GENERAL INFORMATION

Crown Center

Crown Center is the result of the vision of the late Joyce C. Hall, Hallmark Cards, Inc. founder, and his son, longtime Hallmark chairman, Donald J. Hall. In the early 1960s, the Halls looked out over the area surrounding their company’s Kansas
City headquarters and did not like what they saw: rutted parking lots, abandoned warehouses, the sorry remains of failed or failing businesses, and a limestone hill cluttered with signs and tarpaper shacks. They believed the industry leader in personal expression deserved a better setting for its home – and that the city which had given much to them deserved better than the blighted landscape stretched before them. They had two choices: follow the stream of businesses fleeing the city for the suburbs; or stay and make the city environment better. They chose to stay.

Crown Center Redevelopment Corporation, a Hallmark subsidiary, was formed to make the Halls’ vision a reality. The Hall family sought the counsel of nationally known designers, urban planners and visionaries such as Walt Disney and James Rouse. They invested millions of dollars, and then were patient waiting for that investment to pay off, understanding that the returns on a project such as Crown Center would be realized only over the long term.

Today’s Crown Center is the happy result.

Crown Center hosts shopping and dining experiences as well as attractions for all ages.

Crown Center Family Friendly Attractions:

SEA LIFE and LEGOLAND Kansas City – Crown Center is home to internationally recognized attractions. SEA LIFE is the world’s largest family of aquariums and includes SEA LIFE Aquariums in North America. From its origins in 1979 in Oban, Scotland, SEA LIFE now provides immersive marine experiences in nearly 50 locations in 17 countries around the world. Their mission is to share a passion for the creatures of the oceans and to make guests fall in love with them. The LEGOLAND Discovery Center (LDC) attraction offers a fun, highly interactive and educational two to three-hour indoor experience ideal for families with children 3-10 years old. Based on the ever popular LEGO® brick, the LDC provides a range of interactive play areas including a 4D cinema; master classes from the LEGO® Master Model Builder; an exciting LEGO® laser ride; special party rooms for birthdays and other celebrations; as well as the MINILAND exhibit featuring iconic Kansas City buildings. Adults must be accompanied by a minor to visit LEGOLAND.

Kaleidoscope – Provided as a gift to the children and families of Kansas City
by Hallmark, Kaleidoscope is a FREE center for artistic exploration and creativity for children of all ages to nourish their artistic spirit! It’s a vivid, imaginative workshop where young artists use their imaginations to paint, discover, have fun, and feel good about their own special ideas! Guests use materials from Hallmark’s manufacturing processes to dream up all kinds of colorful creations–some are cut into shapes, while others are left just as Hallmark sends them. Take your time to explore the whimsical space, make and create, then take home all your goodies to display your greatness!

Crown Center Dining:

Whether you feel like BBQ or a burger, pizza or tacos, there’s something for every taste at Crown Center. From full service to fast casual, fast food to a quick snack, there is something for everyone. Try the closest BBQ restaurant to the conference hotel, Burnt End BBQ! Have a train deliver a burger right to your table at Fritz’s Railroad Restaurant. Get creative with toppings at SPIN! Pizza. If it’s fresh, locally inspired cuisine you are looking for, Unforked is for you. But make sure to save room for dessert with some of the best frozen custard around from Sheridan’s or a delightful box of Kansas City Fudge® from Chip’s Chocolate Factory. Wherever you decide to dine the options at Crown Center make your day made to order.

Crown Center Shopping:

When it comes to shopping in Kansas City, Crown Center isn’t run of the mill. You’ll love the unique finds at locally owned, one-of-a-kind stores. Whether you’re looking for a cashmere sweater, a felt fedora, a fine pen, the ultimate Kansas City collectible, or a bag of world-famous popcorn, you’ll find it here.

UNION STATION

Union Station Kansas City is a 104-year-old historical landmark and celebrated civic asset renovated and reopened to the public in 1999. Now 20 .years later, Science City, a hands-on science center, has earned the distinction of Kansas City’s “Favorite Attraction” and “Favorite Family-Friendly Attraction”, while Union Station as a whole is recognized as KC’s “Favorite Historic Attraction” and “Best of KC”. The organization — dedicated to preserving its historic monument and its stories, inspiring lifelong learning and creating lasting memories for our community — is home to Kansas City’s internationally-awarded Science City; the new Arvin Gottlieb Planetarium; the Regnier Extreme Screen Theatre; the popular Model Railroad Experience; City Stage featuring live theater, and a selection of unique shops and restaurants. Union Station is also home to prominent area civic organizations and businesses, and regularly hosts world-class traveling exhibitions.

KANSAS CITY ART & CULTURE

Fountains – Kansas City is the City of Fountains. Nowhere else but in Kansas City will you find…three men and a woman roaring through turbulent waters on the backs of powerful horses…cherubs and winged sea horses seemingly dancing through raindrops…abstract flames boldly rising above softly cascading waterfalls. And the J. C. Nichols Memorial Fountain is but one of hundreds of unique and majestic fountains that make their home in our City of Fountains.

KC Parks maintains 48 fountains with the city, ensuring that they work, stay beautiful and last forever. The City of Fountains Foundation recognizes the important role our fountains play as sources of beauty and celebration and dedicates its efforts to ensuring the continued development and maintenance of Kansas City’s flowing treasures as well.

Explore all 48 KC Parks fountains online and be sure to visit them in person in July!

MUSEUMS

THE NATIONAL WWI MUSEUM AND MEMORIAL

The National WWI Museum and Memorial is the only American museum solely dedicated to preserving the objects, history and personal experiences of a war whose impact still echoes in the world today. The National WWI Museum holds the most diverse collection of World War I objects and documents in the world and is the second-oldest public museum dedicated to preserving the objects, history and personal experiences of the war. The Museum takes visitors on an epic journey through a transformative period and shares deeply personal stories of courage, honor, patriotism, and sacrifice. Designated by Congress as America’s official World War I Museum and located in downtown Kansas City, Mo., the National WWI Museum inspires thought, dialogue and learning to make the experiences of the Great War era meaningful and relevant for present and future generations.

THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF TOYS AND MINIATURES

The Midwest’s largest collection of antique toys and the nation’s largest collection of contemporary, fine-scale miniatures can be found at The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures. The museum, which is located just south of the Country Club Plaza, speaks to the art of play and imagination—and touts a collection featuring more than 72,000 objects from antique dolls and doll houses to dump trucks, ceramics, silver, erector sets, furniture, figurines and more.

THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES AT KANSAS CITY

Home to historical records dating from the 1820s to the 1990s, The National Archives at Kansas City is one of 15 facilities nationwide where the public has free access to Federal archival records. Visitors will find more than 50,000 cubic feet of documents— including the judgment from the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case—as well as selected military service indexes, architectural drawings, microfilmed materials, photographs and maps. The archives also feature a rotating exhibit gallery, workshops, lectures, programs and online genealogy subscription services.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL EXPERIENCE

Kansas City is home to the state-of-the-art College Basketball Experience (CBE). Sweating is almost inevitable as CBE’s high-energy exhibits recreate the intensity of a college basketball game—from foul-line hecklers to a last-second buzzer beater. Each visitor’s journey ends with a stop in the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, a quiet space devoted to the game’s greats. Interactive kiosks offer a glimpse into each inductee’s legacy.

THE MONEY MUSEUM

Located inside the Federal Reserve Bank, The Money Museum offers a free, one-hour tour encompassing the region’s largest cash vault, interactive exhibits, a Truman Coin Collection and an area where guests can design their own digital currency. Walk-in or guided tour, The Money Museum is perfect for visitors of all ages. The most unique part? Every guest walks away with a free bag of money—shredded U.S. bills, that is.

MUSIC

Since the early 1900s, Kansas City has been synonymous with jazz. Today, those jazz roots still run deep and the genre is as vibrant here as ever, fueling more than 40 jazz venues on a regular basis.

The history of Kansas City jazz can be traced back to the blues, which began in the Mississippi Delta region near New Orleans, eventually migrating north. Once here, it melded with a sort of jump timber that soon became the distinctive sound the city still calls its own.

KC’s jazz heyday in the 1920s and 1930s was found along 12th and 18th streets downtown, both part of the hub of the city’s African-American community and where many great musicians got their start in jazz groups. As the Kansas City sound flourished, increasingly larger numbers of musicians flocked here to practice their craft in the numerous nightclubs, dance halls and vaudeville houses regularly featuring jazz music. They of course were followed by legions of fans which together helped create what is now the 18th & Vine Historic Jazz District.

EAT & DRINK

Barbecue in Kansas City is unique. For starters, the city invented and perfected a delicacy called the burnt end. Expect to find it on just about every barbecue menu in Kansas City, and expect to crave it long after you’ve left the region. Its composition: that crispy portion of the brisket not suitable for slicing, but delicious and full of flavor on its own. Pitmasters will chop it into cubes or chunks, and then submerge it into sauce, often times returning it to the smoker for even more smoking.

Kansas City is also a sauce town. Here, meat is often seasoned with a dry rub, then sauced. It’s the sauce itself that defines so many of the restaurants in the region. Typically, the style is of a rounder, sweeter tone, as defined most notably by Hillsdale Bank BBQ and Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que. But the region’s most famous sauces are both, atypically, more savory than sweet, and come from the region’s two heavyweights, Arthur Bryant’s and Gates.

In the not-so-distant past, the Kansas City beer scene relied mainly on just three brewing entities, Boulevard Brewing Co., 75th Street Brewery and McCoy’s Public House. A small handful of beer-centric bars supported the cause, but over the course of the past few years, we’ve seen a sharp increase in businesses that cater to hop heads, helping to put Kansas City on the national beer map.

SHOPPING

Country Club Plaza – Kansas City’s premier retail, dining and entertainment destination, offering 100+ shops and dozens of fine restaurants nestled within 15 blocks of old-world architecture. Plaza Shopping Shoppers will recognize fine stores like West Elm, The North Face and Tiffany & Co. Original Kansas City stores like Tivol and Made in KC Marketplace give local flavor to the Plaza’s reputation. Pleasant surprises can be found along each block – from boutiques to delicious eateries, stylish salons and fine jewelry. Plaza Dining Contemporary American to Kansas City steaks, authentic Italian to cosmopolitan Mexican are all a part of the Plaza experience. The picturesque views of the Spanish influenced background entice Plaza visitors to dozens of outdoor dining venues.

Crossroads Arts District – Once-vacant warehouses now house carefully curated galleries in the Crossroads. It’s here that visitors can truly take in the arts, both hanging in showrooms and spray-painted onto building exteriors –while restaurants, breweries, and speakeasies round out the neighborhood that the arts built.

Well Bottoms – Eclectic is just the beginning in this historic neighborhood where antique shoppers thrive and hipsters vibe. The West Bottoms touts an excellent selection of vintage and preowned stores, as well as atmospheric bars and restaurants; spend a few hours here and you’ll see that it’s on the cusp of something great.