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Old 06-17-2017, 01:57 PM
 
112 posts, read 173,100 times
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What are considered to be the top 5 attractions/excursions/places to see in KC within 24 hrs. I could go on the web I know but hoping someone can condense it a little...... + Best Downtown BBQ.... Ta!
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Old 06-17-2017, 02:00 PM
 
112 posts, read 173,100 times
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Ooops. Just seen the above....
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Old 06-17-2017, 06:24 PM
 
482 posts, read 398,641 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by T. DarcyJones View Post
What are considered to be the top 5 attractions/excursions/places to see in KC within 24 hrs. I could go on the web I know but hoping someone can condense it a little...... + Best Downtown BBQ.... Ta!
I don't know your specific interests so I'll give you a general list of things I believe would be interesting to most travelers:

1. Power and Light District. This is the liveliest part of downtown, the hub of the city so to speak. The Sprint Center is the arena in / adjacent to the district. It's an architectural marvel that attracts many large scale events.

2. World War I Museum. This is the National World War I museum, so if you're a history buff and you're in the area you probably don't want to miss it.

3. Truman Library and Museum. President Harry Truman was a K.C. guy!

4. The Plaza. The city's oldest upscale shopping district. It's fairly walkable, plus it has fountains and charming architecture overall.

5. Riverboat Casinos. It's not exactly Las Vegas, but if you want to gamble you'll have quite a few options in town.

6. The Nelson-Atkins Art Museum. It's a bit of a paradise and playground for art lovers. The grounds may appeal to you almost as much as the inside of the museum.

7. Westport. This is one of multiple charming, older neighborhoods in city limits. It has been one of the city's liveliest nightlife areas for a long time.

I know you only asked for five but I just couldn't strike the last two from my list.

For barbecue you generally can't go wrong. Some place are better than others but very few of them are outright bad. Jack Stack is my personal favorite.

I hope you have a great trip!
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Old 06-17-2017, 10:14 PM
 
Location: Midwest USA
146 posts, read 223,242 times
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If you're here for only 24 hours stay somewhere on the (free) streetcar line downtown.
It hits all the major attractions downtown.

River Market (shops, antiques, restaurants, the City Market stalls are open on Wed, Sat, Sun)
Power & Light District/Sprint Center
Crossroads Art District (100 art galleries, bars, restaurants, the First Friday of the month is amazing)
Union Station/Liberty Memorial
Crown Center (aquarium, theater, unique shopping, much more)
BBQ: Jack Stack BBQ - at 22nd & Baltimore in the Crossroads District (streetcar)

And if it's your first time to KC catch the MAX bus on Main St to the Plaza (@47th St). it's a must see.
There is also a Jack Stack BBQ on the Plaza if you make it there.
The Plaza One of the the truly unique and best neighborhood districts in the country IMO.

Other BBQ joints you can't go wrong, you can uber cheap to any of these:
Gates & Sons BBQ (12th & Brooklyn)
Arthur Bryants BBQ (18th & Brooklyn)
Danny Edwards BBQ (Southwest Blvd, just west of downtown)
Q39 (39th St just east of Southwest Trafficway)
Jack Stack BBQ (22nd & Baltimore or the Plaza location)

Last edited by rumba77; 06-17-2017 at 10:26 PM..
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Old 06-18-2017, 12:46 AM
 
112 posts, read 173,100 times
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Dallas & Rumba..... Thank you very much.

Some great looking suggestions. We'll be staying at W 14th & Baltimore so I guess we're close to much of this.

Q1 Have visited St Louis & Little Rock in recent years, how would you compare KC to these cities!

Q2 For a fuller experience, we like to discover a little more of "the other side" of a city, eg. the greater met area and suburbs. As such, we are very much alerted to the possible dangers of this for any visitor. Are there any districts/areas which you recommend we stay very clear of?

Again, many thanks.
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Old 06-18-2017, 06:30 AM
 
1,328 posts, read 1,461,270 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by T. DarcyJones View Post
Q2 For a fuller experience, we like to discover a little more of "the other side" of a city, eg. the greater met area and suburbs. As such, we are very much alerted to the possible dangers of this for any visitor. Are there any districts/areas which you recommend we stay very clear of?
I don't know if this is the kind of answer you were looking for, but in my opinion, there's no shame in playing the "tourist" if your time is very limited. If you're visiting KC for only 24 hours, and spend that time just wandering around the neighborhoods, it's kind of a lose-lose. Not only will you miss out on seeing the amazing things that make KC unique, you will also not have had enough time to get a general feel for the metro.

Unless you're going to move to a place for at least a month, it's folly to imagine that you can really "understand" that place and its people. That's why tourist attractions exist. You can have a memorable experience, see things that don't exist elsewhere, and create a lifelong memory of a place without having to take a sabbatical from your job back at home.

So yeah, if you can spend at least a few weeks, check out the entire metro. But if it's anything less than that (especially just 24 hours for goodness' sake) take the advice offered in this thread. It's good advice.
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Old 06-18-2017, 07:05 AM
 
112 posts, read 173,100 times
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Thank you..
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Old 06-18-2017, 08:07 AM
 
482 posts, read 398,641 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by T. DarcyJones View Post
Q1 Have visited St Louis & Little Rock in recent years, how would you compare KC to these cities!
I haven't been to Little Rock in a very long time, so I can't pretend to still be familiar with it. Kansas City is significantly larger though. The difference is between a smaller metro (Little Rock population 750,000) versus a fairly large metro area (K.C. pop 2 million +). Also culturally Little Rock is clearly southern (I have many relatives there) while K.C. is Midwestern. That may not make much of a difference to some people, but others have very distinct preferences.

A lot of people move or travel frequently back and forth between K.C. and St. Louis -- K.C.'s big brother on the other side of the state. The differences between the two are similar to the differences between K.C. and Little Rock: size and vibe.

St. Louis metro has about 3 million residents, so it's a significant step up from K.C.'s 2 million. In spite of the size difference I always felt like the two cities were pretty comparable in terms of attractions. There's definitely more traffic in St. Louis, but not necessarily more to do.

Regarding the vibe, Kansas City is a Midwestern city, but it's pretty much the last major Midwestern metro you reach before you hit the west. St. Louis is Midwestern also of course, but I believe it has stronger Southern influences and more of an East Coast vibe at the same time. It has more of a blue collar vibe. At their peaks St. Louis was probably a more major national city than K.C. ever was, but it has possibly fallen harder also.

The people are different. St. Louisans are generally nice, but a huge portion of native Kansas Citians are especially easygoing and charming in a neighborly sort of way. Out-of-state visitors who get the chance to see both places regularly remark on the differences in the people plus the overall "vibe" difference. Between the two I clearly prefer Kansas City, but it's not uncommon for visitors to feel like St. Louis is more their speed.

If you had a good time in Little Rock and St. Louis, I'm pretty confident you'll enjoy K.C. as well.
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Old 06-18-2017, 08:59 PM
 
Location: Kansas City North
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I can't believe no one mentioned the Steamboat Arabia museum, at the River Market. That and the WW 1 museum are the most unique of KC offerings.
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Old 06-19-2017, 05:52 AM
 
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If you want things that are uniquely KC, forget about the Power & Light District and Crown Center. The P&L is a faux downtown with chain restaurants you can find all over. Don't get me wrong; it's nice and a HUGE improvement over what was there before but not worth your brief time. Crown Center is a dated commercial center that's most interesting during the holidays. These are truly, uniquely KC:

- The City Market/Steamboat Arabia Museum
- The Crossroads Arts District (hit the galleries and micro/nanobreweries)
- 18th and Vine District (just for the Negro Leagues/Jazz Museum)
- Union Station/Liberty Memorial/WWI Museum
- Country Club Plaza

Side trip to Joe's KC for a Z-man sandwich in a gas station and you've got it.
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