Kansas City walking tour & city guide

Country Club Plaza

The Country Club Plaza, opened in 1923, was one of the first shopping districts in America designed for people arriving by car. Inspired by Seville in Spain, it has towers, tiled roofs, courtyards and fountains, and at Thanksgiving its buildings are outlined in colorful holiday lights.

Jazz and history

The 18th and Vine Jazz District was the center of Kansas City jazz in the 1920s and 30s, where musicians like Count Basie and Charlie Parker played. Today it is home to the American Jazz Museum and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.

The National WWI Museum and Memorial, with its tall Liberty Memorial tower, is the official American museum of the First World War and has one of the best views of the skyline.

A classic walk from Union Station

Start at Union Station, a grand 1914 train station with a vast ceiling, and walk across the bridge to the National WWI Museum and Memorial for the view. Head north into the Crossroads Arts District, with galleries in old warehouses, and continue to the Power and Light District downtown.

Finish in the River Market, near the Missouri River, with its city market and old brick buildings. The free KC Streetcar follows this route, so you can ride back. The walk is about 4 kilometers.

Visiting tips

Spring and autumn are the best times. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, near the Plaza, is free and famous for the giant shuttlecocks on its lawn. Kansas City is a big sports town, especially for American football.