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50 Great Things to Do in Kansas City Missouri

Sherianne Higgins·
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Top Things to Do in Kansas City Missouri

If you are planning a trip to Kansas City Missouri and looking for the best things to do, see and eat while visiting, you are in the right place.  Kansas City is known for its jazz, BBQ, and fountains but there is so much more! Browse the list of must-see attractions, off-the-beaten-path experiences, outdoor activities, and museums to create your personal Kansas City bucket list. Then, plan the itinerary for your Kansas City Missouri trip with these top things to do, see, and eat. Enjoy your time out of the office!

READ 72 Hours in Kansas City Missouri, Day by Day Itinerary

Berkley Riverfront Park Trail

Things to Do in and Around Kansas City Missouri

Spend an evening in the Jazz District (18th and Vine)

Enjoy a cocktail in the Blue Room

Visit the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum

Learn the styles of Jazz music and instruments at the American Jazz Museum

Photograph the Charlie Parker Memorial

Have lunch and wander the shops at the Plaza, don’t miss the Boy and Frog Fountain

Photograph the Giralda Tower and JC Nichols Memorial Fountain

Enjoy a cocktail with a view at Percheron Rooftop Bar

Check out the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art

Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Kansas City

Try out the glass maze at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and wander the sculpture garden

Ride the KC Streetcar from City Market to Union Station

Check out the ceiling and chandelier in Union Station’s Grand Hall

Photograph the Western Auto Sign

Join Just One Day Travel Tours for the best BBQ Kansas City has to offer

See the field of red poppies at the World War I Museum

Enjoy the view from the top of the Liberty Tower

Spend a night out at the Power and Light District or Westport

Listen to music at recordBar

Watch the Missy B Drag Show

Kansas City Royals

Attend a Chiefs football or Royals baseball game

Take a coffee tour with Urban Hikes

Try your luck at High Dive’s vending machine of mystery beers

Taste KC craft beer on the Kansas City Tap Tour

Take a walk through The Ewing and Muriel Kauffman Memorial Garden or Loose Park

Browse River Market’s weekend farmer’s market

See artifacts from the pioneer days at the Arabia Steamboat Museum

Try Kansas City wine at KC Wineworks and sample chocolate at Christopher Elbow Chocolates

Walk the Berkley Riverfront Park Trail with the Christopher S. Bond Bridge in the background

Leave a love lock on the Old Red Bridge in Minor Park

Gates BBQ Kansas City

Tour the distillery at J Rieger & Co Distillery Tour

Visit the Harry S Truman Presidential Library and Museum

Walk through the Harry S Truman House

See the Truman Coin Collection at the Federal Reserve Bank Money Museum

Take a selfie with the Kansas City I’m so in Love mural

Go on a speakeasy hunt, find Swordfish Tom’s or P.S. Speakeasy first

Spend a night out listening to bluegrass at The Knuckleheads

Learn about Kansas City’s history at the Kansas City Museum

Photograph the Community Bookshelf art installation at the Kansas City Central Library

Ride the Mamba roller coaster at Worlds of Fun

Slide down the Predator Plunge at Oceans of Fun

Kansas City Central Library

Check out the African Sky Safari at the Kansas City Zoo

Visit Legoland or Sea Life Aquarium at Crown Center

See what life was like during the civil war at the John Wornall House Museum

Drive a racecar at the Kansas City Speedway

See a $400,000 gold bar at the Federal Reserve Bank Money Museum

Check out the old homes on Ward Parkway

Take a selfie with a life-sized Maxine at the Hallmark Visitor Center

Wander the Crossroads Art District galleries on the First Friday

Photograph the Scout Statue with the skyline in the background at Penn Valley Park

Jump the state line and eat your way across the Kansas City Taco Trail

Check the Kansas City Tourism Board for upcoming festivals, special events, and what’s happening during your stay.

Have more time? Check out the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum in Independence, Missouri

Bookmark and Pin Things to Do in Kansas City Missouri

50 things to do in Kansas City Missouri: eat BBQ, drink Kansas City Whiskey and listen to jazz while exploring the New Midwest.
50 things to do in Kansas City Missouri: eat BBQ, drink Kansas City Whiskey and listen to jazz while exploring the New Midwest.

Many thanks to Visit Kansas City and Missouri Wines for providing such a wonderful experience! As always, all opinions are my own.

My Favorite Booking Resources

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  • Get Your Guide Don’t chance it, the best attractions sell out.
  • Tiqets Get your tickets now, relax when you arrive.
  • Big Bus Tours Hop-on Hop-off at all the iconic landmarks.
  • Go City Card Save up to 50% on attractions, tours and activities.
  • Welcome Pickups Airport and port transfers.
  • Visitors Coverage Pick the right travel insurance for you.
  • Use code SAVE10 to pick up a travel guide from Lonely Planet to browse on the plane.
  • Shop my Amazon travel essentials and have them delivered to your home. 

Have a great vacation!

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11 Responses

  1. I’ve done half of these! We usually visit my husband’s nephews in both Kansas cities. I have to do the other half!

  2. Wow! It is nice to know that there are so many things to see and do in Kansas. Love the idea of visiting the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum as well as enjoy a cocktail at Percheron. If time permits, yes, a trip to the Kemper Museum sounds awesome too.

  3. Berkley Riverfront Park Trail with the bridge in the background is so enticing. Kansas looks like a beautiful place to spend three days. With such lots to do my pick would be these few for sure. A cocktail at Percheron Rooftop Bar, the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, learn about Kansas City history at the Kansas City Museum, ride the Mamba roller coaster at Worlds of Fun and sliding down the Predator Plunge at Oceans of Fun.

  4. The glass maze at Nelson-Atkins was so much fun — very unique. And yes, I had a hard time finding my way through! I also enjoyed the WW1 museum and the Hallmark Visitor Center. Kansas City has a lot to offer, more than I expected. We chose to visit because it was so affordable!

  5. There’s so much to do in Kansas City! I would love to visit the Jazz District, Ward Parkway, Kansas City Museum, Attend a baseball game. I never thought about exploring this part of the USA. Would be interesting!

  6. I always wanted to visit Missouri and Kansas look so interesting in terms of so many things to do and see. Would definetely stop at Gates BBQ Kansas City and join a tour to a distillery!

  7. I did not know Kansas City has such a rich Jazz tradition and you can even visit a museum on the subject. This looks like a super beautiful city to explore with plenty of things to do. I am specially curious about the Giralda tower, a replica of our Spanish one in Sevilla

  8. Thanks for these great suggestions for a trip to Kansas City, Missouri. I love jazz, BBQ, and museums so it’s easy to see this place should be on my bucket list. This might sound silly, but I’d love to see a 400K gold bar at the Federal Reserve Bank Money Museum. That’s a once in a lifetime experience for me!

  10. That looks like a really fun riverside walk along the banks and that gorgeous bridge. There’s so many fabulous things to do in Kansas City, I need to visit and check out all of these places like the River Market, Harry Truman’s home and those fantastic museums you mentioned here to visit.

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