3 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 and Legoland Discovery Center and Sea Life at Crown Center, then Chiefs or Royals game at the Truman Sports Complex in the evening.

   1. Morning

      National WWI Museum and Memorial

      Designated by Congress as America's official First World War museum, it opens with a glass bridge over a field of 9,000 poppies, each representing 1,000 combatant deaths.

   2. Late morning

      Union Station and Science City

      Walking through the Grand Hall is free; pair it with the WWI Museum across Pershing Road.

   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

      Two indoor family attractions sit side by side in the Crown Center shopping complex: a Lego play centre with a Miniland model of the Kansas City skyline, and Sea Life, an aquarium with an ocean tunnel and touch pools.

   5. 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: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and Country Club Plaza

   Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Country Club Plaza and Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, then American Jazz Museum and the Blue Room in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

      Start in the Bloch Building and finish on the south lawn so you see the Shuttlecocks in late-afternoon light.

   2. Late morning

      Country Club Plaza

      Opened in 1922 as one of the first shopping districts in the US designed for people arriving by car, the Plaza copies the look of Seville with a replica Giralda tower, tiled roofs and many fountains and statues.

   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

      Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art

      It is a ten-minute walk from the Nelson-Atkins; do both in one art-focused afternoon.

   5. Evening

      American Jazz Museum and the Blue Room

      Check the Blue Room's calendar and plan the museum visit for late afternoon so you can stay for an evening set.

3. Day 3: Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and Arabia Steamboat Museum

   Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Arabia Steamboat Museum and City Market, then Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Negro Leagues Baseball Museum

      The museum tells the story of the Black professional leagues, from their 1920 founding at a meeting in Kansas City to Jackie Robinson's move to the majors.

   2. Late morning

      Arabia Steamboat Museum

      Go on a weekend morning and combine it with the City Market stalls just outside.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: The Z-Man sandwich

      Joe's original location inside a working gas station on 47th Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas; expect a queue out of the door.

   4. Afternoon

      City Market

      Kansas City's public market has run on this site since the 1850s.

   5. 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 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

With 3 nights, Downtown and Power & Light keeps most of this route within easy reach. For a calmer or cheaper base, Crossroads Arts District ($$$) suits food lovers, couples, culture and nightlife. Compare every area.

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 20–29 hours of visiting over 3 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.

More or fewer days

• One day in Kansas City
• 2 days in Kansas City

Questions travellers ask