One Day In Kansas City
Morning
See how many fountains you can count during your day trip; according to the latest total, KC had about 200. One of the most beautiful is the J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain near Country Club Plaza; it's 80 feet in diameter with horses, dolphins and cherubs. Find more fountains in Country Club Plaza, including fountains of Bacchus and Neptune, and the humorous Boy and Frog fountain.Sports fans can check out a Kansas City Royals baseball game April through late fall at Kaufmann Stadium (One Royal Way), though you can visit the Royals Hall of Fame any time of the year. Step out of the sidelines at The College Basketball Experience (1401 Grand Blvd.), where you can work on your lay-ups and 3-pointers while you walk or run in the shoes of your favorite college hoop-shooter.
Explore some of Kansas City's fascinating museums. Don't miss The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (4525 Oak St.), housed in the 1933 Beaux Art Nelson-Atkins Building and the modern 2007 Bloch Building. The lawn is marked by gigantic shuttlecocks, statuary and large pools. The museum's collections survey art from across the globe, including Japan, Europe, South and Southeast Asia, Africa, China and the United States. Highlights include the indoor Noguchi Sculpture Court; Bauhaus, Cubist, Expressionist and Surrealist works; a comprehensive collection of bronzes by sculptor Henry Moore; ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman art; and Claude Monet's Water Lilies.
Afternoon
Take a ride to the top of the 217-foot-tall Liberty Memorial Tower at the National World War I Museum and Memorial (2 Memorial Dr.) for breathtaking views of downtown Kansas City. Inside the museum, you'll find soldiers' uniforms from past wars, photographs, letters, weapons, battle plans and other artifacts.Kill two birds with one stone at The Museums at 18th & Vine (1616 E. 18th St.), home to the American Jazz Museum and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum . The American Jazz Museum pays tribute to the originators of jazz with memorabilia, listening stations, film clips and neon lights that once glowed outside nightclubs. Check out The Blue Room , a part of the museum that is transformed into a live jazz club when night falls. The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum presents the history of the leagues from the 1800s through 1960.
Shopaholics will find it difficult to tear themselves away from Country Club Plaza (4750 Broadway St.), Kansas City's prestigious shopping venue. Spanish and Moorish buildings with terra-cotta roofs, colorful tile murals, fountains, statues and lush greenery distinguish this shopping mecca. Grab lunch at Gram & Dun (600 Ward Pkwy.), where you'll find an adventurous seasonal menu and one of the best patios in town.
At the Hallmark Visitors Center (2450 Grand Blvd.), you can see displays of greeting cards and holiday ornaments from the early 1900s to the present, learn how cards are made and make your own bow to take home.
Evening
Kansas City is famous for a few things, not the least of which is barbecue. When dinner time rolls around, chow down at such tried-and-true restaurants as Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue - Freight House (101 W. 22nd St.) and Q39 (1000 W. 39th St.).Jazz is another of Kansas City's claims to fame. Return to the 18th & Vine Jazz District for live music at The KC Blues & Jazz Juke House (1700 E. 18th St.) and the Gem Theater (1615 E. 18th St.). After midnight on weekends, hit the Mutual Musicians Foundation (1823 Highland Ave.), where the jamming goes on until dawn.Jazz