Kansas City tourist information
Kansas City, Kansas. Not Your Ordinary Cow Town.
Home to 150,000 midwesterners, Wyandotte County is sprawled over 111 square miles of fertile Kansas riverbank where the Kansas and Missouri rivers meet. The strength of its early American Indian founders and the skills of the African, Asian, and European immigrants are still alive today in a hard-working labor force of more than 80,000.
The past for Kansas City, Kansas is one of rich ethnic culture. Memories of the 18th century European, African, and Central American immigrants, the stockyards, the railroads, good times for America’s farmers, and the traditions of the American Indians are lived out each year in Kansas City, Kansas through its many festivals, its monuments, and its historic sites.
If you are seeking fun and frolic, then you’ll surely enjoy the 30 annual festivals in this City of Festivals. The grandest of the festive events is the Renaissance Festival. The Renaissance Festival lasts seven weekends in the fall, returning visitors to a time of knights and fair maidens, a time long, long ago. The festival is rated as one of the "Top 100 Events in North America." The Woodlands offers dog and horse racing, and with its inaugural opening in 2001, the Kansas Speedway. Bringing the hottest entertainment to town is the cool, outdoor Verizon Amphitheater. If you have a favorite group, they’re sure to hit Verizon some time in the summer. The National Agricultural Hall of Fame, Grinter House, Huron Indian Cemetery, Wyandotte County Museum, and the Rosedale Arch represent the historic sites within Kansas City, Kansas and Wyandotte County.
Come and visit, you’ll see why Kansas City, Kansas is not your ordinary cowtown!
For many generations, several Indian tribes, including the Osage, Kansa and Wyandotte shared the land around Kansas City.
Kansas City played a major role in history as a gateway for pioneers heading West along the Oregon, California and Santa Fe trails. In the mid-1800s, settlers, missionaries and traders began their overland journeys from several local points while the Town of Kansas was incorporated in 1850.
Railroads and livestock helped Kansas City establish itself as a booming business community, and jazz and barbeque set the tone for signature entertainment and food. Famous Kansas Citians include Harry S. Truman, Walt Disney, Jean Harlow, Thomas Hart Benton, Charlie "Bird" Parker, Ed Asner, Satchel Paige, Melissa Ethridge, Robert Altman, Oleta Adams, George Brett, Maurice Green, and Tom Watson.
Several major companies have their origins or headquarters in Kansas City, including the Pony Express, Kansas City Savings Association (now known as Commerce Bancshares, Inc.), H&R Block, Inc., Russell Stover Candies, American Century Companies, Inc., Wolferman's, Burns & McDonnell Engineers-Architects-Consultants), Hallmark Cards, and Marion Laboratories (now Hoechst-Marion-Rousell). Today the city's colorful past is highlighted by an interesting mix of historical museums specializing in subjects such as outlaw Jesse James, President Harry S. Truman, the Oregon Trail, and Hallmark Cards.
Kansas City is a great escape no matter what time of year you visit. The city enjoys a nice mixture of sunny days during the summer months. The average temperature during the summer in Kansas City hovers around 77° F.
Barbecue is a way of life in Kansas City. It's comfort food with a splash of style and substance combined with hours of caring and hard work.
Kansas City barbecue is a no frills experience. There's no fancy named maitre d' to greet you at the door. No wine expert to help you choose the perfect complement to burnt ends and fries. And, no waitress to ask if you would like coffee at the end of your meal.
However, if you can live without those dinning amenities and settle for some of the world's best barbecue, than Kansas City is the place for you. There are more than 90 barbecue restaurants in Kansas City. Each restaurant offers its own unique and distinct style of KC barbecue.
Few cities can rival Kansas City's impact on barbecue. The history of Kansas City barbecue dates back to the early 1900s. Henry Perry - locally regarded as the "Father of Kansas City barbecue" - started selling his special 'cue out of an old railroad car near the famous cross streets of 18th & Vine. Perry later taught such Kansas City barbecue legends as Arthur Bryant and George Gates.
Today, Arthur Bryant's Barbecue and Gates Barbecue are two of the city's most recognized barbecue restaurants, each with its own distinct taste. The legend of "King Arthur" began in the 1940s when Arthur Bryant bought the family business from his brother Charlie Bryant. The restaurant gained national attention when renowned food critic and "New Yorker" columnist Calvin Trillion, a native of Kansas City, wrote that Arthur Bryant's was "the single best restaurant in the world."
Once the food of the poor, barbecue has become a fashionable Kansas City cuisine. The secret to Kansas City barbecue can be summed up in two words: "low" and "slow." Kansas City barbecue is always slow smoked at a low temperature over wood. Hickory is usually the wood of choice for most Kansas City barbecuers. Some barbecue is cooked up to 18 hours to obtain that one-of-a-kind flavor. Another interesting fact is that the actual barbecue sauce is never applied to the meat until it is ready to serve.
Kansas City barbecue is not reserved just for the professionals. Thousands of amateur barbecue chefs converge on Kansas City the first weekend in October to compete in the annual American Royal BBQ Contest. The two-day contest is the largest barbecue competition in the world and features up to $60,000 in prizes. It's easy to find the American Royal BBQ Contest, just follow the smoke which can be seen (and smelled) for blocks.
Barbecue is such a sensation in Kansas City a local group of barbecue aficionados formed the Kansas City Barbecue Society in 1985. Today, the society is the world's largest organization of barbecue and grilling enthusiasts. It has over 3,500 members from all 50 states, Canada, England and several other countries throughout the world.
So, if you're planning a visit, make sure you allow for a little (or a lot) of extra time to check out the many barbecue restaurants in Kansas City. And, don't forget to ask for extra napkins. You'll need them. Take our word for it.
Kansas City is world renowned for its rich jazz legacy. A legacy that started more than 80 years ago, when Kansas City-style jazz was born in the 1920s. Today, people can listen to this true musical art form at more than 20-area nightclubs across Kansas City.
Before you can understand the meaning of Kansas City-style jazz, you first must understand where it all began. Jazz is as much a part of the evolution of Kansas City, as Kansas City is a part of the evolution of jazz.
Jazz flourished in Kansas City during the 1920s and 1930s. While the rest of the nation was suffering through prohibition, Kansas City turned a blind eye towards the bars and clubs that sold alcohol. The town leader at that time, Tom Pendergast, freely allowed alcohol to flow across the city. As an entertainment center, Kansas City had no equal during these dry times.
The "wide-open" town image attracted displaced musicians from across mid-America. Throughout the Depression, Kansas City bands continued to play while other bands around the nation were forced to fold. An early form of New Deal-style public works projects helped shield Kansas City from the worst of the Depression. Only in Kansas City did jazz continue to thrive.
At one time, there were more than 100 night clubs, dance halls and vaudeville houses in Kansas City, regularly featuring jazz music. In the 18th and Vine jazz district alone, there were more than 60 jazz clubs. Legends like Count Basie, Andy Kirk, Joe Turner, Hot Lips Page, Jay McShann and Kansas City's own Charlie "Bird" Parker played in Kansas City. Parker first began his ascent to fame in his hometown during the 1930s.
Another great outcome of Kansas City jazz was the jam session. After performances, musicians would get together to exchange ideas and experiment with new methods of playing. The best local and out-of-town musicians would take part in these jam sessions that lasted all night and well into the next day. Many downtown clubs were the scene of jam activity as well as the Mutual Musicians Foundation. This union hall, which still stands today as a National Historic Landmark, remains open on weekends for all-night jam sessions.
The Pendergast political machine collapsed after "Boss Tom" was indicted on tax evasion. Reform elements eventually took over and the nightclubs and cabarets shut down. Jobs for musicians dried up and the bands took to the road. By 1942, with the turmoil of World War II, many of the musicians were drafted into the armed forces. Finally, by 1944, the great Kansas City jazz era slowed down, but did not totally die out.
Today, Kansas City is again recognized as a hotbed for great jazz. Instead of names like Parker, Basie and McShann filling the jazz clubs each evening, these days such local jazz artists as Angela Hagenbach, David Basse and Tim Whitmer are playing that cool Kansas City beat. Dozens of Kansas City clubs feature live jazz nightly. The Club at Plaza III, the Phoenix Piano Bar and Grill and The Blue Room are just a few of the many jazz clubs operating today.
Kansas City aerial map
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