A mecca of culture and a melting pot of art forms and pastimes, Kansas City has seen its fair share of ATTENTION lately, thanks in no small part to Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift.
But in addition to celebrity sightings and NFL games, Missouri’s most populous city has a smorgasbord of metropolitan amenities befitting a group-friendly road trip.
Long regarded as a barbecue destination, Kansas City recently took its culinary heritage a step further by opening the world’s first barbecue museum. The brand-new Museum of BBQ, which opened at the shops at Crown Center in April, is an immersive, multi-sensory experience that sheds a new light on the all-American tradition of low-and-slow cookery. Guests enter through an oversized door designed to resemble a giant smoker, followed by a spree of themed exhibits, with installations such as Meat, Rub, Wood & Fire, Smoke and Sauce, and regionally inspired sections like the Carolinas, Texas … and of course, Kansas City. Be sure to take a dip in the giant Bean Pit, filled with 8,000 bean-colored balls, and peruse the museum’s vast art collection before shopping for sauces and rubs in the gift store.
Beyond barbecue, Kansas City’s world-class museum scene offers an ode to the various cultural touchstones that make the city such a bucket list destination. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art features art from all manner of mediums and all corners of the world, with works spanning 5,000 years. Collections include Native American art, a sculpture park and design and decorative arts, plus among the largest Chinese art displays in the hemisphere. Another Kansas City pastime is celebrated at the American Jazz Museum, complete with a Jazz Academy and a live music venue called the Blue Room, and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is the only museum in the world dedicated to the legacy of Black baseball players in the U.S.
After a day of museum-hopping, travelers can experience the real thing at institutions like Arthur Bryant’s Barbecue and Joe’s Kansas City BBQ, followed by jazz at the Green Lady Lounge. Group-friendly hotels include The Fontaine, a chic boutique at Country Club Plaza with a rooftop pool and cabanas, and the Crossroads Hotel, a downtown icon with sweeping skyline views from its own rooftop bar, Percheron. Couples, meanwhile, can cozy up at The Truitt, a quaint inn near the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
