Highly recommend. There's something for everyone - beautiful Victorian architecture, civil war…read morehistory, flour milling, history of westward expansion and travel by carriage, European art, vintage instruments, and more! My husband and I absolutely loved our tour by Mark. He and Steve are clearly dedicated to historic preservation and gifted teachers. 90% of the furniture in the house is original! A must see!

What a hidden gem!!! My friend and I had the place all to ourselves with Steve, from the…read moreHistorical Society. Steve was very informative and went out of his way to share the estate with us. Each room so nicely preserved. The chandeliers with gas and electric options were so cool. 90% of the furniture and items in the house are original to the house. A must see when visiting Independence!!

The Delaware is such an awesome event space and even more so, an amazing team! Courtney and the…read morecrew made our wedding party run seamlessly. From coordination of the event, communication with the vendors, the coffee/bar service and everything in between, there was no detail left behind. The space itself is beautiful. My husband and his guys enjoyed playing games upstairs and my gals love the private suite to get ready in. Would recommend for any event !

I wish this place luck. It just seems that it hangs by threads. Word now is that it is between…read moreownership and hopefully things improve. The coffee is still great, but there isn't enough food apparently by 9 a.m. to go around. I had arrived and ordered their spinach and bacon quiche, which I've known as the "Keto" quiche but the barista has informed me that it's no longer called that. He claimed something about fad diets, and rather sounded snooty about it. Whatever. I asked about the bakery items available, since there were only three, and asked him whether there were any more available and he sarcastically said that he wasn't hiding any baked items. Excuse me, but sometimes coffee shops will have baked items that they haven't come around to displaying yet. I decided to order the scone, which he told me was a lemon scone, even though I told him that the white icing had speckles on it, similar to vanilla bean. He affirmed in a snotty way, "It's lemon." After I received the scone and took a bite, I knew that I was right. I asked for a refund in which he insisted that what I had was a lemon. I told him how it didn't taste like lemon but vanilla bean. He insisted again. Yes, we were doing this. He lamented that his bakery person told him that it was lemon. Hey, if your bakery person tells you lemon, it's not on me. He gave me the refund. The latte I received was supposed to be a pistachio latte, not a pistachio latte taste at all. I wasn't sure what it was.

For curious minds eager to explore history visit the Mallinson Vineyard and Hall, more than a…read morevineyard in Sugar Creek, Missouri. It wad first know as Gilpin the original home of the trailhead to the Santa Fe, Oregon and California National Historic Trails. Mallinson Vineyard and Hall is managed by Spencer Jasper who is a living historian painting the picture of what it took to prepare for that journey while sharing wine with you. Mallison Vineyard offerings are red, white and dessert wines worthy of attention The smoking red is my favorite, subtle leaning towards a Cabernet, and the infamous Norton grape. The vineyard also hosts weddings offering an intimate location in an outdoor setting with a very large welcoming tree and a larger open air location with bench seats and the vineyards close by. A bit more history, did you know that Missouri in 1840 was the Mule capital as the industry flourished and became the gateway to the west!

My bf's family and I went here during a family vacation, and overall the experience was…read moreuncomfortable. Me and my bf's sister just turned 21 and have not been wine tasting before, neither have his parents, and right off the bat when we were ordering they were rude, when we first tasted the wine we ordered the staff made a sarcastic remark saying "ugh look they didn't even do the thing." Again it was are first time wine tasting. And so we asked and they explained. Overall the whole time the staff was rude and acted higher than us and we would not recommend coming here. Also an important note, my bf's family are not white and there were a few racist remarks made from them.

Went by myself to the Kansas City area to take in two Royals games an sample some KB BBQ. Wanted a…read morereasonably priced room not too long a drive from the ballpark, and found this very clean and comfortable hotel in Independence MO. Private parking lot and coded entryways, quiet shaded patio. Moderately priced rooms. Just a swimming pool short of nirvana! My stay was during was the hottest week of the year, of course, but the air conditioning worked just fine, the bed was nice and soft, the shower pressure perfect. Books, sitting areas, quiet. Not modern, but tastefully furnished. All in all, a great find! And it was like staying with friends ... the front desk manager shared a backstreets route to the stadium with me, the trek under 15 minutes door to door! He also personally cooked breakfast in the morning! Can't wait to return when the Truman library re-opens!

The reviews on the various websites were positive and it was $75 a night, so I figured why not. If…read morepossible, I do enjoy trying out unique hotels, as opposed to the typical chains. It didn't click with me, though, until I stood at the front door (locked at 7:00pm) waiting (for a staffer to come open the door and let me in) what this hotel was all about... After seeing the halo in place of the dot above the "i" in their logo, things started to click. Do not let the religious aspect prevent you from staying here, though. Aside from a non-denominational prayer on the pillow, there was really nothing else religious about this place. In fact, what this place most resembles is a re-vamped college dorm. The layout is almost exactly like one of the dorms I lived in years and years ago. From the room itself to the hallways to the common areas - it's a dorm that wants to be a bed & breakfast. The entire hotel was welcoming and pristine. Bonus points for satellite TV. Decent bathroom. Very nice yard area (though, while I was here it was covered in snow). The best part, though - and, let's face it, when it comes down to it, this is the part that counts the most - was the bed. It was a fabulously comfy and warm bed. Soft, yet firm. Big, fluffy down comforter. Four extra-large pillows. It was one of my best hotel bed experiences.

Excellent experience. We'll definitely be back! We stayed in the legend of Asia room, which is…read moreabsolutely beautiful with the four poster canopy bed and fireplace. It was very cozy and romantic. The breakfast was delicious. We especially enjoyed the hot tub which is a nice touch to have on site. Charles is an excellent host and very friendly. We had such a great time. This is a place we will definitely come back to!

Beautiful home built in 1856. We stayed in the Legend of Asia room which was beautifully decorated,…read morevery clean, & had a comfortable bed. The breakfast each morning was delicious & the hospitality was superb. Charles is super friendly & accommodating and Cat is very sweet. We highly recommend!

Englewood Arts Center is a bright spot in Independence nestled in the neighborhood of Englewood…read morelined with majestic homes and boosts local shops such as Four Corners Framed Art, Englewood Cafe for breakfast n lunch and Vivilore restaurant. The art center sits in a remodeled medical building and founded by a grassroots community initiative that has transformed a vacant building into something very special. The Third Friday Art Walks, a monthly event throughout the Englewood Arts District is a lot of fun as one Friday they were having glassblowing demos. They even offer an entry level 101 class for get started burning glass. How cool! A new addition to the outside are these very tall flowers which was a public community art project where the petals, painted by the community, were welded on and made out of fan blades bought from the restore in Independence plus chandler parts and house items adding to parts of the flower. The arts center is managed by Amie Jacobsen, an artist herself and Ty Peyton Follis Admin coordinator Another gem in one of our Kansas City neighborhoods. Englewoodarts.com

A large multi floor building with public sculpture and murals outside and an interior with spaces…read morefor gallery exhibits, artist studio rental, events space, classes, glass blowing, and a cool little gift shop. I was completely amazed by the selection of artists on display and the scope of the art. On my Saturday afternoon visit, I was able to see two exhibits. The first was "Confluence'; a collaboration of their 8 resident artist using mixed media - a beautiful and varied media exhibit. Upstairs I witnessed "Faces After Suicide" a very powerful exhibit from Lindsey Doolittle featuring drawings from her suicide survivors support group. I was able to chat with her and gain a deeper understanding of all the emotions that a suicide survivor must endure. A conversation that I'll always remember. Thank you Lindsey and Englewood Arts for this exhibit. And of course the gift shop is right on the way out the door and has a great selection with very reasonable prices. I secured a glass heart for my wife's upcoming birthday. I will return for all future exhibits and it will definitely be a place to pick up some local art for Christmas gifts this year.

So - my story as a father is as follows... I went with my son to help him with his wedding…read morereception on Nov 2, 2013. Little did I known that later that day I would be a victim in an armed robbery when I took my 71 year old father-in-law to get a carton of cigarettes at the Stop N Shop off 291 & 24 highways. We walked out of the store and out of the corner of my eye, I saw that my father-in-law had been grabbed and was being held at gunpoint, being accosted and robbed... I turned to help, but was shot. Life changes. I paid in full that day to reserve the Cotillion Hall for Dec 14, 2013. Due to the extenuating circumstances, I contacted the Cotillion owners on November 18 to notify them of our desire to cancel the venue as my son and his fiancé had decided to wait regarding definite plans until we have recovered. The owner responded that she was 'sorry about my luck but we won't refund your money because we don't have it - because we had bills to pay.' What's this world coming to? A young couple wants to celebrate their marriage with their family present for the event. If this business - a business set up to provide a venue for life events - is so hard up that they cannot even afford to show compassion, they should get out - and certainly not burden families/clients with stories of their financial problems. It looks as though I'm not the only one that feels this way.

They are not very professional during the process of scheduling an event. Over & over the whole…read morestaff would tell me "this is their busiest time" like I can change a birthday!! I could over look that except they do not keep the date you have decided upon. They do not take credit card which I was prepared to use, so being from out of town (1.5hr away 1way), I put the check in the mailbox within 3hours of making the reservation. Then I get a call 3 days later stating they had given my reservation to someone else who was there in person earlier than my check arrived (my check arrived the same day they scheduled someone else but the mail had not come yet). I will NEVER call this place again as it was very stressful since I had notified other out of town family of the date & time. Most of my family lives near this place that's why I chose to utilize it but I will never again waste my time on them.

Legion kitchen is reopened with curbside service and it's GREAT...! Family friends visiting and we…read moreneeded dinner idea, I remembered that local Legion kitchen was offering fried chicken dinners on Saturdays for curbside pick up. Call in, make order, pay on line arrange for curbside pick up time--easy process. Variety of 3 piece dinners (breast-wing, thigh-wing, leg-thigh combo) with potatoes and gravy and green beans for reasonable price. Chicken was crispy coating with moist meaty inside. Food was tasty and portions make for a great value. Again, food was excellent and supports the local American Legion Post 21. Wednesday is burger night, and Friday is fish fry, we're looking forward to trying these as well. Service is available to general public not just Legion members. Try this!!

If you are a veteran, looking for a very inclusive friendly group...look no further. If you are a…read moreveteran who also rides motorcycles...look no further. If you are just looking for a fun place to dance on Saturday night...look no further. This is a very active, very friendly post. Nice, clean facility.

I made a reservation for a room from the IHG app less than an hour before I made it to the hotel. I…read morebooked a room for one person and a random number of beds. I did have a room with 2 queen beds. The room was completely SILENT despite there being a high school or college team of some sport being registered. There was an instance of flammable materials that needed cleaning up. They were handled immediately! There was a toilet paper holder that sat at an angle. The gentleman on the front desk was so incredibly helpful! He jumped to assist with the maintenance issue and added the toilet paper holder to a maintenance request. He did offer to see what he could do for me - which was so sweet! - but there was nothing he could do. It needed to be removed and reseated. This may well have been the quietest hotel I have ever stayed in!! The cleanliness was unquestionable! I did not have an accessible room as I normally like but I had plenty of space. The shower was inside a tub. Shower seats are available by asking for them at the front desk. I was driving from Denton TX to Hastings MN. This was my stop for the night. It was relaxing and everything I needed to start the next morning well rested! -- just like in the commercials Even the app, is easy to use!

ants all in the room, they got into my bag of dog food (was on the table), couldn't feed my dogs…read moretheir food. dog hair (not from mine) all in the bed and sheets. i wish hotels weren't all booked up but unfortunately they were and i had to choose to stay here instead of my usual stop in kansas.