About Kansas City

The Country Club Plaza just minutes away from UMKC offers more than 150 shops for every shopping need and desire. With dozens of fine restaurants available any appetite will be satisfied here. Lodging includes such names as Marriott, Hampton Inn, Sheraton, The Raphael and Southmoreland Bed and Breakfast. The Plaza has year-round musical and entertainment events. Visit their website for more information. http://www.countryclubplaza.com/

Kansas City is a phenomenal city located on the Missouri river in the heart of the Great Plains. In addition to supporting a wide variety of music groups, several world class recital series, and a broad range of other cultural activities, the city offers a vast array of convenient attractions in shopping, dining, night life, historical landmarks, festivals, visual and performing arts, theater, national and state parks, cultural diversity, sports, recreation, education, spirituality, and business opportunities. Kansas City is a major destination for vacationers, new businesses, relocating families and, of course, outstanding students.

Located in a metropolitan community of 2 million, the University of Missouri - Kansas City serves as the educational center for a large area of the Midwest, and attracts students from across the United States and around the world. UMKC Conservatory is the designated campus for the arts within the Missouri system. As home to UMKC, Kansas City offers our students ample recourses for education, fun, and relaxation. "The City of Fountains" is an ideal place to earn more than a degree: it is a place to grow, to learn, to play, to appreciate, and to call home.

Just a few blocks from campus is the popular and historic Westport. Students will find over 30 restaurants and clubs from fast food and traditional Irish pubs to elegant dining and interactive dance clubs; clothing and jewelry shops from the latest local and ethnic studios to the biggest names in fashions; several art galleries displaying sculptures, paintings, and photographs in a wide variety of mediums; movie theaters showing contemporary and independent films; over two dozen specialty and gift stores; some of the most unique book and music stores in the area; and a large offering of personal services (banks, clinics, optical, hair salons, etc.).

The historic 18th and Vine district is the home of the Jazz History Museum and the Negro Leagues Museum. An area of intense revitalization, students will find live performances of the best of contemporary and traditional jazz and blues. The areas history is impressive. In the 1920's and 1930's the most famous and popular jazz artists often appeared in the district including Count Basie, Bennie Moten, and Charlie "Yardbird" Parker.

The Jazz Museum is the first museum in the country devoted exclusively to jazz. The museum hosts interactive exhibits which are both educational and entertaining, numerous artifacts such as Birds saxophone, and venues where visitors can hear recordings of the masters performing their art. In the evening, the famous Blue Room comes to life featuring Kansas City's artists.

As the cultural center for a large area of the Midwest, Kansas City hosts numerous ethnic, music, art, dance, theater, book/storytelling, and film festivals throughout the year: Kansas City Jazz & Blues Festival; Renaissance Festival; 18th & Vine Heritage and Jazz Festival; St. Patrick's Day Parade and Festival (one of the largest in the U.S.); Spirit Fest; Sante Fe trails Blue Grass Festival; Prairie Winds Kite Festival; Kansas City Storytelling Celebration; Kansas City Indian Market and Southwest Showcase; Kansas City Scottish Highland Games; and the Kansas City Film Makers Jubilee, to name a few. In addition, some of the finest museums in country can be found in Kansas City: Nelson-Atkins Art Museum; Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art; Science City at Union Station; Liberty Memorial Museum (WWI); Negro Leagues Baseball Museum; Jazz History Museum; Lewis& Clark Trail Museum; Arabia Steamboat Museum; Harry S. Truman Office & Courtroom; the list goes on and on!!

For shear variety of entertainment, Kansas City is hard to beat. From Worlds of Fun, a large amusement park, and it's sister park, Oceans of Fun; to our professional sports (Royals, Chiefs, Blades and Wizards); to the Zoological Park and the Sprint IMAX theater; wonderful theater and musical productions from the likes of the Missouri Repertory Theater, Starlight Theater, and the American Heartland Theater; and incredible shopping featuring the internationally popular Country Club Plaza, Kansas City offers an immense selection of activities.

Even though you will find world class restaurants in all ethnic cuisines, Kansas City is best known for its barbecue. There are more than 90 barbecue restaurants in Kansas City. Each restaurant offers its own unique and distinct style of KC barbecue. Whether you are in a formal mood or ready to grab some munchies after the game, Kansas City will offer you endless choices of great eats.