One of college basketball's best venues has gotten better…read more The old court cutout and mini museum are still there, but a couple of rounds of expansion have added a new space that houses one of college basketball's crown jewels - Dr. Naismith's original thirteen rules of basketball. I wasn't able to grab a photo during my busy Big Monday visit, so you'll have to trust me, it's pretty cool. They've also expanded the Team store, added concessions and built a few premium food and beverage areas. The actual is still the same - Cozy, a bit intimidating and full of history. It's a great place to watch a basketball game.

If you haven't been to a game here at the Fieldhouse, it is a highly recommended adventure. Allen…read moreFieldhouse has been noted as the loudest stadium in the world- breaking decibel records. At the game I went to, decibel levels were around 119-120, so that seems to track. The feeing, energy, camaraderie, and passion you feel when you enter here cannot be compared to anywhere else. It is truly something remarkable to experience. The Fieldhouse has some structural flaws- mostly because the field house holds up to 16,000 people and needs some updates to allow for all the sold out games. Perhaps more than one stairwell would be a good place to start?! Concessions abound here at the Fieldhouse as do the KU merchandise stores- Rally House- can be found in multiple levels here. The seats of the stadium are not premium as the majority are bench seats with no backs. While you can rent a cushioned seat, you end up standing most of the game anyway, so really not worth the additional cost. There really aren't obstructed views here from any seat-unless a tall person has a seat in front of you. There are very limited hand rails to use in the Fieldhouse to help accommodate these views. The Fieldhouse has a museum as well which commemorates the Jayhawk greats in all realms of sports. This is a great way to spend some time before the game starts. Doors usually open an hour before the game. It's a really fun and energetic place to experience. Definitely get a ticket (if you can) to a game. Take heed and beware the Phog!

OK, so the results on the field haven't always lit up the history books. But that's not what a…read more*stadium* is about. No, a stadium is about the traditions, the men & women who have passed through it throughout the years, and the fan experience. There may be no better view in college football than the one that peers down into the horseshoe-shaped confines of Memorial Stadium. in the fall, the colors sloping down from the Campanile are a picturesque autumn postcard, and the views to the north can be so clear that you can see for miles. This old haunt has been around for more than 100 years, starting as McCook Field to its newly-renovated state as the David Booth Memorial Stadium. These days, the stadium has been modernized and given that luxury box opportunity that so many venues have come to demand. Aluminum benches have been replaced with seating; video boards have gotten upgraded with current technology. WiFi has been deployed throughout the facility (KU Guest), which VASTLY enhances the fan experience. Ask anyone what their frustration can be like when around a large crowd with spotty mobile coverage: I bet they'll use profanity. So I'm biased. I bleed crimson & blue and I love a great fall football experience. I loved walking down the hill into the stadium for graduation and can't wait for my progeny to do the same. The new stadium expects big things to happen on the turf. KU has built themselves a snazzy new dance floor, now they just need the boogie down to happen. Rock Chalk!

Anyone in Lawrence or that follows KU knows that as of this writing, what was once Memorial Stadium…read moreis now reduced to a pile of rubble. Bigger things are coming down the pike, but I wanted to take the chance to leave a review for the old girl before it's all but a memory. This stadium didn't get all the love it deserved, IMO. It was a dedicated World War I Memorial for all the students who lost their lives. I think that gets forgotten in the modern day arms race of bigger/better with college athletics, and that's what the original purpose was here. As time went on, people lambasted it for having a track around it, appearing more amateur than the big southern stadiums. But you know what? KU's Track history is pretty freaking great so I think that was also misguided. Oh, and something else that was really cool here was that the band could run right onto the field from the north end, down the stairs and onto the field. Always a fun tradition that can really only be captured with college football. There's also the hill where you can be a part of the gameday action and even watch part of the game, which is such a fun throwback to a simpler time. Fingers crossed the new design allows some of that, but I'm not sure yet. But yes, time went on and there were several limitations here, admittedly. The old metal bleachers, the outdated concourses, et al. I'm not enamored with the new design from what I've seen, but I'll try to welcome it when it's here. It's hard because we all have some core, amazing memories from our time in college, and when I was here we were rolling with Mark Mangino and winning the Orange Bowl. I'll continue to hold onto those memories of the old Memorial Stadium!

I was hosting a surprise birthday party for my partner which included watching Tenet on the…read more(backyard) big screen. Mike reached out from my form request from the site within 10 minutes. There was no question that I'd even need to shop around for a better deal or experience. Mike was top notch professional, knowledgeable, and accommodating. On the big day, he quickly set up the equipment, played an additional memory slideshow and music, and made a bunch of our neighborhood kiddos weeks with his popcorn machine. The sound quality and screen quality was perfect, even as a Christopher Nolan film usually demands an IMAX. For all future movie set ups for our family and probably our neighborhood, we'll be using Backyard Box Office KC

I would give 10 stars if I could, as I truly cannot recommend Michael and his amazing team at…read moreBackyard Box Office KC enough. We connected with Michael about hosting a movie night for our volunteers and staff at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, and he immediately responded to our request and scheduled a time for a site visit. From our first interaction, he was friendly, genuine, on time, and communicative without fail. He has immense knowledge about his industry & equipment and has an impressive arsenal of processes in place so that his team is ready for anything. We had to postpone our first date due to weather, and Michael was in communication with us the whole time we were working to reschedule. We even had a hiccup with our planned site the night of our rescheduled event, and he and his team pivoted their entire set-up process like it was nothing. As a person in the events industry, I cannot say enough about their unwaveringly calm demeanor and creative problem solving. The night of the event, they arrived with plenty of time to set up the screen, sound system, lights, and popcorn machine. Everything was set up on time and looked organized. The screen was bright and displayed the picture beautifully, and the sound system was top notch. Michael and his team worked tirelessly to make our event seamless so that our staff could enjoy the event as well, and they thought of every little thing. They were prepared for anything & the pinnacle of professionalism, and I cannot wait to work with them again!

A beautiful Kansas farm that loaded with "u-pick" strawberries every May and early June…read more Maybe it's the Kansas in my blood, but it's really, really beautiful around this farm (much more so than nearby Missouri farms). Rolling hills, green tree canopies, dirt roads and big sky all while being surprisingly close to Lawrence. This farm is such a fun experience to pick strawberries at, and I'll go step-by-step in just a sec, but I have to shout out that I really appreciate the simplicity of this experience. Some of the u-picks and pumpkin patches go overboard with cheesy rides, hastily-made plywood games, etc. Some may love those, I don't always. I prefer to let the nature and friendly people around provide the fun, and Wohletz shines in that regard. Details on how it works: Step one: We're in a semi-transition from Covid times, so it's appointment based from their FB page and they'll drop them 24 hours in advance, give or take. Step two: Plan for about 45 minutes from the KC area, plug it in your GPS and go -- bring cash! Step three: As you make your way to the picking fields, the staff will guide you to a row that's flush with berries. Many are visible, some hide under big leaves, but they're super easy to pick compared to peas or even blackberries in the summer heat. Step four: Take your hopefully loaded up basket, pay in cash and head out to gorge on strawberries, make a cake or pie and plan to do it again next year. Again, we gravitate to this area a lot anyways, but the rural land around Lawrence really is a special place. I'm just now realizing we drive up this way for strawberries in the spring, trail runs in the summer, pumpkin picking at Schaake's Pumpkin Patch in the fall, and cut a Christmas tree at Strawberry Hill Tree Farm in the winter. Enjoy Wohletz and if you miss their prime picking season, they are also available at the OP Farmers Market on most days!

Love this place! Sharing last season's pickings! They are the most delicious berries you will ever…read moreeat! Sun ripened to perfection! We got so many and ended up cooking them down and canning them into jams and jellies!

The 3-star rating is in large part due to safety concerns in this venue, as parts of the interior…read moreare stunning, and the film festival held there was entertaining and pleasantly educational. This beautiful old building is surrounded by scaffolding so you can't really see its architecture, but I didn't see any renovation happening outside or inside, where the walls are covered with gorgeous murals, other detailed artistic painting, and intricate hanging light fixtures. The old-but-comfortable theater-style balcony seats are covered with red velvety fabric. It's a visual feast. However, renovation inside is massively needed, especially for safety concerns. When the lights were turned out for the films it was almost pitch black, with no modern-day dim "safety lighting"...not even enough to navigate if you needed to. And right in front of each balcony seats there's flooring maybe 1' deep for your feet to rest on (not enough), which then drops precipitiously almost another 1' to the next level of floor that you need to reach to walk in or out of the row! While this creates a clear view of the stage for every row of seating, it's very dangerous. To get into the row you need to step down to the lower section to walk across but there's nothing to hold onto except the arm of the seat on the end, and I needed the help of the willing hand of the kind person seated there to feel safe. The stairs to the balcony could accommodate 3 to 4 people across, but you have to be on the outer edge to have a hand railing. One woman tripped at the top of the stairs to the balcony and slammed very hard into the backs of our seats, and her popcorn rained down everywhere, including on us. I don't remember how wide the space is between that last step and the seats, but it seems there wasn't enough, or much demarcation visible between the last step and the floor. We were all rattled by the impact, the noise, and the popcorn, but she was able to get up with help and get to her seat. I'm do remember thinking it would be easy to fall there, and I was glad I wasn't the one who did! The main level has no fixed seats, just very uncomfortable-looking wooden chairs set up in rows. That didn't seem like a good time during a 3-hour film festival! There were two pretty decent bathrooms available on the that floor, and I was told there was one on the balcony level, but I couldn't see it. However, I wouldn't have even tried to navigate from the dangerous seating set-up in the dark to get to any bathroom! The only open concession area was on the main level, in a small dark niche, and unlike modern theaters, there was no food, just beverages (including cocktails), candy and popcorn. The high prices on those were the most modern thing in the building! The eight or so short films in the festival were all human-interest stories of one or more persons and their interactions with and adventures in nature. All were inspiring and interesting, all had some scenic nature and landscape views, and I think all included water elements. But none were quite what I expected, as I had learned about the "Wild & Scenic Film Festival" at a viewing of the stunning panoramic "Wings Over Water" on the Extreme Screen in Union Station in KC a few nights before. Wild and scenic nature at its finest! This fundraiser for nature and environmental causes was well put-together and organized by volunteers, and I think very successful, because as far as I could see, the theater was packed, and many people had attended it for years! Water One was the main sponsor, joined by many other generous partners. Raffle tickets were sold for one lucky person to win a large kayak, and everyone received a free ticket for a prize raffle with a plethora of good items, including several wooden bird and bat houses, nature-and-on-the-water clothing items, quality t-shirts and water bottles, and many more worthy prizes winners could choose from. I was one of many lucky free ticket holders, and very happy with my surprise gift bag containing a soft "There is no lemonade without water" t-shirt, a WaterOne recycled plastic bottle that claimed it "kept 1,085 plastic bottles out of the environment," and a small zippered clip-on pouch full of First Aid essentials!

Many good memories at Liberty Hall over the decades, but if I'm keeping it real, there are better…read moreplaces to catch a show. In college, we used to rent movies here where you could find a collection unlike anywhere else. I saw movies here, using a phone flashlight to navigate the pitch black upstairs seating. I saw shows here, and the location on Mass is second to none. Came up a few weeks back and it felt good to be back here, but also.. sweatier than I remember? The place was packed and it was almost impossible to move. The sound from the band was AWFUL, I wondered if it was all the mixing board or what. I think the reality is we were under an overhang and it causes the bass to echo and reverberate. The show ended up being pretty decent, but I wasn't loving the vibe necessarily. I think if you are catching something here, getting ticketed seats upstairs is the way to go. All in all, it's fine, but I won't be scrolling the website here to find the next show to see.

Came here for a team happy hour, and we had plenty of room in back. The bar in back was not open,…read moreso we had to hit the bar in front for self service. They have their own brand of canned spritzers, and they have lots of space during the early evening to just chill and talk. The bathrooms are horrifying. Huh.

Man dont I love this place but I'm sitting here 30 minutes deep and this DJ can't figure out its…read moreshit. I need Kesha fr ur love is my mf drug . ‍

I had no idea The Bottleneck had a couple of skylights…read more I guess I never really visited much during the daylight hours. Anyway - the venue has gone through a small renovation. They've updated the sound and lighting systems. They've also done some work around the stage, repainted and cleaned the interior and semi fixed up the restrooms. This is a fun little venue. Whoever you come to see will look and sound good and you should have a good time.

Came here for a Radkey concert (who was amazing, check out that band for sure!). The acoustics, at…read moreleast for Radkey, were spot on. It was an all-ages show, and yes there was a baby at the bar. I mean the baby was in his mom's arms, but there was a baby at the bar. I guess they take "all ages" literally in LFK. The staff was friendly from entry to exit. not an overly crowded venue. It seems you could pluck this venue from its location and move it to Westport in KCMO and it would fit right in. I hope to be back for future shows.