KANSAS CITY- ATTRACTIONS

To us, Kansas City is really a city of areas rather than attractions. Having said that, we did find some memorable things to see, including a great baseball museum.

1. Negro Leagues Baseball Museum - This museum is part of the Museums at 18th & Vine which also includes the American Jazz Museum. A combination ticket to these two great places is only $8 and both should be visited, but as we are on a baseball tour, we will focus on the Baseball side of the museum. 

When you enter the museum, you first enter a movie theatre that presents a 15-minute film narrated by James Earl Jones - it gives a quick history of the Negro Leagues and the players who were instrumental in its success. This is followed by 13 different exhibits, each dedicated to one area of the game. Plenty of memorabilia is on display and requires you to spend some time in each area reading the explanations. Right in the middle of the museum is a small field with a 12 life-size statues of Negro League Legends. There is a lot of amazing material in this museum, but it is also obvious, and unfortunate, that a lot of history was never recorded. Nonetheless, this is a superb place to explore a time in baseball when the colour of your skin determined what team you would play on.

Pictures are not allowed, but you can visit their website to see what is on offer. 

2. Hallmark Visitors Center - Located next to Crown Center, this is a free self-guided tour that explores the history of Hallmark Cards.  Hallmark was formed over 80 years ago and has grown into the largest greeting card company in the world. Of particular interest here are old greeting cards, collectors ornaments, a small display on Maude, one of Shoebox's more famous characters, and the J.C. Hall Christmas Tree Collection.

A display of ornaments for collectors.

3. Kansas City Museum - Located west of downtown in North Terrace Park, this museum is housed in the Corinthian Hall, once the home of lumber baron Robert A. Long. The house itself is worth looking around in, but the museum also has a number of good exhibits. Downstairs is a replica of a 1900s soda fountain at which you can enjoy a phosphate and a cookie. The changing exhibit that was on display when we attended described the research of MIT Professor Dr. Harold Edgerton who developed the stroboscope which allowed for ultra-high-speed photography that allowed us to see things that happen too quickly for the eye to see normally. This was a fascinating exhibit and we encourage KC visitors to see it before it is gone in October, 2001.

4. Union Station - This train station had fallen into disuse since the 1970s but it has recently been reopened as an entertainment complex, which includes a science museum. Located relatively close to Crown Center, the station has an interesting display on its history and the history of rail in KC. As well, guided tours are available.