In the 19th century, people saw Kansas City as a gateway to the West. Now, there’s no need to go any farther if you’re looking for fun, history and unique flavor. The Kansas City metro area is famous for so many activities and sites that it’s impossible to see them all on just one trip. From the famed barbecue to jazz and blues to sports and history, Kansas City will keep groups coming back time after time.
Barbecue
The city’s barbecue joints have become legendary, and lots of people line up for those sweet, smoky or tangy sauces topping slow-smoked meat. There are more than 100 barbecue joints across the city and the best serve it up straight and simple.
Three eateries stand out with secret recipes and restaurant history dating back to the mid-20th century. Since the 1920s, Arthur Bryant’s Barbecue has entertained everyone from President Harry Truman to Steven Spielberg with a platter of barbecue served with white bread and fries, and Gates Bar-B-Q offers up its meat with a sauce so good it’s been sold on its own since the 1940s.
Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbecue started in 1957 and offers an upscale approach to the city tradition of great food as well. All three local chains welcome groups and offer a full menu of catering options.
Jazz
Since the roaring ’20s, jazz and blues has been an essential part of Kansas City, and those soulful beats form part of the area’s living, breathing soundtrack. Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie started their careers in Kansas City, and jazz clubs like the The Blue Room in the 18th Street and Vine Historic Jazz District continue to bring top singers and musicians to the stage.
The Phoenix Jazz Club, which started as a speakeasy in the late 19th century, books local bands and offers up its Saturday Jazz Brunch. The Majestic Restaurant has a similarly colorful past; it was a jumping night spot and speakeasy during the otherwise dry years of Prohibition, and now the facility specializes in classic jazz and the top artists in the genre.
While the city’s clubs are excellent for downtime activities, sites like the Mutual Musicians Foundation and the American Jazz Museum are perfect for receptions and other group events. The Foundation is a special experience on its own; the building is on the National Register of Historic Places and is the original home of the city’s chapter of the African-American Musicians Union, created in 1917. The Foundation still holds traditional jams and other events open to the public, and welcomes groups for private functions.
Museums
“Kansas City is known for jazz, barbecue and fountains—with more than 200 across the city—more than any other city except Rome—but it’s also rich in history,” says Toni Alexander, communications manager for the Kansas City CVB. “Our one-of-a kind museums such as the nation’s only National World War I Museum, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum as well as the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum, are just a few of the historic attractions to be seen while here.”
Indeed, the museums of the Kansas City area are vast and varied, from the Puppetry Arts Institute, which can accommodate up to 50 attendees and will also put on a puppet show as part of your event, to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, which can accommodate up to 1,000 guests and is famous not only for its wide-reaching collection of antiquities and masterpieces, but also for the two massive badminton shuttlecocks in the sculpture garden.
Other unusual museums include the Arabia Steamboat Museum, which features items salvaged from a sunken 1856 steamboat, a fascinating site for up to 125 guests; and the aforementioned National World War I Museum and Memorial, featuring memorabilia and a historic look at the Great War. The facility can host up to 650 guests, and offers both indoor and outdoor spaces for events.
There’s more to Kansas City museums across the Kansas state line, according to Kerry Green, the meetings, group and event manager for the Kansas City, Kansas CVB.
“Strawberry Hill Museum and Cultural Center offers a glimpse into the Eastern European heritage that is so rich here,” Green says. “Also, the National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame is a great location for events and meetings. Guests can enjoy the experience of the American farmer and ride in a miniature train.”
The Strawberry Hill Museum features historic and cultural items from several Eastern European countries, including items used by Pope John Paul II during his visits to the U.S.
The facility also offers a gift shop and a tea room with authentic desserts and treats. The tea room accommodates up to 25, and the main dining hall accommodates up to 85 guests. Special tours can also be added to any event.
At the National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame, guests can experience the science and art of the rural lifestyle, including the Museum of Farming and the Gallery of Art, which features the plow used by a young Harry S. Truman. There are a multitude of unique spaces for events with a country flair, from the Event Barn to a 750-seat pavilion for outdoor picnics or a 200-seat auditorium for business meetings.
In Overland Park, Kansas, the Museum at Prairiefire is a can’t-miss for groups with spaces dedicated to science and the natural world. It boasts one of the few full casts of a Tyrannosaurus rex, plus a hands-on discovery room. The facility can accommodate up to 350 for a reception, and also offers smaller meeting and boardrooms.
Sports
After this year’s World Series, everyone knows the Kansas City Royals. It’s not just the famed baseball team that brings folks to town, though. Travel + Leisure named Kansas City as one of the Top 10 cities for sports-crazed fans, and there is plenty of action.
During baseball season, groups can take in a game at Kaufmann Stadium or hold an event at the Kansas City Royals pavilion and dugout suites, which can accommodate 45 to 150 guests and offer full catering. For football season, there’s the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, plus year-round guided tours of the press box, locker rooms and more.
There’s also the College Basketball Experience, located downtown near the convention center, making it a perfect venue to walk to for a reception or special event. The facility offers interactive exhibits so attendees can test their slam dunk skills, take on the role of sports commentator or even take part in a pick-up game. The CBE can hold up to 1,500 attendees so everyone gets a turn at something fun.
In Kansas City, Kan., it’s all about speed sports.
“The Kansas Speedway put us on the map in 2001 with the opening of the newest track on the NASCAR circuit,” says Kansas City, Kansas CVB’s Green.
Planners can build packages around the NASCAR races that include pit tours, receptions in the facility’s suites and passes to the Hospitality Village. Aside from regularly scheduled races, groups can participate in the Richard Petty Driving Experience and get lessons behind the wheel from a professional driver or take a ride in an actual NASCAR race car.
Mix business and pleasure in Overland Park with a meeting at Topgolf, a high-tech, indoor driving range that also offers 3,000 square feet of meeting space plus a restaurant, three bars and a rooftop terrace. Each golf ball is embedded with a microchip so golfers get complete statistics about their performance and how to improve their game.
Explorers & Outlaws
In 1804, Lewis and Clark landed at the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri rivers in what is now called Kaw Park. While the metro area of Kansas City grew around it, this place remains a lovely, green space with hiking trails and wildflowers. It’s perfect for some quiet downtime or a relaxing hike, and there’s even an outdoor amphitheater for group events.
Less peaceful were the lives of Jesse and Frank James, and they are remembered just north of Kansas City at the Jesse James Farm & Museum in Kearney, Mo. Groups can tour the farmhouse and see the largest collection of James memorabilia, including three of the outlaws’ guns and his boots. His grave is also on the site.
Travel 15 minutes south and tour the Jesse James Bank Museum, the first bank robbed in daylight in peacetime. It’s an amazing bit of history, and proves the power of the Kansas City rebel spirit.
