Local Fact:  Kansas City ranks second in the world in number of fountains (160), exceeded only by Rome.

Don't miss the unique Plaza
shopping District

About Kansas City

The core of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area can be visualized roughly as four quadrants:The southwest quadrant includes all of Johnson County, Kansas, which includes the towns in the area known as Shawnee Mission. Interstate 35 runs diagonally through Johnson County from the southwest to downtown Kansas City, Missouri.The southeast quadrant is the core of the metro area and includes the southern half of Kansas City, Missouri, and the Jackson County, Missouri, suburbs of Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, and Blue Springs. It is sometimes called "the southland". It includes the majority of the metro area's businesses, visitor attractions, cultural institutions, and urban neighborhoods.
The northeast quadrant is locally referred to as "north of the river" (Missouri River) or "the Northland". (Often confused with Northtown, a nickname for North Kansas City) Contained wholly within Missouri, it encompasses portions of Clay County including the northern half of Kansas City, Missouri, and the cities of Liberty, and North Kansas City. The sharpest part of the river bend forms a peninsula containing the Kansas City Downtown Airport.The northwest quadrant contains Wyandotte County, Kansas, and parts of Platte County, Missouri. Wyandotte County, sometimes referred to as just 'Wyandotte' or 'The Dotte', which contains Kansas City, Kansas, Bonner Springs and Edwardsville, is governed by a single unified government similar to a consolidated city-county. Often the Wyandotte government is referred to simply as 'The Unified Government'. Another bend in the Missouri River forms the county line between Wyandotte and Platte counties to the north and northeast.
In all, nearly 2 million people live in the metropolitan area. It is difficult to state exactly the size of the population because there are no natural boundaries and suburban expansion (or sprawl) is ongoing.

Here are a few of the fun and entertaining things to do and see around Kansas City:

• Crown Center, headquarters of Hallmark Cards and major downtown shopping and entertainment complex. Connected to Union Station by a series of covered walkways.
• Country Club Plaza, upscale, outdoor shopping district, and first shopping district designed to accommodate shoppers arriving by automobile.
• Ward Parkway, beautiful, landscaped boulevard known for its Italian art and historic large houses.
• Kansas City's Union Station, now home to Science City, restaurants, shopping, theaters, and the city's Amtrak facility.
• Liberty Memorial -- Official World War I memorial and museum in the United States. Tower and observation deck restored and re-opened in 2002. Currently an even larger museum is being constructed underneath the monument.
• Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
• Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art
• 39th Street District, known as restaurant row and featuring one of Kansas City's largest selections of independently owned restaurants and boutique shops. A center of literary and visual arts and bohemian culture (website)
• American Jazz Museum 
• Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
• 18th and Vine Historic District
• River Market District 
• Prospero's Books, A Kansas City Literary staple with 50,000 used book titles in an historic 3-story building. Hosting live readings, music and publishing counter cultural happenings
• The Roasterie
• Broadway Cafe
• City Market
• Airline History Museum
• Toy and Miniature Museum of Kansas City
• Westport, oldest part of the city and a vibrant entertainment district.
• Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun
• Kansas City Zoo, in Swope Park.
• Charlie Parker Memorial, at 17th Terrace and the Paseo
• Arabia Steamboat Museum  in the historic River Market.
• Laugh-O-Gram Studio , Walt Disney's original cartoon studio in Kansas City. Now being renovated.
• Kansas City barbecue
• Kansas City Museum , located in a beautifully renovated 1910 mansion.
• Kansas City Renaissance Festival , annual festival that runs through the fall that features live entertainers, a medieval village, rides, games, sword fights, and more.