Sauer Castle has been a part of my life since I was a kid…read more My dad used to take me and my siblings up to the castle at night on family drives and tell us great ghostly stories. Once me and my school buddies could drive, we would make many journeys up to this area, drink and freak ourselves out. I've taken many friends on the drive through Argentine in KCK up the steep incline of a road to the castle to gaze. There are many stories about this place, so many that I have no idea which are true and which are not. I should do the research to find out, but there is something inside of me that wishes to keep *all* the stories I have heard alive and well. But the few that I can think of at this time include: There was an underground railroad tunnel to the Kaw River from this residence. The wife hanged herself on the second story balcony from the bell tower rope.....her ghost could be seen on the balcony in a flowing white gown. There is an outline of an old pond (fountain) on the grounds that two children had drown in. The stories talk about the husband's ghost walking the house and grounds protecting his property. I've been told that the stones and woodwork in the house was imported from Germany. He chose this site because it sat on top of bluff of the Kaw River and he could see the entire city. That's what I've been told through the years, again, I don't know what is and isn't true. When I was a teenager there was a caretaker that lived in the house. He supposedly had guns and dogs to help him take care of all of the curious people making the pilgrimage up to look at the castle from afar or up on the *private property* itself. Since then, the caretake has passed, the house had a huge auction and the house in now surrounded by a chain link fence. I don't know who owns it, but I hope something great happens with this legend of a castle. I'm sure I gave myself crows feet from all of the squinting I've done at this location hoping to see a ghostly figure. (and at times sure that I did see things) I'm sure I've given myself some anxiety disorder from the tricks my imagination has played on me because of this place. I wouldn't change a thing because I love every memory I have of this place. Not only Sauer Castle, but much of the neighborhood itself, stories run rampant in this *interesting* part of town. Now.....go! Go check it out for yourself and I hope you don't get lost in trying to find this mysterious, fantastic piece of local flavor!

Okay so it kind of cracks me up that Sauer Castle is on Yelp. It is on the National Register, and…read morehas a sort of local legend charm to it here in the metro area. I found out about Sauer Castle back when I was dating my now husband. We went on a ghost tour around the city and this was one of the stops. I won't bore everyone here with Sauer Castle lore but it's well worth the wikipedia read. Every once in a while if I'm in the area I'll drive by and see how the renovations are going on this place. It's kind of remarkable to see and take in, even just from the road, as it's in a very modest neighborhood and all of a sudden there is this massive victorian mansion. The ghost stories only make the place all the more interesting. I believe it's currently been purchased and is being restored so who knows, maybe one day this will be a landmark folks can explore - I'd love to go inside. Until then it will just be one of my favorite little off the beaten path KC landmarks.

Really neat place to wander around BUT there are a lot of dangers here and you shouldn't bring your…read morekids. You need to wear closed, thick shoes, too. There's a lot of needles and broken bottles, etc. because the property is actively used. Graffiti is outstanding.

Giving a five star review for an abandoned building seems out of place, but my visit today has been…read moredecades in the making and is an afternoon that i can't wait to tell friends about and share photos. Built in 1897 as Kansas City's workhouse jail and later served as a storage facility, marine training center and an animal euthanasia center until being abandoned in 1972. With it's dark history, graffiti, collapsed roofs, dark stairwells, debris, and remnants of homelessness everywhere, my solo visit was slightly macabre and a bit scary not knowing if I was alone when turning each corner. I did run into two other explorers and one homeless person in my self guided tour of the darkside. There was talk about a decade ago of renovating the property into a venue for weddings and concerts but that failed to materialize. My advise to you is put on your big-boy pants (or girl) grab a friend and go explore an iconic architectural piece of history before it's too late.

It is my mission to visit all twelve of these MOTT statues across the United States. I always find…read morethe history of these very fascinating, especially with August Leimbach, the sculptor of all of them, being from my home city of St. Louis. This is the one that represents the Show-Me State. The statue is located in a small park on MO highway 224, and the intersection of Commerce and Highland. There are some historical markers on the site, including one about the Potawatomi Trail of Death. It is not widely known that Harry S Truman (who would become POTUS) helped dedicate the statue, even though the statue had moved from its original location elsewhere in the town. Some have questioned why it is in Lexington, but it is possibly because of its related history with the Santa Fe Trail. For parking, park on one of the side streets.

*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.

The jail cell where Mormon, Joseph Smith, was held for 4 months. Learn the story of why from the…read morehosts of the museum! It had to be mighty cold in there during the winter. And dark with only a few tiny windows.

A must stop when going to Liberty. Free admission and guided tours that start about every 15…read moreminutes. I am not a member of the LDS church but I found the history of Joseph Smith and the other Mormons of the early church in Missouri interesting. This building and museum is really well done and maintained. I would argue that it would rival any Smithsonian exhibit.

Fort Osage is a true hidden gem just outside of Kansas City! Admission is only $8 (and they do…read moreaccept credit cards), which includes access to a cute gift shop area stocked with a great selection of books. The fort itself is a remarkably well-done reconstruction built directly on the original archaeological footprint. You can explore exactly what the fort would have looked like back in its day, including the barracks, officers' quarters, and trading station. A highlights of the visit was the costumed reenactor, who gave a remarkably thorough and impressive explanation of the era's history, weapons, trading practices, and general fort life, complete with a live musket shooting demonstration. On the walk back to the main museum building, you'll find plenty of informational panels and historical timelines detailing the local culture, history, and geography of the surrounding area. For a smaller historical site, it packs in a lot of value and is a fantastic way to spend 60 to 90 minutes. Highly recommended!

A hidden gem that incorporates the Lewis and Clark and Santa Fe Trail, all wrapped up into one site…read moreas well as the factory Ford system that George Washington established. Staff and volunteers are always helpful and kind. I frequent this place because it is just a lovely place to go visit.

Nothing fancy about it. It's literally just a house. I can literally walk up to it in 5 minutes.read more

The Truman House is a great demonstration of how a T33 lived his life during and after his…read morepresidency. Short and sweet. You'll want to go to Independence Square's Main Street to get tickets to visit the house first. There you'll watch a video about President Truman and his family. You'll find out about how he was a family man, humble with a sense of humor. Tours are available every 15min until 4pm, Wednesdays thru Sundays. You can park across the street from the Truman house, in front of the Noland house... but there is also parking on the off streets. The tour size per group is limited to eight (8) folks per group, first come first serve... so, planning ahead is best, but if you're a small group, you can drop in - like I did. No pictures of the inside. The tour is limited to the porch, where the former President and his family hung out most; the kitchen, the dining room, and the first floor living areas. Considering the amount of wealth presidents have access to, the home is a great demonstration of a long lost value - dedication and service. Truman believed he could go back to a simple life in his own hometown... and he did his very best to keep it so. The tour also gives a time warp feel as the home is shown as it was back in 1982, when Bess Truman passed away. Ranger Jeff was friendly and super knowledgeable, he posited all kinds of questions to us. We were in an out within 30min. Afterwards, I was able to look at the Noland House across the street. It had additional artifacts from the Truman family. It's small, and is paired well with the Truman Library and Museum to get the totality of Truman and his life.

Great guides and info the place looks over the river glad we stopped in.................read more

A state park historic site that is a few blocks from downtown Lexington and situated near the…read moreMissouri River. The Battle of Lexington was a major morale boosting victory for the slave owning confederate supporters that lived in the area; 47% of the counties residents were "owned",and the land upon where the battle was its on Oliver Andersons hemp farm. Not only a slave owner, but a vocal critic of the abolitionists, declaring that owning slaves was correct and biblically driven. His beautiful slave built house is open for tours at $6, but I did not participate. The museum tries to give equal perspective to both sides with some great artifacts, photos, displays, maps... but still feels like a small shrine to the evil Anderson family and and merchants of human trafficking. Go support the Missouri State Park system and educate yourself before, during and after your visit.

The play kitchen got set on fire (according to a young child), the manager of the kitchen is a 4…read moreyear old, I was handed a whole fake loaf a bread and a whole fake eggplant, I got stuck in the slide, the castle was closed and the AI robot guy doesn't have any jax lines. Horrible experience. (No but all jokes aside, this place is awesome, great place to bring your kids for a fun adventure, awesome experience)

This is a HORRIBLE place i kicked my friends neck on the slide. The ai robot guy is off brand chat…read moregpt. The play kitchen got set on fire according to a little kid. The manager of the play kitchen was a four year old and that four year old handed my friend a whole loaf of bread and a whole eggplant My friend also somehow managed to pull up the rope swing chair that was broken anyways i will come back!