Five reasons why Kansas City should be on your radar

All eyes are on Kansas City right now. The Kansas City Chiefs defended their NFL title against the San Francisco 49ers at a glittering 2024 Super Bowl in Vegas – and a high-profile love affair between tight end Travis Kelce and music mega-star Taylor Swift has captured international attention.

But football and celeb romances aside, there’s plenty more to discover in Missouri’s biggest city. Explore for yourself and you’ll find a music-filled metropolis with a stellar food and arts scene to boot. Here are five reasons to visit:

New Orleans is hailed as the birthplace of jazz, but Kansas City nurtured the genre from the 1920s onward. It flourished in low-lit speakeasies in the throes of Prohibition, as city leader Tom Pendergast refused to crack down on illegal liquor restricted elsewhere in the US.

Fast-forward a century and jazz is still alive in the city’s bones. Beeline to the 18th and Vine neighbourhood, a historic hub for African American culture where the genre thrives. A highlight is the Blue Room, a relaxed club that hosts regular jam sessions and is attached to the American Jazz Museum. The museum itself chronicles the history of the genre and showcases precious artefacts such as Harold Ashby’s saxophone (in the same building, you’ll find the Negro League Baseball Museum, which honours the history and legacy of African Americans in baseball).

Farther west in the Crossroads Arts District, the snug Green Lady Lounge is another must-visit, hosting live sets every night of the year.

There are few things Kansas City takes more seriously than barbecue. And the KC style is distinct, known for its thick, molasses-based sauce, which is often slathered over hickory-smoked burnt ends.

Given the volume of celebrated joints, it’s near-impossible to pick a standout – but for sheer nostalgia, most agree you can’t go wrong with Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque. It’s been going strong since 1908 and has welcomed a who’s who of US presidents and Hollywood heavyweights, who came for the burnt ends and brisket sandwiches. Long-running Gates Bar-B-Q and Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que are other worthy pit stops.

Vegans aren’t forgotten either. A slew of plant-based spots are now reimagining the city’s meat-forward food scene, with joints like Mattie’s Foods offering creations such as tofu 'brisket'.

Read next: The USA's top foodie hotspots, as chosen by locals

Whether you’re looking for fine art museums or progressive public installations, Kansas City has creativity in spades. Top of the list should be the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, where collection highlights include Monet’s Boulevard des Capucines and Paul Gauguin’s Faaturuma. The giant Shuttlecocks installation (by Coosje van Bruggen and Claes Oldenburg) that greets visitors has become a symbol of the gallery too. Nearby, the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art is also worth your time – it packs a punch with thought-provoking installations, lecture series and films.

But you needn’t only visit a museum to get your art fix – Kansas City’s creative side plays out on its streets. Murals brighten city blocks everywhere from Crossroads to River Market, while giant sculptures pay homage to the city’s greatest exports – such as saxophonist Charlie Parker, whose face is cast in patina in the 18th and Vine district.

Kansas City is uniquely positioned at the confluence of the Missouri and Kansas rivers and there are plenty of reasons to hang out by the water. The Berkley Riverfront area is undergoing a particular renaissance, with new bars, beer gardens and boutique hotels. Meanwhile, women’s soccer team Kansas City Current is gearing up to open CPKC Stadium – the world’s very first stadium purpose-built for a pro-women’s sporting team. Walkers and bikers are also drawn to the Riverfront Heritage Trail, where historical markers reveal the city’s past.

Kansas City may be the destination of the moment, but that’s not to say it’s forgotten the past – and the city retells its history in various absorbing museums. Among them is the Kansas City Museum, which is fresh from large-scale renovations and hosts exhibits covering everything from the region’s Indigenous peoples to the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The Black Archives of Mid-America celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, too, and is dedicated to documenting the African American experience in the city through photographs, oral histories and documents.

Strike 20 minutes east from the centre of town and you’ll reach the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum – the institution examines the legacy of the 33rd president, who spent much of his life living in the Kansas City area.

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