Best things to do in Kansas City

Kansas City Zoo is renowned nationwide for its rich collections of African and Australian species. Its penguin and polar bear exhibits are also popular. In the Kid Zone, children can learn about the animals, feed some of them, and enjoy the play area and carousel rides. You can buy food from concession stands or bring your own. Animal habitats are large, and getting around the zoo requires a fair amount of walking. Consider catching a ride on a train or a tram to ease the journey. You also may rent strollers, wheelchairs, and electric scooters.

National WWI Museum and Memorial explores the Great War in detail, from its origins to its legacy. Enter the modern facility across a glass bridge above a field of 9,000 red poppies. Each flower represents 1,000 World War I combatant deaths. Inside the museum, you can watch short documentaries about the war, study period artifacts, interact with multimedia displays, and explore replicas of trenches. The on-site cafe is decorated with World War I-themed furnishings and plays music of the era. A trip up the Liberty Memorial Tower is included in the ticket price.

Renowned for the building's neoclassical architecture and impressive permanent collection of Asian art, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is beloved by Kansas City visitors and locals alike. The museum's Beaux Arts architecture style was inspired by the Cleveland Museum of Art and designed by architects Wight and Wight. A schoolteacher and art lover named Mary Atkins left money for the construction of this museum in 1911, and, though it was originally two separate galleries, the sites merged into one museum in 1983. While the museum is best known and celebrated for its extensive collection of Asian works, especially pieces from imperial China, it also boasts numerous American and European paintings, as well as photography and visiting exhibitions. This site hosts balls, speaker series, and other events year round.

Visit a science museum and catch a train, all in one building at the lovingly restored Union Station. The station was heavily used when it was built in 1914, but fell into disrepair after World Word II until it was closed in 1985. After almost 20 years of neglect, the station reopened in 1999, after significant renovation. Now the station is a cultural and transportation hub, featuring museums such as Science City, a 3-D movie theater, and a large planetarium.

Dedicated to the riverboat that sank in 1856, Arabia Steamboat Museum houses countless artifacts from the ship and a glimpse of life on the American frontier. The steamer was more than 52 m (171 ft) long with paddle wheels 8.5 m (28 ft) in diameter. It sank in the Missouri River loaded with more than 181 metric tons (200 tons) of cargo for general stores and homes. Examine the museum's extensive collection of items, including fine china, tools, and toys, preserved for more than 130 years in the mud until the ship's excavation in 1988. Take a guided tour for an introduction to the vessel's history and the role it played supplying the pioneer settlements of the American West.

In the first presidential library to be created, Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum pays tribute to the 33rd president of the United States and showcases where he conducted his political affairs. With two floors of exhibits, you'll learn about his life through a catalog of letters, photographs, and audio-visual documents. Draw on Truman's memoirs and oral interviews, which mark him not just as the President but also as a person. Take a peek at his 1947 diary, or sort through his his speeches which include details on the use of the atomic bomb at Hiroshima, Japan. You can stand inside a room designed as a replica of the Oval Office as it appeared in 1950 and get the feeling of how Truman, with the help of his advisors, faced real-life historical decisions.

The Country Club Plaza (often called The Plaza) is a privately-owned regional shopping center in the Country Club District of Kansas City, Missouri. Opened in 1923, it was the first planned suburban shopping center and the first regional shopping center to accommodate shoppers arriving by car.

Planned in 1922 by J. C. Nichols and designed in Baroque Revival and Moorish Revival style echoing the architecture of Seville, Spain, the Plaza comprises high-end retail establishments, restaurants, and entertainment venues, as well as offices. The Country Club Plaza is named in the Project for Public Spaces' list 60 of the World's Great Places.
The center consists of 18 separate buildings representing 784,000 square feet (72,800 m2) of retail space and 219,000 square feet (20,300 m2) of office space.

See more than 5,000 sea creatures, such as sharks, seahorses, octopi, and piranha, at SEA LIFE Kansas City. Walk through the underwater tunnel to come face to face with sharks and rays as they swim around you, or hold a crab and touch a starfish in the interactive touch pool. Learn about the aquatic animals from the talks and feedings throughout the day, or test your knowledge along the kids' quiz trail. Young children can make use of a soft play area. For an all-night experience, you can book in advance to sleep with the sharks in the tunnel and tour the aquarium throughout the night.

Boulevard Brewing Company is a brewery located in Kansas City, Missouri. The Brewers Association currently ranks the American arm of Boulevard's parent company, Duvel Moortgat USA, as the 12th largest craft brewery, and the 18th largest active brewery in the United States based on 2014 sales volume. Boulevard is the largest craft brewery in the state of Missouri. Boulevard's beers are available in select markets across the United States and Canada.
In 2013, Boulevard was acquired by Duvel Moortgat Brewery. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but industry publication Beer Business Daily estimated the sale price exceeds $100 million.

Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead celebrates farming in the early 20th century. Replica buildings include a one-room schoolhouse, Native American dwellings, a town area with a general store and bank, as well as a fishing pond. Kids can interact with some of the 200 animals--feeding goats a bottle and casting a line into the lake are favorite activities. Don't miss the dairy barn, where you can try your hand at milking (and if you're lucky, you'll see a live milking demonstration). A nature trail winds through the farmstead and sculptured gardens designed for kids. Adults may like to tour the woods on a horse-drawn wagon ride, while kids can enjoy a pony ride.

Loose Park is the third largest park in Kansas City, Missouri, located at 51st Street and Wornall Road. It has a lake, a shelter house, Civil War markers, tennis courts, a water park, picnic areas, and a Rose Garden. The Rose Garden hosts all types of outdoor special events including theatrical performances and wedding ceremonies. The Japanese Tea Room and Garden is a small traditional Japanese garden conceived as a cultural exchange between the sister cities of Kurashiki, Japan and Kansas City, Missouri.

Science City at Union Station is a family-friendly interactive science center that features traveling exhibitions, The Arvin Gottlieb Planetarium, City Extreme Screen theatre, and more than 120 hands-on displays. It is located inside Union Station at 30 West Pershing Road in Kansas City, Missouri.

It was the main feature in the bi-state renovation vote of 1997. It was part of a renovation plan for Union Station after being closed for a short period of time when Trizec, a Canadian redevelopment firm had failed to redevelop the station. It opened in November 1999.