Though we've lived in the area for 10 months, we've only ever driven through Kansas City (and my husband flew in and out of the airport there twice). It was high time to visit the place that everyone talks about, and most people visit casually. For us, it was like a day-cation and worth the wait.
I treated Kansas City like any other destination I knew nothing about yet wanted to explore. Of course, I visited TripAdvisor, blogs, and numerous websites. I didn't want to get there and not know how to spend our time and we weren't going for an event nor to shop. I wanted to experience what the city had to offer in terms of tourism, like a tourist even though I live two hours away. Call me crazy, but I feel like that's the best way to enjoy a place when its fresh and new. Had we gone to KS City multiple times for shopping trips and whatnot, I don't think I would've enjoyed the touristy bits as much.
My "What to see" list was born out of habit. Throughout my last semester in college here, my anthropology professor constantly raved about the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Once I looked it up online, I knew I'd have to see it. I also had a few randoms on my list: The public library downtown, The Federal Reserve Money Museum, Union Station and I also wanted to do a downtown walk, just to scope out architecture.
There is one place I wanted to see that wouldn't be on many tourist's lists, nor is it on TripAdvisor. I thought it looked like a neat building to photograph with a strange historical past, but it wasn't until I saw it on a few recent blogs (because I had to dig on Google to learn more about it) that I knew it was a must visit place. It was worth the stop and quite a highlight of our day.
Our first stop:
The Kansas City Public Library: Central Library
I'm not gonna lie, I only wanted to see that picture-esque exterior wall with all of the book spines lined up along the street. I've seen a few pictures of it before, but what I didn't consider was the season we visited in: Early summer.
In late spring/ summer, trees have full crowns of leaves. Because the book spine wall has trees along it, getting that nice shot of the wall was difficult. But hey, I got to see it! If we return at a colder season when leaves prefer the ground, I will definitely drive by and snap another picture.
From the library, we wandered around on foot. I've gotta say that the downtown area is pleasantly pretty and there are loads of neato buildings, architecture, and even some original painted brand ads on the sides of the brick buildings. The gold bell tower cathedral was also a bonus. How very European.
We hopped into the car and sought out my strange destination of the day. It has a name, but the name is no longer fitting in my opinion.
Second Stop: Kansas City Workhouse
When I first discovered this place, I was cruising Google maps, trying to find something off the beaten path. The photos I saw via Google made it appear to be an abandoned castle ish building that no one could go inside of, but only admire from the outside. Once I started poking around at the history of the place, I realized many of the images I saw on Google were outdated. The workhouse is now covered in vines and even better... cans upon cans of graffiti.
The history of the Kansas City Workhouse:
Built in 1897 by prisoners, this building first served as a the Kansas City jail. Hmmm. Anyway, it was made of limestone found nearby and on site and designed by two architects that liked revival style buildings (plus that style was kinda popular at the time).The creepy part is that this building does have a dungeon, albeit small.
The jailhouse didn't last but 27 years. In 1911, prisoners were moved to nearby working farms, and in 1924, doors shut for good. Guess they needed to expand and build elsewhere? With population growth comes more trouble.
Though the city and the folks within it have tried to revive this revival style building for a number of purposes, efforts came and went, and in 1972 the building was given up on. No one has tried to take it on as a project since. It has sat untouched for years, with the exception of vagrants taking up occasional residence, city folks dumping household garbage within her walls, and the weathered roof caving in at some point. But in the past few years, the building has become a bit more artsy. Now it's a place where folks come to paint the walls.
Honestly, I think this place would be a sweet spot for someone to make it legitimately into what it already has become. Think Cadillac Ranch in Texas off the I-40. A strange, yet neat place to stop where graffiti is perfectly okay, and actually encouraged. In fact, the 'ranch' is considered a public art installation. If people are going to mark up the KC Workhouse anyway, why not regulate it, or at least make a thing. Just my humble opinion, and also a way to keep it clean and prevent folks from dumping more trash in it. Honestly, if I lived closer to KC, I would take my idea to the city as a volunteer project.
Next Stop: Union Station
I was hoping to be impressed with this train station turned movie theater/dining hub/museum/transportation spot. Yeah, it still serves as a station, but now it's much more. I wanted to be wowed like I was at a few train stations in Europe, but aside from the pretty ceiling, it was kinda meh. Be warned, the parking situation here is rough. There was a ton of parking in the front of the building, but it is costly. We just didn't realize it cost to park in the lot before we did. Once we realized folks were collecting parking fees at the front entrance of the station, we stepped inside, took a looksy and left. Funny, the day we visited was the day a huge crane was installing a T-Rex on the grounds. Don't know what that's all about? I guess an Egyptian creature once stood in it's place.
The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City was next. This government building is open to the public and hosts a free money museum with the Harry Truman coin collection.
The museum isn't huge, but is pretty darn cool considering it is free, air conditioned, and laid out nice. We actually enjoyed it more than I thought we would. My kids had fun trying to lift the solid gold bar, we made our own "money" and my son was excited to stand next to the $40 million dollar wall. I actually thought it was neat that we could see workers behind glass sorting loads of bills, and the vault is also visible. Though in the sorting and vault area, no photos are allowed.
We spent maybe 45 minutes in the museum before grabbing our free souvenir sack of shredded cash and headed off to another museum.
Tips for the Federal Reserve Museum:
I treated Kansas City like any other destination I knew nothing about yet wanted to explore. Of course, I visited TripAdvisor, blogs, and numerous websites. I didn't want to get there and not know how to spend our time and we weren't going for an event nor to shop. I wanted to experience what the city had to offer in terms of tourism, like a tourist even though I live two hours away. Call me crazy, but I feel like that's the best way to enjoy a place when its fresh and new. Had we gone to KS City multiple times for shopping trips and whatnot, I don't think I would've enjoyed the touristy bits as much.
My "What to see" list was born out of habit. Throughout my last semester in college here, my anthropology professor constantly raved about the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Once I looked it up online, I knew I'd have to see it. I also had a few randoms on my list: The public library downtown, The Federal Reserve Money Museum, Union Station and I also wanted to do a downtown walk, just to scope out architecture.
There is one place I wanted to see that wouldn't be on many tourist's lists, nor is it on TripAdvisor. I thought it looked like a neat building to photograph with a strange historical past, but it wasn't until I saw it on a few recent blogs (because I had to dig on Google to learn more about it) that I knew it was a must visit place. It was worth the stop and quite a highlight of our day.
Our first stop:
The Kansas City Public Library: Central Library
I'm not gonna lie, I only wanted to see that picture-esque exterior wall with all of the book spines lined up along the street. I've seen a few pictures of it before, but what I didn't consider was the season we visited in: Early summer.
In late spring/ summer, trees have full crowns of leaves. Because the book spine wall has trees along it, getting that nice shot of the wall was difficult. But hey, I got to see it! If we return at a colder season when leaves prefer the ground, I will definitely drive by and snap another picture.
From the library, we wandered around on foot. I've gotta say that the downtown area is pleasantly pretty and there are loads of neato buildings, architecture, and even some original painted brand ads on the sides of the brick buildings. The gold bell tower cathedral was also a bonus. How very European.
We hopped into the car and sought out my strange destination of the day. It has a name, but the name is no longer fitting in my opinion.
Second Stop: Kansas City Workhouse
When I first discovered this place, I was cruising Google maps, trying to find something off the beaten path. The photos I saw via Google made it appear to be an abandoned castle ish building that no one could go inside of, but only admire from the outside. Once I started poking around at the history of the place, I realized many of the images I saw on Google were outdated. The workhouse is now covered in vines and even better... cans upon cans of graffiti.
The history of the Kansas City Workhouse:
Built in 1897 by prisoners, this building first served as a the Kansas City jail. Hmmm. Anyway, it was made of limestone found nearby and on site and designed by two architects that liked revival style buildings (plus that style was kinda popular at the time).The creepy part is that this building does have a dungeon, albeit small.
The jailhouse didn't last but 27 years. In 1911, prisoners were moved to nearby working farms, and in 1924, doors shut for good. Guess they needed to expand and build elsewhere? With population growth comes more trouble.
Though the city and the folks within it have tried to revive this revival style building for a number of purposes, efforts came and went, and in 1972 the building was given up on. No one has tried to take it on as a project since. It has sat untouched for years, with the exception of vagrants taking up occasional residence, city folks dumping household garbage within her walls, and the weathered roof caving in at some point. But in the past few years, the building has become a bit more artsy. Now it's a place where folks come to paint the walls.
Honestly, I think this place would be a sweet spot for someone to make it legitimately into what it already has become. Think Cadillac Ranch in Texas off the I-40. A strange, yet neat place to stop where graffiti is perfectly okay, and actually encouraged. In fact, the 'ranch' is considered a public art installation. If people are going to mark up the KC Workhouse anyway, why not regulate it, or at least make a thing. Just my humble opinion, and also a way to keep it clean and prevent folks from dumping more trash in it. Honestly, if I lived closer to KC, I would take my idea to the city as a volunteer project.
Next Stop: Union Station
I was hoping to be impressed with this train station turned movie theater/dining hub/museum/transportation spot. Yeah, it still serves as a station, but now it's much more. I wanted to be wowed like I was at a few train stations in Europe, but aside from the pretty ceiling, it was kinda meh. Be warned, the parking situation here is rough. There was a ton of parking in the front of the building, but it is costly. We just didn't realize it cost to park in the lot before we did. Once we realized folks were collecting parking fees at the front entrance of the station, we stepped inside, took a looksy and left. Funny, the day we visited was the day a huge crane was installing a T-Rex on the grounds. Don't know what that's all about? I guess an Egyptian creature once stood in it's place.
The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City was next. This government building is open to the public and hosts a free money museum with the Harry Truman coin collection.
The museum isn't huge, but is pretty darn cool considering it is free, air conditioned, and laid out nice. We actually enjoyed it more than I thought we would. My kids had fun trying to lift the solid gold bar, we made our own "money" and my son was excited to stand next to the $40 million dollar wall. I actually thought it was neat that we could see workers behind glass sorting loads of bills, and the vault is also visible. Though in the sorting and vault area, no photos are allowed.
We spent maybe 45 minutes in the museum before grabbing our free souvenir sack of shredded cash and headed off to another museum.
Tips for the Federal Reserve Museum:
- You will need a government issued ID to get in if you are/appear-to-be 18 or older.
- You are required to go through security before entering. You cannot carry here, nor should you plan to bring pocket knives, scissors, etc,. It's like airport TSA security and includes an x-ray belt for purses and bags. No drinks allowed, either.
- The museum is all on the ground level and perfect for handicap or disabled visitors. No stairs required.
- There is free parking here! Bonus.
Last big stop: The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
This museum was a must for me. My husband doesn't care much for art, but... he loves me. I wanted to visit this place after hearing about it from numerous visitors before me. Honestly, I wanted to prove something in my visit after visiting many of the world's best art museums in Europe. And honestly, this museum didn't disappoint.
While you won't find thee most famous pieces in this place, there is something to be found by nearly every major mainstream artist you have heard of. It doesn't house my favorite Renoir, but it does have some Renoir. The giant water lilies on the wall were not painted by Monet, but it is a beautiful piece. If paintings and drawings aren't your gig, the museum does have contemporary sculptures, historical pieces (mummies, sarcophagi, an abbey cloister, jewelry, pottery and a bunch of other jazz).
Tips for the Nelson-Atkins Museum:
- Staff is crawling everywhere inside and out. Don't attempt something stupid because someone is watching at all times. Note that the outdoor sculptures are not to be touched or climbed on. We did not see signs upon our approach (they are not placed well and are small) until we moved to a different area. We didn't get yelled at, but on the way out, some folks on the lawn had security yell at them.Then again, my kids only posed next to the huge shuttlecock, they didn't climb on anything.
- The museum is free, but parking as of June 2018 is $10 in the museum garage. Parking on a side street in a non-fire lane zone is free, though.
- There are stairs in here, though not a whole lot. I didn't note elevators because we did not need them.
- The museum is bigger than it lets on. Grab a map.
After visiting out last museum of the day, we hit up Ikea and Jack in the Box (because it's been a hot minute since we've ate some awesome crappy tacos). Ikeas are all the same, in every country, I promise. I've had my fill of them in both America and in Europe and all are nearly identical. However, on our way out of the area, we stopped at Cabela's. That was eerie in a weird way. It wasn't that long ago that world news broke out about a young boy being decapitated on the world's tallest water slide near Kansas City, MO. Yes, even Germany heard the story.
That very slide, which is now shut down (tragically and understandably so), can be seen from the Cabela's parking lot. It was a bit creepy. God, my heart still breaks for that family...I sure hope they've found peace, though I can understand if they haven't. What a terrible thing to go through.
That very slide, which is now shut down (tragically and understandably so), can be seen from the Cabela's parking lot. It was a bit creepy. God, my heart still breaks for that family...I sure hope they've found peace, though I can understand if they haven't. What a terrible thing to go through.
The Cabela's outside of KC is much like any other, except the 'aquarium' inside that hosts local lake and river fish is the biggest I have ever seen! You can actually walk through it. I'm sure there are others out there somewhere that are similar, but that was a first for us out of the seven or so Cabela's & five or so Bass Pro Shops we have visited during our lifetime. The same first goes for safari animals on display in addition to the American indigenous animals we've seen before. I am a fence sitter when it comes to the 2nd amendment, I cannot tell a lie. I am all for guns and shit, I own a few. But I can't understand the point of game that is a trophy, rather than sustenance (maybe because of how I was raised: Eat the meat, or don't kill it at all).
After Cabela's, we headed towards home. It was a pretty nice day out of Junction City. Next time around, I'm going shopping, y'all! But I'm still stopping at Jack in the Crack for some awesome crappy tacos...
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