Where to stay

Kansas City is home to a vast array of hotels and accommodations, with more than 6,500 rooms available in the metropolitan convention core alone. For business travelers seeking a memorable, artsy stay offering a distinctive sense of place, look to one of Kansas City’s boutique properties blending old with new. Hotel Kansas City, just around the street from the Kansas City Convention Center, allows guests to travel back in time to the grandeur of a 1920s social club.

Just half a mile down the road in KC’s hip, gallery-clad Crossroads Arts District, you’ll find the Crossroads Hotel, another historic building transformation paying homage to Kansas City’s Prohibition days. Staying here, you’ll walk the halls of an early 20th century Pabst Brewing Depot, which would later become a liquor bootlegging operation under KC political boss Tom Pendergast throughout the 1920s.

Once your conference is done, head 10 minutes down the road to the Southmoreland Historic District, informally known as the art museum district of KC, for a completely different experience altogether. Check into The Truitt, a set of historic mansions combining their architectural origins with a bold sense of fine art and contemporary design. Throw in the luxurious creature comforts you’d dream of to cap off any work trip—think Matouk linens, comfy beds, stunning rainfall showers, and beautifully manicured gardens—and you’ll quickly forget you were here on business at all. Need another reason to escape the downtown area? Here, you’ll be just steps from some of KC’s finest museums, including The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art.

How to get around

No car? No problem. You actually really don’t need one to get around in Kansas City! Everything is within reach via public transportation or rideshare, and with so much to do and see, you’ll never be on the road for long.

For business travelers looking to request rides on their own time, Kansas City is interconnected via rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft. Hop around downtown’s bar and brewery scene safely, or even request a cross-town ride to the Kansas side of the city with ease.

If you’re looking to explore on a budget or simply see more of the cityscape, hop on the KC Streetcar, a free and convenient way to explore Kansas City’s urban core. With stops connecting from the bustling River Market neighborhood all the way down to the art museum district and the Country Club Plaza, you can easily head out on the town and leave the convention center behind you without spending a dime.

In addition to the free Streetcar, Kansas City is connected via RideKC buses and RideKC Bike, helping you zip around the city when you want to venture beyond the Streetcar line.

What to do on your extended stay

Kansas City may be well known for its barbecue and its diehard Chiefs lore. But with a little extra time on your hands, you’ll soon learn just how much more Kansas City has to offer for arts appreciators, culture seekers, and foodies. You’ll also enjoy just how many free things there are to do throughout the city, and affordable ways of getting around, making it a near-effortless place to stop and stay a while.

Here are just a couple things worth extending your stay for.

THE ARTS SCENE

Kansas City’s arts scene is not something to be missed! What’s especially impressive about Kansas City is that not only is there an abundance of things to do for arts enthusiasts, most of them are free to enjoy, in incredibly close proximity, and easily accessible on foot or via the KC Streetcar.

So, if you only have a couple of extra hours to spend in KC, you’ll want to spend it visiting a museum, checking out a gallery, or shopping at one of the many boutiques selling KC-made crafts and artisanal wares.

What not to miss:

• The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is free to enter and stays open late on Thursday and Friday nights for a unique after-hours experience.
• The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, another free museum, houses a spectacular array of contemporary and modern art collections.
• The City Market (open daily) and Farmers Market (weekends only), where you’ll find 100% local produce, food, jewelry, and other unique made-in-KC goods.
• First Fridays in the Crossroads Arts District, where art galleries stay open late and neighborhood watering holes always have something going on.
• Shopping in one of the many Made in KC boutiques around town, where Kansas City’s creativity is on full display.

THE PROHIBITION-DEFYING HISTORY

Spend some time in Kansas City at night and you may notice that there are a great deal of speakeasies, distilleries, and a robust cocktail culture to be found. This isn’t by accident—Kansas City has fueled a unique penchant for nightlife for more than 100 years. During the Prohibition era, Kansas City was able to establish an ‘open-door policy’ while the rest of the country shuttered its bars and liquor sales, thanks to the influence of political boss Tom Pendergast who controlled the payroll of cops throughout the city at the time and as a result, encouraged them to turn a blind eye.

What resulted soon after would come to be known as the Golden Age of KC, when it received its new moniker as the ‘Paris of the Plains.’ Saloons and speakeasies were jumping, musicians and celebrities were drawn in from neighboring cities and states, and anyone who was anyone would find their way to Kansas City to revel in it all.

Fast-forward 100 years, Kansas City’s Prohibition-defying legacy continues to be alive and well. Spend at least one extra evening in town to see what it’s all about.

What not to miss:

• Kansas City’s distillery culture on full display at J. Rieger & Co., which has been producing spirits in the city since the late 1800s. Today, you can enjoy a delicious craft cocktail in one of the many tasting rooms and lounges onsite, and sneak a ride down the infamous slide in between.
• A visit to the once ‘Wettest Block in the World’ down in the West Bottoms, where today you’ll find the Prohibition-era spirit is still alive and well. Don’t miss West Bottoms Whiskey Co. or The Ship!
• The ubiquitous speakeasy culture which is still serving up some of the best drinks and jazz across town. From The Ship in the West Bottoms, to P.S. in the downtown core, to the mysterious Swordfish Tom’s in the Crossroads, there’s a mysterious underground allure to be found just about anywhere if you look—or listen—closely enough.
• The craft cocktail scene which is abundantly obvious in watering holes all over Kansas City, from the agave-forward flavors of Fern Bar to the swanky serves of The Hey! Hey! Club.

THE JAZZ MUSIC

The same Prohibition-defying history that brought saloons and speakeasies also gave birth to Kansas City jazz. During the dry times that the rest of the country faced, Kansas City quickly became an entertainment capital, and jazz, blues, and ragtime flourished. Displaced musicians flocked from dry cities across the USA to perform and become a part of the scene. Today, jazz has remained permanently intertwined in the fabric of Kansas City.

An evening in Kansas City, on any day of the week, will introduce you to the world of Kansas City jazz. If you dare, prepare to make it a late night—it’ll be well worth it!

What not to miss:

• 18th & Vine, the historic jazz district of Kansas City. While here, don’t miss the American Jazz Museum which chronicles the history of the American jazz scene and Kansas City’s contributions to it all. Be sure also to pop into Vine Street Brewing, KC’s first Black-owned brewery which is right around the corner and plays host to its own regular rotation of jazz and hip hop events.
• The Mutual Musicians Foundation, also known as the place to be in after-hours KC. Open from 1:30 a.m. to 5 a.m. on weekends only, this historic establishment has been bringing together jazz musicians, jazz appreciators, and late night revelers since 1930. The building is a National Historic Landmark and a must-experience while in town.
• A beloved icon of KC, the Green Lady Lounge offers live Kansas City jazz 365 days of the year in a moody atmosphere complete with delicious cocktails.
• One of the oldest jazz clubs in all of Kansas City, The Phoenix offers live music every day of the week except Mondays. For a unique experience, don’t miss their famous jazz brunch on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

THE HISPANIC CUISINE

You may be surprised to learn that Kansas City has long been home to a vibrant, well-established Hispanic heritage and culture that dates back as far as the early 1800s. Today, the Hispanic culinary scene in Kansas City is something not to be missed. In fact, Kansas City was even recognized as the Taco Capital of the United States by Forbes.

Whether you hop over to the Kansas side of town to explore the famous KCK Taco Trail, or simply bop around the many Hispanic-owned eateries and coffee shops in the Crossroads or Westside neighborhoods, you’re bound to discover, and easily so, that KC cuisine isn’t just brisket and burnt ends after all.

What not to miss:

• The KCK Taco Trail located on the Kansas side of town is home to more than 60 eateries honoring the best handheld food in the world (yes, we’re biased).
• Yoli Tortilleria, a James Beard Award-winning establishment, which uses ancient, time-honored techniques to make some of the best Sonoran-style tortillas in town. Stop by for lunch on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. to taste the masa magic in action.
• Café Corazón, a Hispanic/Indigenous and woman-owned coffee shop serving up the most delightfully unique coffee, cacao, yerba mate, and more. Don’t miss the breakfast empanadas or the paõ de queijo when ordering, and be sure to also stop and admire the beautiful art on the walls created by the owner herself.

THE COFFEE SHOPS

Sure, you may have already indulged in some KC coffee shops during your business trip. But take a moment to linger and you’ll discover that this Midwestern city really knows its chops when it comes to caffeinating. Just like Kansas City’s culinary scene, its cafe culture is a fascinating symbol of KC’s identity as a diverse, driven city that goes the extra mile to make you feel right at home.

Spend an afternoon indulging in one of KC’s specialty coffee shops, or cozy up at one of the many cafes offering work-friendly ambiance and high-speed WiFi, and we promise, you won’t regret it.

What not to miss:

• Thou Mayest in the River Market exudes an undeniably cool ambiance without trying. Serving up direct-market coffee, as well as beer and cocktails, Thou Mayest is the perfect place to park and sip the day away.
• The local flavor explosion found at Made in KC Cafe, where you can enjoy beans from local roasters, spirits and beers from nearby distilleries and breweries, sweet treats from neighborhood bakers, and of course a selection of handmade goods from Kansas City’s maker community.
• Mildred’s, a family-owned staple of Kansas City’s coffee scene for over 25 years.

How long to extend your time in Kansas City

So, exactly how much time should you spend in Kansas City after your business trip comes to an end?

While there is no one right answer to this question, you’ll find that even with just a couple hours to spare, you won’t be lacking in things to do or experience. A quick museum visit, or even a free city tour via the KC Streetcar, will give you a nice sense of the city’s energy and appeal without straying too far from the downtown core.

However, for a full-blown, art-inspired stay in Kansas City exploring museums and eateries by day and jazz-era speakeasies by night, we recommend tacking on at least one to two additional nights (or longer!) to your business trip. This would be enough time to check out of your convention hotel and explore a different neighborhood, as well as one of Kansas City’s many art- and history-driven accommodations blending old with new.