Prepare to be awed by the Steamboat Arabia Museum, located in Kansas City’s famous River Market area. Built in 1853, the side-wheel steamer Arabia was only three years old she impaled her wooden hull on a submerged tree and quickly sank. While all the passengers were saved, the ship’s cargo lay quietly beneath the silt for 132 years before adventurers found her and rescued her bounty. It’s a remarkable saga and an astonishing one-of-a-kind glimpse into mid-19th century frontier life.
for more information www.1856.com
An exquisite gift to Kansas City and the world, the core collection of the museum is a gift from R. Crosby Kemper of the UMB Financial Corp. Throughout the year, the museum presents exhibitions of emerging contemporary artists from all over the world and admission is always free. The Kemper also presents films and performances by modern artists. The museum is graced with the contemporary culinary stylings of Café Sebastienne and a most interesting gift shop.
for more information www.kemperart.org
As a key launch point, outfitting pioneers on their journeys west in the mid-1800s, historic Westport actually predates Kansas City itself. To this day, Westport maintains its unique identity amid the sprawl of the metro area. Today, it’s the city’s hip destination for dining, the bar scene, entertainment and shopping for things you simply cannot find anywhere else. There’s always a party going on in Westport.
for more information www.westportkc.com
If it can go fast, it’s on the Woodlands Track, where there’s something going on every day. Greyhounds, horses, even wiener dogs make your heart race in this world-class facility. And, there’s a venue for every appetite at the Woodlands’ Kennel Club Restaurant, an award-winning, fine dining establishment. The Starting Box and Woody’s Deli offer hearty meals for those on the go. Sunday Buffet is fast becoming a must, with the Turf Club Restaurant open during the live horse racing season.
for more information www.woodlandskc.com
Frankly, if the single word, NASCAR, doesn’t tell you everything you need to know, there’s not enough space here to explain it. On June 2, 2001, the NASCAR Winston West Series inaugurated the Speedway’s asphalt, and the roar only fades between events; it never goes away. Every famous pro driver has held the curves on the 1.5 mile tri-oval track and 82,000 spectators bulge from the grandstands to soak up the roar and scream for their favorites. Pure Americana.
for more information www.kansasspeedway.com
Who knows for sure how these things happen? Perhaps a starving artist, looking for a cheap studio, opens up shop in a rundown area of town. Then another, and a handful of people start talking… Next thing you know, a neglected area of town is a thriving center of art and culture. It’s a renaissance miracle. On the first Friday of each month, the galleries stay open late to allow visitors to roam among the art, enjoy a glass of wine and an exquisite meal at one of the restaurants that followed the art. It’s a street festival; it’s art appreciation like you never had it in school.
for more information www.kccrossroads.org
There’s no way around it. Any city that has an NFL football team is big time, and Arrowhead Stadium is the home of the Kansas City Chiefs. Aug. 12, 1972, the Chiefs break in the new stadium, knocking the stuffings out of the St. Louis Cardinals, 24-14. Built (figuratively) by the legendary Lamar Hunt and Jackson County voters, Hunt conceived the AFL back in 1959, and his Chiefs “came in second” in the very first Superbowl in 1967. As part of the Truman Sports Complex, Arrowhead shares space with Kauffman Stadium, home of the Kansas City Royals pro ball team.
for more information www.kcchiefs.com
And, there’s no way around this: Any city that has a Major League Baseball team is big time. and Kauffman Stadium is where Kansas City finds its “peanuts and crackerjack.” Starting life in April 1973 as Royals Stadium, in 1993, it was renamed in honor of Ewing Kauffman, former team owner and pharmaceuticals entrepreneur. The stadium is famous for its water fountain spectacular, the largest privately funded fountain in the world. It’s major league in every way.
for more information kansascity.royals.mlb.com
Open in October 2007, the Sprint Center is about sports – arena football, basketball and hockey. And it’s about concerts, family shows and events. With seating for more than 18,000 fans, the arena promises to light up the region as it attracts professional, collegiate and amateur events, it houses the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame and serves as home of the Kansas City Brigade of the Arena Football League. Just keep your eye on the Sprint Center Arena.
for more information www.sprintcenter.com/
Convention? Rock concert? Trade show? Theatrical production? Sports? Just look beneath the Kansas City skyline’s art deco pylons and there you are. With nearly half a million square feet of arena, exhibit space, ballroom, Music Hall theater, meeting rooms and outdoor Barney Allis Plaza, it’s difficult to imagine an event that the center couldn’t handle.
for more information www.kcconvention.com/
The “Grand Lady of 12th Street” is Kansas City’s oldest theater. It opened in 1900 to accommodate the vaudeville circuit. Through good times and bad, the theater stood the test of time, dark during the Depression, and notorious as a striptease venue. In 1981, after a complete restoration, the Folly delivers a vibrant list of musical, dramatic and dance presentations that earn her new nickname, “Carnegie Hall of Kansas City. With special attention to providing a stage for Kansas City jazz, the theater also presents the national Children’s Series to area youth.
for more information www.follytheater.com/
Home of the American Royal, the complex includes the new American Royal building, completed in 1992 and the Kemper Arena – drawing thousands to the Royal, as well as countless sports events, circus presentations, ice skating, roller skating, dog shows, concerts and conventions. The arena was built in 1974 with R. Crosby Kemper of the UMB Financial Corp., as a major contributor. Basketball, soccer, hockey, national tournaments, and home to the Kansas City Comets, and other teams over the years, the Kemper is one of Kansas City’s favorite gathering places.
for more information www.kemperarenakc.com
There is no way to measure the magic that has enthralled audiences at Starlight Theatre since it opened in 1950. One of only three self-producing outdoor theaters in the country, Starlight is a unique experience under the stars. Broadway shows, from Brigadoon to Oklahoma, South Pacific to Meet Me in St. Louis to Chicago and Grease co-mingle with performers from Henry Mancini, to Linda Ronstadt and Bob Dylan. There’s simply nothing to compare to entertainment under the stars.
for more information www.kcstarlight.com
We'd like to send a special thanks to Sparker Publishing