2 days in Kansas City

Day by day

1. Day 1: National WWI Museum and Memorial and Union Station and Science City

   National WWI Museum and Memorial, Union Station and Science City, Legoland Discovery Center and Sea Life at Crown Center and Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, then Chiefs or Royals game at the Truman Sports Complex in the evening.

   1. Morning

      National WWI Museum and Memorial

      The galleries cover the war from 1914 with trenches, weapons and letters, and the Liberty Memorial Tower above has an observation deck looking straight down to Union Station and the skyline.

   2. Late morning

      Union Station and Science City

      The building also houses Science City, a hands-on science centre for children, plus a planetarium, a model railroad exhibit and touring exhibitions.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Burnt ends

      Long-running barbecue joints across the city; Arthur Bryant's at 18th & Brooklyn and Jack Stack's Freight House are classic stops.

   4. Afternoon

      Legoland Discovery Center and Sea Life at Crown Center

      Both suit children under about ten best.

   5. Late afternoon

      Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

      General admission is free. Outside, the Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park has Henry Moore bronzes and the four giant Shuttlecocks by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen scattered across the lawn.

   6. Evening

      Chiefs or Royals game at the Truman Sports Complex

      Chiefs tickets are scarce and expensive; a Royals game in summer is the easier, family-friendly way to see a game.

2. Day 2: Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and American Jazz Museum and the Blue Room

   Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, American Jazz Museum and the Blue Room, Country Club Plaza and Arabia Steamboat Museum, then Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Negro Leagues Baseball Museum

      It ends at the Field of Legends, a mock diamond with bronze statues of Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Buck O'Neil and other stars at their positions.

   2. Late morning

      American Jazz Museum and the Blue Room

      The museum has listening stations and Parker's saxophone, and its attached Blue Room is a working jazz club with live sets most weeks.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Kansas City ribs

      Gates Bar-B-Q's locations (where staff greet you with a shouted 'Hi, may I help you?'), Q39 and Jack Stack.

   4. Afternoon

      Country Club Plaza

      The J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain at its eastern edge is the city's most photographed fountain.

   5. Late afternoon

      Arabia Steamboat Museum

      The river moved, and in 1988 a family dug the wreck out of a Kansas cornfield; the museum displays what they found — boots, dishes, tools and preserved pickles — and the restoration lab where conservation continues.

   6. Evening

      Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

      Even without a show ticket, look out for free public tours and free events; the glass lobby view is best at dusk.

Before you go

• Chiefs or Royals game at the Truman Sports Complex: Chiefs home games usually sell out; buy through the team's official ticketing well ahead.

If it rains

• Swap in Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art (Country Club Plaza): It is a ten-minute walk from the Nelson-Atkins; do both in one art-focused afternoon.
• Swap in Boulevard Brewing Company (Westside): Book a tour slot online on weekends, then walk to the Mexican restaurants on Southwest Boulevard for dinner.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 18–26 hours of visiting over 2 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 9.4 hours in December to 14.9 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

Getting between stops: Tram. The KC Streetcar runs along Main Street from the River Market through downtown and the Crossroads to Union Station and beyond towards midtown, and it is fare-free.

More or fewer days

• One day in Kansas City
• 3 days in Kansas City

Questions travellers ask