Complete Destination Guide to Kansas City
Kansas City Royals baseball game
We love visiting major league baseball stadiums, especially on special game nights! On one of our trips to Kansas City, we attended a Kansas City Royals baseball game at Kauffman Stadium. One of the unique features of this stadium is the waterfall display, with fountains in the outfield. This game was a special one since we were visiting on Jackie Robinson Night. Every year, MLB hosts Jackie Robinson Day to honor his legacy. On that day, everyone on the team wears #42.
Kansas City Chiefs football game
The Kansas City Chiefs NFL football team is home to Arrowhead Stadium. It is in the same sports complex as the Kauffman stadium. More recently we attended a concert at GEHA (Arrowhead) stadium.
Power & Light District
The Power & Light District in Downtown Kansas City offers entertainment, nightlife, shops and dining. The district was named after the skyscraper, Kansas City Power and Light Building. While in the district, we enjoyed walking around and listening to live music. We also dined at several establishments. On our last visit, we had breakfast at Homegrown Kansas City.
Country Club Plaza
The plaza is located in the Country Club District. It features beautiful fountains along with a number of shops and restaurants. Country Club Plaza is getting ready to celebrate their centennial anniversary in 2023. Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant is one of our favorite restaurants in the plaza district.
Legends Outlets
Legends Outlet mall is another popular attraction. With over 100 tenants, there are a number of shops and restaurants to choose from. We spent some time here shopping, then dined at Yard House.
Boulevard Brewing Co.
We took the 1-hour walking tour at Boulevard Brewing Company. It was interesting to learn about the founder of the company and the history of the brewery, which began in an old building on Kansas City’s historic Southwest Boulevard.
University of Kansas
About a 45 minute drive west from Kansas City, MO to Lawrence, Kansas you will find the University of Kansas. We attended a college football game at David Booth Memorial Stadium. Our Oklahoma Sooners were playing the Kansas Jayhawks. Before the game, we walked around the campus of KU, admiring the beautiful grounds.
Where to dine?
Kansas City has a large number of restaurants to choose from. Here’ s a list of our favorite spots…
Lidia’s is an authentic Italian restaurant north of the former union station. The restaurant is in the Crossroad’s district, and has a beautiful outdoor pergola and garden area. Inside is a large bar with seating as well as tabletop seating. We started with the ceasar salad to share and enjoyed the pasta trio. For desert, we had the chocolate torta. Chef and author, Lidia Bastianich, owns the establishment and if you’ve seen one of her cooking shows, then you know this is real deal Italian cuisine.
Char Bar has a dog-friendly outside patio along with tasty food items and drinks. They are known for their award winning BBQ, and we especially liked their cheesy “hushpuppies.”
Shack Breakfast & Lunch is a fun breakfast place. They have traditional breakfasts along with a variety of other options. But I recommend their delicious, fluffy pancakes!
A.R.’s Breakfast & Brunch is another great place for breakfast! There are two locations to choose from, but we opted for the Overland Park location since it was closer to where we were staying. The portions here are plentiful and there isn’t a wait if you arrive early!
Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant makes a great date-night spot! You can enjoy wine tasting in their tasting room then dine in the restaurant. The wine tasting room gets busy in the evenings, but we didn’t have to wait too long. They have a menu of different tasting selections. All of their wines are good but my favorite is their almond sparkling.
Succotash was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. The restaurant has a colorful vibrant atmosphere and the food is outstanding! We ordered off of the “Eggs” section of their menu but next time I want to try the “Modern Elvis” french toast.
Eggtc. is a popular breakfast spot in Kansas City. It’s just south of the Country Club plaza and you can expect a wait. But it’s worth it! They also have another location open in Shawnee, KS.
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Other fun places…
Just a few blocks away from our VRBO was a cute little chocolate shop. Laura Little’s Candies has everything from fudge to cookies, chocolate candies, and ice cream! We purchased some goodies to go. And, they had a donation box for a local dog rescue so of course we gave some money to help those fur-babies too! Highly recommend stopping in this sweet little shop…it’s definitely a staple in Kansas City!
J. Rieger & Co. distillery has a lounge, tasting room, and patio garden to enjoy! We happened to find this place in the historic East Bottoms neighborhood in Kansas City. During our visit, I sipped on a cocktail while my husband enjoyed a tasting. Afterwards, we perused the gift shop.
KC Bier Co. as a wonderful dog-friendly patio with plenty of seating. On our most recent time in the city, we stopped here after just arriving in town. It was a great place for a snack and beverage (and by snack, I mean we had this HUGE pretzel with beer cheese dip – YUM!)
Where to stay?
We have stayed in pet-friendly homes on VRBO as well as hotels in Kansas City.
Kansas City Marriott Downtown is right across from the fountains in the historic downtown area. It’s convenient to walk to the Power & Light District and other downtown destinations in Kansas City.
Residence Inn by Marriott Kansas City at the Legends is right next to the outlet mall and close to Kansas Speedway.
