Barber Mary

There’s more to the City of Fountains than just barbecue. (Although the barbecue is legendary.) Study up before your next visit to the midwestern metropolis of 467,000.

1. Kansas City spans two states: Missouri and Kansas. The international airport, baseball stadium and football stadium are all on the Missouri side. The professional soccer team and theNASCAR race track are found on the Kansas side.

2. And you can be in both states at the same time if you stand on State Line Road, which runs north-south along the border of Missouri and Kansas.

3. However, the two states have not always been on friendly terms. During the Civil War, violence erupted across Kansas between abolitionists and fighters from slave state Missouri over whether or not Kansas would allow slavery. The state during this time became known as “Bleeding Kansas.”

4. Much of the city’s early economy was based on the …

The Midwestern state of Kansas is most famously known as the backdrop for the American film classic The Wizard of Oz, but the Sunflower State has so much more to explore than what most people know from the movie. As the 15th largest state by size, Kansas is rooted in agriculture, as evidenced by the endless fields of wheat and corn and the tallgrass prairies that remain one of the state’s most important natural treasures. There is a strong Native American history that is proudly showcased in public displays like the Keeper of the Plains plaza in Wichita.

While Kansas has a tranquil, historical, and natural ambiance, the state also immerses visitors into the authentic flavor of the Wild West by preserving historical areas like Boot Hill and Fort Larned, which have changed little since Buffalo Bill came through in the 1800s.

The progressive side of Kansas draws interest …

The Midwest food renaissance is alive and well, pulsating across the best restaurants in Kansas City and leading to some incredible local events as well. If this past year’s openings, a flurry of buzz-worthy new eateries and a food hall, are any indication, the city is just getting started.

Of course, traditional staples of the local gastronomical scene have long been BBQ dishes, steak and potatoes. While those are still readily available (and devouring them amounts to one of the best things to do in town), a new class of chefs has updated the beloved classics while staying true to their roots.

On our list, we highlight the new, the classic and the perennially exciting. You’re welcome.

1 Bluestem

Winning a James Beard award is no small feat, but it’s no surprise that chef Colby Garrelts Bluestem took home the honor in 2013. The restaurant offers three different tasting menus, …

Kansas City sits at the center of an identity crisis. It’s a liberal oasis in the middle of two red states, and the state line divides the city itself between Kansas and Missouri. That’s good news for you though. Each day is a chance to explore cultures, worlds, and time periods the average visitor probably wouldn’t expect from a flyover state. Give yourself a weekend and you’ll be hooked.

KC is also having a moment right now. Season 3 of Netflix’s popular Queer Eye reboot is filming here. FX’s next season of Fargo is set here, during KC’s 1950s gangland peak. And Democratic Party golden boy Jason Kander is set to become the city’s next mayor. The city as a whole is set to become the next Austin before long.

So here are the best things to do in Kansas City, both the Kansas and Missouri sides, including plenty of …

I have lived in Kansas City for the majority of my life – 18 years to say the least.

During the past four years I have been away at Truman State University, but that does not mean that I don’t have a plethora of memories from growing up there.

Since I turned 16 and was let loose on the city scene, I have gotten lost in northern Kansas City trying to see a community theater production; gotten my car stuck in the snow outside of a bar; sat in parking lot at one of the nation’s busiest Quicktrips at midnight eating taquitos with a friend to see if anything would happen there. I’ve been to the majority of the Target stores and locally-owned coffee shops, but have only brushed the siding of the new Kaufman Center for the Performing Arts. I’ve been to a few Royals Games, walked by a …