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One of the best ways to really get to know an area is at your own pace, on foot. Walking tours give you a chance to revel in the details of a location, to see how the past and present connect, and view art and architecture up close.
There’s so much to see in Kansas City that no one walking tour can cover it all, though. We have more fountains than Rome. There are hundreds of murals, each adding color and verve to the urban landscape. Historic buildings date back to when Kansas City was the edge of the Wild West.
Whether you are looking to cover a wide section of the city, or learn about a specific era of Kansas City history, the city has great ways to do it all.
And while this Adventure focuses on walking tours, many of the discussed tours are ADA accessible, and you can find other options like bike tours, streetcar tours, trolley tours, and virtual tours.
Where to walk
Each area of the Kansas City region offers a different perspective on history, culture and architecture. Here are a few walkable areas packed with interest to get you started:
River Market is the original Kansas City and includes the historic City Market, open year round. Kansas City’s oldest building is in this neighborhood, and many of the turn-of-the-century warehouses have been converted into residential units. Nearby is the Riverfront Heritage Trail, a bi-state biking/pedestrian trail, with historical markers to help educate the passerby.
The Library District — Main Street to Baltimore, between 9th and 11th Streets — is studded with architectural gems, including the Kansas City Public Library Central Branch, which was originally First National Bank, built in 1906. See a statue of Missourian Mark Twain and the iconic Community Bookshelf, both found along 10th Street.
You can take a guided tour of the historic building on June 13, with a librarian. If you want to learn more about the area around the Kansas City Public Library, VoiceMap offers a narrated walking tour (introduced by Mayor Quinten Lucas) of the area and neighboring Quality Hill for $4.99/download, PocketSites provides a self-guided walking tour, and Urban Hikes KC recently added a Library District guided tour.
The Crossroads is Kansas City’s art central, with galleries, eateries, and lots of delightful details. Murals are ubiquitous and there are many artsy accents tucked away in alleys, making a walk through the area a bit of a scavenger hunt.
Nearby Union Station is a great base for this area, with a pedestrian bridge over the tracks, as well as access to the streetcar that runs to the River Market. Union Station is worth a tour all itself, with history, exhibits, restaurants, and activities.
The Country Club Plaza is a popular destination for locals and visitors, and a great place to wander around whether sightseeing, meeting friends, or window shopping, with beautiful replica details inspired by Seville, Spain.
Historic Kansas City shares the pamphlet “7 Ways of Looking at the Plaza,” with essays and walking guides. During the spring, the Plaza Bunnies are brought out for display, and Pocket Sites shares the locations of the iconic animals. And the Plaza has a big holiday display each winter, too, making it a great winter walking option.
Or you could tour down Troost Avenue with our recent dining Adventure!
Tour companies
When “hike” is in the name, you know they mean business.
With Urban Hikes KC, get to know the city while seriously getting your steps in. They cover areas in both Missouri and Kansas, and have a variety of themed hikes each lasting about three hours, including a Spray See Mo mural tour in the River Market, a wine and cheese tour of the Crossroads, a tour of the Quindaro ruins or Strawberry Hill in Kansas City, Kansas, and a Historic Northeast tour around Kessler Park. Prices vary.
The Kansas City Tour Company is run by Erik Stafford and focuses on Black history. Stafford leads walking tours, bus tours, and streetcar tours of different areas. Be Bop and Beyond is a walking tour of the Historic 18th and Vine Jazz and Baseball District, where Stafford shares stories of the Black experience and Civil Rights. Tours are $30 for adults and free for minors (limit two minors per adult).
Cowtown Tours also has different themed tours at various locations, run by Laura Miller. Popular tours include their ABC Tour (Antiques, Boutiques, & Coffee) at three different locations: River Market, Westwood, and the West Bottoms (coffee samples included).
You can also check out the Mobsters & Mayhem gangster tour, starting inside Union Station (you’ll soon understand why!). Prices vary between $40-50 per person.
KC Fountain Tours focuses on the city’s iconic fountains, offering private and public tours by Lori Ventura. They have a walking tour of the Plaza that lasts about 90 minutes, with minimal inclines, which runs $45 for adults, 13 years and up, $22 for 12 and below.
Self-guided tours
There’s nothing to stop you from setting out on your own, however.
Explore the art and culture of downtown Kansas City, Kansas, with the self-guided Avenue of Murals tour, which maps the route and explains the significance of each of the area murals. You might also peruse the KCK Taco Trail as another way to explore Kansas City, Kansas (or, you can hop a bus for a three-hour curated tour of the city’s taquerias).
The City of Independence offers three self-guided walking trails, including the Truman Walking Trail & Sites. Liberty, Missouri, has three guided tour dates, but a ream of self-guided tours you can try anytime.
The Clio is probably the best site around for creating your own self-guided tour. The website is run by a non-profit based in Kansas City, but covers historic sites all over the world. Around town, you’ll find the City Hall and Observation Deck tour.
If you want to make your exploration more game-like, consider picking up a copy of Kansas City Scavenger, which highlights batches of hard-to-find features in different areas.
Art on display
If you are a fan of outdoor art, the Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park is for you. The 22 acre manicured grounds surrounding The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art are not just a favorite destination for family picnics and mini golf, but boasts over 15 sculptures, including foundational works by English artist Henry Moore donated by the Hall Family Foundation.
Patrons are welcome to visit the grounds and admire the sculptures, but guided tours are available starting in May, running $100 for a group of 15.
And just to the south, on the University of Missouri-Kansas City campus, you can take a self-guided tour of the university’s outdoor sculpture collection.
Due to Kansas City’s One Percent for Art Program, public art is an indelible part of the cityscape in just about every sector of the city. There are pieces installed throughout the city, in parks, plazas, and parking garages.
And coming soon is “The Arterie," which is an “experimental pathway connecting our city’s creative institutions and beyond,” including the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, and the Kansas City Art Institute.
Other ways to see Kansas City
History and art are all well and good, but have you ever taken a walking tour of the Solar System? In Kansas City, you can walk from the Sun to Pluto in just an afternoon.
The 2008 “Voyage” installation created a replica solar system along Baltimore Ave., starting near the Midland Theatre south of 13th Street and ending with an “Explorers Entry” on the south side of Union Station.
If you want your walking tour to be a little less urban, consider joining KC Parks’ Walk-tober hikes, guided hikes each Sunday morning in October. This year’s locations and schedule will be announced in August.
If you want to really dig deep into the history of Kansas City, consider a tour of the area’s historic cemeteries and learn about the people who shaped the town.
At Union Cemetery, the city's oldest existing cemetery established in 1857, you can book a private tour or group tour ($10/person, group rates available) or do a self-guided tour. The Clio shares a walking tour of Highland Cemetery, established in 1909 for Kansas City's Black community, which includes the burial place of jazz great Bennie Moten. At Elmwood Cemetery, established in 1872, group walking tours are scheduled once a month ($10/person), May through October, though private tours can be arranged.
