I had just come from the Eisenhower Museum (34th POTUS, 1953 to 1961) a couple of days ago, not…read morerealizing that perhaps I should have seen them in the order they served as President. It might have made the history make more sense. Oh, well. Here we are. You can expect to spent a good three hours here, maybe more, because the Harry S. Truman Library (33rd POTUS, 1945 to 1953) and Museum is one of those places that rewards slowing down. The exhibits walk you through Truman's life with a clarity that feels almost old-fashioned in the best way, starting with his early years in Independence and moving through the presidency with a steady, chronological rhythm. It's dense and close to overwhelming, full of letters, photographs, campaign materials, and those moments where you realize just how much of the twentieth century passed through Truman's hands and how much was shaped by hom. The museum does a particularly good job with the heavy chapters. The end of WWII, the decision to use the atom bomb, the Marshall Plan, the founding of NATO, and the early Cold War. These aren't just bullet points on a timeline. They're laid out with context, artifacts and enough explanation that you can follow the threads even if most of it happened before you were born. It's the kind of museum where you keep thinking you're almost done, only to turn a corner and find another room that pulls you in. Outside, the courtyard where Harry and Bess Truman are laid to rest adds a quiet, reflective ending to the visit. After spendint hours inside tracing the arc of his presidency, stepping into that simple outdoor space feels like closing a book. Independence itself gives the museum a sense of place that I did not feel at other presidential libraries. I've been to the George W. Bush and the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library and the LBJ Presidential Library and the JFK Presidential Library. Truman lived here, walked these streets, represented these people and stayed rooted long after leaving office. Even if you didn't plan your presidential library visits in chronological order, this one stands firmly on its own and it's easy to see why people linger well past the three hour mark. [Round number review 26000 overall - 819 of 2026 - 538 in Missouri]

As part of a trip to Independence, a group of us checked out the Truman Library…read more Full disclosure: I'm usually more of a fan of good food and camaraderie than museums, so take this review with a grain of salt! ​First, a quick heads-up: depending on when you visit, there is a ton of road construction nearby, so your GPS might feed you disinformation like a Cold War operative. ​That said, the newly renovated museum is a visual marvel. If you're a history buff, it's packed with interactive exhibits and several film areas. Because the layout follows a set path, it can get a bit stuffy when masses of humanity roll through in large tour groups, but there's plenty to keep you engaged. ​Some of my favorite parts were learning about the intricate history of how Israel became a state, checking out the classic cars, and taking the interactive quizzes to see if you're government material or getting exposed as a commie spy! ​All in all, it was a fun, educational experience that brought back classic grade-school field trip vibes

We made a trip this past weekend to KC and had a blast. This was our first stop! I had seen clips…read moreon social media and knew my little book worms would love it. We bought our tickets ahead of time, so we could secure our time slot. However, it looked like you can get tickets there the day of. Tickets are fairly priced, $16/person. This place is a lot bigger than I thought. Once you go down the rabbit hole, there are little burrows to crawl through, stop by and check out the rabbits little house before making your way through. It took us about 2 hours to go through, my kids loved all the interactive pieces to it. They could climb in nearly everything, there was a slide, a fire pole, etc. If you aren't familiar with the books, don't worry, they keep them stocked at each section so you can read it! Once we were done, we made our way to the bookstore. They had a wonderful large staircase that people could just relax and read books which I thought was wonderful little touch. They had a great selection of books and had a section of all the books from the displays. They have a coffee shop but unfortunately it was closed when we were there. The staff was wonderful, the volunteers are all scattered throughout to help customers. The volunteers and staff truly love books and children. We will absolutely be back again!

Well put together museum where all the books you grew up comes alive…read more Brought my kids and their cousins here. They loved it. Got to sit on a story time and caught the bus. Make reading great again!

Over priced and over rated…read more Too small. Things looked old and touched too much. Wack! Don't waste your time or money.

Unfortunately, this location didn't live up to expectations. Having visited the St. Louis Museum of…read moreIllusions, I found this one to be significantly smaller and lacking the same variety of exhibits. Given the price point, the experience felt a bit underwhelming and short. If you've been to their larger locations, this one might leave you disappointed.

The staff was full of knowledge. We were the only patrons inside the water bar area. I read each of…read morethe more than 20 information boards posted around the perimeter of the water bar area. It was beautifully decorated in one of my favorite architectural eras, art deco. The information boards gave great explanations of the founding of the town, the springs, how the Hall of Waters operated, the water bar, famous people who visited, founding of hotels and the history of the people who operated them, and lots more! Be prepared to read A LoT. Which I enjoy learning that way and at my own pace. The treatment area was interesting to see the devices and apparatus they used when this place was humming in the early 1900's. I was disappointed the pool area and the bottling area are closed off to the public. Wish I knew someone on the inside. Haha. And they would show them to me. I love exploring safely and respectfully. A definite must see for someone who loves history like I do!

Art deco splendor! A…read moreworking city building filled with reminders of the spring waters heydays here. Love the intact water bar which is now the welcome center. Lots of surrounding picture displays of the town's history and notable persons with connections to the general area. **No special water to drink or bathe here!

*Missing Review(s)?…read more In my opinion this is one of the best museums in the world. No doubt,pound for pound I would put the Nelson Akins up against any museum anywhere. I love art so, traveling to Kansas City regularly in the early to mid 2000s,I naturally visited the Nelson Adkins. Walking into the building was not particularly interesting as the entrance had been modernized and different from the exterior. However,once you walk into the galleries,you are stunned. The overall building design,galleries and quality of art seems almost out of place in Kansas City. Not that they don't deserve it,every city should be so lucky,it just seems a surprise. One special thing they had, that is just wonderful, is the cafeteria style cafe in a significantly beautiful atrium. I took many pictures and posted them of the entire facility including the marvelous food over several years. I have been trying to come up with a good excuse to go to KC for a Nelson-Adkins fix! Seriously,maybe an UYE! Now for "The"truly significant impact this museum had on my life.On the second floor you could walk out doors, taking you into the large atrium that holds the cafe. Around this walkway were many Rodin sculpture. I must have past these sculpture a dozen times on my walk to the descending stairs in order to eat During one visit as I exited the doors,passed the sculptures,I noticed a large photographic presentation. Stopping to look closer,I learned it was regarding details of Rodin's Hell Gates. If you have the slightest interest in art,look it up, amazing. After lunch,I returned to this exhibit reading all about the Hells Gates. Finding out there are only two bronze cast of this magnificent sculpture,I felt I just had to see one if not both. One is at the Rodin museum in Paris. If I needed a reason to go to Paris( you don't) this was as good as any. I'm proud to report a few months later I was standing in front of the Gates Of Hell at the Rodin museum Paris. All because of a visual display at Nelson Atkins... Go!

My visit to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art was extremely disappointing. While the museum itself…read morewas beautiful the behavior of several staff members completely ruined the experience. Throughout our visit we were repeatedly followed and monitored. At one point, as we were leaving through a doorway a staff member who was entering saw us exiting and immediately turned around after looking directly at us. Another staff member approached us in a very confrontational manner under the guise of "guiding" us and even laughed after I responded with "yikes." The micro-aggressions were impossible to ignore. They didn't even seem "micro." The behavior from staff was excessive, unwelcoming, and deeply uncomfortable. It's unfortunate that such a culturally significant and visually appealing place is staffed by people who ruin the experience. I genuinely hope the museum addresses and provides better training on how staff members interact with guests.

This is one of KCs gems - and thankfully not so hidden. This museum was founded by 2 women - 1 with…read morea love of toys and 1 with a love of miniatures. I've visited several times and am always amazed at the popular toys from each decade and the incredible to scale miniatures. During this visit we were one of the first to attend the grand opening of the Native American miniatures exhibit. It's so cool. I recommend everyone check it out. This museum is a must visit for all ages.

The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures, despite being one of the bigger museums in KC, is…read morehonestly kind of a hidden gem in town. I never went before they renovated, but once they did I made my way here and immediately wondered what had taken me so long. You might think to yourself that this is for kids or on the flip side you might think that it's just for collectors - both couldn't be more untrue. The first fun thing is just the massive historic building that this place is in - if you like architecture and exploring old buildings you'll enjoy that part of it. The next thing you'll notice is that there is a ton to see here, from the ornate details of dollhouses, to miniatures that will blow your mind, to nostalgic barbies, there really is something for just about anyone. I like how you can come here to be reminded that everyone once was a kid and that toys tell a unique story about humanity in their own way. If you haven't been this is a great thing to do on a rainy day in KC. I would recommend it for older kids - maybe 10+ and for anyone who enjoys history or museums.

How lucky KC is to have such a treasure and amazing museum that is phenomenal. History is hard and…read morewar is even harder to convey the breadth but still message it is a deliverable way for all ages. Our last visit was years ago and the changes & additions are just impressive! Blessed to also see the Freedom Plane exhibit that is only going to 8 cities! Well done !

Three of us decided this would be our destination on the first day of our KC trip. We read online…read morereviews and all of us like history, so we thought this would be a neat place for a "quick" visit. Well it turned into more than just a quick visit. The reviews don't give this place enough justice. It was AWESOME! We spent over four hours here and we could have spent more if we didn't have to leave for lunch and a ballgame. The tower and "original" memorial halls were very neat, but the newly built museum is the main attraction. Three levels of outstanding visuals, interactive displays, multiple movies, and of course tons of WWI artifacts. I am a former U.S. History teacher and I learned a lot of new information!This is a MUST visit if in the area. It ranks as one of the best museums I've ever visited.

Took grand niece there were kids from Leawood Ks bussed in 2 years older…read moreThan my niece they instruct adults to let the kids decide what to make and what to do the helicopter parents couldn't abide by that and made the stuff for the kids our grand niece did it all her self and she was 2'years younger Not enough time to complete everything Hours are really screwy one place says one Thing another place says different

This is a super fun activity center for kids. It is free to enter. They have a session every 45…read moreminutes which allows smaller group of kids to enjoy the activities. The area is full of different types of hands on activities like glueing shapes, painting, coloring, solving puzzles, arts and crafts. Each table had its own accessories like stickers, papers, accessories for kids to use their imagination to create different things. The passageway goes to a separate room where kids can act out puppet shows and interact with movie making process. Lots of associates constantly walk around the floor refilling the tables and making sure kids are enjoying their time. When the session is about to end, they notify all the parents to head toward the exit.