awesome old abandoned buildings and the parking and entrances are under the bridge that 12th st forms over the west bottoms.

If you do have a car… Powell Gardens is in the far eastern suburbs and quite nice. Burr Oak Woods in Blue Springs is nice for trail walking, as is Corporate Woods, but bring pepper spray if you plan on walking alone in Corporate Woods there was a rash of attacks 10 years ago or so.

On the Kansas side:

If you do have a car, go to Lawrence for a day (30 miles west). Home of the University of Kansas, has a great downtown (Massachusetts St). Eat at the Free State Brewery. Have coffee at La Prima Tazza or Z’s Espresso (or any of the other 10 coffee shops downtown). Avoid Coldstone and eat ice cream at Sylas and Maddy’s. Drive around Lawrence, it’s beautiful. If you go on a weekend, you can drive on campus.

If you’re in Overland Park or Olathe (oh-LATHE-uh), there’s not a lot of walking stuff you can do, like you can in KC MO proper.

Weather:

It’s completely unpredictable. Seriously. Get a jacket (like a fleece pullover) and wear layers every day. It probably won’t get really cold, but I have seen snow in early October. It will be cold in the mornings (40s) and warm (up to 80s) during the day. Or, it could not get above 50. You can’t tell.

Have fun!

9

Yeah, I forgot to specify that it is Kansas City, MO and not KS. I will have a car, and free gasoline (travel expenses baby, woohoo!) so if there’s anything really worth seeing in a 50 mile radius, I’m not objecting to travel.
Thanks for all the suggestions.
-foxy

10

Second hand information, but I’ve heard there is amazing bar b que in Kansas City. Any MO dopers care to confirm this?

11

Fabulous live jazz/blues in an amazingly fun neighborhood bar near the Marriot Downtown called “The Phoenix Piano Bar and Grill”. Good times, good times!

12

This pretty well sums it up.

13

There’s always the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, if you’re interested in baseball, or history, or both. Also the American Jazz Museum, if you’re interested in music. Both museums are in the same area, down in the 18th and Vine district.

And others have already mentioned the barbecue and live music options. KC should have enough to keep a visitor occupied for a week or two.

14

Kansas City is famous for its barbeque. A few of the big names are Fiorella’s Jack Stack, Gates, and Arthur Bryant’s. The Plaza and Westport are both cool places to walk around and look at the various shops, and restaurants. The Nelson-Atkins Gallery is very nice. They recently completed some work on the museum, and there are daily tours (except Monday, when the museum is closed).

The Truman Presidential Library is in Independence. I’ve never been there, but I’ve heard good things. Like most everything else you’ll want to do in KC, you will need a car, since it will be a drive.

Baseball season is over. Not that you’d want to see the Royals anyway, but Kauffman is a pretty ballpark. The Chiefs are very popular, which is why you won’t be able to see them, since the games are sold out.

There’s “First Fridays” at the art galleries downtown. The first Friday of each month, is when the art galleries put on art shows. The galleries open up, sometimes there’s music, and I guess free wine. I’ve never been, but it’s another thing that’s supposed to be fun.

Here’s a link to an online guide of things to do in Kansas City. It’s pretty much what everyone else has listed here, but maybe you can find some other stuff.

As others have mentioned, there is the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Hallmark may have some sort of museum, but I can’t remember. Crown Center is another mall, but it’s pretty nice.

Boulevard Beer offers tours of its brewery (you need reservations), and I think you get free beer at the end of the tour.

As for the weather, go ahead and pack for the full range of warm to freezing. Then expect the weather to be the opposite of what you’d prepared for in the first place.

Enjoy your visit, and let us know how it goes.