*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 the best in the neighborhood…read more What can I day meals on wheels!! Working out ! The pool !! Free movie's on Wed afternoon Do not tell me you have nothing to do and the library is next doors!!! Great for young and old and between!!!

Talk about a fabulous way to repurpose an iconic building in JoCo! The site of the old King Louie…read morebowling alley has given way to the Arts & Heritage Center containing an exhibit better known as the Johnson County Museum. Instead of erecting another concrete monstrosity, JoCo took a piece of its expansion and history to house that very same dynamic. The Arts & Heritage Center itself is a wonderful facility, blending local & regional art, classes, and community space. It also doubles as an election polling location particularly focused on early voting opportunities (exercise your right!). Taking that classic 1960s suburban architecture, complete with stone walls & beams in a pseudo-flying buttress, and turning it into a new piece of the community is a *chef's kiss* of civic planning. Where you once may have tried to pick up a 7-10 split, you now can tour decades of people & progress. The museum itself costs $6 for adults with discounted admission for seniors, veterans, & children. It doesn't take long to get immersed in the interactivity and to get mesmerized by JoCo's storied past. Take in the public art displays or stop into the gift shop for keepsakes of the visit. Virtually every event has been well-documented, notable people are memorialized, and the chronology only keeps moving forward. Northeast Kansas continues to grow and find new ways to reinvent progress, so be sure to grasp the spirit of expansion that has occurred in this beautiful metro area.

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!

If you are looking for an underrated gem, this unassuming museum is an absolute must-visit. Our…read moregroup spent about 1.5 hours exploring, and it was worth every minute. Tip: Start on the 2nd floor as the museum is split across two floors. The 2nd floor is Toys and a complete walk down memory lane. It's packed with nostalgia, featuring games and classic items from the last century--everything from vintage Mouse Trap to Chinese Checkers. The 1st floor is Fine Miniatures. Do yourself a favor and save this for last. The first floor houses fine scale miniatures that are plain mind-blowing. The level of craftsmanship and architectural detail in these tiny masterpieces is unbelievable. Before you leave, make sure to pop into the nifty little gift shop. They have some super fun items, including mini tabletop versions of games like Mini Monopoly. Highly recommended!

A group of us spent part of our weekend exploring this incredible museum in the heart of Kansas…read moreCity, and it was pure magic from start to finish. ​The fine-scale miniatures are an absolute marvel of patience, precision, and artistry. Having recently visited the Truman Library, seeing a miniature replica of Truman's Oval Office shrunk down with microscopic accuracy--right down to the tiniest nitty-gritty details on the desk--was amazing to see up close. There are far too many highlights to squeeze into one miniature review, but the massive 1,000-pound dollhouse from the late 1800s completely stopped us in our tracks. ​On the toy side of the aisle, wandering through generations of playthings was a blast--even if realizing I'm officially old enough to be part of vintage museum nostalgia was a funny, slightly bittersweet pill to swallow. They also have three hypnotic rolling-ball kinetic sculptures where you just zone out watching the spheres navigate intricate winding tracks. It's oddly calming, very zen, and almost impossible to pull your eyes away from. ​To top off the visit, I nearly committed accidental petty crime on the way out. I picked up an adorable tiny Monopoly game in the gift shop, got distracted, and walked right out the front door before realizing I hadn't paid. When I hurried back inside to confess, the cashier laughed and pointed out the irony of accidentally playing a real-life Get Out of Jail Free card with Monopoly. ​Definitely check this place out, whether you appreciate mind-boggling micro-craftsmanship or just want to let your inner kid run loose for an afternoon.

We attended an event on the first floor of this striking, elegant white stone mansion in St…read more Joseph. The mansion was built in the late 1800's. The downstairs is apparently used these days for special events. There is a gorgeous painted ceiling on the first floor; most or all of the woodwork appears to be original. The upstairs includes a Victorian bedroom, and also showcases a few pieces of fine clothing and a delicate pair of women's shoes that are over 100 years old, I think. There were also some other assorted items on display. Some, but not all, of the items upstairs relate to outlaw Jesse James, who lived elsewhere in St. Joseph. Note: You may wish to bring a jacket or sweater if visiting in the winter.

Great place to visit I was surprised they didn't have the Indians they use to have Car show was…read moregreat

Everywhere I visit, I love checking out the local museum of history to learn the regional past…read more Watkins did not disappoint, and highlighted well what a visitor with limited time ought to know about the city's history really well. Perhaps a minor suggestion is the addition of signage that indicates where to start if one wants to explore and learn in chronological order, but I did figure it out and had a really nice time.

We spent at least an hour and a half here and I easily could have stayed longer but we had to move…read moreon. The Watkins Museum is housed in the beautifully restored Watkins bank and mortgage building, itself an important part of Lawrence history. They have some wonderful exhibits about the history of the city and I found the one about Quantrill's raid to be particularly interesting. Lots of fun artifacts and some interactive displays to entice children to take an interest in history too. The price is right--it's free but I would encourage visitors to leave a nice donation.

Beautiful building. The main hall is free and open to anyone. Lots of cool info on dinosaurs,…read morespace, and an interactive section where you take a quiz, make a dinosaur and see it on a big screen next to you. Upstairs is a discovery room that I want to like so much but it's just so poorly run. It seems to me that there's not enough staff or funding maybe to keep everything organized and neat so a lot of it is disheveled or there's stuff missing. Worth a visit on a free day or with a pogo pass but I wouldn't pay for it.

Positives: Beautiful building, nice staff, not too busy, generally clean, affordable, some fun…read morethings in the Discovery Area for kids. Negative: I would say that the main floor really needs to add some more displays or exhibition pieces. I feel like there's a lot of space that could be better utilized. My grandkids weren't that excited about the main floor. The discovery room area primarily for children has some neat displays, but could have a little bit more interactive play areas instead of just viewing displays.

I'm at work and I casually reference Jesse James to a co-worker and he asks - "Who is Jesse…read moreJames?". I couldn't believe that anyone didn't know about JJ, but growing up in Samoa without a TV left my friend out of the loop. I immediately told him - "Saturday we are educating you on a local legend that became internationally renown". My friend, his wife and I arrived at noon on a Saturday and paid $6 each for the bank museum tour. The guide was very friendly and laid a deep explanation of what Clay County and the James family were experiencing during and right after the Civil War. The weather the day of the robbery, the layout of the Liberty square, the medical and mental state of Jesse, who the bankers were and their reactions and actions all told while you see the clock set to the exact time and date of the event, hear the old wooden floor creak beneath you and are surrounded by artifacts or replica's of the items originally inside the bank; the description makes you feel that you are a witness to America's 1st daylight bank robbery. My friend and his wife are now sold on the legend of The James Family and want to see the house museums in Kearney and St. Joe now. A great inexpensive way to spend an hour or so and relive some of the areas infamous past. They also have a backroom with family and area artifacts. The gift shop is free to enter and shouldn't be missed by anyone traveling thru even if you don't have time for the tour.

The Jesse James Bank Museum is pretty darn cool. It was the site of the first daytime bank…read morerobbery, which was executed by members of the James gang. I had read about this robbery in a book, I believe, and now I was able to stand in the old bank building itself, which was really cool. They have restored it to the way it would have looked back in those days, and it's a great little stop to soak in some history of the area in and around Liberty. The woman who gave the tour was extremely friendly and enthusiastic about answering questions and talking about the history of the place. It made us want to further explore the James sites in the area, in Kearney and around Clay County. Having read about Jesse James and his terrorist gangs and how he came of age participating in the hatred, violence and strife during the Civil War and the period following, it's really interesting to physically be in the area and see some of these landmarks with your own eyes. Jesse James was not a hero, even though he's now somewhat romanticized as such. There is a lot of information in the back room of the museum, which displays some really great photos, documents and trinkets from the era. Up front is a gift shop and then there is the main bank room, with its vault open. You can really get a sense of place when you're here, and it's easy to imagine two bushwackers coming in and threatening the lives of the unarmed bankers. Bank robberies are a dime a dozen in movies, but when you see something like this in person it's very arresting. It's a cool experience. I would recommend the Jesse James Bank Museum to anyone with an interest in Missouri or American history. It's very affordable ($6 for adults, $3.50 for kids) and a pleasant and informative way to spend an hour or two. This location is a nationally registered historic place, so pitch in and help keep it going.

If you're passing through Kansas City, you *must* make a commitment to visit the World War 1…read moreMuseum. We always felt the Abraham Lincoln Museum in Springfield IL was one of the best museums, however, the WW1 Museum is so good, we're challenged in deciding which one is the best. At a leisurely pace it will take you about 3 hours to view the museum with standard admission. Artifact displays and visual representations are extremely well done. Must be seen to appreciate. It's the #1 rated attraction in Kansas City. Very highly recommended!

The National WWI Museum and Memorial was an impressive stop, with so much history, artifacts, and…read morepersonal stories from the Great War. It was fascinating, but honestly, a little overwhelming (for me). There was so much to take in and so much to think about. The poppies throughout the exhibits were a beautiful reminder of the lives lost and the sacrifices made.

This was really fun! More than I was expecting. Check in was easy, they are doing contact tracing…read morewe had to fill out info. we ordered tickets from Groupon. We avoided touching much, so there were some illusions we didn't do, but were able to do most of them. There are tips and explanations with each illusion. It doesn't take real long to go through maybe 30 minutes or so, but it was fun and enjoyable. Highly recommend for adults or kids!

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