AROUND TOWN

A LOCAL’S TOUR OF KANSAS CITY

WRITTEN BY JULIE BURTON / PHOTOTS COURTESY OF KANSAS TOUR COMPANY

When was the last time you visited Union Station or the WWI Museum? When was the last time you picked up a book about Kansas City’s mob history? You may know that Kansas City is the City of Fountains, but do you know the stories behind them?

It’s probably been a while. You probably know less about Kansas City than some places you’ve visited. It doesn’t need to be that way. When you think of traveling, it doesn’t require a road trip or a plane ride. You don’t even need to pay for a hotel. We rounded up some great Kansas City tours for you to check out. Kansas City is truly one of the greatest cities to visit.

Tours by Locals

Murals and Graffiti Tour This tour starts and ends at Union Station. From there, it’s a mix of walking and riding the Kansas City Streetcar. The artwork is constantly changing, so you’ll never know what’s on this tour. But you’ll be sure to see the history of KC’s earliest beginnings through River Market murals.

Historical Highlights Tour This driving tour is completely up to your interests. You follow your guide in your own car and get out at different stops. Your guide has a speaker so everyone in your party can hear. The tour starts at the beginning of Kansas City's history—in the River Market area—and then you’re led to a few KC neighborhoods to explore. Learn about Strawberry Hill’s Croatian, Serbian, and Russian neighborhood or the Battle of Westport in Loose Park or Kaw Point’s confluence of the Kansas and Missouri Rivers and Lewis & Clark Expedition.

Sculptures of the Plaza Tour Plaza art isn’t only during the Plaza

Art Fair. Get your fill on this twohour walking tour—Italian towers, 100-year-old English fountains, an 1857 Italian bronze sculpture, modern sculptures of Winston Churchill and Ben Franklin, and the Mermaid Pool— an Italian beauty dating from 1680. It includes a quick coffee/wine stop.

Chocolate Lover’s Tour This short and sweet tour starts on the Plaza. The two-hour walking tour stops at places like The Classic Cup, André's Confiserie Suisse, Banksia Bakehouse, and more.

Book here: Toursbylocals.com/ KansasCityEastSide

Kansas Tour Company

River Market History Tour This walking tour will fill you in on Kansas City’s oldest neighborhood. Established around 1871, The River Market district was a center for commerce. The large riverfront warehouses have become developed into residential lofts, restaurants, bars, shops, cafes, and ethnic markets. Learn what they were before our time.

Downtown History Tour Learn why Forbes picked KC as one of the best downtowns. It’s rich in culture, arts, fountains, upscale shopping, and local cuisine. Learn about the architecture, traditions, and history of our beautifully unique city.

Rivermarket Food Tour Come hungry! Visit the City Market with a nod to the neighborhood's early French connections as a fur trading post as well as other top chef restaurants that add to this beautiful district. The restaurant stops are always local but changing, so every tour is a little different!

Crossroads Beer Tour This walking tour in the Crossroads is a must for those who appreciate the craftsmanship of a great brew. Pub food tastings may include wings, pretzels, and flatbreads. Experience a unique view of where the brews are crafted and enjoy a wide selection of local beers. Your friendly host will share the local stories worthy of raising a pint to.

Book here: KansasTourCompany.com Kansas City Tour Company

Be Bop and Beyond Walking Tour Walk the historic 18th and Vine Jazz and Baseball District. Learn about the segregated section of Mid-America that blazed a trail for Civil Rights and Black Enterprise. 18th and Vine was frequented by Roy Wilkins, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Billie Holiday, Langston Hughes, and Jackie Robinson, just to name a few.

Heart of American Black History Tour Learn about the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri Rivers, slavery in the heart of America, the Kansas Jayhawks, the Underground Railroad, the untold story of the Douglass Battery, and the wartime sacrifices of African Americans. Tourists will be awarded the opportunity to absorb and visualize the 18th and Vine Historic District.

Streetcar KC Mafia Tour When ethnic groups migrate to a new city, they establish their own customs as they live amongst each other. Learn about the Italian section of Kansas City, aka Little Italy. In order to do business, one had to pay the ever-looming Machiavellian "Black Hand." Take the KC Mafia Tour to see and hear the arousing story of the Kansas City Mafia and understand its historic power.

Book here: KansasCityTourCompany. com