17 Top Landmarks in Kansas City, MO

Kansas City is a well-known vacation destination for more than one reason. The city is in Jackson County, Missouri, United States.

From the Missouri River that divides the city into two states to its history as the homeland of jazz, Kansas City’s attractions and activities are quite intriguing for everyone to see and experience.

Landmarks in Kansas City, MO, range across sculptures, memorials, installations, murals, and buildings. There are also a random variety of beautiful artworks to see here.

These landmarks are reminders of what has been lost and homages to those who helped to grow the city.

Are you planning an exploration of Kansas City? Here are the landmarks in Kansas City, MO.

Landmarks in Kansas City, MO

1. Country Club Plaza

Country Club Plaza is among the last recognizable remains of the city’s prominent and deluxe Country Club District, developed in the early 20th century.

An on-site parking lot was built to accommodate shoppers from around the city, not just those living in the surrounding neighborhood.

J.C. Nicholas initiated the Country Club Plaza in 1922 as America’s first shopping center. It was designed with a Spanish theme to mirror his travels in Europe as a youth. It was built to cater to visitors arriving by automobile.

In 1925, a single strand of light began the Plaza Lights tradition, which continues to attract thousands of people throughout the city annually.

The Plaza Art Fair, which began as a promotion to attract shoppers to the area during the Depression, continues to attract hundreds of thousands of people each fall, featuring almost 250 nationally-recognized artists.

Today the Plaza accommodates 30 restaurants, 100 shops, and countless offices.

Single-family homes, apartments, and condominiums are available around the district, varying from renovated ‘antique’ buildings to new construction.

Address: 4706 Broadway Blvd, Kansas City, MO, United States

2. Clark’s Point

You can’t talk about the landmarks in Kansas City, MO, without mentioning Clark Point. This landmark, also known as The Lewis and Clark Monument, is located atop Quality Hill in downtown Kanas City.

The sculpture illustrates Lewis, Clark, York, and Sacagawea, the four members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, including Sacagawea’s baby Jean Baptists.

The Lewis and Clark monument was given to the city as a gift from United States President.

There are numerous options and opportunities for exciting things to do here when you visit.

The park offers an education pavilion, walking and biking trails, an open-air encampment theater, and incredible views of downtown Kansas City.

If you are with children, you have many spaces for exploring and playing.

Address: 611 W 8th St, Kansas City, MO, United States

3. The Historic 18th & Vine Jazz District

The Historic 18th & Vine Jazz District houses some of the most incredible legends of baseball and jazz.

Bound by deed restrictions and covenants, black Kansas City residents were restricted from moving south of 27th Street during the first half of the 1900s.

As the community expanded in population, it became entirely self-sufficient.

Black dentists, lawyers, and doctors practiced and resided in the neighborhood, while over 600 businesses, theaters, hotels, stores, and restaurants thrived.

The area is also popular for inventing a pioneering jazz style during the 1920s and 30s. Situated nearby was the first baseball stadium for the Negro League’s Monarch.

Address: 18th and Vine, Kansas City, MO, United States

4. Union Station Kansas City

Union Station Kansas City is a 104-acre historical landmark and honored civic asset refurbished and reopened to the public in 1999.

Its architecture, a Renaissance Revival style, differs from other surrounding buildings, making it a well-known tourist site.

Union Station Kansas City is dedicated to celebrating community, preserving history, and science education.

It is also home to the Arvin Gottlieb Planetarium, the internationally awarded Science City, the Regnier Extreme Screen Theatre, the City Stage featuring live theater, the famous Model Railroad Experience, and a selection of unique restaurants and shops.

Unique Station also houses notable area civic organizations and businesses and often hosts world-class traveling exhibitions.

Address: 30 W Pershing Road, Kansas City, MO 64108-2410, United States

5. Gem Theater

The Gem Theater, originally called the Star Theater, was constructed in 1912 and designed by George Carman.

It was designed for the Shriner and Powellson Amusement Company as a quiet movie place serving Kansas City’s African American population.

In 1913, it was renamed the Gem. In 1924 it was refurbished to a seating capacity of 1,238. It was furnished with the then-most contemporary ventilation and projection systems.

The Gem Theater’s years as a movie theater ceased in 1960, and by the 1980s, it had waned into a shadow of its old glory.

The Gem Theater became the focus of the district’s renovation effort when City Councilman Emanuel Cleaver and Mayor Richard Berkley launched the revival of 18th & Vine in the 1980s.

Behind the renovated 1912 façade is a contemporary 500-seat performing art center with state-of-the-art equipment and technology.

It hosts different community events, concerts, and theater productions. The Theater is among the crown jewel of the 18th & Vine corridor.

Address: 1615 E 18th Street, Kansas City, MO 64108, United States

6. Cliff Drive

Cliff Drive, founded in 1900, is the only picturesque Missouri byway in a metropolitan area passing through Kansas City. The 4.5-mile historic drive is also among the briefest scenic byways in the country.

Cliff Drive, located in Kessler Park, was established in 1895. It extends from approximately Paseo on the west to Chouteau traffic way on the east.

The design and planning efforts of the byway and park were an important part of the growth and development of Kansas City as a significant metropolitan area.

Guests have been visiting the park for over 100 years, the first by horse and buggy.

Natural marvels of the drive comprise limestone bluffs adjacent to steep forested slopes plunging to the industrial Missouri River bottoms.

A tiny portion of the high-quality forest is nestled between Cliff Drive and Chestnut Trafficway, where enormous trees tower over wild ginger, ferns, dogtooth violet, Soloman’s seal, and assortments of wildflowers.

Hiking and biking are common along the driveway, and the more courageous explorers can be found climbing along the steep bluff of the park.

Address: 3500 Gladstone Blvd. Kansas City, MO, United States

7. The American Jazz Museum

The American Jazz Museum is in Kansas City’s Historic Jazz District, accommodating some of the genre’s most prominent musicians, including Count Basie, Big Joe Turner, and Charlie Parker.

Visitors to the Museum will be immersed in all facets of jazz, from history to an exploration of the music.

The collection contains memorabilia like photos, posters, and personal items like Charlie Parker’s saxophone and Ella Fitzgerald’s gown. Other exhibits include mixing boards, films, and listening stations.

The Museum also houses the Blue Room, a jazz club offering live music many nights a week, and the fully refurbished 1912 Gem Theater, which hosts many productions and events.

The American Jazz Museum is also active in community outreach, hosting local events, and offering youth programs.

Address: 1616 East 18th Street, Kansas City, MO 64108, United States

8. Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fountain

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fountain has been an emblem of Kansas City’s patriotism since the 1980s. The monument contains a memorial wall and a decorative fountain.

The fountain comprises five rectangular, interlinked pools of various sizes.

The series of pools ranging from the smaller to the larger symbolizes America’s involvement in the war.

The Kansas City Vietnam Veterans Memorial Funds, Inc built the memorial.

A semi-circular memorial wall contains the names of the casualties that resided in the city.

Guests visiting this monument often leave flags and flowers to commemorate those who served during one of America’s raging eras.

Address: 4181 Broadway Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64111, United States

9. Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art features a collection of 35,000 historical and modern artworks across many genres.

Its architecture and design sections have works varying from medieval stained glass windows to 2000s furniture.

Likewise, its extensive Japanese collection offers old woodblock prints by the iconic Katsushika Hokusai.

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art’s vast wealth of creative inspiration is spread across two charming buildings, drawing over 500,000 visitors annually. It is free to explore.

The Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park outside the gallery’s wall is where guests will find the gallery’s popular massive shuttlecock.

Address: 4525 Oak Street, Kansas City, MO 64111, United States

Are you considering more exploration of Missouri, here is our list of Shopping Centers in Cape Girardeau, and things to do in Poplar Bluff, and for a fun vacation.

10. SubTropolis

SubTropolis is a gigantic artificial cave in the bluffs above the Missouri River.

The large underground storage facility is considered the world’s most extensive site of its kind.

The entrance may not seem all that amazing, but what lies below the surface is captivating.

SubTropolis was constructed by digging into the Bethany Falls limestone mine.

It contains a grid of 16 feet high, 40-foot wine tunnels divided by 25-foot square limestone pillars constructed by the room and pillar technique of hard-rock mining.

The complex consists of nearly 7 miles of illuminated, paved roads and many miles of railroad track.

The underground food service warehouse houses countless restaurant supplies.

The mine innately retains temperatures between 65 and 70°F throughout the year, which makes it a terrific space for many kinds of business.

SubTropolis is used by approximately 50 businesses and organizations for various purposes.

Some businesses include Hallmark Cards, Cerner, NextPage, Cerner, Hantover, Knapheide, and Clore Automative.

This cave is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating underground places in Missouri.

Address: 8300 NE Underground Dr, Kansas City, MO 64161, United States

11. The Vine Street Workhouse

The Vine Street Workhouse, also known as the “workhouse castle,” was built in 1879. It was designed by architect James Oliver Hog and A. Wallace Love in the Romanesque revival style and was built with yellow limestone.

The Vine Street Workhouse originally served as a city jail. Crimes that often led to doing time at the Workhouse Castle included stealing, unpaid debt, and drunkenness. The jail accommodated both men and women.

The jail stopped operating in the early 1900s, but the castle was used for many other purposes, including hosting special concerts and events.

However, by the 1970s, it was mainly abandoned and left to rot away. It has given off a creepy vibe for decades while drawing inquisitive onlookers and graffiti artists.

Although visitors can no longer tour the castle grounds, they can still catch a glimpse of it from the road.

Address: 2001 Vine St, Kansas City, MO 64108, United States

12. Skywalk Memorial Plaza

The Skywalker Memorial Plaza commemorates the first responders and victims of the skywalk collapse in 1981 that took the lives of 114 people and injured over 200 others.

The memorial was created to provide a place of contemplation for those impacted by the tragic event.

It contains a sculpture built by International award-winning artist and Kansas City citizen Rita Blitt, whose 5th-grade teacher was wounded in the collapse.

The sculpture is 24 feet tall and dwells on a base that contains the names of the 114 people who died in the collapse while attending the Tea Dance.

The sculpture was manufactured by A. Zahner and installed by Belger Cartage.

Address: 2401 Gillham Road, Kansas City, MO 64108, United States

13. Crown Center

Crown Center is a shopping center and neighborhood adjacent to Downtown Kansas City. It is one of the top landmarks in Kansas City, MO.

Crown Center is anchored by Halls, a department store owned and run by Hallmark Cards.

The neighborhood comprises several residences, entertainment venues, retail establishments, and American Restaurants.

The three-level Crown Center Shops features over 30 shops and restaurants.

Eating options includes a burger spot where meals are delivered by miniature trains and various casual dining spots.

Shopping lovers are attracted to the distinctive specialty stores, headlined by Halls Kansas City.

Theatre-goers can choose from musicals at the Musical Theater Heritage and the award-winning youth-oriented shows at The Coterie.

Crown Center also hosts free activities like community choirs, children’s exhibits, and Santa’s Gingerbread Station.

Address: 2450 Grand Blvd, Kansas City, MO, United States

14. National World War I Museum and Memorial

The National World War 1 Museum and Memorials was established in 1926 as the Liberty Memoria. It is one of the popular landmarks in Kansas City, MO.

This Museum is the only American Museum exclusively dedicated to preserving history, objects, and personal experiences of a war whose effect still reverberates in the world today.

The National WWI Museum and Memorial contain the most eclectic collection of World War 1 objects and documents globally and is the second-oldest public Museum committed to maintaining the war’s history, things, and personal experiences.

The Museum takes guests on a journey through a life-changing period and shares personal stories of honor, patriotism, courage, and sacrifice.

The National WW1 Museum and Memorial, appointed by Congress as America’s official World War 1 Museum, rouses dialogue, thought, and learning to make the experience of the Great War era significant and relevant for the current and future generations.

Address: 2 Memorial Dr, Kansas City, MO 64108, United States

15. Kauffman Stadium

Kauffman Stadium is among the most famous landmarks in Kansas City and is cherished by all.

The Kauffman Stadium is among the oldest parks in Major League Baseball, with nearly every game throughout the season filled to the brim with fans coming out to cheer on the Kansas City Royals.

When you visit Kansas City, one of the things you should do is catch a baseball game at Kauffman Stadium.

The stadium has no lousy seats, with the 360-degree concourse providing fantastic views that ensure you do not miss any home runs.

Additionally, Kauffman Stadium houses a series of world-renowned fountain that expands for nearly 100 meters along the outfield fence.

Address: 1 Royal Way, Kansas City, MO 64129, USA

16. Thomas Hart Benton Home & Studio State Historic Site

Thomas Hart Benton Home & Studio State Historic Site is a two-and-a-half-story Victorian-style residence that offers a captivating peek into the mind of Thomas Hart Benton, the famous painter and sculptor.

The house was the home of the renowned Missouri painter starting in 1939. It has stayed virtually untouched since his demise in 1975.

The Benton house was built of native limestone and comprises simple furnishings in neutral tones that contrast with the artist’s vibrant works.

Many of Benton’s paintings and sculptures can be seen in the house.

Benton transformed half of the carriage house into his art studio, which is still the way he left it.

Music was a vital source of inspiration for Benton. Guests will see many musical instruments, including Benton’s harmonica and the family’s piano.

Guided tours of the site are provided every day to interested visitors.

Address: 3616 Belleview Ave, Kansas City, MO 64111, United States

17. Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art

The Permanent Collection at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art started with the Bebe and Crosby Kemper Collection, which consists of works by William Wegman, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Robert Mapplethorpe.

It now consists of many works, including sculptures, paintings, installations, prints, photography, works on paper, and time-based media.

Groups of nine or more can organize to have a free docent-led tour. There are complimentary drop-in tours every Saturday that are open to the public.

Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art also hosts workshops and programs tailored to entertain different groups, including youth, terms and adults, and the entire family.

Address: 4420 Warwick Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64111, United States

Planning a road trip to Missouri? We have made a list of things to do in Cape Girardeau, things to do in Lee’s Summit, and Restaurants in Creve Coeur for a fun road trip.

Plan Your Trip to Kansas City

Kansas City contains everything a wonderful American vacation could ever need, including a successful dining scene, a top-tier collection of museums, and several historical landmarks.

The landmarks in Kansas City, MO, are inarguably bursting with fascinating history.

Tourists planning to see the city’s landmarks will undoubtedly have an incredible time.