Exploring the charm of Kansas City’s divided metropolis

A savory start

We started our four-day trip on the Kansas side of the map, known locally as KCK. To get an overview of the area, we met up with Lisa Peña, founder of Urban Hikes KC, for a 3.5-hour walking tour of downtown KCK and the historic Strawberry Hill neighborhood, which was founded in the early 1900s by central and eastern European immigrants. The neighborhood is still attracting people who, according to Peña, are “making it cool with art galleries, bars, and coffee shops.”

In relating the area’s history, Peña pointed out several remarkable murals along Minnesota Avenue created for the four-block Avenue of Murals project. The public art celebrates the area’s heritage, with a focus on cultures that have been central to the community, including the Wyandot Nation, Hmong people, African Americans, and those of Latin descent. In one mural titled The Dance of Life, vibrant Mexican folklórico dancers twirl in a symphony of movement and color.

“I’m proud to have the opportunity to show the hidden gems in Kansas City that most of us would miss if we don’t explore them on foot,” said Peña, who grew up in KCK. “Kansas City is growing and getting better by the day.”

At one point, we found ourselves at St. John’s Park, a grassy oasis that afforded us a gorgeous view of the other Kansas City. Nearby stood a modest stone monument dedicated to “all the immigrants who brought with them their customs and values, their dreams and their hopes… .”

KCK celebrates its cultural influences, which is evident in the KCK Taco Trail, where more than 50 stops highlight delicious taqueria-style eats. We devoured excellent tacos al pastor and veggie tacos at El Camino Real, a Mexican restaurant with two KCK locations.

On another day, we headed to Tao Tao, a beloved Chinese restaurant in the Wyandotte neighborhood. Chef Annie Der and her then-husband opened it in the early 1970s. Annie’s daughter, Tina, is now the manager, but Annie, who is approaching 80, still comes in nearly seven days a week. The family’s hospitality made us feel as if we were guests in their home.

We ordered a customer favorite, Springfield cashew chicken. Fried chicken chunks are sprinkled with nuts, enveloped in a savory sauce, and served over noodles (or rice). As we were leaving, we chatted with longtime customer Carmalieta Tatum. “No matter where you’re from across the world,” she said, “when you come here it’s family and it’s love.”

I found much to love about Kansas City barbecue, too. There’s no shortage of stellar choices, but we opted for Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que. We visited the original, which sits inside a gas station, of all places. It also has locations in Leawood and Olathe, both in the greater KCK area.

Sky-high views and shuttlecocks

Next, we drove across the Missouri River and spent two more days exploring KCMO, which is home to half a million people—more than triple the population of KCK.

We stayed at the Westin Kansas City at Crown Center (rates start at $249), part of the Crown Center District. The 85-acre shopping and entertainment area is home to family-friendly attractions, including the Sea Life Kansas City Aquarium, Legoland Discovery Center, and the Hallmark Visitors Center, which showcases the history of the greeting card company that’s headquartered here.

Rosie and Max loved browsing at the three-level Crown Center Shops. Mike and I were more interested in following an enclosed, elevated pedestrian walkway to the marvelously restored 1914 Union Station Kansas City. We marveled at the architectural details of the cavernous Grand Plaza, the station’s historic waiting room.

 The station is also home to Science City, which offers three action-packed floors of interactive science displays. In an outdoor space, I pulled mightily on a giant lever trying to lift Rosie and Max, who were seated in a giant globe attached at the other end.

Less than a half mile away stands the National World War I Museum and Memorial, whose collection of exhibits and relics includes uniforms, weapons, and vehicles such as a French-made Renault FT-17 tank. We also rode an elevator up the 217-foot-tall Liberty Memorial Tower for views of the surrounding cityscape.

We took in another perspective of the downtown skyline with a few turns in an enclosed gondola on the KC Wheel. The 150-foot observation wheel opened in 2023 in the Pennway Point entertainment district in the heart of the city.

Baseball and jazz

The following afternoon we explored the 1920s-era Brookside neighborhood on e-bikes that we rented from RideKC Bike. We followed the Harry Wiggins Trolley Track Trail, an old streetcar route that’s now an asphalt-and-crushed-stone path, for 6 miles to the Brookside Shopping District. There we found lots of souvenirs sporting Taylor Swift and Chiefs star Travis Kelce, whose romantic pairing has captured America’s attention.

 We also made sure to set aside time for more barbecue and jazz. We were in Kansas City, after all. We opted for the Westport neighborhood’s modern Char Bar. While the rest of the family enjoyed brisket and pulled pork, I savored the Jackknife sandwich, which combines smoked jackfruit with melted provolone, avocado, and fried jalapeños on an egg bun.

Sufficiently fueled, we ventured to the historic 18th and Vine district, once the epicenter of the city’s African American community and home to many music clubs. Mike and I are big fans of bebop, so we sought out an impressive sculpture of KCK-born saxophone prodigy Charlie “Bird” Parker.

The 10-foot bust stands sentinel near the American Jazz Museum, which celebrates Kansas City jazz through historic images, instruments, and exhibits. In one section of the museum, we put on headphones to hear how certain rhythm tracks define different jazz genres. I also learned how a drummer’s beats keep other musicians in check.

The jazz museum shares a building with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, which chronicles the struggles and the impact of Black baseball trailblazers like Jackie Robinson and Satchel Paige. Hundreds of artifacts fill the space, but the most moving experience is standing on a mock baseball diamond among statues of legendary players in the midst of a game.