Experience the best of Kansas City

Kansas City sits where the Kansas River meets the Missouri River on the border of Missouri and Kansas, and the main city lies on the Missouri side. It is known as the City of Fountains, and fountains of every size stand in its parks and plazas. Country Club Plaza, a district of Spanish-style buildings with fountains and tiled towers, was among the first planned shopping areas in the country. Union Station, a railway hall of 1914, anchors the old centre.

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art has a collection ranging from Asian art to American painting, with huge shuttlecock sculptures on its lawn. The National WWI Museum and Memorial, beneath a tall memorial tower, is a major museum of the First World War. In the 18th and Vine district, the American Jazz Museum and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum honour two parts of local heritage, and the Truman Library in nearby Independence tells the story of a president.

Kansas City barbecue means slow-smoked ribs, brisket and burnt ends, the charred tips of brisket, in a sweet, tangy tomato sauce, and the city also serves thick steaks from its stockyard days. Jazz and blues fill clubs in the evening. Summers are hot and humid, winters cold, and spring and autumn are mild.