Museums in the Kansas City Area

Kansas City – Kansas City is rich with history and culture, and one of the best ways to fully experience what it has to offer is to take a look at how it has grown over the years. Museums all over the city are committed to preserving the story of its distant past, as well as that of its more recent years. Come see what makes Kansas City great, or take a journey further back in time and view the artifacts of ancient days, from more distant lands. Whether your interest is the Santa Fe Trail or monuments to Egyptian gods, the museums in Kansas City will be more than enough to educate and captivate you.

Airline History Museum
201 NW Lou Holland Dr.
Kansas City MO 64116
816 421-3401
http://www.airlinehistorymuseum.com �¯�¿�½
Museum – Experience the history of flight. This museum offers photographs, artifacts, and other material that chronicle the evolution of air travel. They also have a collection of aircraft for guests to view, including the Lockhead L1049 “Super G” Constellation, which the museum calls “the Queen of our fleet.”
Hours of Operation – Monday through Saturday: 10am – 4pm; Sunday: 12pm – 4pm

American Jazz Museum
1616 East 18th Street
Kansas City MO 64108
816 474-8463
http://www.americanjazzmuseum.com �¯�¿�½
Museum – Witness the beginnings of American-born Jazz, from the 1920’s to the 1940’s and see how Kansas City played a role in its formative years. The American Jazz Museum offers interactive exhibits and programs that educate guests about the history and culture that surround jazz. Musicians like Count Basie and Big Joe Turner once played at this very location. Their legacies and the legacies of so many others are captured in rare photographs and other memorabilia.
Hours of Operation – Tuesday through Saturday: 9am – 6pm; Saturday: 12pm – 6pm; Monday: Closed

American Royal
1701 American Royal Ct.
Kansas City MO 64102
816 221-9800
http://www.americanroyal.com �¯�¿�½
Museum – The American Royal museum is a place where children and adults alike can learn about Kansas City’s history as well as education themselves about horses, other livestock, and all things rodeo. The museum is led by trained , informative tour guides to answer any questions and point out interesting pieces of trivia to guests.
Hours of Operation – Call for hours.

Arabia Steamboat Museum
400 Grand Blvd.
Kansas City MO 64106
816 471-1856
http://www.1856.com �¯�¿�½
Museum – In 1856, the steamboat Arabia perished when it struck a submerged tree trunk and sank into the Missouri River. All aboard were saved, but much of the cargo was thought to be lost forever. In 1887, the boat was rediscovered and lifted from the waters-in surprisingly good shape, with many of its treasures still in place. Now, people from all over the country can come view the boat that spent more than a century beneath the muddy waters of the Missouri River, along with all of the rare and preserved pieces of history that were only recently brought to the surface once again.
Hours of Operation – Monday through Saturday: 10am – 4pm; Sunday: 12pm – 3:30pm

Cave Spring Interpretive Center
8701 East Gregory
Kansas City MO 64133-6351
816 358-2283
http://www.cavespring.org �¯�¿�½
Museum – Cave Spring is 36 acres of walking trails, picnic tables, and beautiful natural scenery with a history. It sits along the historic Santa Fe Trail that was traveled in the 1800’s. The Interpretive Center is an educational headquarters that strives to teach and preserve the history and culture of this Kansas City landmark.
Hours of Operation – Tuesday through Saturday: 10am – 4pm

The Doll Museum and Research Library
10900 North Pomona Ave.
Kansas City MO 64153
816 891-7040
Museum – Affiliated with the United Federation of Doll Clubs, the Doll Museum and Research Library is dedicated to collectible dolls as well as teddy bears. They have dolls on display dating back to the 1700’s, and their library details the practice of obtaining and preserving collectible dolls.
Hours of Operation – Monday through Friday: 10am – 4pm; Saturday: 10am – 2pm (on the first Saturday of each month only)

Excelsior Springs Historical Museum
101 East Broadway
Excelsior Springs MO 64024
816 630-0101
http://www.exsmo.com/museum �¯�¿�½
Museum – The Excelsior Springs Historical Museum is just what its name implies. Its goal is to collect, preserve, and share the history of Excelsior Springs, Missouri by means of a museum. Exhibits range from city traditions to railroad information. The museum also pays tribute to outstanding individuals that have made a mark throughout the city’s past.
Hours of Operation – Tuesday through Saturday: 11am – 4pm

The Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum
500 West U.S. Highway 24
Independence MO 64050
816 268-8200
http://www.trumanlibrary.org �¯�¿�½
Museum – Exhibits in the Harry S. Truman Presidential Museum are predominantly items that were, at one time, possessions of Harry S. Truman or his wife. The majority of these items were presented as gifts to the Trumans while Harry S. Truman was president.
Hours of Operation – Exhibit schedules vary, so follow the link for upcoming hours or call for schedule information.

Kansas City Museum
3218 Gladstone Blvd
Kansas City MO 64123-1199
816 483-8300
http://www.unionstation.org/kcmuseum.cfm �¯�¿�½
Museum – This museum concentrates on a broad history of the Kansas City area, back to a time when Kansas City was nothing more than a wide space in the road called the “Town of Kansas”. Exhibits show guests artifacts from that distant time. They also have a natural history museum, with displays and information on animals native to North America, and an old-fashioned soda fountain.
Hours of Operation – Tuesday through Saturday: 9:30am – 4:30pm; Sunday: 12pm – 4:30 pm

Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art
4420 Warwick Blvd
Kansas City MO 64111-1821
816 753-5784
http://www.kemperart.org �¯�¿�½
Museum – The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art displays contemporary and modern art from various parts of the world. It has several rare and unique pieces, which are rotated throughout the year to ensure that every visit is a special one.
Hours of Operation – Tuesday through Thursday: 10am – 4pm; Friday and Saturday: 10am – 9pm; Sunday: 11am – 5pm

Liberty Memorial Museum
100 W. 26th Street
Kansas City MO 64108
816 784-1918
http://www.libertymemorialmuseum.org/index.aspx �¯�¿�½
Museum – On November 11th of 1918, citizens of Kansas City gathered together to propose a memorial to those that had fought in the first World War. Since then, items, photographs, and other memorabilia have continued to collect, and eventually the museum came to be. Liberty Memorial is known as the only museum in the United States to entirely dedicate its purpose to the memory of World War One.
Hours of Operation – Tuesday through Sunday: 10am – 5pm; Monday: Closed

The National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame
630 Hall of Fame Drive
Bonner Springs KS 66012
913 721-1075
http://www.aghalloffame.com/ �¯�¿�½
Museum – The National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame is a trip back in time as well as an education. The museum exposes guests to the history of farming, its trials and errors, and all the obstacles that have been overcome throughout the history of agriculture. View old-fashioned farm equipment or take a look at the 100-year old railroad depot.
Hours of Operation – Monday through Saturday: 9am – 5pm; Sunday: 1pm – 5pm; Mid-March through November

National Frontier Trails Museum
318 W. Pacific
Independence MO 64050
816 325-7575
http://ci.independence.mo.us/nftm/ �¯�¿�½
Museum – The National Frontier Trails MuseumÃ?¯Ã?¿Ã?½is dedicated toÃ?¯Ã?¿Ã?½the trails that settlers used to travel west so many years ago. The three main trails used were the Santa Fe Trail, The Oregon Trail, and The California trail. The museum’s purpose is to research, collect, and display information and artifacts relating to these three trails.
Hours of Operation – Monday through Saturday: 9am – 4:30pm; Sunday: 12:30pm – 4:30pm

Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
1616 E 18th Street
Kansas City MO 64108
816 221-1920
http://www.nlbm.com/ �¯�¿�½
Museum – The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, founded in 1990, commits itself to preserving and displaying African-American Baseball memorabilia from the 1800’s to the 1960’s. It is not a Hall of Fame, but, rather, a collection of artifacts from a particular time and culture that tells a distinct story. It shares its location with the American Jazz Museum.
Hours of Operation – Tuesday through Saturday: 9am – 6pm; Sunday: 12pm – 6pm; Monday: Closed

Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
4525 Oak Street
Kansas City MO 64111-1873
816 561-4000
http://www.nelson-atkins.org �¯�¿�½
Museum – The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is a sizable and impression collection of artifacts, sculptures, paintings, and other valuable pieces of the past. It’s exhibits range from ancient Egyptian artifacts to modern American pieces and everything in between.
Hours of Operation – Tuesday through Thursday: 10am – 4pm; Friday: 10am – 9pm; Saturday: 10am – 5pm; Sunday: 12pm – 5pm

The Toy and Miniature Museum
5235 Oak Street
Kansas City MO 64112
816 333-2055
http://www.umkc.edu/tmm/ �¯�¿�½
Museum – Founded in 1982, the Toy and Miniature Museum displays an array of toys and miniatures, just as its name implies. The museum is located on the campus of the University of Missouri – Kansas City and has twenty-four rooms full of charming and intriguing pieces.
Hours of Operation – Wednesday through Saturday: 10am – 4pm; Sunday: 1pm – 4pm