Union Station is just one of the places to find fountains and more in Kansas City. snipes213/Getty Images
Let’s get one thing straight: Kansas City proper is not in Kansas. Well, part of it is, but that’s not the part we’re talking about. We’re diving headfirst into Kansas City, Missouri — known for jazz, barbecue, fountains and the kind of welcoming Midwestern charm that’ll make you say, “Wait, this is actually kind of ... scha-ma-zing.” (That’s three words, if you’re keeping track.)
If you’re ready to eat too much, shop too hard and take an alarming number of selfies near oddly placed art installations and murals, buckle up.
Here’s how to spend the perfect (and perfectly gluttonous) weekend in Cowtown. Fattest fat pants = mandatory.
A weekend in Kansas City isn’t just about barbecue and fountains (though both are dangerously abundant). It’s about discovering the soul of a city that’s equal parts charm, class and a genuinely down-to-earth vibe. It’s a place where jazz seeps from alleyways, strangers say “hi” like they mean it, and the barbecue is bountiful.
Come for the burnt ends, stay for the shuttlecocks, and leave with a suitcase full of vintage glassware, smoked meat and the sneaky suspicion that this underrated Midwestern gem might just be your new favorite city.
Friday
How to spend the day
Start your journey at Hotel Kansas City, a swanky-as-hell Gothic Revival building downtown that once housed a Masonic Temple. (Yes, there are secret rooms. And yes, you will want to quiz the staff accordingly.) The lobby smells faintly of artisanal leather, Aperol and ambition. Drop your bags, admire the ornate ceiling that looks like something out of a Wes Anderson fever dream, and immediately head to the bar for a cocktail/mocktail. You're on vacation.
Hop in an Uber and cruise over to West Bottoms, the industrial-chic warehouse district where antique stores have somehow become sexy. At Bella Patina, you'll find vintage furniture, kitschy signs, and at least six things you didn’t know you needed. Taxidermy pheasant? Check. Disco ball planter? Double check.
If it happens to be the first Friday of the month, you must make a pilgrimage to the Crossroads Arts District. If you had a cool, slightly grungy, artsy cousin who was a fan of underground parties, you’d probably see them there. In this creative hub, you’ll find sleek contemporary galleries rubbing elbows with reclaimed-brick warehouses and street murals that range from “whoa” to “wait, is that a raccoon playing poker with Frida Kahlo?” Get a jolt of caffeine at Café Corazon, as their Latin-inspired coffee drinks will put you in AFib.
Then, make a point to visit Cerbera Gallery, especially if you’re more into accidentally becoming an art collector. They always have weird owl art, or weird ceramic art, or weird ceramic owl art. It’s all so cool you’ll forget you don’t actually have space for it. (Buy it anyway.)
Dinner
It's not Kansas City without a visit to the legendary Jasper’s Italian Restaurant, which is run by Jasper Mirabile Jr. — chef, raconteur, and possibly part magician. Don’t fight it, just order the tableside mozzarella. In the summertime, he makes it in front of you. Yes, you will cry. Then go full-on Italian nonna and get his famous Shrimp Livornese. Be sure to glance around the room to see if Paul Rudd or Eric Stonestreet are sitting near you. Do not approach. Oh, and if Jasper doesn’t swing by with a slab of his mile-high coconut cake or homemade limoncello before you leave, show him this article immediately. Drop my name.
After dark
Cap the night with a cocktail at The Monarch Bar on the Plaza — so gorgeous you’ll momentarily forget you’re in the Midwest. Try something with lavender in it. Or lavender that’s been set on fire. Pretend you’re in Paris. Or Nashville. Or Paris again.
Since you’re already on the Plaza, admire it. It’s an architectural love letter to Seville, Spain. That’s right — tile mosaics, fountains galore and enough Spanish-style arches to make you say “¿Dónde está mi sangria?” If you spy a flamenco dancer, it’s likely because your drink at Monarch was stronger than you anticipated. Scope out stores you want to shop at later in the weekend. You can do reconnaissance while working off Jasper’s chicken parmesan.
Saturday
Morning
You’ve had six-ish hours of sleep and you’re already slightly hungover. Bless. Head to Messenger Coffee, a sleek, three-story caffeine cathedral with rooftop seating and pastries so good they should be illegal. (I said what I said.) Order the cardamom bun and the espresso flight. That’s right, an espresso flight. Welcome to Kansas City, baby.
Catch the KC Streetcar, which is free (yes, free!) and possibly one of the most delightful ways to feel like a local. Ride it north to the River Market area and step straight into the cheerful chaos of City Market, one of the oldest and largest farmers markets in the Midwest.
It’s a sensory overload in the best way: buskers playing '90s alt-rock covers, vendors yelling over bins of rainbow chard, and the unmistakable scent of freshly baked fill-in-the-blank depending on where you land. Snag a peach, a tamale, a bunch of wildflowers — and maybe a handmade soap called Basil Pomegranate Ginger Happiness Birdsong.
If you’re shopped out, mosey over to the Arabia Steamboat Museum. It’s a must-see. Picture this: a fully intact steamboat excavated from a cornfield after 132 years underground. It’s like if Indiana Jones and Antiques Roadshow had a historically accurate baby. Bonus: there’s a jar of 19th-century pickles.
How to spend the day
Walk off the calories at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, home to giant shuttlecocks and the city’s most pristine, photogenic lawn. Inside, you'll find everything from Monet to Ming vases. (So. Many. Vases.) Pretend to understand modern art. Whisper “profound” things. Buy a tasteful coffee table book you'll never actually open. Take pictures. Take all the pictures. Take more pictures. For a photographer, it’s like the mothership calling 'em home.
Now it’s time to make the weekend’s biggest life decision: where to eat barbecue. Locals will duel over this topic. But for the true experience, go old school and hit Joe’s. As you patiently wait with friends, Romans, and countrymen, inhale deeply. Order the Z-Man. This legendary (and ultra-KC-famous) sandwich offers sliced smoked brisket, smoked provolone cheese, a couple of onion rings, a bit of barbecue sauce, all on top of a Kaiser roll. If you don’t leave sticky and satisfied, you’re doing it wrong.
Next up: The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures. Yes, it sounds like a trap set by toddlers, but it’s actually mesmerizing. Teeny-tiny furniture! Creepy old dolls! A whole wall of antique marbles! Weirdly calming. Weirdly weird.
Still in the mood for something random? Take a 10-minute Uber ride to The Ewing and Muriel Kauffman Memorial Garden, a serene, flower-packed paradise hiding right in the middle of the city. It’s like stepping into a secret garden, minus the British child ghosts (likely carrying dolls).
Head over to Country Club Plaza, Kansas City's aforementioned Spanish-inspired shopping district, where you can browse hyper-local goods at Made in KC, buy fancy candles you may or may not ever light, and casually stroll past Tiffany & Co. while pretending you forgot your wallet.
Dinner
The Fox and Pearl, a Westside gem, is part smokehouse, part farm-to-table wizardry. Chef Vaughn Good is the kind of culinary god who can make a carrot taste like steak and a steak taste like the last meal you’d request on death row. The bone marrow brûlée is ... a situation.
Want a progressive dinner? Or to be near your LGBTQ+ brethren and sistren? Grab dessert several blocks away at Ragazza Food & Wine. If you want euphoria in a glass jar, order their dark chocolate budino, sprinkled with sea salt. Their homemade tiramisu is the best in the city. (Sorry, Jasper.) Share a double espresso with omnipresent owner Laura Norris. By that point in the evening, she’ll probably need it. Drop my name.
After dark
Catch a show at The Comedy Club of Kansas City or Knuckleheads Saloon if you're feeling gritty and twangy. One has punchlines, the other has steel guitars. Either way, your night ends with a story.
Want to stick close to the hotel? See what’s happening at KC’s Power & Light District. There could be 33, 330, or 3300 people partying ‘til the wee hours of the morning in the metro’s entertainment district.
Sunday
Morning
If you’re not on fumes yet, that’s on you. Drag your weary self to The Campground in the West Bottoms for a brunch that feels like it was curated by Kinfolk Magazine. Order the Dutch baby. Order a michelada. Order forgiveness for your dietary sins.
Or, if you want the most decadent brunch/lunch of your life, traipse down the hill from your hotel to Lula Southern Cookhouse. Chef Bradley Gilmore uses nine sticks of butter and a scoop of bear lard in every flavorful dish. If Gilmore doesn’t win a James Beard award in the next couple of years, I’ll eat my chicken-fried hat.
How to spend the day
Facts are facts, you can’t leave Kansas City without visiting the National WWI Museum and Memorial. If you don’t make a pilgrimage there, we can't be friends. Perched beneath Liberty Memorial like a time-travel portal, it’s equal parts history lesson and emotional gut-punch (in the best way). From the glass bridge suspended over a field of 9000 poppies to the immersive exhibits that make you instantaneously sentimental, it’s the kind of place that sticks with you. Come for the artifacts — stay for the perspective.