Kansas City runs south from the Missouri River through the Crossroads and Midtown to the Country Club Plaza. Stay on Main Street to use the streetcar. If you’re coming for barbecue, jazz or one museum in particular, stay near it.
The River Market, at the north end of downtown, has the City Market stalls and riverfront walks. South of the business district, the Power & Light District has the T-Mobile Center and late-night venues. The free KC Streetcar runs along Main Street through both, so a hotel near a stop saves short car trips.
The Crossroads Arts District sits between downtown and Union Station. Galleries, restaurants and the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts fill the surrounding blocks. Union Station, Crown Center and the National WWI Museum and Memorial are farther south. A Crossroads hotel can still mean a long walk to the museum.
In Midtown, Westport has bars and restaurants, and the Country Club Plaza has shops with Brush Creek nearby. The streetcar now runs to the Plaza, but the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art are a walk off Main Street.
Kansas City summers are hot and humid. Winter can bring snow and icy roads. Kansas City International Airport is northwest of downtown, served by a weekday bus and rideshares. For the suburbs or the stadiums, you’ll want a car or event transport.