Day Trips from Kansas City

1. Atchison

Atchison is best known as the birthplace of famed aviator Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, and is home to Earhart-themed attractions such as Amelia Earhart’s Birthplace Museum, the spectacular Amelia Earhart Earthwork hillside portrait, and the annual Amelia Earhart Festival, held each year in July. Transportation enthusiasts will enjoy the Atchison Rail Museum and rides aboard the Atchison and Western Miniature Railroad, while culture and history buffs will love the Muchnic Art Gallery, the Evah C. Cray Historical Home Museum, and the Lewis and Clark Pavilion, constructed at Riverfront Park for the bicentennial anniversary of the explorers’ journey. Outdoor activities abound during the summer months, including opportunities for swimming, sports, and hiking at Jackson Park and Warnock Lake.

200 S 10th St, Atchison, KS 66002, Phone: 800-234-1854

Atchison, KS is 55 min (50.9 mi) via I-29 N and MO-273 N from Kansas City:

2. Carthage

Carthage, Missouri was originally established in 1842 and completely reconstructed following the American Civil War, featuring more than 600 buildings today that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Historic Carthage Square and the Jasper County Courthouse. The city is best known for housing one of the first concrete portions of the state’s interstate highway system, which was incorporated into the famous Route 66 in 1926. Notable attractions along the route include the Carthage Civil War Museum, the 66 Drive-In Theater, and Kiddieland, the largest nonprofit children’s amusement park in the country. The city is also home to the Precious Moments Chapels, which features gardens highlighting bronze statues of the collectible line’s angels.

212 Main Street, Carthage, MS 39051, Phone: 601-267-8322

3. Dalton Gang Hideout

Dalton Gang Hideout was the former Meade, Kansas home of Eva Whipple, the sister of the infamous outlaw group the Dalton Gang, who notoriously operated as train robbers in the early 1890s. Following Whipple’s evacuation of the home in 1892, new residents of the house discovered a hidden tunnel that is believed to have been used to hide the gang members. Since 1940, the home has been operated as a tourist attraction, offering tours of the home and the reconstructed three-foot stone passageway tunnel that travels from the property’s main house to its nearby stable. A museum is maintained within the property’s barn, and personal items and period newspaper articles are showcased throughout the restored home.

502 S Pearlette Street, Meade, Kansas 67864, Phone: 620-873-2731

4. Excelsior Springs

Excelsior Springs is located approximately a half hour outside of Kansas City and offers a wide variety of cultural and tourist attractions related to its history as a 19th-century spa resort town, including the historic Elms Hotel and the Art Deco-style Hall of Waters, constructed in 1936 by the Works Progress Administration, which features a mineral water pool, hydrotherapy baths, and the world’s longest water bar. A number of quaint shops and eclectic family-owned restaurants are located within the city’s downtown district, and several local vineyards and breweries offer opportunities for tastings and tours. The Excelsior Springs Golf Club is the host to several major annual golfing tournaments, including the Gregg Williams Tiger Golf Classic and the Hickory Stick Golf Tournament, and the Mineral Water Bowl brings NCAA Division II football teams to the area for an annual championship match. Other nearby attractions include Watkins Mill State Park and the Worlds of Fun amusement park.

201 E Broadway Ave, Excelsior Springs, MO 64024, Phone: 816-637-2811

5. Florida, MO

Florida, Missouri has been uninhabited since the mid-20th century, but it is best known as the birthplace site of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, internationally renowned by his pen name, Mark Twain. The village is located along the man-made Mark Twain Lake reservoir, which was constructed in the 1960s, and is the site of the Mark Twain Birthplace Historic Site, which is operated by Missouri State Parks as a historic tourist attraction and living history museum. The site preserves the author’s two-room cabin birthplace, which contains exhibits displaying important artifacts such as a handwritten manuscript of his masterwork The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, along with first editions of his other works. A public reading room and research library are also offered for visitor study.

37352 Shrine Road, Florida, MO 65283, Phone: 573-565-3449

6. Hermann

Hermann, Missouri offers a taste of 19th-century German life within the Missouri River Valley, offering a wide variety of historic and cultural attractions for visitors. The city’s surrounding Hermann American Viticultural Area, designated in 1893, was one of the first recognized viticultural districts in America and is home today to seven wineries, which bottle approximately one-third of the wine produced in Missouri. A number of public special events are held annually along the 20-mile Hermann Wine Trail, including a Valentine’s Chocolate Wine Trail event and a summer Berries and Barbecue Wine Trail bash. A number of historic sites are preserved within the city, including the Deutschheim State Historic Site, the Historic Hermann Museum, and the Gasconade County Courthouse, the only American courthouse constructed through private funding. Outdoor lovers will enjoy the city’s many biking, hiking, and zipline trails, including the 240-mile Katy Trail State Park, which embarks across the Missouri River from the city’s downtown.

150 Market Street, Hermann MO 65041, Phone: 573-486-2744

7. Independence, MO

Independence is Missouri’s fifth-largest city, commonly known as the “Queen City of the Trails” for its sites connected to departure points for the famed Oregon, Santa Fe, and California Trails in the 19th century. Today, visitors can explore historic sites such as the National Frontier Trails Museum, the renowned Bingham Waggoner Estate, and the Missouri Mormon Walking Trail and Visitor Center, which preserves areas connected to Mormon pioneer settlements and westward travel, including the 1831 Temple Lot. As the hometown of United States President Harry Truman, the city is also home to the Truman Presidential Library and Museum and the Truman National Historic Site, which preserves the president’s former home. Family-friendly attractions include the Adventure Oasis Water Park, while outdoor sites include the 86-acre George Owens Nature Park.

112 W Lexington, Independence, MO 64050, Phone: 816-325-7890

8. Lake Jacomo

Lake Jacomo spans 970 acres within Jackson County, Missouri, named as a portmanteau of its county’s first two letters from each word. The lake, which is located within Fleming Park, is one of the region’s top outdoor recreational areas, offering a marina providing boat rental, bait and tackle sales, and concessions. Three boat ramps provide access for largemouth and striped bass, catfish, bluegill, crappie, and walleye fishing, along with leisurely pontoon boating and sailboating. Several sailboat regattas are held at the lake each year, and a number of campground areas are offered for overnight stay. Hiking trails are also offered throughout the recreational area, including the 1.5-mile Rock Ledges Nature Trail and the 1.2-mile Pa-Huska Nature Trail.

7401 West Park Road, Blue Springs, MO 64015, Phone: 816-795-8888

9. Lawrence

Lawrence, Kansas is the state’s sixth-largest city and serves as the county seat of Douglas County, offering a wide variety of historic and cultural sites for visitors to explore. The hip college town is the home of the University of Kansas and is nationally-renowned for its live music scene, which brings international recording artists and upcoming bands to venues such as The Granada, The Bottleneck, and Replay Lounge. Cultural attractions include the Watkins Museum of History, the Spencer Museum of Art, and the indigenous-focused Haskell Cultural Center, while historic attractions on the university campus include museums connected to Senator Robert Dole and the city’s basketball legacy. For outdoor fun, Clinton Lake State Park offers a marina, sports fields, picnic areas, and overnight campgrounds.

10. Leavenworth

Leavenworth, Kansas was the state’s first incorporated city when the state was formed in 1854, popularly known as the “First City of Kansas.” Located half an hour from Kansas City along the western bank of the Missouri River, the city is most famously the site of the 1827 Fort Leavenworth, an important military site connected to the settlement of the American West and the history of African-American refugees prior to the American Civil War. Major cultural attractions include the city’s restored C.W. Parker Carousel and the Richard Allen Cultural Center and Museum, which highlights the contributions of African-American pioneers in the region. The city’s 28-block historic district also offers a wide variety of eclectic locally-owned shops and restaurants.

100 N 5th St #104, Leavenworth, KS 66048, Phone: 913-758-2948