Kansas City
Around Kansas City
Photo: BartonBrothersPhoto.com · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Metro area · Missouri · 2.3M people
Kansas City
Locals say KC · “Paris of the Plains”, “City of Fountains”, “BBQ Capital of the World”
Kansas City · Lenexa · Overland Park
Smoky barbecue, fountains, and a roar that shakes the stadium.
Chiefs RedRoyals BlueChiefs Gold
Welcome to KC! You'll find a city of fountains, world-class barbecue, and some of the friendliest folks around. Whether you're here for the Chiefs, the jazz, or the arts, you'll feel at home in no time.
Clubs for Kansas City
No clubs for Kansas City yet.
The room
One room for everyone around Kansas City. It never closes; when it's busy it splits into tables. Once you're in, you stay until you leave.
Ask the neighbours
AllA good plumber, the best tacos, a lost cat: nobody has asked yet. Be the first.
Coming up
No events in the next month. Events made in the room show up here.
Marketplace
Things for sale, free and wanted, and rooms for rent, from people around Kansas City. Sign in to sell something.
Things to do
- Arrowhead Stadium Home of the Chiefs, known for loud crowd
- Kauffman Stadium Home of the Royals, with fountains in the outfield
- Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Art museum with famous shuttlecocks
- Liberty Memorial National WWI Museum and memorial
- River Market Historic market district with farmers market
- Kansas City Zoo Large zoo in Swope Park
- Outdoors Walk or bike the Riverfront Heritage Trail
- Outdoors Kayak on the Missouri River
- With kids Kansas City Zoo
- With kids Science City at Union Station
- Evenings Live jazz at Green Lady Lounge
- Evenings Bar hop in the Crossroads Arts District
- Locals love barbecue joints
- Locals love jazz clubs
Through the year
- American Royal September-October Barbecue competition and livestock show
- Plaza Art Fair September Artists and crafts in the Country Club Plaza
- Boulevardia June Music, beer, and food festival in the West Bottoms
- KC Restaurant Week January Special prix-fixe menus at local restaurants
- Big Slick Celebrity Weekend June Celebrity poker tournament and charity events
Kansas City has a humid continental climate with hot, humid summers and cold, dry winters. Best: Spring and fall are the best times to be out, with mild temperatures and fewer storms.
Talk like a local
- “KC”
- Short for Kansas City
- “the Plaza”
- Country Club Plaza
- “the Crossroads”
- Crossroads Arts District
- “the River Market”
- Historic market district
Getaways
- Lawrence College town with Massachusetts Street and KU campus
- Atchison Historic river town, Amelia Earhart birthplace
- St. Joseph Pony Express museum and historic sites
- Ottawa Small town with antique shops and Franklin County fair
Local flavour
Teams
- Kansas City Chiefs NFL
- Kansas City Royals MLB
- Sporting Kansas City MLS
- Kansas City Current NWSL
- Kansas City Mavericks ECHL
- UMKC Kangaroos NCAA Division I
Also rooting for University of Kansas Jayhawks (NCAA, Lawrence KS), Kansas State Wildcats (NCAA, Manhattan KS), St. Louis Blues (NHL, St. Louis MO)
Eat and drink
- Kansas City-style barbecue Burnt ends, slow-smoked ribs, and thick sweet-tangy molasses-based sauce.
- Kansas City strip steak A well-marbled cut named after the city's historic stockyards.
- Boulevard beer Local craft brewery known for Tank 7 and other signature brews.
Where people go
- Fountains Over 200 fountains, earning the nickname 'City of Fountains'.
- Barbecue joints Smokehouses and family-run pits that define the local food scene.
- Jazz clubs Historic venues in the 18th & Vine district, the heart of Kansas City jazz.
- Stockyards Historic livestock exchange that shaped the city's beef and BBQ culture.
- Country Club Plaza A Spanish-style shopping district with fountains, towers, and tile work.
Heritage and traditions
Kansas City is proud of its deep jazz roots, world-famous barbecue, and being the 'City of Fountains' with more fountains than any city except Rome. It also celebrates its role as a crossroads of the American heartland, with a rich history of cowtown, jazz, and civil rights.
This time of year in Kansas City
- Kansas City Renaissance Festival September-October A medieval-style fair with jousting and crafts.
- Kansas City Renaissance Festival September-October A medieval-themed fair with jousting, artisan booths, and themed weekends.
Say it like a local: “Let's get some burnt ends” — A local delicacy of smoked brisket ends, often ordered as a sandwich.
Festivals
- Kansas City Irish Fest September Celebrates Irish music, dance, and culture with multiple stages and a family area.
- Ethnic Enrichment Festival August Showcases food, crafts, and performances from dozens of ethnic communities in the metro.
- Kansas City Renaissance Festival September-October A medieval-themed fair with jousting, artisan booths, and themed weekends.
- KC Fringe Festival July A multi-disciplinary performing arts festival featuring theater, dance, comedy, and music.
- Kansas City FilmFest April An independent film festival screening local and international works.
- Jazz in the Woods May An outdoor jazz festival in Overland Park, Kansas, featuring local and national acts.
Landmarks with a story
- Negro Leagues Baseball Museum The only museum dedicated to African-American baseball history, located in the historic 18th & Vine district.
- American Jazz Museum A museum celebrating jazz history with interactive exhibits, located next to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
- Arabia Steamboat Museum Displays artifacts recovered from a steamboat that sank in 1856, offering a glimpse into frontier life.
- Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum The presidential library of Harry S. Truman, located in Independence, Missouri.
- Shawnee Indian Mission A former mission and school for Shawnee Indians, now a historic site in Fairway, Kansas.
- Fort Osage A reconstructed 1808 military outpost on the Missouri River, near Independence, offering living history.
Food traditions
- Burnt ends A local delicacy made from the caramelized ends of smoked brisket, often served as a sandwich or by the pound.
- Chicken spiedini An Italian-American dish from the North End, featuring skewered, breaded, and grilled chicken, a tradition from the city's Italian community.
- Kansas City-style barbecue Slow-smoked meats with a thick, sweet, tomato-based sauce, a tradition rooted in the city's cowtown past and stockyards.
Music and arts
- Kansas City jazz A style of jazz with a strong blues influence, developed in the 1920s-30s, featuring a distinctive 'Kansas City shuffle' rhythm.
- Kansas City blues A regional blues style that evolved alongside the jazz scene, known for its raw, urban sound.
- Crossroads Arts District A neighborhood of galleries, studios, and murals, home to the First Fridays art walk.
- Kansas City Art Institute A prestigious art school that has shaped local visual arts and design.
A little history
- 1821 Kansas City founded as a trading post
- 1850s Bleeding Kansas and border wars between pro-slavery and free-state settlers
- 1864 Battle of Westport, the largest Civil War battle west of the Mississippi
- 1871 Opening of the Kansas City Stockyards, making the city a major cattle hub
- 1920s-1930s Jazz age in the 18th & Vine district, a center for jazz and blues
Rivalries
- KU vs K-State College basketball rivalry
- Missouri vs Kansas Border war in sports
- Chiefs vs Raiders NFL rivalry
- Royals vs Cardinals I-70 series in MLB
- Game day Tailgating at Arrowhead Stadium
- Game day The Tomahawk Chop
- Outdoors Bike the Indian Creek Trail
- Outdoors Hike at Swope Park
- With kids Arabia Steamboat Museum
- With kids Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
Kansas Citians speak a Midwestern accent with a slight Southern drawl, especially in rural areas. They often say 'pop' for soda, and 'barbecue' is used as both a noun and a verb. The city is often called 'KC'.
Only here
- More fountains than any city except Rome, earning the nickname 'City of Fountains.'
- The Country Club Plaza was the first shopping center designed for automobiles, built in 1923.
- The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is the only one of its kind in the world.
- Arrowhead Stadium holds the record for the loudest crowd noise at a sports event (142.2 dB).
New here? A few tips
- Be ready for extreme weather: hot, humid summers and cold, snowy winters. Layer up and stay hydrated.
- Embrace barbecue—try burnt ends and KC-style ribs at a local joint; it's a point of pride.
- The metro spans two states. Kansas City, Missouri, and Kansas City, Kansas, are separate cities; know which side you're on.
- Traffic on I-35 and I-70 can be heavy during rush hours; plan accordingly.
- The Plaza is a shopping district, not a park, and it's a great place to stroll and people-watch.
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Part of Kansas City area
Nearby
Every areaLawrenceKansasA lively college town with a creative soulAtchisonKansasWhere the river bends and history takes flight.St. JosephMissouriWhere the river meets the wild west.OttawaKansasSunflower country, warm hearts.WarrensburgMissouriWhere the prairie meets the skyTopekaKansasHeart of the prairie, home of the capitol.MarshallMissouriA welcoming community in the heart of MissouriSedaliaMissouriWhere the fairgrounds glow and the prairie rolls.
Kansas City, MO-KS. Areas from the US Census Bureau and Statistics Canada; places from GeoNames. Local flavour was written with a model and may have mistakes. Team names identify teams; no endorsement.