Slightly Funky, Clearly Memorable: Seven Somewhat Curious Places

A famous, rich, American businessman with two museums to his name, J. Paul Getty once asked, “How does one measure the success of a museum?” While the answer might typically be in numbers, another response could be, “I learned something. I thought differently. I saw something I’d never see otherwise.” Here, then, are seven museums or attractions not listed elsewhere in this guide that might tickle those senses. We’ll begin with two of the weirdest.

  1. The first is Leila’s Hair Museum in Independence. You may not be aware that hair art flourished during Victorian times, and pieces were made with paint from pulverized hair [sepia] or locks of hair or woven strands that created mementos, jewelry, and wreaths. This museum really does paint a picture of the times around what was thought to be a lost art, which has been revived. [Tues.-Sat., 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Adults $6. www.leilashairmuseum.com or 816.833.2955. Call to confirm they’re open.]
  1. Glore Psychiatric Museum in St. Joseph. George Glore spent most of his career with the Missouri Department of Mental Health, and this museum records the history of State Lunatic Asylum #2. This museum is pretty famous, recognized as “one of the 50 most unusual museums in the country” and in the book, 1,000 Places to See Before You Die in the USA and Canada. You should see it, if only to be glad you’re crazy today and not a hundred years ago. Some of it is rather macabre. [Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sundays 1-5 p.m. Adults $5 for this, the St. Joseph Museum, and the Black Archives Museum. www.stjosephmuseum.org/glore.htm or 1.800.530.8866.]
  1. Also in St. Joseph is the Patee House Museum, the city’s only National Historic Landmark, despite being pretty much a landmark town. It was built as a luxury hotel on the Pony Express route. There’s a vintage carousel, an 1877 train depot, a stagecoach, assorted cars and hearses, several shops of the times, a col-lection of spittoons, the dentist’s office of Walter Cronkite’s father, a 1,000-pound ball of string—and then there’s the funky stuff. [Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sat. 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Sun. 1 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Adults $6. www.ponyexpressjessejames.com/patee or 816.232.8206.]
  1. The Toy and Miniature Museum, almost on the campus of UMKC just south of the Plaza, may sound like a yawn, but it is fascinating—two floors of an amazing collection of dolls and dollhouses, exquisite miniatures, marbles, teddy bears, instruments, cars and even clowns. You’ll be surprised. [Wed.-Sat., 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sun. 1p.m.-4 p.m. Adults $7. www.toyandminiaturemuseum.org or 816.235-8000.]
  1. For bigger kids up to old, the National Airline History Museum is in Hangar 9 at the Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport, originally Kansas City’s only airport. You can see many planes, go through some of them, and learn a great deal about the art and science of aviation. [Wed.-Sat. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Adults $8, kids free. www.airlinehistory.org or 816.421.3401.]
  1. Speaking of marbles, without or with kids, you might want to drive the 20 miles to Bonner Springs for Moon Marble Co. There’s more to marbles than you might think, and the store is very cute. [Tues.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; demos often run between 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. Free. www.moonmarble.com or 913.441.1432.]
  1. In Johnson County, see a true moment in history—the 1950’s. Yep, it’s ancient now, but this exhibit represents the American Dream 60-plus years ago. The 1950s All-Electric House is not only a replica of the lifestyle in suburbia to which most wanted to escape, the brand sparkling new technology harkens to a simpler day that many thought was the ultimate of progress. [Mon.-Sat., 1-4 p.m., tours every half-hour. Adults $2. www.jocomuseum.org or 913.715.2550]

 We’re not saying that there are not other funky, unusual places to visit in the Kansas City Metro area, give or take a few miles. We’re just saying that these especially strike our fancy and we think you’ll like them, too.  

 Concierge Kansas City is produced by the editors of Ingram’s Magazine and Show-Me Publishing
to showcase our Midwestern river town to our World Series visitors and patrons. We believe Kansas City
is one of America’s most treasured cities and best kept secrets. Enjoy your visit to our home town!