I learned more from him, than I did in school. We rode through Independence and we stopped to talk…read moreabout each building/location. It was a wondrous experience and helped connect some dots. We homeschool and for history lessons, I find it more beneficial to utilize museums and more interactive resources for learning and retaining information. "There is nothing new in the world except the history you do not know."

The whole experience was amazing! The history lesson of the civil war, Missouri and trail riding…read more Ralph was spectacular. His merch: I bought his book expecting more history lessons found myself advancing in my spiritual journey... thank you for the guidance and wisdom. I am being pulled away from Luke warm water and learning to navigate.

We attended the one day a year Strawberry Festival this year and really enjoyed it. There were many…read morelocal vendors and delicious strawberry treats to be had, and house tours for $10. The house tour was nice. The house doesn't have much original furniture, but it is period appropriate and the guides are very knowledgeable about the furniture and the house as a whole. I'm sure the normal tours are better than the festival ones, as there were so many people and not much time. It is definitely worth the time and small admission fee to tour this house and property.

What a perfect, first visit to the Vaile mansion. The champagne and chandelier, holiday event…read moreshowed the mansion in its most festive light. Each room was decked in its Holiday finery. The home was originally built by Colonel and Mrs. Harvey Vail in 1881. The 31 room mansion includes nine marble fireplaces and hand-painted ceilings along with flushing toilets and a built-in, 6000 gallon water tank along with a 48,000 gallon wine cellar. Christmas is the perfect time to visit Vail mansion.

Wow, such a fun experience. These 2 "characters", Benny "The Bull" and I never caught the main…read moreguide's name were just dialed in! They had that presentation memorized down to the second. Even with unknowns like getting stuck in traffic and stop lights they managed to keep everything flowing. If any family members or friends come into town, I'll gladly recommend this tour over and over again

A really good time. Got to see lots of the city and our tour guides were fantastic! So many cool…read morestories. 10/10

The last review was 11 years ago! it's time for an update:)…read more I signed up for the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise (LRBC), because my aunt loves it, the thought being it's an awesome experience, sharing something a love one is passionate about together. Let me tell you, I fell in love myself, and was totally hooked on The LRBC, within a few hours of stepping on the ship. The accommodations, food, staff are all wonderful. The cruise is always on Holland America's new ships. My cabin was fairly spacious with a lovely veranda. However, what really made the cruise were the people and the music! Music was going 24/7, and the talent was hot! I was able to dance my heart away day and night. Some nights I never went to bed. It was such an incredible experience, all that was needed was a few hours sleep here, a couple hours of sleep there. I made so many connections and friendships with fellow cruisers. There's quite a few cruisers and artists I've kept in close touch with, since coming off the ship in January. The vibe on the ship is warm, welcoming, and full of heart. I've already booked for January, 2026! One thing to note about booking is: it's almost impossible to get on the boat as a newcomer. The cabins are mostly booked out for the following year cruise, by the time you get off the boat. There are a few cabins that are left, after prior cruisers are done booking. If you want to get on the boat, make sure to sign up for email notifications on the LRCB web page. There will be an email sometime in late March/early April announcing cabins and waitlists to the public. If you get on your computer and refresh the bookings page right as it opens, or call right when the list opens, you may have a chance of getting a cabin, but if not, at least you'll be fairly high on the waitlist. 2025, #17

This Cruise is NOT for you ! You will absolutely HATE being in the Caribbean in January, exploring…read moretropical Islands and basking in the warm sunshine. Also, you will utterly detest the almost 24-hour a day live Blues music that is on this ship - it is just too noisy with the likes of Johnny Winter, Taj Mahal, Dion DiMucci, Keb Mo, Magic Slim, Tommy Castro, etc., etc. And, you will definitely despise hanging out and parting for a week with these same performers into the wee small hours of the night. So for the love of Zeus, please please stay away from this Cruise - I'm begging you !

Kansas City Fun Tours was great and very informative. Our tour guide, Brandon did a fantastic job!…read more He was friendly and very knowledgeable about the area. We had no idea there was so much significant history in Kansas City. The tour was approximately 90 min and covered so much in a short period. In addition, it was reasonable in price for a family of five. If you're looking for a fun and inexpensive way to explore the city in a comfortable, air-conditioned trolley, give them a try.

Carla did a fantastic job. What a wealth of information. She provided a wonderful view of KC, past…read moreand present. She pointed out key landmarks, provided lots of detail about the various areas we toured. Thanks to her, we had a terrific visit to The Arabia Museum. We found the bullet holes and read the history at Union Station. What a great way to see Kansas City. Thank you Carla!

This was the first year for the KC Whiskey Tour and I hope they do it again next year. We drove…read moredown from Omaha to attend and we had a great time. The venue was ideal and even when the rain came in everything stayed dry and the party kept going. The band had to stop for a moment but they got right back at it when the heavy stuff stopped. There were about 20 vendors there from whiskey companies to cigar stores. You were given a glass and 12 tokens when you arrived (and a really nice VIP bag if you bought tickets early). The only complaint I have is that the whiskey companies didn't seem to view this as a opportunity to win new customers. The tastings were one to four tokens depending on overall quality of the whiskey. I can understand one token for "regular" and two tokens for top shelf but four tokens for any of them was unnecessary. I will say that the vendors had great attitudes and were very friendly (the Jim Beam girl and a few others were especially nice). I think next year this event will be even bigger and better. Hopefully they will reduce the per drink token "cost" next year and add more vendors such as more varied food and other cigar stores.

Arlene is the BEST tour guide I have ever had! Her enthusiasm and love for the local business we…read morevisited was beyond passionate and caring! We visited three wineries in KC and had the best time! Fountain City, Weston Wine Company, and Redwood Winery were amazing! Each winery had their own amazing and specific vibe - but moreover, Arlene made the total experience over the moon enjoyable! We will be back and we will experience all the tours Barley Bus has to offer (if Arlene is our guide!).

John was amazing! So much fun touring KC and stopping by the wine, distillery , and beer tour.read more

On 6-14-16 I was heading home to Colorado from a 5400 mile driving/biking adventure. Since I own a…read more2015 Chevy Malibu LTZ Turbo, I thought how cool would it be to take a few pics of my car in front of the plant where he was assembled. I got there took a couple pics and was happy. Then I remembered the door jamb decal that shows that the car was proudly assembled there was falling off, so I took a chance to see if I could get one. I walked into the guest lobby and I was greeted by a security person named Ro Shawn she was very nice in trying to help, so she took my info and said that she would call me once she found out if it was possible to get the decal. About 15 minutes later she called saying that she had gotten a decal for me, I went right back. At this point I met Dan, he's the person that got the decal. As we talked I asked if they give tours he said yes, and in fact a group he was supposed to give a tour to canceled so he asked if I had time, and that he would give me a tour, I said YES!!! He gave me a guided tour from beginning to end of how the cars are built. Impressive doesn't even come close to describe it. Dan would introduce me to workers here and there and tell them about my 5400 mile adventure and my car. They all were so nice and they all would say, "thank you for buying our car". You can just see that all the workers take a lot of pride in their work. I got lucky getting the tour because the tours must be setup before hand. But if you ever wanted to see how cars are built this for you. THANKS!! Ro Shawn and Dan

We had a fantastic walking food tour. A great mix of food and Kansas City history. We are not from…read morethe area and came for a long weekend and this was a fabulous way to learn about the city and enjoy the food!

Being an Independence resident, but knowing somewhat about the history of Kansas City (my dad…read moreworked for KCPL for 35 years, and used to take me up and down those streets), I was vaguely familiar with some of the history. It's quite fascinating. But the little bits and pieces I didn't realize were so deeply important. I'd only been to 2 of the locations on the food tour, Grinders, and Grunaer's. That is funny cause I thought I'd been to more places around the area. The American Royal Parade was going on, and parking was an issue, if I'd not found a spot in Grinder's across the street parking lot, I don't know what I'd have done. I never intend to learn to parallel park. It scares me to death. We met Rebekkah at Grinders, and she presented us with maps of where we were going, with facts on the pages. Frankly, it'd be easier to park kind of in the middle of the tour. That maybe something worth mentioning. I don't know the significance of the Crossroads itself, other than I am drawn to that area, as opposed to the Power and Light District which I try to avoid. There is alot of history in the Crossroads that is important, and it was touched upon in this tour. It also gave me an idea to keep an eye out for other city's walking food tours, as I travel sometimes for a month. I felt like I wanted to know more history. I wanted to dig deeper. I don't know why I feel this way. Maybe I want to know the very importance of the area, besides Tom Pendegrast, which is extremely interesting. The tour touched on a few restaurants along the way. There were a couple I wondered why they weren't mentioned, and I'd love to know the history of the Manny's Building, though Manny's isn't a favorite of mine, the building is interesting. And why is Town Topics just in this area? And Lulu's? Hammer Press as well, even though it's not a place to eat...oh well, can't cover everything...I thought there was something missed, but also alot of interesting history gained. As far as food, each place provided a very small amount. A variety was present and they were able to accomodate both vegetarians and meat eaters. There isn't that much food. I would tell someone that, as well. The places that stood out in my mind were Snow and Company, Grinders, Elbow's and Cafe Gratitude. Tons of walking to get back to our cars. We stopped back at Christoper Elbow Chocolate. Rebekkah created a customer out of me, and I will be eating at Cafe Gratitude and going to Snow and Company. With these thoughts in mind, I would recommend this to an out of towner if you were in the city for a while. But be prepared to eat afterwards. it's a great way to find out about Kansas city and what it has to offer. Knowing the history of Kansas City makes me appreciate it a bit more.

This is a great activity for young children. My wife came here as a kid and we've enjoyed taking…read moreour son here. It's priced well at $1 per ride per person. I can't wait until the additions are finished.

My kids are hooked! This volunteer-run miniature train station has the sweetest volunteers and…read moreeveryone is happy to be there. If you sit on the back, they might ask the kids to be the ones to yell "all aboard." The train is clean and very well kept. It can seat me and my toddler side by side but it's a little tighter for my husband. A single dollar will give you two loops around. If you are lucky, you might see a deer hanging around. My kids love entering the tunnel and searching for Train Buddy, a dog toy that moves around every time we visit. There is a small climbing train for the kids to play on between rides and a picnic table for snacks. One suggestion is to use the bathroom before you visit unless you want to use the porta potty. Oh, lastly...The main street to access the location is currently closed on the north end so make sure to check your map before you visit.