Meat-Eaters' Paradise

The first non-Native American person to call what is now Kansas City home settled there in 1821, the same year  that Missouri was admitted to the Union. It was not named “the City of Kansas” (to honor the nearby Kansa India tribe), however, until 1850, and it was not officially designated “Kansas City” until 1889.

Looking into the history of Kansas City in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, you will come across the Pendergast family, who basically ran the city until World War II, letting crime run amok. In spite of this legacy, the Pendergasts did play an important role in the development of Kansas City, building the Jackson County Courthouse, Municipal Auditorium, Municipal Airport, and hundreds of miles of paved roads.

Much of the city’s economic engine post-Pendergast focused on slaughtering animals. These days? Not so much. Kansas City has a great deal more than that to offer, with a well-earned reputation for great jazz, great barbecue and, weirdly, great fountains (the city claims to have more fountains than every city on Earth except Rome).

Enjoy the Music

Visit the American Jazz Museum at 18th and Vine, downtown. It offers a lot more than just jazz, with poetry jams, storytelling competitions, and an exhibition that begins August 1 about the Montgomery bus boycott.

If you really are into jazz, though, visit the Blue Room. Recreated to look like the original club that had its heyday in the 1930s and 1940s, it’s one of the few museum experiences where you can hear great contemporary artists while enjoying drink specials!

Revel in the Food

A buddy of mine actually takes three or four trips a year to Kansas City simply to eat barbecue. Not to be confused with Memphis or other famous BBQ, KC’s version features slow-cooked meat – usually 18 hours over hickory – and saucy sauces. Local sources – and I’ll back them up on this – swear by Gates Bar-B-Q as the top spot for Kansas City barbecue, if you can only make one such stop on your trip. Its original location is just a block from the American Jazz Museum, so if you want to make a night of it, start at Gates. The amount of food you will get approaches the grotesque, so if you leave hungry, that’s your problem.

Enjoy Outdoor Art and Shopping

You can spend an afternoon at Country Club Plaza, designed in 1922 as the first outdoor suburban shopping district. A little bit outside of the main part of downtown Kansas City, the Plaza is worth a side trip. In addition to high-end shopping and decent restaurants, it features really interesting Old World architecture and art that elevates the Plaza beyond the normal “suburban mall.” To get a taste of the look and feel of the Plaza, click here for an interactive virtual walking tour.

Why Write Now?

One reason is that the Twins make their last trip to Kansas City August 8 – 10. Kauffmann Stadium, where the Royals play, is one of the great ballparks in the country, so if you want to take a road trip, or take an hour flight to take in some of what else KC has to offer, it’s a great time to go. Click here for a 360-degree view of the field. With the Royals in their usual funk, I’m sure you can get tickets.