Kansas City Jazz, BBQ, Art, History & Nightlife

American Royals, Music, Museums and Downtown KC Attractions

Jul 5, 2009

Known for baseball and barbecue, Kansas City delivers also jazz, top-notch restaurants, arts, history, and nightlife, just as you would expect from any world-class city.

As much as it may be known for fabulous barbecue, steak and the Royals, Kansas City is, for those in the know, home to the American Jazz Museum and the associated local music scene. It’s also the home of a world-renowned art collection at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art and Sculpture Park. The city is a complex and often misunderstood fusion of history, agrarian tradition, creativity, sports, and Midwestern good sense.

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and the Kansas City Sculpture Park

Regarded internationally as one of the finest general art museums in the United States, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art maintains a collection of over 33,000 works of art. With numerous rotating and permanent exhibits including the Kansas City Sculpture Park, the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum offers something for art enthusiasts of nearly any school of work and style of presentation.

The Kansas City Sculpture Park at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is a mind-blowing achievement. With thirteen works by Henry Moore and others by Alexander Calder, George Segal, Isamu Noguchi the sculpture garden offers visitors a year-round opportunity to stroll trough the peaceful outdoor setting and take in a wide variety of works in an ever changing natural setting. Audio guides of the Park are available at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Museum.

The American Jazz Museum & The American Royal Museum in Kansas City

Located in Kansas City’s historic 18th & Vine Jazz District, the American Jazz Museum celebrates and highlights the sights and sounds of what some have called a uniquely American musical art form. Rotating exhibits, a jazz club and a 500-seat performing arts center allow the museum to creatively nurture future generations of performers and enthusiasts of all ages. Students, musicians, fans, and the idle curious flock to this museum to rediscover rare photos, album covers, audio recordings and filmed performances.

Dedicated to fostering and promoting excellence, leadership, and a greater understanding of American agrarian values and education, the American Royal Museum and Visitor Center offers visitors the opportunity to explore traditional and multi-media exhibits showcasing the latest in agrarian technology, study the agrarian way of life, and learn more about the farms that are so often take for granted yet have a profound impact on all of our lives.

Kansas City Steakhouses, Barbecue, and Nightlife

Considering the fact that the Kansas City Stockyards dominated some 600 acres in the West Bottoms section of town for nearly a hundred years, it should come as no surprise that Kansas City is still highly regarded for its beef and steak offerings. Kansas City is full of great steakhouses. All over town, visitors can find quality cuts of meat at a reasonable price. It’s not a question of knowing where to go. Just ask around. In Kansas City, a great steak is never far away.

But, today, Kansas City’s most well known claim to culinary fame is barbecue. Kansas City-style Barbecue is known for its sweet, spicy, moist sauce. While Kansas City’s dozens of barbecue restaurants offer a huge variety of meats slathered in the local style sauce, Burnt Ends (tasty, crispy hunks of meat cut from the end of a smoked brisket) are something of a delicacy and specialty in Kansas City. Kansas City Barbecue contests are also considered by many to be the world-championship of the barbecue world.

Centrally located downtown, the Kansas City Power & Light District combines an outdoor performance venue, dining and outdoor seating areas, with numerous indoor shops, clubs and activities. With more than half a million feet of space and nearly four dozen shops, restaurants, high-end bowling alleys, theatres and stages, the Kansas City Power & Light District has something for just about everyone right downtown.

Other Notable Kansas City Attractions:

With it’s rich agrarian history, Jazz roots, and reputation for fabulous barbecue, Kansas City offers visitors a chance to satisfy body and soul all in one destination. From the mellow sounds of the Jazz District, to outdoor fun at the Power & Light District, or a quiet steak dinner, the depth and breadth of Kansas City’s offerings is quite impressive and largely unknown to most potential travelers. Visitors should take their time and do a bit of research in planning their trip. They’ll be surprised by all there is to see and do in Kansas City.

The copyright of the article Kansas City Jazz, BBQ, Art, History & Nightlife in Kansas Travel is owned by Glenn Kaufmann. Permission to republish Kansas City Jazz, BBQ, Art, History & Nightlife in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.