Border-Hop Between Kansas and Missouri to Fully Savor the Food, Sports and Culture of Kansas City

My Perfect Day

In KCMO, Café Corazon's menu transports you to Latin America. Wake up with tamales and a Churro Atole Latte (made with heirloom blue corn grown in Wichita).

Head to the Crossroads Arts District for mural-hopping and shopping. I love the city view from Liberty Memorial Tower, part of the National WWI Museum and Memorial.

The best evenings begin with the seasonal drafts on tap at Boulevard Brewing, followed by Spanish tapas and paella on the patio at La Bodega.

Sports Legends

Get your fix of pro football (the Chiefs) and baseball (the Royals) on the Missouri side. KCK lives for its Sporting KC soccer matches at Children's Mercy Park and NASCAR at Kansas Speedway. Formerly the T-Bones, the Kansas City Monarchs play baseball at Legends Field.

Bucket List

Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

A 22-acre sculpture park (including the iconic Shuttlecocks by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen) acts as a prelude to the globe-spanning collection at this free KCMO museum.

Country Club Plaza

High-end stores, restaurants, sculptures and some of KCMO's signature fountains (one modeled after a 14th-century fountain in Seville) fill this 100-year-old Spanish-style shopping district.

Kansas City Barbecue

You'll find some of the best in unassuming places. At Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que, line up outside a former KCK gas station to try the onion-ring-adorned Z-Man brisket sandwich.

Negro Leagues Baseball Museum

Exhibits commemorate African American leagues that played from after the Civil War into the 1960s. Designed like an old brick baseball stadium, the KCMO museum features 12 life-size bronze sculptures of Negro League players.

Powell Gardens

A highlight of this wonderland in KCMO: the Heartland Harvest Garden, celebrating Midwest agriculture with some 2,000 varieties of fruits and vegetables.

Where to Eat

Breakfast

In KCMO, perennially packed Mildred's is known for hearty breakfast sandwiches (served in pie tins), invigorating coffee drinks and sinfully good baked items like maple-pecan scones.

Lunch

Kids can't get enough of the fun-size locomotives that deliver food at Fritz's Railroad Restaurant (locations in KCK and KCMO). The burgers are good and juicy, and the onion rings arrive perfectly crispy.

Dinner

A convivial atmosphere and comforting Austrian dishes win over diners at Grünauer in KCMO. Bavarian beers pair especially well with schnitzels, goulash and sausages.

Taco Trail

Roughly one in three KCK residents claims Latin American ancestry, and you'll find more than 50 taquerias around town. A couple of standout eateries: Carlos Falcon dishes ceviche tostadas and other freshly flown-in seafood at Jarocho. For KC 'cue with a south-of-the-border kick, try Poio Mexican BBQ.

Explore with Guided Walks

With Urban Hikes KC, you can book a walk with expert guides who lend insight into hot spots, such as KCMO's Country Club Plaza, as well as off-the-tourist-radar neighborhoods like KCK's Strawberry Hill, rich with history and a striking river view.