A sprawling metropolis, Kansas City is a relatively flat city studded with skyscrapers intersected by the Missouri and Kansas rivers. Nicknamed “The Heart of America”, Kansas City is crisscrossed by boulevards and renowned for its bubbling fountains, world-class museums and Southern-style barbecue.

Things to do

Visit the National World War I Museum and Memorial, the predominant institution in the country dedicated to understanding the war's impact on the world. View artefacts in the Main Gallery, including a Renault FT-17 tank and life-sized trenches, then watch a film in Horizon Theatre.

Spend an afternoon touring the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, one of America’s finest art museums. Browse the Bloch Galleries to see Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art, check out the Egyptian galleries or have a picnic in the Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park.

Continue museum hopping to the Arabia Steamboat Museum, featuring the largest single collection of pre-Civil War artefacts in the world. Browse the collection of European dishware, firearms and clothing in the Cargo Gallery, admire the massive hull in the Hull Room, then view Arabia’s treasure in the Treasure Room.

Animal lovers should head to the Kansas City Zoo to see more than 1,700 animals. Stroll through the Orangutan Canopy to learn how keepers train their orangutans, check out the Helzberg Penguin Plaza and catch a glimpse of the big cats in the Africa section.

Getting around

It’s less than a 30-minute drive from Kansas City to Kansas City International Airport. The easiest way to get around is by car, while there are also buses that service the area.