Kansas City is one of the best-value big cities in the American Midwest. Its top art museums are free, its downtown streetcar is free, its most photogenic district costs nothing to wander, and barbecue is a meal you can enjoy at counter prices. With a little planning you can fill several days and spend your money only where it matters.
Free art
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art has free general admission, with European paintings, a celebrated Asian collection and the glass Bloch Building. Special exhibitions may carry a charge, but the permanent collection could occupy you all day. The sculpture park is free and open even when the galleries are closed, and the lawn with its giant shuttlecocks is one of the most photographed spots in the city. The museum is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and stays open late on Thursday and Friday. Close by, the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art is always free and compact, with rotating exhibitions and docent tours. It is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, so Wednesday is the day when the Kemper is open and the Nelson-Atkins is not.
A free streetcar
The KC Streetcar costs nothing to ride and links the River Market, downtown, the Crossroads, Crown Center and Union Station. It removes the need for a car on the central days of your trip, and it saves on parking, which is rarely free downtown. For the Plaza, the Jazz District and the stadiums, a rideshare or car is easier.
Free neighbourhoods
The Country Club Plaza costs nothing to wander, with its Spanish-inspired architecture, fountains and shops, and its garages are free. From Thanksgiving until mid-January, the holiday lights run nightly, and the lighting ceremony is free. The 18th and Vine Jazz District is free to walk, and the Black Archives of Mid-America there is a free museum. The City Market in the River Market is free to enter, with produce, artisan foods and independent restaurants around the square, and free guided tours for small groups.
Free landmarks and attractions
Union Station’s Grand Hall is free to walk through, so you can admire the 1914 terminal without buying a ticket, though Science City and special exhibitions are paid. The Hallmark Visitors Center is a free self-guided exhibit, and a garage validation gives two hours of free Crown Center parking. All three combine well in a day around Crown Center.
Where it is worth paying
The National WWI Museum and Memorial charges admission and is the best paid museum in the city, with combination tickets for the galleries, the featured exhibition and the tower that save money over buying separately, and reduced rates for veterans and active-duty military. The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and the American Jazz Museum both charge modest admission and are essential for understanding the city. The Truman Library in Independence is a low-cost day trip with a recently renovated museum.
Eat well for less
Barbecue can be an inexpensive meal if you order at the counter and share. The Original KC Barbecue Tour is not cheap, but it covers four tastings, skip-the-line entry and restaurant gratuities in one go, so it works as a splurge that replaces several meals. Otherwise, graze at the City Market, split a plate of burnt ends and save drinks for cheaper venues. Boulevard Brewing Company’s standard daily tour is one of the more affordable paid activities and ends with samples.
Choose a value hotel
The Holiday Inn Express Kansas City Downtown occupies a 1915 building half a block from the T-Mobile Center, includes breakfast and is the budget pick downtown. Prices rise during big conventions, concerts and Chiefs home games, so check the calendar and book early if your dates overlap, or move your trip by a week.
A sample free-and-cheap day
Take the free streetcar to Union Station, walk the Grand Hall, and cross to the WWI Museum if you want one paid stop. Walk through Crown Center to the Hallmark Visitors Center. In the evening, if it is a Thursday or Friday, go to the Nelson-Atkins during its late hours, then wander the Plaza and its fountains for dinner. You will have seen the best of the city for the price of one museum ticket and a counter-service meal.
Money-saving habits
Buy tickets online rather than at the door, ask about senior, student and military discounts, and check each venue’s page before you go, because hours and prices change. Travel in the shoulder seasons when hotel rates are lower and the weather is comfortable for walking.
