What are the best things to do in Kansas City?

The sights we could check are the National WWI Museum and Memorial, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the American Jazz Museum and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum at 18th and Vine, Union Station, Crown Center, the River Market, the Country Club Plaza, the KC Streetcar and a barbecue meal. Each has its source below.

What are the free things to do in Kansas City?

The Nelson-Atkins says admission is free every day, for everyone, and you must check in. The KC Streetcar is free to ride, says its own site. Visit KC lists more free stops near the streetcar, including the Union Station Model Train Gallery, Kaleidoscope at the Hallmark Visitors Center and the Kemper Museum.

What are the best things to do in Kansas City with kids?

The WWI Museum is free under 6 and $11.50 for ages 6 to 15. The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is free for ages 0 to 4 and $12 for ages 5 to 12. The Jazz Museum is free for ages 5 and under and $10 for ages 6 to 18. Crown Center names LEGOLAND Discovery Center and SEA LIFE Aquarium, and we read no prices for them. RideKC buses are free for ages 0 to 5.

How do you get from Kansas City airport to downtown?

RideKC bus 229 Boardwalk-KCI leaves the KCI Airport New Terminal and reaches East Village Transit Center at 13th and Charlotte, in about 54 to 59 minutes on the weekday timetable. The first trip leaves the airport at 6:00 a.m. and the last at 10:10 p.m. The fare is $2, paid by tapping a Visa, Mastercard or Discover card or with the RideKC app. Buses take no cash. We did not confirm taxi or rideshare prices.

Do you need a car in Kansas City?

Not for downtown. The streetcar is free, and Visit KC says it stops near the River Market, Union Station, the WWI Museum, the Plaza and the Nelson-Atkins. For barbecue or 18th and Vine you may still want a ride, because we did not check a walking or bus route. The Nelson-Atkins garage costs $20.

Is Kansas City barbecue worth a stop?

Visit KC calls the city the barbecue capital of the world, which is its own claim. We do not rank restaurants. The sites we read were Arthur Bryant's at 1722 Brooklyn Avenue and Joe's Kansas City at 3002 West 47th Avenue, and we list their hours below.

Is the Kansas City streetcar free?

Yes. The KC Streetcar's site says it is free to ride. It runs every 10 to 15 minutes at peak times and every 12 to 18 minutes off-peak, seven days a week.

Where should I stay in Kansas City?

Downtown or the Power & Light District for the streetcar and nightlife. The Country Club Plaza for shopping and fountains. The River Market for the market and the streetcar. Crown Center and Union Station for family attractions. This is our read of Visit KC's neighborhood page. We checked no hotel rates.

Things to Do in Kansas City

The things to do in Kansas City that we could check are the National WWI Museum and Memorial, the free Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the jazz and baseball museums at 18th and Vine, Union Station, Crown Center and the free KC Streetcar. RideKC bus 229 takes about an hour from the airport to East Village Transit Center for $2. We read each official page on 15 October 2026.

The sights, with address, hours and price

National WWI Museum and Memorial

Address: 2 Memorial Drive, Kansas City, MO 64108 (National WWI Museum and Memorial, plan your visit page, read 15 Oct 2026)

Hours: From Labor Day to Memorial Day: Wednesday to Monday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Tuesdays. From Memorial Day to Labor Day: daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (same page)

Price: General admission adult $19.50, senior 65 and over $15.50, youth 6 to 15 $11.50, under 6 free. Liberty Memorial Tower is $6 for adults, seniors, military and youth. The Featured Exhibition costs extra. We read no parking price (same page)

The page says that through 13 November, because of a light installation called Liberty's Beacon, the north stairs and west elevator to Memorial Courtyard are closed. The south ramps and east elevator are open. Access returns to normal on 14 November.

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

Address: 4525 Oak St., Kansas City, MO 64111 (Nelson-Atkins, plan your visit page, read 15 Oct 2026)

Hours: Monday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday and Friday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. These are the indoor museum hours on the page. Holiday closures are listed separately (same page)

Price: Admission is free every day for everyone. You still must check in, in person or online. The Oak Street garage costs $20 a visit. Parking is free for members, veterans, active military and guests with ADA placards. The page lists no special exhibition prices (same page)

Country Club Plaza

Visit KC describes the Plaza as 15 city blocks of Spanish-inspired buildings with dozens of fountains, designer shops and restaurants. The Plaza's own site calls it a historic open-air shopping and dining destination. We could not confirm a street address, hours or parking from either official page, because the Plaza's own page links to them but did not show them. Hours differ by shop and restaurant.

18th and Vine: American Jazz Museum and Negro Leagues Baseball Museum

Address: 1616 E 18th St, Kansas City, MO 64108 (American Jazz Museum, visit page, read 15 Oct 2026). The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum's site gives the same street, 1616 E 18th St (nlbm.com, read 15 Oct 2026)

Hours: Jazz Museum: Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. The page says the museum is closed Mondays from 14 September 2026 through 31 May 2027. The Blue Room has separate Monday hours of 7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Negro Leagues museum: Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. (nlbm.com)

Price: Jazz Museum: adult $15, senior 65 and over $12, youth 6 to 18 $10, student or educator 19 and over with ID $12, ages 5 and under free. Negro Leagues museum: adult $15, senior 65 and over $12, kids 5 to 12 $12, kids 0 to 4 free. Its ticket page says its tickets do not include the American Jazz Museum (nlbm.com, purchase tickets page, read 15 Oct 2026)

Union Station

Address: 30 West Pershing Road, Kansas City, MO 64108 (Union Station Kansas City, home page, read 15 Oct 2026)

Hours: The page says "Open 6am to 12am." That is the building. We did not read hours for Science City or the Arvin Gottlieb Planetarium (same page)

Note: The page lists Science City and the planetarium as attractions. We read no ticket or parking price. It says the Model Train Gallery, Grand Plaza and Freight House Pedestrian Bridge are closed to the public for now. Visit KC calls the Model Train Gallery free

Crown Center

Address: 2405 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64108 (Crown Center, home page, read 15 Oct 2026)

Note: The page names LEGOLAND Discovery Center, SEA LIFE Aquarium, the Museum of BBQ, Kaleidoscope and the Hallmark Visitors Center. We read no hours, ticket prices or parking for the attractions. Visit KC lists Kaleidoscope as free and a short walk from the Union Station streetcar stop

Barbecue

Visit KC says Kansas City is "recognized as the barbecue capital of the world." That is the tourism board's claim, and we do not rank restaurants. Its barbecue page lists many places with addresses. We read the official sites of two.

Address: Arthur Bryant's Barbeque: 1722 Brooklyn Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64127 (Arthur Bryant's website, read 15 Oct 2026)

Hours: Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. (same site)

Address: Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que, the Gas Station: 3002 West 47th Avenue, Kansas City, KS 66103 (Joe's website, read 15 Oct 2026)

Hours: Monday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., closed Sunday. Closed on seven holidays, including Thanksgiving and Christmas (same site)

Visit KC also lists Gates Bar-B-Q, Q39, Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue and others. We did not read their sites, so we give no hours.

River Market

Visit KC describes the River Market as a 150-year-old riverfront neighborhood on the free streetcar route, with food stalls and a farmers market. Its streetcar article calls the weekend farmers market the largest in the region. That is Visit KC's claim. We could not read the City Market's own site, so we give no address, hours or parking.

KC Streetcar

Hours: Sunday to Thursday 5:00 a.m. to midnight. Friday and Saturday 5:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. Service is on an adjusted schedule on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas (KC Streetcar, hours of operation page, read 15 Oct 2026)

Price: Free to ride (same page). The streetcar's home page says it connects the Riverfront to UMKC. When bus fares came back on 1 June 2026, RideKC said the streetcar would stay fare-free

Note: Peak trains run every 10 to 15 minutes and off-peak every 12 to 18 minutes, seven days a week (same page). Visit KC's "How to Ride the Kansas City Streetcar" page lists stops on Main Street that include Union Station (Pershing and Main), WWI Museum and Memorial (27th and Main), Art Museums (45th and Main), Plaza and UMKC (51st and Main), and River Market (3rd and Grand) at the north end. Visit KC's free-things article says to get off at 45th and Main for the Nelson-Atkins (Visit KC, read 15 Oct 2026). The streetcar's own stop list was not read

Free things to do in Kansas City

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, free every day with check-in. The garage costs $20.
The KC Streetcar, free to ride.
The Model Train Gallery at Union Station, which Visit KC calls free but which is closed for now, says the Union Station site.
Kaleidoscope at the Hallmark Visitors Center, which Visit KC lists as free.
The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, which Visit KC says offers free admission every day.
Visit KC lists more free stops near the streetcar, including the Kansas City Public Library's Central Branch and Art Alley. We did not read their own sites.

Kansas City with kids

WWI Museum: under 6 free, ages 6 to 15 $11.50.
Negro Leagues Baseball Museum: ages 0 to 4 free, ages 5 to 12 $12.
American Jazz Museum: ages 5 and under free, ages 6 to 18 $10.
Crown Center: names LEGOLAND Discovery Center and SEA LIFE Aquarium. We read no prices.
RideKC: ages 0 to 5 ride free. Ages 6 to 18 are eligible for reduced fares.

Where to stay in Kansas City

We did not check any hotel's rate or room list, so we give no prices. This is our read of Visit KC's neighborhood page and the sight addresses above.

Area	What it is near
Downtown and Power & Light District	A downtown entertainment area with nightlife and restaurants, per Visit KC, and the streetcar
Crossroads	Galleries, breweries and restaurants in former warehouses, per Visit KC
River Market	The City Market and the streetcar
Crown Center and Union Station	Union Station (30 West Pershing Road) and Crown Center (2405 Grand Blvd.)
Country Club Plaza	Fountains, shops and restaurants. The Nelson-Atkins (4525 Oak St.) is close by on the map, and we did not check the walk
18th and Vine	The jazz and baseball museums (1616 E 18th St.) and Arthur Bryant's (1722 Brooklyn Ave.). We did not check transit

Downtown, the River Market or Union Station suit a first visit if you want the free streetcar. Rates change a lot with events, so look up your own dates.

Getting around Kansas City

RideKC buses charge fares again. RideKC's news release "Bus Fares Return June 1, 2026," read 15 Oct 2026, says fares started on 1 June 2026 on KCATA, Johnson County Transit and Unified Government Transit buses, and that the KC Streetcar stays fare-free. RideKC's Fares and Passes page, read the same day, lists a single ride at $2, a day pass at $4, a weekly pass at $20 and a 30-day pass at $62.50. Reduced fares are $1, $2, $10 and $31.25. Children 0 to 5 ride free, and ages 6 to 18 qualify for reduced fares. Pay by tapping a Visa, Mastercard or Discover card on the reader, or with the RideKC app. Buses do not take cash. If you tap the same card or phone each time, fare capping stops charges at $4 a day, $20 a week and $62.50 a month. Some older pages, including Visit KC's getting around page, still say the buses are free. Go by RideKC.

Airport to downtown by bus

RideKC's route 229 page, read 15 Oct 2026, calls it a direct connection between the Northland and Kansas City International Airport. The stops include KCI Airport New Terminal and KCI Airport Terminal C. The downtown end on the page is East Village Transit Center, Bay C, at 13th & Charlotte. The weekday trips run roughly once an hour. The first trip leaves the new terminal at 6:00 a.m. and arrives at East Village at 6:59 a.m. The last leaves at 10:10 p.m. and arrives at 11:09 p.m. The other way, the first trip leaves East Village at 5:49 a.m. and the last at 9:47 p.m. That is about 54 to 59 minutes. We read only the weekday table, so check Saturday and Sunday times. We did not confirm taxi or rideshare prices, and we did not confirm how to reach the streetcar from the East Village stop.

Do I need a car in Kansas City?

Not for downtown. The streetcar is free, and Visit KC lists stops at the River Market, Union Station, the WWI Museum and the Plaza, with the Nelson-Atkins near 45th and Main. Visit KC says downtown has about 40,000 parking spaces. The Nelson-Atkins garage costs $20, and the WWI Museum's parking price was not on its page. We did not check a bus or walking route to Arthur Bryant's, 18th and Vine or Joe's in Kansas City, Kansas. A ride from downtown may be easier for those. Our page on US cities without a car covers cities where you can skip one.

Best time to visit Kansas City

These are NOAA 1991 to 2020 monthly normals for the Kansas City International Airport station, read from the NCEI data service on 15 October 2026. Highs and lows are in degrees Fahrenheit.

Month	Average high	Average low	Precipitation (inches)
January	38.4	19.5	1.16
April	65.5	43.7	4.05
July	88.3	68.1	4.58
October	67.2	45.6	3.25

July is the warmest month in the table, with an average high near 88 degrees and the most rain of the four months. January has a high near 38 and the least rain. This is our reading of the numbers.

What we checked and what can change

Read on 15 October 2026: the National WWI Museum and Memorial's plan your visit page, the Nelson-Atkins plan your visit page, the American Jazz Museum's visit page, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum's home and ticket pages, Union Station Kansas City's home page, Crown Center's home page, Country Club Plaza's home page, Arthur Bryant's home page, Joe's Kansas City's locations page, the KC Streetcar's home and hours pages, RideKC's Fares and Passes page, its "Bus Fares Return June 1, 2026" release and its route 229 page, Visit KC's home, barbecue, neighborhoods, getting around, streetcar and free-things pages, and NOAA NCEI 1991 to 2020 monthly normals.

Not confirmed: Plaza address, hours and parking, River Market and City Market address and hours, Science City and planetarium hours and prices, Crown Center attraction hours and prices, parking at the WWI Museum and Union Station, the Nelson-Atkins special exhibition prices, 229 weekend times, taxi and rideshare prices from the airport, how to reach the streetcar from the 229 stop, transit to 18th and Vine, Arthur Bryant's and Joe's, the streetcar's own stop list, the Kemper Museum's and Kaleidoscope's own pages, and any hotel rate. Prices and hours change, so check the operator's page for your date. We did not visit Kansas City for this page.