Consider this: Frommer’s, publishers of the highly acclaimed travel guides, ranked a dozen of the world’s top tourism destinations in 2011, and only one of them was in the United States: Kansas City.
Too many people on the coasts know us for flyovers and layovers. If they knew what the folks at Frommer’s know, it would radically alter their perceptions of this emerging destination jewel.
But how did we get to this unique place? In a word, vision: More than a decade ago, the city began marshalling the public-side finances needed to prime a development pump in its tired and all-too-empty Downtown. Roughly $6 billion in new investments later, what do we have for our money?
Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. The day it opened in September 2011, it instantly became the premier concert and performance hall on the planet. It’s design, courtesy of world-renowned Moshe Safdie and its acoustics drew the immediate attention of culturally oriented publications around the world. Their reaction amounted to a standing ovation in print.
The National World War I Museum. Again, millions in renovations have transformed the nation’s official memorial to the Great War. Today, it’s brimming with interactive exhibits and engaging displays that help people understand how modern events are rooted in this nearly century-old conflagration.
Sprint Arena. A $275 million Downtown anchor that itself has no anchor tenant continues to defy the dynamics of arena operations by consistently ranking in the Top 5 for use-days for peer facilities nationwide. When the long-awaited anchor does arrive—preferrably a professional sports franchise of some variety—Sprint will be well-positioned to be among the hottest venues in America.
The Power & Light District. Right next door to the arena, this glittering, $875 million development remade a stretch of Downtown covering nine square blocks when it opened in 2007. That year, coincidentally, marked the start of the Great Recession, but P&L District proponents cite a 90 percent retailer occupancy rate and 15,000 weekend-night customers as proof of concept.
Sea Life Kansas City Aquarium and LegoLand. Two of the newest pieces of the entertainment draw are just being unveiled in the Crown Center retail complex. Already a family-friendly venue, Crown Center will become an anchor for visitors who will also have immediate access to both a revitalized Union Station, home to Science City, and the WWI museum across Main Street to the west.
But you’ll find a lot more going on here than just a remade Downtown:
The Truman Sports Complex. Hundreds of millions of dollars have gone into renovations that updated and upgraded a facility that, despite its years, has long been regarded as among the nation’s top settings for pro baseball and football. Major League Baseball will bring its 2012 All-Star Game here in July, giving the city an opportunity to showcase Kauffman Stadium to a global audience.
LiveStrong Sporting Park. The new home for Kansas City’s professional soccer team opened in mid-2011, to wide acclaim from experts who say the technology incorporated into its design and execution have made it the premier fan-experience venue in the nation.
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Its addition of the Bloch Building in 2007 changed the face of this stoic and iconic property adjacent to the Country Club Plaza, making it a talk-about venue for arts-related publications nationwide and greatly expanding the display space at Kansas City’s premier arts venue.
Shopping. If you’re not finding what you need in Kansas City, you’re not trying. From Zona Rosa in the Northland to the Country Club Plaza minutes south of Downtown, from retail anchors like Oak Park Mall in Johnson County, Independence Center and the booming Hartman Heritage/Eastland Center districts in the east and the spectacular Village West retail district in western Wyandotte County, Kansas City as a region is simply awash in opportunities to indulge every consumer fantasy.
None of that addresses the food—we’re a lot more than barbecue—the artistic amenities of the Crossroads district Downtown, the jazz and other musical venues—we really could go on and on.
But there’s just enough room left to address one key aspect of visiting Kansas City: We’re a community that grew up around the automobile, and it defines us. With more interstate lane miles than any city in the nation, traffic flows freely, but it flows. Mass public transit may not be our strong suit, but even with as little as a week’s notice, rental cars can be booked for as little as $11 a day on a weekend trip.
That kind of value proposition de-fines cost structures throughout Kansas City, making it accessible, affordable and engaging. If you’re not here, you’re missing out.