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 Kansas City, MO. – When summer arrives, Kansas City’s legendary traditions -- jazz, barbecue and fountains -- come alive. The lingering aroma of smoke fills the air from more than 100 barbecue joints. The city’s famous fountains (200 and counting) start flowing. And the warm nights sizzle when KC’s fiery jazz moves to outdoor patios. Travelers to Kansas City this summer can take advantage of discounts to some of the city’s biggest attractions with the free DiscoverKC Pass. The Pass can be ordered online at VisitKC.com/pass.
KC under the sun and stars
Seeking adventure? Worlds of Fun, one of the Midwest’s largest amusement parks, offers the longest, tallest and fastest full-circuit inverted roller coaster in the region, the Patriot, as well as 140 other thrill rides. Spend an extra day at Oceans of Fun, the Midwest’s largest water park, or purchase a Ride & Slide pass for a full day of wet, dry and wild adventure at both parks.
Take the whole gang to a Kansas City Royals game at beautiful Kauffman Stadium. Watching the boys in blue is fun and affordable, and they offer special promotions all summer such as Dodge Buck Nights, Hy-Vee/Pepsi Fireworks Fridays and Sprint Fun Runs, where fans of any age can run the bases after the game. This year, Worlds of Fun teamed up with the Kansas City Royals for the KC Double Play Package, which allows visitors to experience both attractions for the great price of $29.50. Call 800-877-4386 for more details.
Your young ones will delight in the Kansas City Zoo’s new summer visitors—two 3-year-old female Queensland koalas. The Kansas City Zoo is the only zoo in the Midwest to feature koalas this year. Visitors will also encounter several baby animals with the recent births of a baboon, dik-dik and several oryxes. And starting this Memorial Day, you can ride the new Endangered Species Carousel, which features 36 hand-carved wooden animals.
A true Kansas City summer tradition is Starlight Theatre, an 8,000-seat outdoor amphitheatre in beautiful Swope Park, featuring concerts and Broadway productions such as this season’s Burn the Floor, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Sweet Charity, The Wizard of Oz and the West Side Story. For more entertainment under the stars, head to Southmoreland Park, home to the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, which offers free nightly performances of Romeo and Juliet, June 19-July 8.
Free outdoor entertainment is also available Friday nights at Hallmark Cards’ Crown Center. Family-friendly flicks are shown on a big screen at the outdoor Pavilion in July, or catch some of the nation’s hottest country and pop stars in August.
Get up early on Saturday and Sunday mornings for a visit to the City Market, the Midwest’s largest farmers’ market, where you will join Kansas Citians in search of fresh produce, gifts and flowers. The City Market celebrates its 150th anniversary with special events all summer long. Fresh flowers are in abundance at Powell Gardens, a beautiful 915-acre botanical garden just east of Kansas City. More than 20 life-size dinosaurs take over during Jurassic Gardens, June 27-October 7, giving visitors a chance to discover prehistoric plant and animal life.
Rounding off your Kansas City getaway
Those with a passion for art will love Kansas City. Located near the Country Club Plaza are two of the top art museums in the nation—the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art and The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, which opens the highly anticipated $200 million Bloch Building expansion on June 9. If you’re here on the first Friday of the month, head to First Fridays in the Crossroads Arts District for one of the nation’s largest art crawls.
A trip to Kansas City isn’t complete without visiting the European-inspired Country Club Plaza, a 14-block shopping and entertainment district decorated with Spanish architecture, beautiful art and dazzling fountains. Of course, the city offers plenty of unique districts to explore. Two of the area’s newer districts include The Legends at Village West, offering many restaurant and retail firsts for the city, and Zona Rosa, featuring local and national retailers, restaurants and entertainment in an urban town center.
Several big exhibits hit Kansas City this summer. The Toy and Miniature Museum hosts an original exhibit called What Does It Mean to Be an American Girl?, through August 31, which features dolls and stories from the American Girl historical cast of characters. Norman Rockwell's art comes off the wall in a 3D exhibit inspired by the artist’s famous Saturday Evening Post covers called Rockwell’s America: Celebrating the Art of Norman Rockwell, at Union Station, June 22-September 23.
Adults can tour Boulevard Brewing Co., the Midwest’s largest specialty brewer, which recently released a new beer called Lunar Ale. Or, they can catch the Las Vegas-style entertainment and gambling at one of the city’s four casinos.
For a unique step back in history, visit the 18th & Vine Historic Jazz District where you’ll experience the one-of-a-kind American Jazz Museum and Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Nearby, the new National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial offers the nation’s only tribute to those who served in the Great War. Your march through history continues in nearby Independence, Mo. Tour the sights that pay tribute to the nation’s 33rd president, Harry S. Truman, at the Truman Home and the Truman Presidential Museum & Library, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this summer with Treasures of the Presidents, a collection of more than 200 rarely seen artifacts from our First Families and the American presidency.
For more information about Kansas City, go to VisitKC.com.
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Photo Credit: Photos Courtesy of the Kansas City Convention
& Visitors Association
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American Jazz Museum, Charlie Parker sax
Caption: The American Jazz Museum tells the story of this American art form with artifacts such as a Charlie Parker saxophone.
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Country Club Plaza
Caption: The Moorish architecture of the 14-square-block Country Club Plaza is modeled after Seville, Spain.
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Kansas City Royals, Kauffman Stadium
Caption: The Kansas City Royals play more than 80 home games each year at Kauffman Stadium.
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Kansas City Zoo
Caption: Children can get upclose with lemurs in the Kansas City Zoo's Discovery Barn. This image is not available for download.
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Legends at Village West
Caption: This booming shopping district near Kansas Speedway is home to more than 100 shops and restaurants. This image is not available for download.
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Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Bloch Building
Caption: The new Bloch Building at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art opened on June 9, 2007.
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Oceans of Fun
Caption: Oceans of Fun, located next to Worlds of Fun, is one of the Midwest's largest water parks.
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Powell Gardens
Caption: Kansas City's botanical garden features 915 acres of beautiful, ever-changing gardens, nature trails, contemporary architecture and year-round events. This image is not available for download.
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Starlight Theatre
Caption: Starlight Theatre is the largest outdoor amphitheater of its kind in the nation.
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