Overland Park Area (Kansas City, Liberty, Union: home, tornado, club)

[rosecitywanderer]

Allow me to preface this question: I have worked some crummy dead-end jobs the past few years while trying to figure out what I really want to do as a career. I lost my job on the 23rd and decided to make the best of a really crummy situation and turn this jobless period into my own personal restructuring. I have decided to start working for the railroads.

I will be in Overland Park, Kansas from late March to the first of May for a five-week training program that will teach me, hands-on, what it takes to work for the railroads.

For my weekends and spare time, what is there to do that's decently exciting in this area? Anything that shouldn't be missed in Kansas City? Also, what kind of weather can be expected around that time.

Thanks.

[Samantha S]

Originally Posted by rosecitywanderer

Allow me to preface this question: I have worked some crummy dead-end jobs the past few years while trying to figure out what I really want to do as a career. I lost my job on the 23rd and decided to make the best of a really crummy situation and turn this jobless period into my own personal restructuring. I have decided to start working for the railroads.

I will be in Overland Park, Kansas from late March to the first of May for a five-week training program that will teach me, hands-on, what it takes to work for the railroads.

For my weekends and spare time, what is there to do that's decently exciting in this area? Anything that shouldn't be missed in Kansas City? Also, what kind of weather can be expected around that time.

Thanks.

There is much to do in the metro area. I assume you will have a car? What types of activities do you enjoy?

[rosecitywanderer]

Originally Posted by Samantha S

There is much to do in the metro area. I assume you will have a car? What types of activities do you enjoy?

Yes, I will have my car and I don't mind little trips out of town. I'm open minded to most things but I'm really a bit of a history geek.

[kcmo]

Overland Park is a very nice suburb, but you will find little to do there. But "OP" is right in the heart of metro KC, so you are only 20 minutes from most of the cultural attractions and areas which tend to be in urban Kansas City, MO.

If you like History, here are a few recommendations.

You have go to check out the National WWI Monument and Museum. It’s one of the finest museums I have ever visited. You can also go up in the tower for spectacular views of the city, although you may not want to do that if its 20 degrees and it can get windy up there.

National World War I Museum - National World War One Museum at Liberty Memorial The only museum solely dedicated to WWI

KC’s Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is also top notch, don’t miss it. It really does a great job of telling the story of the league and race relations at the time.

Negro Leagues Baseball Museum

Next door to that is the American Jazz museum, also a great museum of the history of Jazz in KC and national as well as many interesting interactive exhibits on the history of music in general.

- American Jazz Museum

The Steamboat Arabia is amazing as well. A cargo steamboat was dug up from under the old alignment of the MO River and the boat contained a ton of amazing cargo that is now a treasure. It’s a very interesting museum and worth the trip.

Steamboat Arabia Museum

There is not much to see or do in Union Station right now, there is a Science Center, but I would only recommend it if you have kids with you. But you have to walk in and at least check out the massive station. It’s really cool and right across the street from the WWI Museum.

Union Station Kansas City

KC’s Nelson Atkins Museum of Art is one of the top art museums in the nation. With some of worlds oldest pieces of art as well as a new massive modern addition, this free museum is also a do not miss in KC

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art | Kansas City, Missouri

Another free thing to do in KC to the Hallmark Visitors Center. The places tells the story of the company, it’s pretty cool.

Welcome to Hallmark Visitors Center

And you should visit the Plaza district of KCMO. It’s really one of the neatest areas in the entire country if you ask me.

Country Club Plaza: Official web site of the Country Club Plaza


There is a lot more to do in KC, but this will give you a good start.

If you need further info, feel free to ask.



Edit:
I didn't catch you will be here in late April to May.

That is a great time of year in KC. Might have a few rain or thunderstorms, but most of the time it should be sunny and very nice.

The Royals open their new stadium this year and if you like baseball at all, I would take in a game. The Zoo is decent, I think it’s a great zoo, but the locals seem to diss on it a lot. I don’t most locals have been to a lot of big city zoos though because the KC zoo is just as good as most of them.

The City Market is a cultural melting pot on Saturday mornings.

If you are into trains, you might just drive around and check out the massive rail yards around town as well. They are in KCK along the KS river bottoms and in KCMO along the MO river bottoms.

[Samantha S]

Originally Posted by kcmo

The Zoo is decent, I think it’s a great zoo, but the locals seem to diss on it a lot. I don’t most locals have been to a lot of big city zoos though because the KC zoo is just as good as most of them.

I agree with all the above recommendations. But kcmo, you try to hard. I have been to many other zoos in major cities (as have, I would bet, most of the critics) and by comparison, the KC zoo is a C+ at best. It's not bad, but not one of our city's best attractions.


Overland Park doesn't have much in the way of History, since it is a relatively new city. But there are a few small museums and historical sites to see. A little googling will find them for you and you could easily take in 2 or 3 on a Saturday afternoon.



For day trips, I'd recommend checking out Lawrence, KS - lots of interesting History and things to do. Topeka, KS (About an hour away) has the Kansas Museum of History and the Brown vs Board of Education site and museum. You could do both in a day. A little to the North in Atchison (a very nice Historical old town) has the Amelia Earhart home and museum.



Liberty, MO is also a fun little town to spend an afternoon in (and there are others on both sides of the state line.) Nice little town square.

There are also several very nice large parks if you like outdoor activities. Shawnee Mission Park is nice, has a nice little lake. There are others in the surrounding area as well.

[kcmo]

I like the KC Zoo. There are many better zoos, including nearby Omaha and St Louis, but the KC Zoo is a decent Zoo that really gets a bad rap. It needs more animals and much of the zoo needs to be upgraded, but it's a great way to spend a nice spring afternoon. Like so many regional attractions, the zoo needs a regional funding source. Till that happens, the zoo will struggle to be what it could be. But I have been a FOTZ for a long time and see zoos all around the country and think it's one of the better zoos in the midwest. It's not a nation top ten, but its "average". I love the African section, but people in KC hate it. KC people don't like to walk. But it's one of the best animal exhibits I have seen anywhere.

This is a serious question Samantha, have you ever been to that history of suburbia museum in JoCo?

[Samantha S]

Originally Posted by kcmo

I like the KC Zoo. There are many better zoos, including nearby Omaha and St Louis, but the KC Zoo is a decent Zoo that really gets a bad rap. It needs more animals and much of the zoo needs to be upgraded, but it's a great way to spend a nice spring afternoon. Like so many regional attractions, the zoo needs a regional funding source. Till that happens, the zoo will struggle to be what it could be. But I have been a FOTZ for a long time and see zoos all around the country and think it's one of the better zoos in the midwest. It's not a nation top ten, but its "average". I love the African section, but people in KC hate it. KC people don't like to walk. But it's one of the best animal exhibits I have seen anywhere.

This is a serious question Samantha, have you ever been to that history of suburbia museum in JoCo?

No, have you?



I don't hate the KC zoo, I have just been to so many others that I like better. The exhibits are big (which is great for the animals) but they are very spread out relative to other zoos. It's true that the biggest complaint is the long walks between exhibits and "ooh! See, there's the lion waaaaayyyyyy other there!"


If I were a zoo animal, it would be great!

[TinaMcG]

KCMO says: "That is a great time of year in KC. Might have a few rain or thunderstorms, but most of the time it should be sunny and very nice."

Seriously? Well, that's good to know. We moved here in April 2007, right after that historic killing freeze, and three weeks before Greensburg. The rest of that spring seemed to be really wet with lots of hail. Then last spring -- wow -- please tell me that was way worse than usual, because I'm almost dreading springtime. My passion is gardening, and I didn't get out to work in the garden until June! So is KC springtime really that nice?

[Samantha S]

Originally Posted by TinaMcG

KCMO says: "That is a great time of year in KC. Might have a few rain or thunderstorms, but most of the time it should be sunny and very nice."

Seriously? Well, that's good to know. We moved here in April 2007, right after that historic killing freeze, and three weeks before Greensburg. The rest of that spring seemed to be really wet with lots of hail. Then last spring -- wow -- please tell me that was way worse than usual, because I'm almost dreading springtime. My passion is gardening, and I didn't get out to work in the garden until June! So is KC springtime really that nice?

Usually Springtime is okay most years. But it is Kansas after all. So I expect an occasional extreme at least once in the season.


I had a decent gardening season last year.


The April snow in 2007 was unusual, but not unheard of. Lots of rain and a couple of hailstorms in the Spring and hail in the Summer are common. And it is part of "tornado alley" so from March through October I expect to hear the sirens at least a couple of times a month. (the sirens should sound whenever there is a serious threat of a tornado. It doesn't mean that one is on the ground and coming at you.)

[rosecitywanderer]

Thanks for the information, folks. Much obliged...