Kansas City — The city that crosses two states: Missouri and Kansas. It's one of the coolest cities I've visited and yet no one talks of it. Why should you go there? Well, after returning from my week-long vacation there, I've decided to share my favorite places!
1. World War I Museum
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This is an amazing museum that you simply can't see everything of in just one day. You can easily see something new and different with every visit. Uniforms of soldiers, makeshift trenches, audio recordings from soldiers' letters to their families, war declaration documents, and video documentaries of the war itself. It is an interesting, touching and a fascinating interactive visit. When I visited, I also attended the Vietnam War Exhibit. This place is so worth it, just make sure to devote a lot of time to it in your day, as there's a lot to see!
2. The Roasterie
Kansas City is known for its delicious coffee, as they make their own right here in the Roasterie. You can even tour the factory where they make it, purchase their beans, have a drink at the cafe, and learn how the process of making and selling coffee works. As someone who loves caffeine, I really enjoyed this place! Shop local, my friends.
3. The Arboretum and Botanical Gardens
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TLocated in Overland Park, this place is the perfect spot for a nature walk to appreciate art. 1% of all proceeds from property purchases in Kansas City must go to art, so there's sculptures, paintings and even festivals for creators to show off their work. This park is no exception. The photo here is of the Monet Park. You can walk the trails, enjoy the ponds, and admire the gorgeous flowers planted on the grounds. If you're a nature person, art lover, or plant mom, this is your scene.
4. The Plaza
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The Plaza is a great place to hang out, eat local food, take a walk across the bridge over the river, take pretty pictures, admire the Kansas City brick, get drinks and shop at some boujee stores. They've got Jack Stack too, which is a must. In general, barbecue here is a staple.
5. The Aquarium
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Located at Crown Center, the Sea Life Aquarium is a maze of various exhibits of aquatic animals: octopus, fish, starfish, stingrays, sharks, lobsters, you name it. You can even reach into one tank to touch the starfish there!
6. The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art
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As I previously mentioned, Kansas City has a huge art scene, so a trip here is a given. It's known for its collection of art from nearly every continent and culture, and especially for its vast collection of Asian art. The cool thing about this museum is that it has a sculpture of a birdie from badminton out front.
7. Museum at Prairiefire
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Located in Overland Park, the Museum at Prairefire contains exhibits of dinosaur fossils, paleontology, anthropology and even some spacesuits of NASA astronauts. It's very diverse, the architectural style of the place has been nationally recognized and it's very interesting!
8. Union Station
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Union Station is a grand, historic train station with rotating exhibits, a planetarium, a science center. and a self-playing piano. It's interior is gorgeous, there's a cafe you can sit down at, and its location is perfect as it is right across from the WWI museum and other destinations in downtown Kanas City.
9. The Zoo
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Kansas City has a huge zoo with so many different exhibits from birds, to African region wildlife (elephants, zebras, leopards, cheetahs) and even a stingray bay where you can touch them. Also, who doesn't love animals? This place is always a good time.
10. Up-Down Arcade Bar
For those 21 or over, Up-Down is a fun two-story bar where you can play arcade games downstairs and hang out at the rooftop bar with your friends, admiring the view of Downtown Kansas City lit up at night. I also recommend their redbull tequila slushies for a drink. They taste great!
Kansas City is such a fun, artsy, and safe city for a getaway and honestly underrated for all its beauty and fun. It definitely needs to be given more recognition for all it has to offer. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting a domestic getaway while international travel is banned.
