After spending a day with a working car eating BBQ at LC’s and visiting Hammerspace we had a few more stops to make. I was surprised that all of the things I was finding to do were in Kansas City, Missouri and I never actually made it to anything in Kansas City, Kansas. That’s probably because the metropolitan area and 3/4 of the population are in Missouri, so if you go to Kansas City you probably won’t be going to Kansas.
One of our favorite spots was Bar(K), a bar with a dog park and staff on site to monitor your pup while you are inside getting a drink or some food. Even with a huge water bowl (kiddie pool sized) filled with tennis balls and plenty of dog friends to run around with Storm was happiest laying in a mud puddle. This is really close to the arts/market area of downtown and is just off the road from a waterfront park with paved bike/walking trails. We wish we had more of these places to hand out on our travels as its not super easy to grab a drink or bite to eat at a local restaurant without stepping into a space where your pet is not allowed to be, in these cases it is helpful to have a human travel partner.
We arrived in Kansas City prepared for BBQ but we didn’t expect to find a thriving fine art community. Our First Stop was the Nelson-Adkins museum that has an amazing outdoor sculpture garden where well behaved leashed dogs are welcomed. They are famous for a sculpture of a large shuttlecock but the other sculptures are though provoking in both subject and scale. It was nice that there was information accompanying all of the sculptures. I am sure the exhibits inside the museum were wonderful as well but we were happy just to be able experience this free dog-friendly opportunity to appreciate some art.
We also visited the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art which is known for a large spider sculpture in front of the main entrance. The Kemper museum is just across from the Kansas City Art Institute which also has a lot of sculpture on the grounds. Storm and I both thought this was a wonderful place to take a walk, enjoy the weather, and explore the city.
Even after having a lot of fun in Kansas City we were ready to get back on the road and hopefully to some more outdoor themed adventures!
“Some of our greatest historical and artistic treasures we place with curators in museums; others we take for walks.”
Roger Caras, American Activist
takenbystormusa.com 